As new ships are launched and cruise lines compete even more fiercely, passengers can find the choice bewildering. This authoritative and impartial book answers all your questions in detail, whether this is your first cruise or fiftieth. Written by the world's foremost cruise expert, Douglas Ward, this is the bestselling guide to cruising in the UK. Key features include: independent assessments of 276 cruise ships; new ships set to debut in 2007; top tips on how to get the best value for money; what to look for in a ship and crew; at-a-glance charts which compare the major cruise lines for cabin facilities, food and service; expert advice for singles, honeymooners, families and the physically challenged; expedition cruises, tall ships, and freighter travel; great pictures to bring the cruise experience to life; and, full-colour maps of principal cruise destinations.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
The Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships is one of my favourite cruise travel resources, and the 2007 edition is better than ever. It is invaluable for cruise planning and for learning about cruise ships--their dining options, cabins, entertainment, and activities. About.com
About the Author
The author, Douglas Ward, is one of the UK's Top 50 travel experts and has spent over 5,000 days at sea, aboard more than 900 cruises.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great if you are a first-time cruiser who has not yet booked,
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This review is from: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships (Paperback)
Well, I'll give this guide one thing: it sure is "complete." It exhaustively covers virtually every cruise ship in operation on all seven continents. However, because it covers so much, it does not cover any one subject exhaustively.
If you have already cruised and know which cruise line you like and what kind of cruise you are looking for, then I would probably pass on this book. It's more like an almanac -- you know, you are given a lot of information but not a great deal of substance. If you have not already cruised, I would recommend this book without reservation. I think it gives fair explanations of the major seven cruise lines' strengths and weaknesses. Also, the book provides a rating for almost every single ship out there, and allows consumers the opportunity to see if one ship scores well on food versus entertainment. So, in summary, if you already know what you want, then I would pass on this book -- unless you like ratings and charts and haven't cruised in a while. For the first-time cruiser, I think this guide would be a tremendous help for the person trying to navigate his/herself through all the options available today.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Guide To Cruising Year After Year,
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This review is from: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships (Paperback)
The "Berlitz 2007 Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships" is the single best reference for cruising available. Douglas Ward is an authoritative and enjoyable writer; his knowledge of cruising and cruise ships is without peer. I have owned several earlier editions of this book, and the 2007 volume is the best yet.
The most interesting part of the book for me is the data on the individual ships and lines. I concur with his analysis of the ships that I have been on, and find his conclusions to be valid. Although I can't give a first person report on all the ships and lines in the book, I can say that my experiences mirror his reporting. As an aside, I wholeheartedly endorse Celebrity as the best of the large lines, and find Ward's commentary on Celebrity to be on the money, except that I found the embarkation process to be much smoother than Ward. The book features any cruise ship you might reasonably want information on, from the mega-liners of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, to the small, boutique ships of lines like Classic International Cruises, which still runs the "Athena" on interesting itineraries, despite being built in 1948. The most unique shipboard feature I noted was that the "Bremen" has microscopes available to the passengers along with a large collection of plankton available for their perusal. Before choosing a ship, though, Ward helps guide potential cruisers through selecting destinations, itineraries, cabin type, and cruise line to help ensure a great experience. There are many tips and interesting discussions which will help alleviate confusion, especially for first time cruisers. The "Big Seven" cruise lines get special coverage as they carry the overwhelming number of passengers, but other specialty cruises (sailing ships, freighter ship travel, etc.) are also covered. I recommend this book to anyone considering a cruise. It is complete, concise, and interesting, and covers the cruising options available better than any other single source.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm not sure what that other reviewer saw,
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This review is from: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships (Paperback)
One reviewer said this book didn't cover any one thing well, and that it's only for a first time cruiser. I passionately disagree. This book does its best to cover every single cruise ship currently sailing, and does so with exhaustive, detailed, critical reviews. Seriously, it doesn't just cover food and service levels and cabin condition, it goes so far as to mention minutiae, like the caliber of deck chairs. It's updated yearly, noting the rises and declines in quality of the lines and ships. Plus, it's well written. No other book, or online fan site for that matter, comes close to being this reliable. I buy it every year.
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