Complete Handbook to Cruising

This work is detailed and provocotive in that it will have the reader comparing vessels & cruiselines thoroughly. If read prior to sailing, there'll be no surprises.

Being towed in comfort to interesting places, without worrying about suitcases and transport connections, is the best cure I know for workaholics. But it's even better if you have chosen the exactly right cruise for your tastes.This one of my favourite reference books on travel, and I recommend it if you are thinking of splashing out on a cruise vacation. It saves you from wasting your money on a boat that maybe is comfortable and fun but is a bit unsuited to your mood, attitude and way of life. I'm not saying, buy THIS cruise guide and no other, I'm saying, be sure you buy one of them. This one happens to suit me fine.

cruising and cruise ships

My library currently has about 200 published travel books in it and this book is one of the best I have added to the library. It is factual and since we have traveled on several of the ships we found it to be accurate and up to date.I think you can count on the information 100%. Well worth buying if you are looking for hard facts and up to date data about specific ships.

There are many cruise ship guides on the market, but none as complete or as thorough as this one, which is written for people who cruise, as opposed to people who think they may like to cruise. Certainly there is a certain amount of space devoted to the basics of the cruising experience, but thankfully not the huge amount of space that many cruise book writers feel they have to devote to descriptions of ports and cruise destinations. There are many other travel books that can give you that information. The major bulk of the book (around 70%) is devoted to very detailed descriptions, reviews and ratings for over 240 cruise ships, ranging from the small and modest JASON, to the huge, and some would say immodest, VOYAGER OF THE SEAS. This is where the author, Douglas Ward, excels. His descriptions, comments and ratings are fair and relevant. You may not agree with every judgement, particularly if you are a fan of the Carnival line (their highest rated ship comes 82nd on his list), but let's face it, Carnival is a great line for first time cruisers, but for many seasoned cruisers, a SECOND Carnival cruise is not something we would put very high on our cruise wish list! I would rate this book as indispensible for all travel agents and cruise enthusiasts. The only minor criticisms I could make are: RATINGS: a rating system out of 1000 rather than 2000 would enable readers to compare ships more easily, via a percentage system (for example, the highest rated ship is given a score of 1799 - if this were to be, say 900, it converts easily to a 90% approval rate - a little easier to comprehend) WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...?: Over the years well known ship names disappear through name changes, company take-overs, sinkings or delistings, and I would love to see a section of Ward's book covering, not just the current year, but going back several years, detailing exactly that - whatever happened to...? Finally, although I rate Ward's book as tops in it's field, I also enjoyed the enthusiastic chatty style employed in Slater & Basch's FIELDING's WORLDWIDE CRUISES. They group ships according to cruise lines, and give an overall evaluation of each line as well as individual ships, however do not review as many ships as Ward does, concentrating on the major or larger cruise line operations. Nevertheless, a good second opinion, should you want one.