Total Traveler Guide to Worldwide Cruising

Rating:
Summary: Los Angeles Times columnist
Review: Ethel's newest book is the bible of cruising. The 2003 edition guides passengers to the right ship at the right price at the right time. It's a "must read" before choosing your ship.

Rating:
Summary: Los Angeles Times columnist
Review: Ethel's newest book is the bible of cruising. The 2003 edition guides passengers to the right ship at the right price at the right time. It's a "must read" before choosing your ship.

Rating:
Summary: Great source of advice and information on ships
Review: Invaluable information if you are trying to decide what line or ship to go on. She gives a fair description and evaluation of almost every ship and line sailing, as well as plentiful and honest advice for both the 1st time and many time cruiser. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference guide detailing what to expect on board
Review: The book details the positive and negatives of every ship and is an excellent guide to cruising. Even people like me who have cruised hundreds of ships find details I never knew about some of the ships I have sailed. but, you are wrong about publication date. My copy says "1998" while your description says an earlier date. You should correct it as the book includes ships of the Milleniuim as well as all of the new ships sailing in 1999.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but get the new 13th edition
Review: The new edition has a different name. I believe, the "Total Traveler Guide to Worldwide Cruising". She doesn't pull any punches with shipboard ratings and gives many great insights to particular ships and cruising in general.

Rating:
Summary: Use with caution! Not completely objective.
Review: This book does offer some good general information but use caution when using it to evaluate a cruise company. I admit this is a very hard thing to do... but it could have been done more objectively. Having sailed numerous cruises, I was a little shocked to find the reviews glowing on one particular cruise line. The other competing lines were being given very dry, somewhat negative reviews, instead of an accurate desciption of the ambience they deserve. Wondering why... I finally read the dedication... and may have figured it out... it is dedicated to the founder of that glowing cruise line... he died in 1999... and the author thanks him for their friendship.

DO NOT use this book as the sole authority on what cruise line to sail. Talk to as many previous cruisers as you can find. Then get a travel agent that has invested some time studying the cruise industry.

Cruises are wonderful... it does pay to be informed properly!