Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation 2003 (Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation, 13th ed) (Paperback)

~ Steven B. Stern (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Whether sailing the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, exploring the glaciers of Alaska or the fjords of northern Europe, readers can rely on this, the most detailed and user-friendly guide to cruise holidays. Veteran seafarer and luxury-travel expert Steven B Stern personally inspects more than 280 ships every year and rates them in all categories, including: vital statistics: the layout, physical details, and history of each vessel; on-board attractions: restaurants, shopping, and recreation; travel necessities: concierges, technology, and medical facilities; ports of call: including how to make the most of an eight-hour visit. The Star Awards help readers to evaluate quality and value as they plan their cruise vacations. The numerous photographs, actual shipboard menus, and daily activity programs combine with the annually updated text to make this the most comprehensive cruising guide available.

About the Author

Steven B. Stern has sailed on over 675 cruise ships, visited every major port of call in the world, and inspected virtually every ship presently in operation. A resident of Chicago and a veteran traveller on these ocean-going resorts, he also is the author of "Stern's Guide to the Greatest Resorts in the World". --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company; 13th edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589800796
• ISBN-13: 978-1589800793
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,450,960 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A lot of information - but absolutely confusing, February 2, 2004

By	Andreas Horn (Basel, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

The book offers a vast amount of more or less useful information. On the pages with the ship reviews there are all medical facilities and personnel mentioned, but only by abbreviations. Unfortunately, the key for the more than 20 terms (like: N-3 = 3 Nurses) is to be found far away from the ship reviews. (It took me about 15 minutes to find it in more than 700 pages!).
In the extensive listings on cabin grades or alternative dining areas (in fact, most interesting information) another flood of abbreviations comes along. The fact that each line in the listing is labeled with A., B., and so on, as well as having abbreviations like A (for Asian food), CG (for Continental Gourmet), E (for elegant) and many others makes the reading extremely difficult.
The ship reviews concentrate on facts (from brochures) and give little information on the 'real' quality. Then there is a star rating; black stars mean that it is a luxury cruise ship, stars which are crossed out are for premium ships, hatched stand for standard and white stars for economy products. So it is possible that a ship has a 5-star economy rating - what can be confused with a premium product, according to ratings published in other guides. And to add to the confusion, there are ships with black AND crossed out stars, meaning that they are positioned between premium and luxury standards (Windstar for instance).
A good idea is to show daily programs and menues from various cruise lines and there are several photographs, showing the interiors - unfortunately, in b/w and of very poor quality (no contrast on cheap paper).
The book cannot be recommened for first-time cruisers who need a help to make their decision. For a marketing expert in the cruise industry - like myself - it might provide some interesting additional information.