“Cool Stuff” They Should Teach in School: Cruise into the Real World…with styyyle (jobs/people skills/attitude/goals/money) Why did we write it? Because they don’t teach it in school. There are basic skills that every person MUST know in order to function in the real world—and it’s all “Cool Stuff.” We like to refer to these skills as the “fundamentals of life.”

In sports, the difference between winning and losing can simply be your grasp of the game’s fundamentals. Whether we play sports or not, we’re all participants in the game we call “life”–which is the most important game we’ll ever play. Do we want to win this game? Of course we do!

Here’s the problem: We can have all the enthusiasm and all the passion in the world, but if we don’t get the basics down first, all that energy is wasted. The same is true for life. Without knowing the fundamentals you’ll probably get hurt and you definitely won’t be having fun.

“Cool Stuff” they should teach in school reveals these fundamental skills of life in a fun, easy-to-read format.?

After all, why stumble into the real world when you can cruise in … with styyyyle?!
Customer Review: “Cool Stuff” They Should Teach in School
Cool Stuff they should teach in school is a guide to jobs, people skills, goals, and money for young adults written by two normal teenagers. This book covers everything from trying to figure out what you want to do with your life and how your attitude actually determine how successful you’ll be through how to make a good impression and what not to do during a job interview to how to manage your money and how to make your savings work for you.

I loved the conversational style of this book as well as the straightforward no punches pulled advice. I also liked the colourful Cool Stuff quotes and 2K tips. This is the advice your best friend would give you if he could. Cool Stuff they should teach in school will make a really great gift for any teenager or young adult needing just a little bit of nudge to start their future on the right track.
Customer Review: Definitely worth exploring by students & freshmen…to help face a multitude of real-world challenges
From the standpoint of intent, scope & substance, this wonderful book is exactly similar to ‘The Power of Focus for College Students’ by Andrew Hewitt & Luc D’Adabie. I have reviewed this latter book earlier.

The ‘Cool Stuff’ book is apparently targetted at high school students (& graduates). The ‘Power of Focus’ book is targetted at high school graduates & college students, even though the delineation is really not an issue. The earlier book is written by two brothers during their late teen years, in 2004. The latter book, which has been published one year later, is written by two university graduates in their early twenties. This book is also an extension of the earlier ‘The Power of Focus’ by Les Hewitt, Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, which is obviously targeted at adult professionals.

Essentially, the ‘Cool Stuff’ book is designed to help students GET REAL…to help them face a multitude of challenges as they grow from teens to young adults & while they move into the real world. The abundant information in this book are packed into bite-sized nuggets, illustrated with zany graphics.

Whereas, the ‘Power of Focus’ book is more sober of the two books, with abundant information, as well as inspiring stories, packed into nine focusing strategies. Tactically, it has been designed to help high school graduates & college freshmen in finding fulfilling career pathways.

While the ‘Cool Stuff’book has a more light-hearted approach, both books generally help to answer these critical questions:

- why 70% of graduates are unhappy & disillusioned within five years of leaving college?
- what 3% of Yale students do that lead them to become wealthier than the other 97% combined?

One interesting point: The entrepreneurial flair of the authors of both books is exemplified by their own respective websites: namely ccolstuffmedia & focusedstudent, which continue to promote their books, seminars & workshops & other stuff.

One last point: The ‘Power of Focus’ book has a seemingly subtle & yet direct slant towards ‘GET RICH’ partly because of its association with Donald Trump…so it’s also designed to help you build the financial future you so desire.

To sum up my review, both books are really great stuff! If you are a high school student or college freshman, I strongly urge you to go & get a copy to read & to learn how to maximise your high school - & college - experience & also how to deal with a rapdily changing world out there!

Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns That Built America’s Cruise-Ship Empires The twelve billion dollar cruise-ship industry caters to 10 million Americans annually on six- hundred million dollar floating cities.

In this terrifically entertaining history, Kristoffer A. Garin chronicles the cruise-ship industry, from its rise in the early sixties, to its explosion in the seventies with the hit show The Love Boat, to the current vicious consolidation wars and brazen tax dodges. Entrepreneurial genius and bare-knuckle capitalism mate with cultural kitsch as the cruise lines dodge U.S. tax, labor, and environmental laws to make unimaginable profits while bringing the world a new form of leisure.

