Rating: 
Summary: A Good Comprehensive Guide for Cruisers--New or Experienced
Review: I'm going on my third cruise, and have a slightly itchy feeling that I might like to try a somewhat different cruise next year. I bought this book because of its detailed rating system (two scales: one for quality and one for value)and because of its detailed coverage of scores of ships and cruise lines. I'm glad I did, even though it still doesn't include everything I'd like to know (one of these days someone will write a cruise guide that includes sample floor plans and relative sizes of different classes of cabin--but it hasn't happened yet!).I personally found this guide to be helpful even though I would qualify as both an experienced cruiser and a devoted internet searcher (see review below). It has very good information on how and why you might want to figure out your own air transportation, which cruises are for you and which aren't, and is pretty accurate in summing up cruise ship ambience. I particularly enjoyed the "This cruise recommended for..." and "This cruise not recommended for..." sections, which really help you to narrow your list down to precisely those ships that offer what you want--even if you want a luxurious but not stuffy sports minded cruise without waterslides! I wish it had had an index, and I found some of its Cunard Line information inaccurate, but even still I am glad to have this book on my travel reference shelf.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Comprehensive Guide for Cruisers--New or Experienced
Review: I'm going on my third cruise, and have a slightly itchy feeling that I might like to try a somewhat different cruise next year. I bought this book because of its detailed rating system (two scales: one for quality and one for value)and because of its detailed coverage of scores of ships and cruise lines. I'm glad I did, even though it still doesn't include everything I'd like to know (one of these days someone will write a cruise guide that includes sample floor plans and relative sizes of different classes of cabin--but it hasn't happened yet!). I personally found this guide to be helpful even though I would qualify as both an experienced cruiser and a devoted internet searcher (see review below). It has very good information on how and why you might want to figure out your own air transportation, which cruises are for you and which aren't, and is pretty accurate in summing up cruise ship ambience. I particularly enjoyed the "This cruise recommended for..." and "This cruise not recommended for..." sections, which really help you to narrow your list down to precisely those ships that offer what you want--even if you want a luxurious but not stuffy sports minded cruise without waterslides! I wish it had had an index, and I found some of its Cunard Line information inaccurate, but even still I am glad to have this book on my travel reference shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Good first step ....
Review: It was really over whelming to try and figure out wheere to start when deciding on a cruise vacation... this book helped put ALOT of general info all in one place and it helped me to narrow my choices when picking cruises. i will say that i didnt end my research with this book BUT... to go from travel agent to web site... to cruise company brocures.... was overwhelming. it was MUCH easier to get my bearings using this book, decide on a few cruise companies...iteneraries..and than do *specific* research... this book was an asset. Its hard to make informed choices when all your reading is advertising (like cruise brocures) so i thought this book was key to narrowing down my cruise based on what i really wanted....
Rating: 
Summary: simply the best
Review: Showker's cruise guide is right on target, what the Fielding guide once was before the reviews became dated. I love her focus on value for money, descriptions of fellow passengers and the comprehensive coverage of all aspects. Great for first timers or the experienced cruiser.
Rating:
Summary: Very informative and easy to read. Good details.
Review: This book had good details about the various ships cruising in the Carribean. It gives details about ports of call and pricing that other books don't include. I especially appreciated his detailed rating system since you can't use the star rating system anymore. He compared each ship line and individual ship thoroughly.
Rating: 
Summary: No great secrets revealed in this "unofficial" guide
Review: This book is very thorough and detail oriented for the novice cruiser, but no "insider information" is revealed for an experienced traveler. If you have never cruised, or don't want to take the time to read the brochures, search the internet and ask lots of questions, this books may be for you. If you want to know things that aren't readily available from other sources (see above), you won't find any "unofficial" information in this publication. Your best bet for that type of info are different cruise interest sites on the web or "Cruise Travel" magazine.
Rating:
Summary: Very comprehensive and informative guide; humor included
Review: This book was informative enough, entertaining enough, honest enough and impartial enough to motivate me to book my first-ever cruise. There is useful - indeed, necessary - information about every facet of a cruise, from booking the best deal, to required documents and from incredibly detailed descriptions of every cruise (and all of their ships) to a full description on what a day on a cruise is like. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering a cruise, particularly for the fisrt time.
Rating:
Summary: An informative, up-to-date, comprehensive guide to cruises
Review: This is a great book. I like it because it gives information but is not opinionated. It is full of practical advice on how to figure out the most important variables of a cruise, how and why to book through a travel agent, and why trip cancellation insurance is important and a good value. It includes about 20 pages of maps (cruising areas of the world). It also helps the reader think about the differences between cruises that stop at many ports of call vs. the benefits of just spending time at sea. The authors articulate the many types of cruises, and links various cruise lines, individual ships, and specific locations with categories of people you might find on that particular cruise. I never thought I would be interested in a cruise but after reading this guide I realize there are as many different types of cruises as there are people. I feel empowered to work through a travel agent with an understanding of how these industries work, knowing that if I'm flexible I'm going to get a good value. This book is a cut above your typical guide book. It has more information than you would ever want about cruise lines and individual ships including background and history on the cruise line companies. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to research cruise alternatives. It is a great way to begin.
Rating:
Summary: Kay & Bob know their ships!
Review: Useful descriptions of ships make it easier to sort through the many special offers in the newspaper.
Rating:
Summary: The book that convinced me to take a cruise!
Review: What more can I say about a book that convinced me to take a cruise? This book is a handy guide to choosing a specific cruise. You are told what to expect (and what not to expect) during your cruise. The first part of the book gives you an overview of cruising in general, and advise on how to select a cruise. The second part is a review of cruise ships. They are arranged by cruise line, with general classes of ships grouped together. A map is provided at the beginning of each line's listings showing where they cruise. The third part of the book discusses non-tradiditional cruises such as sail boats and freightors. The fourth part of the book is a reference guide showing each ships planned iteneraries. The book is a very easy read, and doesn't waste space on a lot of trivial or repetitive information. The only minus with the book is that the individual ship descriptions are hard to find amongst other ships of the same type, and are quite brief. If only other passangers on my cruise read this book, they would have learned what was not included in their cruise fare, and not have been so upset when they got the bill on the last day!
| 
