Choosing a cruise is a more complicated process than booking a flight.

You can get information on destinations or cruise lines you're considering through the cruise companies' toll-free numbers or Web sites.

First-time cruisers, especially, should check with a travel agent who specializes in cruises; even veteran cruisers might get a better deal through an agent who books lots of cruises.

Here is a list of cruise lines, their toll-free numbers and Web sites:

MAJOR LINES

Azamara Cruises, 1-877-222-2526, www.azamaracruises.com

Carnival Cruise Lines, 1-888-227-6482, www.carnival.com

Celebrity Cruises, 1-800-647-2251, www.celebritycruises.com

Costa Cruise Lines, 1-800-462-6782, www.costacruise.com

Crystal Cruises, 1-866-446-6625, www.crystalcruises.com

Cunard Line, 1-800-728-6273, www.cunardline.com

Disney Cruise Line, 1-800-951-3532, www.disneycruise.com

EasyCruise, +30 211 211 6211 (Greece), www.easycruise.com

Holland America Line, 1-877-724-5425, www.hollandamerica.com

MSC Cruises, 1-800-666-9333, www.msccruises.com

Norwegian Cruise Line, 1-866-625-1166, www.ncl.com

Orient Lines, 1-800-333-7300, www.orientlines.com

Pearl Seas Cruises, 1-800-983-7462, www.pearlseascruises.com

Princess Cruises, 1-800-774-6237, www.princess.com

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 1-877-505-5370, www.rssc.com

Royal Caribbean, 1-866-562-7625, www.royalcaribbean.com

Seabourn Cruise Line, 1-800-929-9391, www.seabourn.com

Silversea Cruises, 1-800-722-9955, www.silversea.com

Windstar Cruises, 1-800-258-7245, www.windstarcruises.com

BOUTIQUE LINES AND TOUR OPERATORS

Abercrombie & Kent, 1-800-554-7016, www.abercrombiekent.com

Alaska Marine Highway System, 1-800-642-0066, www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs

American Canadian Caribbean Line, 1-800-556-7450, www.accl-smallships.com

American Cruise Lines, 1-800-814-6880, www.americancruiselines.com

American Safari Cruises, 1-888-862-8881, www.amsafari.com

Butterfield and Robinson, 1-866-551-9090, www.butterfield.com

Cruise West, 1-888-851-8133, www.cruisewest.com

Discovery Cruise Line, 1-800-259-1579, www.discoverycruiseline.com

French Country Waterways Ltd., 1-800-222-1236, www.fcwl.com

GlobalQuest, 1-800-221-3254, www.globalquesttravel.com

Great Lakes Cruise Co., 1-888 891-0203, www.greatlakescruising.com

Hebridean International Cruises, 1-800-659-2648, www.hebridean.co.uk

Hurtigruten, 1-866-257-6071, www.hurtigruten.us

Imperial Majesty, 1-877-772-4625, www.imperialmajesty.com

Lindblad Expeditions, 1-800-397-3348, www.expeditions.com

Majestic America Line, 1-800-434-1232, www.majesticamericaline.com

Maine Windjammer Association, 1-800-807-9463, www.sailmainecoast.com

Mountain Travel Sobek, 1-888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com

Oceania Cruises, 1-866-765-3630, www.oceaniacruises.com

Peter Deilmann Cruises, 1-800-348-8287, www.deilmann-cruises.com

Polarstar Expeditions, 1-800-509-1729, www.polarstarexpeditions.com

P&O Cruises, 800-524-7979 (number to Kartagener Associates, a U.S. contact to book the cruises) www.pocruises.com

Riverbarge Excursion Lines, 1-888-462-2743, www.riverbarge.com

Scenic Tours, 1-866-689-8611, www.scenictours.com

Sea Cloud Cruises, 1-888-732-2568, www.seacloud.com

SeaDream Yacht Club, 1-800-707-4911, www.seadream.com

Star Clippers, 1-800-442-0551, www.starclippers.com

Star Cruises, +852 2317 7711 (Hong Kong), www.starcruises.com

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, 1-800-267-7868, www.stlawrencecruiselines.com

Swan Hellenic, 1-866-923-9182, www.swanhellenic.com

Travel Dynamics International, 1-800-257-5767, www.traveldynamicsinternational.com

Uniworld Grand River Cruises, 1-818-382-7820, www.uniworld.com

Victoria Cruises, 1-800-348-8084, www.victoriacruises.com

Viking River Cruises, 1-800-304-9616, www.vikingrivercruises.com

Voyages of Discovery, 1-866-623-2689, us.voyagesofdiscovery.com

Wanderbird Cruises, 1-866-732-2473, www.wanderbirdcruises.com