A colorful and compelling behind-the-scenes narrative, Devils on the Deep Blue Sea is a definitive look at the industry and its robber barons who created floating empires.
Customer Review: If Read on a Cruise, You May Get Dirty Looks
If you have ever been on a cruise, especially lately, on one of the big new ships, this is a must read. It provides you with the history of the cruise industry, primarily in the United States, with a little Europe thrown in. You might be thinking that a history of this industry would be boring, but Garin is an exceptional storyteller and reporter (the source notes are very impressive). He does an excellent job of introducing you to the men behind the ships, the Port of Miami, and the mergers and acquistions that led up to two companies owning 90% of the cruise market.

And yes, he talks about The Love Boat.

The book isn’t all about the good stuff; he reports on corruption (both on and off the ships), sexual assaults of passengers by crew members, environmental issues, and why most of the employees come from impoverished nations. Not only does he report on these issues, he illuminates how the industry allowed these to occur. As for the last point, labor is the most expensive cost of a cruise - Garin explains the process that the companies use recruit people to work on the ships (and to keep them there).

Even with the reporting of the above blemishes, it is still a facinating book. If you are interested in any aspect of the cruise industry (even as a simple vacationer), Garin explains how each company operated and marketed themselves. How they were able to work the travel agents, Congress, tax and maritime laws to their advantage. I came away with a much better understanding of the nature of Flags of Convenience and what that means to you, the traveller, as well as to the bottom lines of the cruise companies.

A great book on the rise and maturation of an industry. But I don’t think that your cruise staff will appreciate you reading this while on-board.

As an aside, I bought the book from Amazon for $7 (Borders had it for $25). When it arrived, I found that I had an autographed copy! What a deal.
Customer Review: Interesting Perspective on the Cruise Business
I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. It takes you beyond the marketing collateral of the cruise lines to the full story behind the industry’s birth and development. The book is a wonderful narrative of the industry’s short and eventful life. The author is fairly even handed in his treatment but there are times when you can sense when he likes or dislikes his subjects.

The author’s assessment of the cruise line labor policies, environmental record and negotiation with Caribbean Governments was slanted. His view comes off as wanting the cruise lines to be vehicles of social change rather than commercial enterprises. I think he fairly criticizes the cruise lines for not living up to their environmental rhetoric but if the labor conditions are so bad onboard the ships, why are the positions so prized? If the Caribbean Governments are being abused so badly in their deals with the cruise lines, why do they continue to build larger piers to accomodate more ships?

The best parts of this book deal with the business deals that created the cruise industry and the characters that were involved. I have cruised for years and reading this book gave me a better perspective on the strategies and coincidences that shaped the industry. A good read!

Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2007 (Frommer’s Cruises) Cruising is the perfect way to see America’s last frontier—wildlife and wilderness abound along the state’s breathtaking coastline, and are easily seen from the comfort of a deck chair or observation lounge.

Thoroughly updated every year, Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call is a compact guide that’s on top of all the latest developments and offerings in the rapidly changing cruise industry. Our author,?a leading cruise journalists with years of experience, has compiled candid, first-hand reviews of each cruise line and each ship. The easy-to-use ratings, detailed drawings of each ship, and honest evaluations make it easy for you to find the cruise that suits your budget and your personal style, whether you want a luxury liner with fine dining or a small-ship cruise led by serious naturalists.

You’ll also find a nature guide that helps you understand what you’re seeing, complete with illustrations of glaciers and the various types of whales. We’ll show you how to get the best deals and how to maximize your time in the ports of call—all in one concise, pocket-sized volume.
Customer Review: Its ok
Its ok! This book was of little use to me but I do feel it would be useful to some others. I already own Frommers Alaska and Frommers Cruises and Ports of Call. So, I found the information in Alaska Cruises and Ports of Call to be totally redundant. Also, the first 150 pages or so are an intro to cruising, reviews of cruise lines and ships. Only in the final 100 pages are a discussion of “what to see, what to do, where to stay” in Alaska. If you don’t have the others then you will like this book but if you have the others then you will find it a “cliff notes” of the other two.
Customer Review: Order the correct year
I found the information in this to be generally helpful. I ordered the 2007 edition planning an Alaskan cruise in May 08. I did not realize that the ships changed from year to year. The Star Princess, on which we are booked, was not included in the 2007 edition. I was not able to find the 2008 cruise guide yet on Amazon. Live and learn.

