Caribbean Islands Reading
Insight Guides Caribbean Cruises
(2008 edition)
Lesley Gordon & Brian Bell (editors); paper, 300 pp
Slick and colourful and packed with useful information about the destinations covered, in the familiar Insight style, there are features here ranging from the history of the Caribbean, to the ins and outs of beaches, dive sites, and resorts. Up front are pages explaining the A to Z of cruising, for those who have not done it before, and this edition promises guidance on themed cruises – honeymoon, family, gay, cookery, etc. As always, the centre of the book offers detailed information on what to see and where to go when ashore in a multitude of ports of call.
more || hide moreOne place you won’t read about is the island of Hispaniola, shared between impoverished Haiti at one end and the Dominican Republic at the other. The latter is a surprising omission, as Santo Domingo is historically important – it had the first hospital and the first university in the New World; it’s also a friendly place to visit, and several cruise lines do so. Cuba, however, does have an entry, despite the fact that it is illegal for US citizens to spend money there. Overall we rate this an excellent guidebook.
Caribbean by Cruise Ship
(5th edition 2007)
By Anne Vipond; paper, 352 pp
Fans of Anne Vipond will appreciate this guide, with its strong points in history and culture which are dealt with in an opening section, and also quite extensively in the ports of call text. The relatively small page size coupled with a large type size limit the size of photos, compared with the Insight guide, and in some cases limit the amount of information in write-ups on the ports of call. But Vipond adds sections on subjects like Caribbean music, sports, architecture, and fauna and flora. The basic information you need about shore excursions and activities is here, but in a slightly smaller package. Our verdict: buy both of these books.
