Hi, folks!
Hope this is okay to post here -- there are just so many questions about it, I thought it might help if I cleared some up.
The new cruise guides arrived in our warehouse on Wednesday afternoon, and we shipped a bunch of books Wednesday evening to those who told us they were sailing before May 5 (to ensure they received them in time). Next came the paperbacks -- the warehouse shipped these on Thursday and Friday, in the order we received the pre-orders. We sent out shipping notifications to all those whose packages shipped on Thursday -- we haven't yet received the confirmations for the ones shipped on Friday, so we can't e-mail those to you yet. Deluxe starter kits and refill kits shipped on Friday and more will ship on Monday. As soon we get confirmation of shipping, we e-mail it to you so you know it's gone out and when to expect it (roughly).
Those who've received their new pre-ordered guides already will be in the minority -- most will get them next week or the week after (depending on shipping method).
Bookstores take a while to get them in stock, as they have to go through a couple of intermediaries first. The earliest we'd expect them to show up in bookstores is mid-May.
Those who have a tip in the new cruise guide don't have their complimentary books shipped with the pre-orders, but we will make an effort to get them shipped in the coming week so you don't have to wait too long.
Hope this helps!