Panama Canal Map by Cruise Map Publishing Company Folded map of the history of The Panama Canal. Includes map of the Panama Canal, history of the Canal and it’s completion, information on travelling through the canal, a 2-D map of the canal and it’s locks and information about nature surrounding the Panama Canal.

Cruise Guide to Europe and the Mediterranean (Eyewitness Travel Guides) Customer Review: Good General Guide
This guide,as will all DK guides, provides good, basic information on the most popular sites in each area. I suspect that the material is reused from other DK gudies.

What this product lacks is good, detailed information about information that would be relevant to cruisers. For example, there are sections that deal with cruise selection, packing, etc.; but there is no information about the port facilities, distance from the port to the main part of town, local public transportation options, etc. Apparently, it is assumed that passengers will book shore excursions from the cruise line and not go off on their own.

This limits the guide’s usefulness for those who would like to simply ramble through a town and get a little closer to the local culture. This is possible in many European ports, but not all. (Passengers will need some help getting from the port of Civitavecchia to Rome, but what about Naples?)
Customer Review: Not worth the money
I bought this book hoping it would help plan our days in port for an upcoming trip. The book only dedicates about 2 to 4 pages per port of call. It does have a lot of pictures (which aren’t bad and will be useful for identifying the sites), but overall it isn’t much help and doesn’t provide enough information to really be useful. You can find more information just on the internet.

Insight Guides Great River Cruises Europe & The Nile (Insight Guides. Great River Cruise Europe) How can you travel to several cities in comfort without the drudgery of countless travel connections? Last year alone, more than 1 million people discovered that answer by taking a river cruise–and the number is growing each year. Insight Guides, the world’s largest visual travel guide series is proud to offer the all-new, Insight Guide Great River Cruises of Europe this Spring for consumers catching this exciting new wave in travel. .Comprehensive itineraries-a full run-down of cruises available on the Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Moselle, Rhone, Saone, Seine, Po, Douro, Thames, Shannon, Volga, Don, Neva, Moska, and Dniepr .Authoritative overview-introduction by Douglas Ward, the world’s leading expert on crusing and author of the annual Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships guide .Expert Advice-the answers to questions most frequently asked by people who are thinking of taking a river cruise .Consurmer Information-list of vessels, dimensions, number of cabins and other details, including ratings by Douglas Ward .Great Traditions-a recount of the history of Europe’s waterways .Full-colour photography and maps-throughout the book .A Travel Tips Section-containing information and advice, all essential telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses, plus weather charts.
Customer Review: A true insight into European River Cruises
Bought this for the in-laws to investigate going on a river cruise in Europe. This concept was completely outside of their comfort zone prior to recieving this book. After a couple of days reading it, they are now ready to go and have in fact already purchased a cruise. This book is full of wonderful photographs, maps, and destinations of many of the cruises. This book was instumental in helping them decide which cruiseline to take (Viking) and which trip to take. If you are even remotely considering a river cruise in Europe, this book is a must read. And although the in-laws have not yet taken their trip, they fully intend on taking the book with them. Bon Voyage!!!!
Customer Review: Lots of Information and Beautiful Pictures!
This is a comprehensive guide for destination information as well as information about river cruising. It is well worth the money!

Caribbean By Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide To Cruising The Caribbean with Giant color pull-out map The world’s most popular cruise destination comes alive in this beautiful guide to Caribbean cruising. Completely revised, this new edition contains current information on best beaches, dive sites and golf courses as well as port and island attractions. Hundreds of photos and maps, all in color. Includes giant pull-out color map.
Customer Review: Colorful cruise book
This is a physically heavy but informationally lightweight guide for crusing in the Caribbean. It is good but not great. We found it only slightly useful, preferring the Insight Guide Caribbean Cruises for more content and especially the “Cruising the Eastern Caribbean” more suitable to our nature oriented tastes. The latter book covers only EASTERN islands.
Customer Review: well thoughtout guidebook
We just returned from a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise and found this book invaluable. The maps were great! Details on shore excursions and port attractions allowed us to focus on aspects we were interested in and also gave us the confidence to do walkabouts. Great book, highly recommended.

