New cruise books for 1997 offer advice on most everything you wanted to know about cruise ships from the big ocean-going variety of liners to more adventurous research-oriented cruises.
“Frommer’s Caribbean Ports of Call, Including the Bahamas and Mexico” by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince (Macmillan Travel; $14.95) covers 21 major ports in the Caribbean. The authors describe the best beaches, snorkel and diving sites with tips on how to structure your day. They also give insiders’ looks at the pros and cons of taking a shore excursion versus doing it yourself as well as information on the six top ports of embarkation–Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Cape Canaveral, Tampa, New Orleans and San Juan. Detailed maps of the ports and a listing of cruise ship itineraries are also included
Probably the most comprehensive of the new cruise titles is “Worldwide Cruises and Ports of Call 1997” (Fodor’s; $19.50), which features not only warm weather ports like the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico, Panama Canal and Hawaii but also colder destinations such as Alaska, New England, Canada and even Antarctica. Europe, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia are also covered. The guide includes descriptions of 125 ships and 32 cruise lines, a cruise passenger’s guide to going ashore and getting around, recommended shore excursions, cruise itineraries for 1997, how to get the best cruise bargains and top travel agencies to contact.
The guide’s Cruise Primer, a 40-page highlighted section, offers advice for first-timers and veterans alike as well as describing types of ships; hints for passengers with children, passengers with disabilities, older passengers, and gay and lesbian passengers are also offered. It also features easy-to-read maps and comparative charts.
For those who prefer to cruise colder climes, “Alaska’s Ports of Call 1997” (Fodor’s; $9) may be your choice. This slim, compact guide describes where ships dock or drop anchor; recommends the best restaurants, shops and outdoor activities that are easily reached from the pier; suggests various shore excursions; and lists cruise itineraries for the 1997 season.
STAYING WARM
“Out and About Gay Travel Guides: USA Resorts & Warm-Weather Vacations” by Billy Kolber-Stuart and David Alport (Hyperion; $14.95) is a mainstream travel guide with a distinctly gay perspective. From the creators of the Out and About gay and lesbian travel newsletter, the guide offers insider tips on the most popular gay vacation destinations from such warm-weather favorites as Key West and Miami to that Midwestern standby Saugatuck to the East Coast’s Fire Island, Provincetown and Ogunquit. Special concerns of specific members of the gay community–singles, women and HIV-positive travelers–are also addressed. Other sections include information on spas, organized cruise and resort vacations and a calendar of the best annual gay and lesbian celebrations. In keeping with the honest reporting of its namesake newsletter, the authors offer frank and occasionally outspoken opinions.
