Book Description
A cruise is a complete vacation, so it's important that you choose the one that's right for you. Frommer's North American Cruises & Ports of Call is the most user-friendly, opinionated, and comprehensive guide you can buy before you set sail. We provide in-depth coverage on cruises departing from U.S. ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, Mexico and Canada.

Unlike rating systems used in other guides, our system is simple. We break down the essential elements of a cruise experience (dining, activities, children's activities, entertainment, service, overall enjoyment, and overall value), and rate them from "poor" to "outstanding." Photos of each ship combine with the text to give a better sense of the very real differences among the various lines.

Most important, this is the only cruise guide that provides the real prices people pay for cruises, not just the rack rates. Other guides tell you that a seven-night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas costs $2,099. You can pay that if you want to, but only Frommer's tells you that the same cruise is selling for $649. We give both the rack rates and the discount price for every cruise we review. This feature alone makes Frommer's North American Cruises and Ports of Call by far the most valuable trip-planning book among cruise guides.

Our authors, noted cruise experts who've personally checked out every ship sailing in and around North America, offer candid and unbiased opinions on them all. They are completely up to date, with all the latest developments and the newest ships. You'll also get complete coverage of the major port destinations, with advice on how to spend your limited time ashore.


From the Back Cover
Experience the best a place has to offer on the cruise that’s right for you. Frommer’s. Your trip begins with us. Expanded coverage of the hottest trends in cruising–trips departing from all major U.S. ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Bermuda, Mexico and Canada Exact prices, including cruise rack rates and the average discounted rates for every ship that we review, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget Extensive descriptions of all the major cruise ships sailing in North America, from cabin amenities and ship facilities to shore excursions and recreational activities Comprehensive ship ratings that grade the essential elements of a cruise experience (dining, activites, children’s programs, entertainment, service, overall enjoyment, and overall value) from "poor" to "outstanding" Special coverage of popular river cruise routes in the United States, including the Mississippi River, California’s Wine Country, the Hudson River Valley, and the Columbia and Snake rivers


About the Author
Matt Hannafin is a freelance writer, editor, and musician based in New York City. A former Frommer’s senior editor, he now writes a biweekly cruise newsletter for Frommers.com and a monthly column for the Boston Herald, writes for various magazines and newspapers, edits for most of the major New York publishing houses and several UN agencies, and is busy coauthoring 1,000 Places in the USA and Canada to See Before You Die (Workman Publishing), a sequel to the 2004 New York Times bestseller.

Heidi Sarna has cruised on more than 75 ships of all shapes and sizes, and she loves them all (well, OK, some more than others). Her work appears regularly in Condé Nast Traveler, Frommers.com, and numerous other magazines, major guidebooks, websites, and newspapers, including the New York Times, Star Ledger, and Boston Herald. When she’s not off cruising somewhere, she lives in the Big Apple with her husband, Arun, and their young sons.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Experience the best a place has to offer on the cruise that’s right for you. Frommer’s. Your trip begins with us. Expanded coverage of the hottest trends in cruising--trips departing from all major U.S. ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii, Bermuda, Mexico and Canada Exact prices, including cruise rack rates and the average discounted rates for every ship that we review, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget Extensive descriptions of all the major cruise ships sailing in North America, from cabin amenities and ship facilities to shore excursions and recreational activities Comprehensive ship ratings that grade the essential elements of a cruise experience (dining, activites, children’s programs, entertainment, service, overall enjoyment, and overall value) from "poor" to "outstanding" Special coverage of popular river cruise routes in the United States, including the Mississippi River, California’s Wine Country, the Hudson River Valley, and the Columbia and Snake rivers

A cruise is a complete vacation, so it's important that you choose the one that's right for you. Frommer's North American Cruises & Ports of Call is the most user-friendly, opinionated, and comprehensive guide you can buy before you set sail. We provide in-depth coverage on cruises departing from U.S. ports to the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, Mexico and Canada.

Unlike rating systems used in other guides, our system is simple. We break down the essential elements of a cruise experience (dining, activities, children's activities, entertainment, service, overall enjoyment, and overall value), and rate them from "poor" to "outstanding." Photos of each ship combine with the text to give a better sense of the very real differences among the various lines.

Most important, this is the only cruise guide that provides the real prices people pay for cruises, not just the rack rates. Other guides tell you that a seven-night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas costs $2,099. You can pay that if you want to, but only Frommer's tells you that the same cruise is selling for $649. We give both the rack rates and the discount price for every cruise we review. This feature alone makes Frommer's North American Cruises and Ports of Call by far the most valuable trip-planning book among cruise guides.