Cruise Finder – Navigating Your Way Through the Options By Carolyn Spencer Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, September 13, 1998

The right match is so important that travel agents have long maintained that the assistance of an experienced cruise counselor is essential to satisfaction. Agents say that they, armed with comprehensive knowledge of options, can "pre-qualify" you for the right voyage by asking you a series of questions, whose answers help determine their advice.

By doing a lot of research you can ask and answer most of these questions yourself. How much can you spend? How long is your vacation? What features are most important to you…nightlife, active shore excursions, fine dining, a spacious cabin, lavish theater productions? An environment that's arty? Casual? Classic? Do you want to visit a port every day or do you crave days at sea?

Still, for newcomers, travel agents who specialize in cruises are an excellent resource. Start with the Cruise Lines International Association (http://www.cruising.org) or call 1-888-927-8473 for a free cruise planner), the industry's public relations arm. The Web site also provides cruise features, links to Web sites of its 24-member lines and offer basic travel tips. You can also find an agent specializing in cruises via the American Society of Travel Agents (http://www.astanet.com) or call 703/739-2782. A book for beginners is "The Unofficial Guide to Cruises" (Macmillan Travel, $19.95).

Increasingly, the Internet is a valuable resource for information gathering on cruising. Most cruise lines have Web sites that offer information on itineraries and ships … some even offer virtual ship tours that provide photos of cabins and public rooms. Even more useful are more objective sites like Mining Company (http://miningco.com) and Travel Page (http://www.travelpage.com); both offer everything from up-to-date news on the cruise industry to forums that encourage readers to exchange opinions.

Some other useful Internet sources: the SeaLetter (http://www.sealetter.com), the Cruise Ship Center and Cabin Exchange (http://www.cruise4.com) and America Online's Cruise Critic (notable for its bulletin board).

As for booking your cruise, travel agents are just one option; in most cases, you can call cruise lines directly to make arrangements. On the Web, Preview Travel (http://www.previewtravel.com) offers online booking for Royal Caribbean sailings. You can also call national cruise discounters, the industry's equivalent to airline consolidators, such as Cruise Line Inc. (http://www.cruiseline.com or 800/777-0707). You can usually save but service is not a forte; they are better suited to the do-it-yourself researcher. Look for cruise discounters that are members of travel agency associations such as the National Association of Cruise Only Agencies (305/663-5626). The cruise lines:

American Hawaii Cruises: 800/543-7637, http://www.cruisehawaii.com

Bergen Line Inc.: 800/323-7436,
http://www.bergenline.com

Carnival Cruise Lines: 800/438-6744,
http://www.carnival.com

Celebrity Cruises: 800/437-3111,
http://www.celebrity-cruises.com

Clipper Cruise Line: 800/325-0010,
http://www.clippercruise.com

Commodore Cruise Line: 800/237-5361,
http://www.commodorecruise.com

Costa Cruise Lines: 800/445-8020,
http://www.costacruises.com

Crystal Cruises: 800/820-6663

Cunard Line Ltd.: