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| Making the Decision | |
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| Be the First One on Your Block | |
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| A Brief History Lesson | |
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| Who Cruises? | |
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| So What's Stopping You from Cruising? | |
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| Can I Afford a Cruise?: Tips on Discounts and Deals | |
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| Brochure Baloney | |
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| The Early Bird Catches the Worm! | |
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| The Late Bird May Go Wormless! | |
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| To Every Thing There Is a Season | |
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| More Ways to Cut Costs | |
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| What's Not Included in Your Cruise Fare | |
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| Choosing the Cruise That's Right for You | |
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| Trapped in the Land of the Look-Alike Brochures | |
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| So How Do I Decide? | |
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| Where Do You Fit into the Mix? | |
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| Hotel Preference | |
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| Where Do I Want to Go? | |
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| How Long Do I Want to Go For? | |
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| Size Matters | |
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| Theme Cruises | |
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| Special Situations | |
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| Quiz: What's the Cruise for You? | |
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| The Cruise Lines and Their Ships | |
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| Cruise Choosing 101 | |
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| Chart: Ship Size Comparisons | |
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| The Ratings | |
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| Fran Says | |
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| Details, Details | |
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| Itineraries | |
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| Rates | |
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| The Cruise Ships | |
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| American Hawaii Cruises | |
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| Cape Canaveral Cruise Line | |
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| Carnival Cruise Lines | |
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| Celebrity Cruises | |
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| Commodore Cruise Line | |
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| Costa Cruise Lines | |
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| Crystal Cruises | |
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| Cunard | |
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| Disney Cruise Line | |
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| Holland America Line-Westours | |
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| Norwegian Cruise Line | |
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| Premier Cruises | |
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| Princess Cruises | |
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| Radisson Seven Seas Cruises | |
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| Regal Cruises | |
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| Royal Caribbean International | |
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| Royal Olympic Cruises | |
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| Seabourn Cruise Line | |
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| Silversea Cruises | |
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| World Explorer Cruises | |
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| Other Ships in the Sea | |
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| The Alternative Ships | |
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| Alaska's Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises/Voyager Cruise Line | |
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| Alaska Sightseeing / Cruise West | |
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| Alaska Yacht Safaris | |
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| American Canadian Caribbean Line | |
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| Clipper Cruise Line | |
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| The Delta Queen Steamboat Company | |
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| Special Expeditions (aka Lindblad Special Expeditions) | |
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| A Tall Ship and a Star to Steer By: Ships with Sails | |
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| Club Med Cruises | |
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| Sea Cloud Cruises | |
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| Star Clippers | |
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| Tall Ship Adventures | |
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| Windjammer Barefoot Cruises | |
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| Windstar Cruises | |
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| From Booking to Boarding: Cruise Planning Practicalities | |
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| Booking Your Cruise | |
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| Why an Agent? | |
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| Finding the Agent of Your Dreams | |
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| How Agents Can Save You Money | |
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| They Don't Call 'Em Specialists for Nothin' | |
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| Consolidators and Discounters | |
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| Surfing the Net to Cruise the Seas | |
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| Reading a Ship's Deck Plan | |
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| Choosing a Cabin--From Coffins to Penthouses | |
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| Choosing Your Dining Option: Seating Times and Table Sizes | |
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| Model Cabin Layouts | |
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| Let Your Agent Do the Walking--and the Calling, and the Paperwork | |
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| Deposits | |
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| Tying Up the Loose Ends | |
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| Papers, Please!: Passports and IDs | |
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| Cold Hard Cash | |
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| The Little Things Add Up: Budgeting for Your Cruise | |
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| Reading Your VIPs (Very Important Papers) | |
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| Stowing Your Gear: A Cruise-Packing Primer | |
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| Confirming Your Flight | |
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| A Last-Minute Checklist | |
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| Checking In Luggage | |
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| Taking Passage: The Ports of Embarkation | |
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| Jump-Off Points to Fun in the Sun | |
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| Miami | |
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| Fort Lauderdale and Port Everglades | |
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| Cape Canaveral / Port Canaveral | |
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| Tampa | |
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| New Orleans | |
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| San Juan and the Port of San Juan | |
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| North to Alaska! | |
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| Anchorage | |
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| Seward | |
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| Vancouver | |
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| Juneau | |
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| Seattle | |
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| The Cruise Experience: What to Expect | |
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| How to Pass Yourself Off as a Veteran Cruiser | |
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| Who's Who in the Crew? | |
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| Talk Like a Sailor | |
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| Dumb Questions Not to Ask | |
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| Dress for Success | |
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| Cruise Do's and Don'ts | |
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| Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay | |
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| Airport Rigmarole | |
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| Checking In | |
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| Cruise Lingo Word-Find | |
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| And Now, a Poem | |
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| Standing in Line--Again | |
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| Shipboard at Last | |
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| Better Safe than Soggy: Attending the Lifeboat/Safety Drill | |
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| Bon Voyage! | |
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| The Rest of the First Day | |
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| Expedition Time!: Choosing Your Shore Excursions | |
