Rating: 
Summary: Useful insights without the fluff.
Review: I have cruised a few times and found this book brief, to-the-point, humorous and helpful. Such as how to get invited to the Captain's table, if you so desire. How to make inevitable waits less taxing. Which is better a luxury suite in lesser ship or a lesser cabin in a luxury ship and why. And best of all it's a quick read with resources to check out and an e-mail to the author for further assistance. Great! Better in the ways of cruising but not which ships, which itineraries except to say the longer the cruise, the more elderly the population.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT NEW EDITION
Review: I have read some of the reviews on this book, some good and some not so good, and I guess I need to add my opinion. First of all, there's a lot to be said for a person who has worked on a ship as opposed to someone who just cruises on one and then writes about it, and the inside scoop that Jim West provides is obviously from an "insiders" point of view.Secondly, I love all the websites that are included in this new edition. I found six of them extremely helpful and two of them offered lower prices than I found on the big cruise sites advertising the lowest rates. Personally, I did call him and ask him for advice on a couple of things (his number is listed in the back of the book) and he was extremely helpful with information. How cool was that having the actual author take time to answer cruise questions. Great guy, no wonder he did well as a cruise director. And I will also mention his toll free number (888 867 8600) in this review because I think he is terrific also! It would be very foolish NOT to ask him for help with your cruise (it's free), plus he's been on 850 cruises!! My advice, get this book. It's inexpensive and will provide great ways to get the most out of your cruise.
Rating: 
Summary: Many cruise etiquette tips, but nothing about cruise lines
Review: I purchased this book to get general information to help me choose a cruise but it only provided simple, common sense advice written in sound bites. This book is not for someone conducting research for the perfect cruise. There is no information on the different cruise lines, and the different packages offerd by these lines. Destinations are also overlooked. It is very lite reading and I felt not worth the expense for information that should be covered in any book on cruises.
Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS BOOK!
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed this wonderful little book, and it looks like nearly all the other reviewers feel as I do. This book provided great tips about packing, how to make sure your travel agent knows what the heck they're doing, how to spend your money wisely and hundreds of other great things for getting the most out of your cruise. For the money, you'd be a fool not to make this very small investment in purchasing the book. You'll maximize your cruise experience 100 times over. THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS!
Rating:
Summary: A gem of a book
Review: I was so impressed with the amount of information in such a small book, and challenged my travel agent on a couple of things because of the advice from author Jim West. After doing so, my travel agent was able to give me a better price because of the information I asked her to look up. Amazing what can be done when you know the right things to say. Anyway, I have to agree with the other reviews on this site, The Essential Little Cruise Book is terrific and I would also like to mention Jim West's toll free number. Only because he tells people in his book to call him or email him if they have any cruise questions. Not to many authors provide that kind of service! Here's his number for the record [phone number]and if I were you, I wouldn't pass up the chance to see what kind of cruise he can find for you and also what kind of advice he can give you to save some money if you already have it planned. Good luck and thanks amazon.com for providing this little gem.
Rating:
Summary: A gem of a book
Review: I was so impressed with the amount of information in such a small book, and challenged my travel agent on a couple of things because of the advice from author Jim West. After doing so, my travel agent was able to give me a better price because of the information I asked her to look up. Amazing what can be done when you know the right things to say. Anyway, I have to agree with the other reviews on this site, The Essential Little Cruise Book is terrific and I would also like to mention Jim West's toll free number. Only because he tells people in his book to call him or email him if they have any cruise questions. Not to many authors provide that kind of service! Here's his number for the record [phone number]and if I were you, I wouldn't pass up the chance to see what kind of cruise he can find for you and also what kind of advice he can give you to save some money if you already have it planned. Good luck and thanks amazon.com for providing this little gem.
Rating:
Summary: Great buy
Review: I would definately recommend this book. I've been on one cruise, and booked another...this time I know all the tricks to have a great vacation. Very well put together - answers a lot of questions that even seasoned cruise consultants didn't have answers to!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Cruise book out there!!
Review: I've read seven cruise books, everything from how cruise ships are rated, what cruise lines offer what kind of products, and everything in between. The Essential Little Cruise Book is without doubt the best of all. It contains incredible enhancement tips that will literally save you hundreds of dollars. I also read some of the other reviews on this book, and I know why so many people included Jim West's toll-free number. I contacted him, and he not only took time to personally answer my questions, but he also gave me a letter to give to the captain on the ship we were going to be sailing on. He knew the captain personally, and we were treated like VIP's the entire time we were on the cruise...You should buy it from amazon.com immediately!!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Cruise book out there!!
Review: I've read seven cruise books, everything from how cruise ships are rated, what cruise lines offer what kind of products, and everything in between. The Essential Little Cruise Book is without doubt the best of all. It contains incredible enhancement tips that will literally save you hundreds of dollars. I also read some of the other reviews on this book, and I know why so many people included Jim West's toll-free number. I contacted him, and he not only took time to personally answer my questions, but he also gave me a letter to give to the captain on the ship we were going to be sailing on. He knew the captain personally, and we were treated like VIP's the entire time we were on the cruise...You should buy it from amazon.com immediately!!
Rating:
Summary: An Essential Accessory
Review: Jim West's little book may be pint-sized but it packs a whopping amount of practical information. Even old salts can learn new tricks and, as a veteran of over two dozen cruises, I found his thoughfully presented insights to be an excellent reminder of why I love cruise ships and voyages at sea. This cruising guide should be tucked into every cruise passenger's document package. I heartily recommend it to anyone contemplating their first cruise.
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