Cruise Vacations for Dummies 2005 Book

	Introduction	1
	About This Book	2
	Conventions Used in This Book	3
	Foolish Assumptions	3
	How This Book Is Organized	4
	Icons Used in This Book	5
	Where to Go from Here	6
Part I	Getting Started	7
Chapter 1	Discovering the Best of Cruising	9
	The Best Ships for Luxury	9
	The Best of the Mainstream Lines	10
	The Best Ships for Families	11
	The Best Romantic Cruises	11
	The Best Party Cruises	12
	The Best Ships for Shoppers	12
	The Best Ships for Cuisine	13
	The Best Ports of Call	14
Chapter 2	Introducing the Cruise Experience	15
	Getting On Board with Cruising	15
	Keeping It Fresh	18
	Seeing the World	18
	Appealing to All Types of Travelers	19
	Checking Your Hassles at the Door	20
	Overcoming Your Cruising Anxieties	21
Chapter 3	Choosing Your Ideal Cruise	27
	Choosing Your Cruise	27
	Picking a Destination	29
	Meeting Special Situations	34
Part II	Planning Your Cruise	39
Chapter 4	Managing Your Money	41
	Understanding Cruise Pricing	41
	Saving Bucks on Your Booking	42
	Tracking Additional Costs	45
	Paying Up When the Party's Over	48
Chapter 5	Getting to Your Port of Embarkation and Boarding Ship	49
	Flying to Your Port of Embarkation	49
	Checking In at the Pier	51
	Stepping Aboard and Checking Out Your Digs	53
	Exploring the Ship	54
	Attending the Safety Drill	55
	Signing Up for Shore Excursions	55
	Gearing Up for the Days Ahead	56
Chapter 6	Booking Your Cruise	59
	Hiring a Travel Agent	59
	Acting as Your Own Travel Agent	62
	S, M, L, XL: Finding a Cabin that Fits	64
	Dining Decisions	69
	Adding Air Travel	70
	Extending Your Vacation	71
	Putting Down a Deposit	72
Chapter 7	Taking Care of the Remaining Details	73
	Identifying Yourself with the Right Documentation	73
	Getting Your Passport	74
	Reviewing Your Cruise Documents	75
	Paying Up	76
	Buying Insurance	78
	Decking Yourself Out: What to Pack	78
	Confirming Your Flight	84
	Remembering Other Important Stuff	84
Part III	All Aboard: The Cruise Experience	87
Chapter 8	Wining and Dining	89
	Grazing Throughout the Day	89
	Sitting Pretty at Seatings	90
	Dining as a Matter of Courses	91
	Enjoying Breakfast and Lunch	93
Chapter 9	Heading into Activities	95
	Reading the Cruise News	95
	Enjoying Daytime Activities	96
	Learning as You Lounge	97
	Finding Entertainment after Dark	99
	Living Everyday Life on Board	103
Chapter 10	Catering to the Kids: Activities for Children and Teens	105
	Keeping the Children in Mind	105
	Summing Up Shipboard Activities for Kids	106
	Uncovering Kids' Cruise Criteria	107
	Teaching Your Kids Important Rules	109
	Finding the Best Family Cruises	109
Chapter 11	Taking Care of Those Final Details	121
	Taking Care of Tips	121
	Paying the Purser	122
	Checking Out	123
	Packing Procedures	123
	Getting off the Ship	124
Chapter 12	Coming Home: Customs, Regulations, and Taxes	127
	Understanding Immigration	127
	Getting through Customs	128
	Taking Back Value-Added Tax and Goods and Services Tax	132
	Dealing with Departure Tax	133
Part IV	Ship Shapes: Cruise Lines and Cruise Ships	135
Chapter 13	Setting Your Sights on a Ship: Comparing Cruises	137
	Recognizing the Ratings	137
	Sizing Up Your Ship	137
	Attending to the Details	139
	Getting a Handle on Prices	140
Chapter 14	Mainstream Ships	141
	What Mainstream Ships Have	141
	Where Mainstream Ships Go	142
	Carnival Cruise Lines	142
	Celebrity Cruises	148
	Costa Cruises	153
	Disney Cruise Line	158
	Holland America Line	161
	Norwegian Cruise Line	166
	Oceania Cruises	171
	Princess Cruises	174
	Royal Caribbean International	180
Chapter 15	Luxury Ships	187
	What Luxury Ships Have	187
	What Luxury Ships Offer for Free	188
	Where Luxury Ships Go	188
	Crystal Cruises	189
	Cunard Line	192
	Radisson Seven Seas Cruises	195
	Seabourn Cruise Line/The Yachts of Seabourn	198
	SeaDream Yacht Club	201
	Silversea Cruises	204
Chapter 16	Alternative and Sailing Ships	209
	What Alternative Ships Have	210
	American Safari Cruises	211
	American West Steamboat Company	214
	Clipper Cruise Line	217
	Cruise West	219
	Glacier Bay Cruiseline	223
	Lindblad Expeditions	226
	Star Clippers	229
	Windjammer Barefoot Cruises	231
	Windstar Cruises	236
Part V	Landing at the Ports of Call	239
Chapter 17	Seeing the Sights: Your Port of Call	241
	Getting a Head Start: Beginning Your Vacation Before You Embark	241
	For Shore: Touring Solo	242
	Ship to Shore: All About Disembarking	244
	Sightseeing on Your Own	245
	Don't Miss the Boat!	246
Chapter 18	Landing in the Caribbean	247
	Taking a Look Around	247
	Boarding Ship for the Caribbean	250
	The Ports of Embarkation	250
	The Ports of Call	261
Chapter 19	Arriving in Alaska	333
	Boarding Ship for Alaska	337
	Hitting the Town	337
	Choosing a Cruisetour	338
	The Ports of Embarkation	338
	The Ports of Call	347
	A Whale Watching Introduction	363
Chapter 20	Meandering in the Mediterranean	365
	Hitting the Town	368
	Boarding Ship in Europe	368
	Minding Your Money	369
	The French Riviera	369
	Greece	374
	Italy	385
	Portugal	393
	Spain	396
	Turkey	400
Chapter 21	Exploring Other Destinations	405
	The American South and Midwest	405
	The Columbia and Snake Rivers	406
	New England and Canada	407
	Bermuda	407
	Costa Rica	408
	The Panama Canal	409
	The Mexican Riviera	409
	Baja and the Sea of Cortez	410
	The Hawaiian Islands	410
	Tahiti	411
	Transatlantic	412
	Northern Europe	412
	River Cruises in Europe	413
	Antarctica	413
Part VI	The Part of Tens	415
Chapter 22	Nine Classic Cruise Experiences	417
	People-Meeting and People-Watching	417
	Making Believe at the Martini Bar	417
	Relaxing with Shipboard Massages	417
	Competing in Silly Contests	418
	Filling Up at the Midnight Buffet	418
	Entering the Passenger Talent Show	418
	Watching Movies in Your Cabin	418
	Ringing for Room Service	418
	Gazing at the Deep Blue Sea	418
Chapter 23	Eight Ways to Enhance Romance	419
	Make a Splash	419
	Watch Romantic (or Steamier) Movies	419
	Hit the Secret Spots	420
	Make Your Cabin Your Own	420
	Get Rubbed Down	420
	Have Dinner in Bed	420
	Share Love Songs	420
	Create Your Own Titanic Romance	420
Appendix	Quick Concierge	421
	Web Directory	423
	The Top Brick-and-Mortar Cruise Agencies	425
	Index	427