Each year, over 50 million people take a cruise vacation. Cruising has become one of the fastest growing vacation alternatives in the 21st century. Whether you desire an intimate sail on one of many small ships plying the waters around small islands and out-of-the-way destinations, or a grand cruising experience on a giant city-at-sea, the cruise industry offers something for everyone.Surprisingly, there are few good guide books for people contemplating their first-or 25th-cruise. We've taken a look and assembled a brief list of what we believe are the best books for both prospective and experienced cruisers.Want to read about our dream-come-true cruise to Australian and New Zealand? Click here.
Our Featured Title:
Happy Sails: The Carefree Cruiser's Handbook by Pam Kane If you're a new cruiser--or even an "old salt"--Pam Kane's book will help you plan and have fun on the high seas. She'll tell you how to have great manners afloat, what and how to pack, the cruise diet (try all that great food, without gaining all the pounds!), tips for differently-abled cruisers, great shopping ideas and much, much more!
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100 Best Cruise Vacations: The Top Cruises Throughout the World for All Interests and Budgets by Theodore W. Scull. Covers Scull’s picks for "best of" cruises in every category conceivable with extensive contact info. |
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Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska by Anne Vipond. Other Guides by Vipond: |
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Alaska & Canada's Inside Passage Cruise Tour Guide: City Maps, History, Native Culture Plus a 6-Foot Fold-Out Map by George King and Karen Hesselberg. The map is worth the price of the book! |
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Berlitz 2009 Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships by Douglas Ward |
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Cruise Vacations for Mature Travelers by Kerry Smith. Who told this person that title was a good one? The book is focused on the adult traveler, period. It gives ideas about how to obtain cruise deals and shows what cruises are good for what type of personality (Can’t stand still? How about rock climbing at sea?). |
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Cruising Alaska: A Guide to the Ports of Call by Larry H. Ludmer. A comprehensive guide of cruise ships (all the stats), their destinations, ports of calls and ways to make your trip even better. |
France: Instructions for Use: The Personal, On-Site Assistant for the Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Traveler by Alison Culliford. If you're on your own in France, this pocket-sized guide is a must! Written by a travel writer who has lived and worked in Paris, this charming book gives you the straight talk on everything from car rentals to toiletry buying--and includes key French phrases. |
Fodor's |
Frommer's |
Greece: Instructions for Use: The Personal, On-Site Assistant for the Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Traveler by Kat Chritofer. If you're on your own in Greece, this pocket-sized guide is a must! Written by a travel writer who has lived and worked in Athens, this charming book gives you the straight talk on everything from car rentals to toiletry buying--and includes key Greek phrases. |
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Italy,
Instructions for Use: The Personal, On-Site Assistant for the
Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Traveler by Nan McElroy. If you're on your own in
Italy, this pocket-sized guide is a must! Written by a personal
travel guide who has worked in Italy for a decade, this charming
book gives you the straight talk on everything from car rentals to
toiletry buying--and includes key Italian phrases. |
Insight Guides |
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Passporters' Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line: The Take-Along Travel Guide and Planner by Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx. Excellent and very specific descriptions of the ships in the Disney Line, what to expect and even sample menus. |
Stern's
Guide to the Cruise Vacation 2009 by Stephen B. Stern.A ship by ship evaluation
of all the cruise ships afloat. |
Thomas Cook Guides |
Total Traveler Guide to Worldwide Cruising by Ethel Blum. This is considered one of the bibles of cruising. Every cruise ship is evaluated in this 800 page doorstop. Vital for dedicated cruisers! |
The
Unofficial Guide to Cruises by Kay Showker. This book won the Lowell Thomas Award for best
new guidebook for a very good reason—it manages to tell about
the details of a ship without being boring or biased. Probably the
most popular cruise book of its kind. Also by Showker: Caribbean
Ports of Call: Eastern and Southern Regions, 5th: A Guide for
Today's Cruise Passengers |
