“The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 1998” by Kay Showker with Bob Sehlinger.
(Macmillan Travel, $19.95)
Winner of the Lowell Thomas “Best Travel Guidebook of Year” Award, this hefty tome (a considerable 819 pages) ranks and rates 101 cruise lines and 450 ships worldwide with advice on how to get the best deal on a cruise, selecting a cabin and what to pack. In a departure from the “star” system employed by other guidebooks, the authors use a numerical scale of 1 to 10 to evaluate a particular ship or cruise. The descriptions are fair, honest and opinionated.
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More new cruise titles include:
“Worldwide Cruises and Ports of Call 1998”
(Fodor’s, $21)
This guide begins with information on what’s new and newsworthy in the cruising world. First-time cruisers (and even those with some experience under their belt) will appreciate the “Cruise Primer,” a fact-filled 35-page section on most everything you need to know about enjoying a cruise vacation.
“Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation”
(Pelican, $18.95)
The 8th edition lists the major ports of call, along with details on attractions, restaurants, shopping and recreation.
“Alaska Ports of Call 1998”
(Fodor’s, $9)
Includes Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Glacier Bay National Park.
“Caribbean Ports of Call 1998”
(Fodor’s, $10)
Includes the Bahamas, the Panama Canal and Central America.
“The Essential Little Cruise Book” by Jim West
(Globe Pequot Press, $7.95)
An attractive little book that contains nuggets of wisdom from a veteran cruise director who has logged millions of nautical miles; a real charmer.
MAGAZINES
FREIGHTER SPACE ADVISORY (semiweekly, $29 yearly)
Published by Freighter World Cruises, a California-based booking agency, the Advisory catalogs voyages available on working ships, usually long trips to exotic ports. No cruise line glitz on these pages. Black and white illustrations and no-nonsense descriptions of facilities are the rule. For more information call 800-531-7774.
MARIS FREIGHTER CRUISES (monthly, $18 a year)
Another catalog by another agency whipping up ocean-borne wanderlust. Example cruise in the March issue: 62 days to China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan for $4,750-$6,880. Entertainment runs the gamut from ping-pong to counting the cargo containers. (800-996-2747)
PORTHOLE ($3.95)
A glossy package wraps up the latest in shipping news, along with lavish spreads on destinations from Aruba to Egypt and ship-by-ship comparisons of such amenities as spas and wine cellars (800-776-PORT).
GEAR
MOTION-LESS ($10, at travel retailers, such as Rand McNally).
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Instead of pills or patches, these cloth wristlets by Sea Band are said to combat motion sickness by pressing on accu-pressure points. No punctures are required and no medicinal side effects occur, according to the manufacturer. One size fits all.
INTERNET
CRUISE GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS
(nationalgeographic.com/features/96/cruise) This splashed on line in 1996 and seems rather dormant, but it does offer useful background information on cruising in general. Also take a look at what the chat groups had to say before the site stopped taking contributions.
CRUISE LINES
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION
(trav.org./clia/profiles) Don’t expect much carping here, because a cruise industry trade group sponsors the site. Still, it’s a good place to begin looking for information and to get a feel for the confusing number of ships and cruise packages out there.
CRUISE SHIP OPINION DATABASE
(cruiseopinion.com) The idea: passengers fill out detailed questionnaires and browsers get to read more than 1,000 commentaries (so far), ranging from pique to lavish praise. Searchable by cruise line. This claims to be the largest database of cruise reviews on the Internet.