Insight Guides Great River Cruises Europe & The Nile (Insight Guides. Great River Cruise Europe) How can you travel to several cities in comfort without the drudgery of countless travel connections? Last year alone, more than 1 million people discovered that answer by taking a river cruise–and the number is growing each year. Insight Guides, the world’s largest visual travel guide series is proud to offer the all-new, Insight Guide Great River Cruises of Europe this Spring for consumers catching this exciting new wave in travel. .Comprehensive itineraries-a full run-down of cruises available on the Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Moselle, Rhone, Saone, Seine, Po, Douro, Thames, Shannon, Volga, Don, Neva, Moska, and Dniepr .Authoritative overview-introduction by Douglas Ward, the world’s leading expert on crusing and author of the annual Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships guide .Expert Advice-the answers to questions most frequently asked by people who are thinking of taking a river cruise .Consurmer Information-list of vessels, dimensions, number of cabins and other details, including ratings by Douglas Ward .Great Traditions-a recount of the history of Europe’s waterways .Full-colour photography and maps-throughout the book .A Travel Tips Section-containing information and advice, all essential telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses, plus weather charts.
Customer Review: A true insight into European River Cruises
Bought this for the in-laws to investigate going on a river cruise in Europe. This concept was completely outside of their comfort zone prior to recieving this book. After a couple of days reading it, they are now ready to go and have in fact already purchased a cruise. This book is full of wonderful photographs, maps, and destinations of many of the cruises. This book was instumental in helping them decide which cruiseline to take (Viking) and which trip to take. If you are even remotely considering a river cruise in Europe, this book is a must read. And although the in-laws have not yet taken their trip, they fully intend on taking the book with them. Bon Voyage!!!!
Customer Review: Lots of Information and Beautiful Pictures!
This is a comprehensive guide for destination information as well as information about river cruising. It is well worth the money!

The Travel Detective: How to Get the Best Service and the Best Deals from Airlines, Hotels, Cruise Ships, and Car Rental Agencies (Travel Detective) Renowned travel authority and NBC Today show travel editor Peter Greenberg shares his insider secrets.

Americans now travel more than ever before. Yet as our traveling has increased, the service we receive from airlines, hotels, and other agencies has deteriorated dramatically. Industry surveys reveal what you already feel: growing dissatisfaction among travelers of every age, income, and education level. We’ve been abused by the travel experience. Peter Greenberg is here to help. The Travel Detective tells you the things most travel agents can’t — or sometimes just won’t — tell you. In his characteristic friendly and conversational tone, Greenberg tells how to find the secret walk-up fares that can save air travelers hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on last minutes flights; which coach seats on which planes are better than first class; the secret rule to know to avoid being bumped from a flight, which cruise ship brochures lie; which credit card companies are fastest — and slowest — to come to your aid in a foreign land, or worse, in the U.S.,; which hotels have the best — and the worst — fire and crime safety records, and how you can protect yourself; how to negotiate the best hotel room deal; which hotels have the worst water pressure in their showers (and better yet, how you can get great water pressure, even at those hotels); and much, much more. Accessible and entertaining, The Travel Detective gives you the information and tools you need to make every trip an affordable pleasure.
Customer Review: Not Great
This book is mostly about airlines. I was hoping for it to be more about hotels and how to get good service. I guess I should have found some reviews before buying the book. A lot of the information is older and you can’t use now because of the changes made. I just would get this book from the library or the bargain book bin.
Customer Review: Read and save.
Another of his books that help save money on your travels. Buy the book and enjoy the savings.

The Unofficial Guide to Cruises (Unofficial Guides) From the publishers of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World

“A Tourist’s Best Friend!”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“Indispensable”
—The New York Times

Five Great Features and Benefits offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide:

1. More than 100 cruise lines and 500 ships reviewed and ranked for value and quality

2. Complete details on cruise lines, ships, and itineraries around the world

3. Industry secrets for getting the lowest possible fare, plus extras like free vacation days

4. Everything you need to know to make planning your cruise vacation fun and easy

5. Helpful hints for getting the best cabin—without breaking your bank account

Customer Review: OK guide, but much information available elsewhere.
The book is okay for people who haven’t booked a cruise before, but I found that much of the information they offer as an “unofficial guide” may be found at various discussion sites that are easily found through a web search.
Customer Review: Too much work!
I was looking for a cruise to Europe–so I bought this book. Save your money. This book is poorly organized. My husband and I wasted several hours trying to figure out how this book was organized. Then we realized it was not organized at all. I actually gave up and bought another book.