Cruising the Mexican Riviera & Baja – A unique cruise guide offering concise, easy-to-read information on every vessel plying the popular Mexican Riviera region this season. Ship facts include stateroom size, dining options, passenger/crew ratio, crew nationality, ship registry and even when the last refurbishment was completed. This candid book has done your homework for you, reviewing ship itineraries and making you aware of the highlights and potential pitfalls of every one.

The author tells how to find bargain rates, when to book and makes you aware of considerations for disabled travelers, solo cruisers and being aboard with young children. Walking tours at each port of call are supplemented by detailed port maps. Ports of call include: Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Catalina Island, Ensenada, Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Santa Rosalia. Embarkation cities (such as San Francisco, Monterey, San Diego, Long Beach and more) are included.

Europe is the hottest destination in cruising, whether it’s ocean cruising along the Mediterranean coast or river cruising along the continent’s historic inland waterways. Far less popular – at least for solo travelers – are the customary “single supplements” that cruise lines are forced to impose (because their standard pricing is calculated using a two-people-per-cabin model).

However, tour and cruise operator Tauck World Discovery has great news for solo travelers embarking on European cruises in 2009. The company is once again reducing its single supplement, offering savings on a total of 28 departures of 10 different ocean and river cruise itineraries.

Many single travelers wonder if cruise travel is right for them. Will it be like the TV series “The Love Boat,” where romance and naughtiness ruled the waves? Or will you be outnumbered by elderly couples in ball gowns and tuxedos? The reality is that cruising is ideal for people traveling alone because it’s a safe and easy way to meet other people. So what’s holding you back?

Who goes and what it costs

Singles cruising has come a long way from the days when doddering widows sailed off to sea with a good book and a ball of yarn.