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Rating: 
Summary: A great place to start
Review:
Whether you are a seasoned cruiser and are looking for something new or have never cruised before this book is very handy. I have cruised three times but was not sure where I wanted to visit next and which cruise line I wanted to take to get me there so I borrowed Cruises & Ports of Call 2005 from the library. I spent the greater part of an afternoon studying cruise lines, ships, itineraries, and cabins. It immensely helped me choose which cruise was right for me because it went into a very detailed description of the ins and outs of each port and line out there.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Good Information
Review: As a person looking to take a cruise for the first time I found most of the info I was looking for in this book. It contains very detailed descriptions, especially of the various cruise lines and the type of activities, food and service that they offer. Of course, the opinions expressed are of the authors only and your taste may vary considerly. But overall they give a fairly objective assessment of the wide range of cruising experiences offered. Recommended.
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Summary: Frommer Has a Winner Here
Review: I hate most of the Frommer Travel books. They take the fun out of travel and have very few photos.This book is different. Here they came up with something very useful and novel for the traveller. When you go on a cruise normally you do not have a clue. You just follow what your travel agent recommmends. But anyone that has taken an extended cruise or two knows there are big differences betweeen boat lines and routes etc.( I like Holland America myself). So here is a nice review of what boats and crusies are available, it describes the boats, and where they go and what you can expect including on board entertainment. All great stuff. Highly recommend 4 or 5 stars. Buy before you talk to the travel agent. Jack in Toronto
Rating: 
Summary: The best book on cruises...
Review: I have gone on several cruises, and this book is the most thorough, complete book I have seen on the subject. It is current and well-researched. It will really help you decide which cruises to take, which shore excursions, etc. If you are looking for a book on cruises, this is the best one to get! The author is candid and writes very well.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for general information
Review: If you are planning a cruise to the Caribbean, this book is a must read. The first part of the book (and the appendix) focuses almost entirely on cruise ships. The reviews of the ships are well organized by type of cruise (mainstream, luxury, adventure) cruise line, and class of ship. The reviews of the ports-of-call are brief, but it is all you really need since you sill be spending about 12 hours (or less) in port anyway. The only thing the book lacks are pictures of the ports (pictures of the ships are small, black and white pictures of the class if the ship is part of a class of similar ships, or the ship itself if it is not), and a subject index.
Rating:
Summary: A well ballanced must read
Review: If you are planning a cruise to the Caribbean, this book is a must read. The first part of the book (and the appendix) focuses almost entirely on cruise ships. The reviews of the ships are well organized by type of cruise (mainstream, luxury, adventure) cruise line, and class of ship. The reviews of the ports-of-call are brief, but it is all you really need since you sill be spending about 12 hours (or less) in port anyway. The only thing the book lacks are pictures of the ports (pictures of the ships are small, black and white pictures of the class if the ship is part of a class of similar ships, or the ship itself if it is not), and a subject index.
Rating:
Summary: Great for general information
Review: The book has alot of general information. The first 93 pages covers "What's New in Cruising," "The Best of Cruising," "Choosing Your Ideal Cruise," "Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price," "Things to Know Before you Go," and "The Cruise Experience." Having been on 3 cruises before, I found these pages useless; however, a first time cruise might find these pages helpful. The next 254 pages deal with "The Ratings," "The Mainstream Lines," "The Ultra Luxury Lines," and "Soft Adventure Lines & Sailing Ships." These pages were very generic and many times the same language was used over and over again. The next 270 pages deal with "The Ports of Embarkation," "Caribbean Ports of Call," and "Bermuda." The information on each of the ports is useful, with some good commentary on avoiding certain places due to crowds. However, the book does not list some attractions that were listed on the official tourism websites for some of the islands - this makes me wonder what else might not be included and how long ago did the author(s) actually go to the destinations. While the book does provide some information about some great sites to see "off the beaten path," there is no information on how to get to these sites, there is merely a reference to hire a tour guide. For most of the islands, a map of the entire island is included; however, there are very few detailed street maps of the downtown, port, or shopping areas. References to street names aren't much help without a map showing where those streets are. Fodor's Caribbean book has much more detailed listings of things available on the islands.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing special about this book - too many cruise tours
Review: There is really not much special about this book. If you are looking for a more detailed description of the ships and tours being than what you get from the cruise lines, it may meet your needs. But if you're looking for "off the beaten path" tours and tips, there isn't much there.
Rating:
Summary: thorough and fun!
Review: this was a pretty good guide geared towards cruisers--only buy if you're interested on going on a big name cruise ship. port information was good for st. john, st. thomas, barbados, and aruba. the info on martinique was not good. the author described martinique's main town as cosmopolitan, people dress like paris, fort du france looks like new orleans. i don't know when he went to martinique. martinique was seedy and falling apart.
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Summary: The Perfect Cruise and Port Guide
Review: When I decided to take my first Caribbean cruise I checked out several guide books, but Frommer's Cruises and Ports of Call was the most thorough on each of the ships I was considering and what to expect at each port. When I finally went on the cruise, I found Frommer's information extensive and thorough. Doing a little homework with the book before arriving at port made all the difference in which shore excurions to go on, finding the best places to eat, off the beaten path and where was the best shopping. The only thing I found lacking in the book was too few photographs. Other than that, I found the book to be the perfect resourse.
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