Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships (Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships) [Paperback]

Douglas Ward (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Already considered the "bible of the cruise industry" for the past 20 years, the new Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005 rates more than 260 major and minor ships cruising the world's oceans and waterways, with full coverage given to at least 12 new launches and expanded sections on the growing coastal and expedition cruise markets. A lavishly illustrated guide to cruising tells travelers how to make the most of their ocean adventure. Currently relied upon by more than 35,000 North American travel agents for its unsurpassed data and recommendations, the 2005 edition is completely up-to-date with cross-referenced data for easy ship-to-ship comparisons. Written by Douglas Ward, President of the Maritime Evaluations Group and one of the world's foremost authorities on cruising and cruise ships, Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005 provides all the advice and information the first-time or experienced passenger will ever need. It's the essential guide to choosing the perfect cruise.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Buy the Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships by Douglas Ward; it's excellent. Independent on Sunday. Informative about all aspects of cruising... sensible and comprehensive. Sunday Telegraph. The point system used to evaluate the ships provides an excellent basis for comparing ships and cruise lines. About.com Succeeds in taking an extensive subject, thoroughly researching it and serving it up in palatable prose for readers. Travel Weekly, New York Indispensable for choosing a ship the first time, or for experienced cruisers wanting to try a new ship. Tourist Echo, Paris. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

With more that a quarter million sold, this recognized "bible of the cruise industry" rates more than 256 major and minor ships cruising the world's oceans and waterways. Dramatically new and improved, the 2005 edition boasts exciting features: compelling full-color photography, colorful maps depicting the world's key cruising regions, feature articles on new trends in the industry, and a new comprehensive assessment of the Queen Mary 2. First-time cruise-goers, experienced passengers, and travel professionals alike will all find this an invaluable guide. Author Douglas Ward is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on cruising and has logged nearly 5,000 days at sea in his 39 years of experience.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Berlitz Publishing; Revised edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9812465103
• ISBN-13: 978-9812465108
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,326,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inconsistent, repetitive, and inaccurate., January 24, 2005

By 

Dexbet "digbeesmith" (North East Kingdom) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships (Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships) (Paperback)

Perhaps this tome, or "bible" as the publisher calls it, should be laid to rest with this 20th edition! Having purchased several issues of this book over the years, I find that Mr. Ward and/or his team of reviewers are either allowed little time aboard these ships to actually witness them firsthand, or are more interested in bulk than substance.

Spliting the book in two pieces, the reader first is thoroughly exposed and taught about ALL aspects of modern cruising: Introduction to cruising; picking the right ship; ports and regions, etc. All very useful information, and while not particularly telling, probably effective enough and certainly thorough.

The second portion of the book are the actual reviews of the ships. Here is where the clumsy inaccuracies and bulky repetitive commentary are unavoidable and unfortunate. In a past version of this work the author wrote one review for identical sister ships and would refer you back to the initial review - now we have eight reviews for all of Carnival's "Fantasy" class ships. Had each review actually told us something unique about each ship that would be all well and good, but the text is a carbon copy that has been not-so-cleverly cut & pasted from one ship to the next. Most embarassingly, often times the editor has accidentally cut a portion of the review, re-inserted it for another ship (to make the text appear slightly different) but neglects to remove it from the original place in the review thereby having duplicate text! Not sure if this should be the responsibility of the author, the editor, or the renown and revered Berlitz?

Furthermore, the editorial page asks for the reader to write to Mr. Ward with corrections to outdated information. If the author knows that "Sovereign of the Seas" has had a recent refit and now has a bar/lounge called "Bolero's", how is it that he doesn't know that the dining rooms are no longer called "Kismet" & "Gigi"??? If the "Zuiderdam" has "a complete wrap-around promenade deck, which is enjoyed by many", why does the review go on to say, "....has an exterior promenade deck - something new for this traditional cruise line. Although it DOESN'T go around the whole ship...."??? Additionally, Holland America Line ships (Zuiderdam) have ALWAYS had wrap-around promenade decks.

One last gripe. Since I HAVE been reading (and buying) this book over the years, it is also apparent with this edition that the author is now borrowing word-for-word text from past ships in past texts. I guess the former Rotterdam (1959) which used to be, "like a well worn shoe" is now valid for the QE2.

For 1st time cruisers, this book is too textbook-ish and reads like a manual. For experienced cruisers, stick to brochures and online reviews from passengers like yourselves. Personally, I won't be spending another $25.00.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Totally Unoriginal, April 12, 2005

By 

M. Sacharnoski (Bridgeton, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships (Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships) (Paperback)

Having been on 23 cruises and very familiar with many of the cruiselines and ships reviewed, I have to say that the last few editions as well as the present publication of this guide book are very disappointing..The ship descriptions are often inaccurate or carbon copies of other reviews for similar ships in the same class..There is also a lot of bias in reviews of certain ships falsly attacking aspects of certain ships from their amenties to the personality of the crew...There is a definate lack of research apparant in many of the reviews.. The book seems to be written by a man who's attitude is quite pretentious and unrealisitic for any person experienced or inexperienced to cruising.. Therefore, I would not recommend this book as a guide for anyone who wants to try cruising as the opinions and the ratings are not trustworthy, and are written from a very negative and overly critical, often exagerated point of view.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005, July 25, 2005

By 

M. A. Gates (Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships (Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships) (Paperback)

Comprehensive. An invaluable tool for those seeking to thoroughly research and compare cruise lines and ships.