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| The Typical Cruise Week | |
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| One if by Land! | |
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| One if by Sea! | |
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| Other Things You Should Know About | |
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| Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum: Special Cruise Concoctions | |
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| My Dinner with Andre (and Jackie, and Julie, and Pete, and that Couple from Omaha) | |
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| All the Food That's Fit to Eat | |
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| Dinner Is Served | |
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| Some Wine, Monsieur? (What Goes with What) | |
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| What's for Breakfast and Lunch? | |
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| Ditching the Dinner Companion from Hell | |
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| Alternative Dining | |
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| The Captain's Table | |
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| Could I Have a Kosher, Vegetarian, Low-Salt, Macrobiotic Meal, Please? | |
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| Dining-Room Do's and Don'ts | |
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| The Best Ships for Discriminating Palates | |
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| Let's Get Busy: Onboard Activities and Entertainment | |
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| Extra! Extra! Read All About It! | |
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| Show Me Where the Action Is!: Daytime Diversions | |
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| After Dark: Bring on the Technicolor Whoopee! | |
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| The Best Ships for Razzle-Dazzle Entertainment | |
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| I'm Shocked! Shocked to Find Gambling Going on Here!: The Casino Scene | |
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| Las Vegas on the High Seas | |
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| The Layout | |
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| A Different Game | |
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| The Rules, the Hours and a Word on Freebies | |
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| What to Expect | |
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| The Games People Play | |
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| Meet Me at the Spa, Dahling: The Spa and Fitness Scene | |
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| What to Expect at the Spa | |
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| Pumping Iron | |
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| Tee Time | |
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| Group Sweat | |
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| And the Gold Medal Goes To | |
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| Shop Till You Drop | |
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| Fran's Philosophy of Shopping | |
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| Customs and Duties | |
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| She Shops Ship Shops by the Seashore | |
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| Port Lectures and Shop Promotions | |
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| Shopping Shoreside: The Ports of Call | |
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| Love on the High Seas: Cruising and the Single Man or Woman | |
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| Choose the Right Cruise | |
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| Hoping to Meet an Officer? | |
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| Gentlemen Hosts | |
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| Where to Hang Out to Meet the Love of Your Life | |
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| Be Prepared and Be Impressive | |
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| Ain't Misbehavin' | |
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| One-Stop Shopping | |
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| Pick-Up Lines from Hell | |
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| But What's the Kid Gonna Do?: Activities for Children and Teens | |
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| What's There to Do? | |
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| Baby-Sitting | |
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| What to Ask when Looking for a Family Cruise | |
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| Safety Concerns | |
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| The Best of the Crop | |
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| American Hawaii | |
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| Land! I See Land!: Visiting the Ports of Call | |
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| Hitting the Beach: The Port Scene | |
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| The What, When and Where of Shore Excursions | |
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| Debark, Debarking, Debarked: Getting off the Ship | |
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| Doing the Ports on Your Own | |
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| Hold the Boat! | |
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| Ports of Call: The Caribbean and Mexico | |
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| Psst, Buddy--Wanna Buy an Island? | |
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| Antigua | |
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| Chart: Caribbean Port Calls by Cruise Line | |
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| Aruba | |
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| Barbados | |
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| British Virgin Islands | |
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| Cozumel and Playa del Carmen | |
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| Curacao | |
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| Freeport/Lucaya | |
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| Grand Cayman | |
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| Grenada | |
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| Guadeloupe | |
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| Jamaica | |
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| Key West | |
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| Martinique | |
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| Nassau | |
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| St. Barts | |
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| St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | |
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| St. Kitts | |
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| St. Lucia | |
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| St. Maarten/St. Martin | |
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| St. Thomas and St. John | |
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| San Juan | |
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| Ports of Call: Alaska | |
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| Chart: Alaska Port Calls by Cruise Line | |
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| A Whale of a Good Time: Whale Watching 101 | |
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| Understanding the Ice: Glaciers 101 | |
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| Haines | |
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| Juneau | |
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| Ketchikan | |
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| Petersburg | |
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| Sitka | |
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| Skagway | |
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| Valdez | |
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| Victoria, British Columbia | |
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| Wrangell | |
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| Cruising Around: Other Ports of Call | |
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| The Mighty Mississippi and Other Inland Waterways of the South and Midwest | |
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| Bermuda | |
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| Costa Rica | |
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| The Columbia and Snake Rivers | |
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| The Hawaiian Islands | |
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| The Mexican Riviera | |
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| Baja and the Sea of Cortez | |
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| New England and Canada | |
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| Panama Canal | |
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| All Good Things Must Come to an End: Wrapping up Your Cruise | |
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| The Last Details | |
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| Everybody Off!: The Disembarkation Talk | |
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| Tips on Tipping | |
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| Settling Up | |
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| Last-Day Checklist | |
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| Pack It Up! | |
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| Disembarkation Rigmarole | |
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| Clearing Customs and Immigration | |
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| More Baggage | |
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| Try to Relax | |
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| Pat Yourself on the Back | |
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| Cruise Line Contact Information | |
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| Index | |