Foreword<br >Somewhere out there is a cruise ship that offers exactly the<br >services and amenities you want， goes to the ports and places<br >you have always longed to visit， and can be booked at a price<br >within your budget.<br >The purpose of this book is to help you find that particular ship，<br >prepare for your cruise， and learn what to expect at the various<br >destinations at which your ship calls.<br >Rating cruise ships is a popular practice with some cruise<br >guides， but not a particularly useful method through which to<br >convey the specific flavor of an individual ship. ~-hrthermore，<br >what one type of passenger finds excellent another might con-<br >sider mediocre. So， instead of awarding numbers or stars， we<br >prefer to describe exactly what each ship offers， state our im-<br >pressions of each cruise line， and discuss what type of person<br > might enjoy each ship and itinerary.<br > The multibillion-dollar cruise industry is changing so rapidly<br > -- with companies being bought and sold， ships being built and<br > scrapped， and sailing schedules so frequently being modified<br > --that it s virtually impossible to keep up with it all. While<br > every reasonable attempt has been made to ensure the accu-<br > racy and timeliness of all the information in this guidebook，<br > some of the details may not remain correct. For that reason，<br > the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors that<br > may occur. We strongly suggest that you confirm all prices，<br > sailing schedules， and other relevant details with your travel<br > agent or cruise line before booking your cruise.<br > We wish to express our gratitude to the following contributors<br > for their assistance in the preparation of this guide: the Ber-<br > muda Department of Tourism， the Cruise Line Industry Asso-<br > ciation (CLIA)， Susan Farewell， Ian Glass， Joan Iaconetti，<br > Karl Luntta， Sue McManus， Carolyn Price， Jordan Simon， the<br > Venezuelan Consulate General， and John Wade.<br > Fodor s wishes to know about your cruise ship experiences，<br > pleasant or otherwise. If a particular ship does not meet or<br > match the printed description， or if service is not what you ex-<br > pected to find， let us know and we will investigate the complaint<br > and revise our entries where the facts warrant it.<br > Send your letters to the editors of Fodor s Travel Publications，<br > 201 E. 50th Street， New York， NY 10022.<br ><br >