Cruise-Ships Books

The book was shipped to me in very good condition and was here in 7 days. I find it very informative and am anxious to see Alaska. We have cruised before and Royal Caribbean is our cruise line of choice. I was interested in the book more for the suggestions for excursions, what the weather would be and what to pack. I would definitely order through amazon again.

Wow, this is a great book! My wife and I are planning a trip and this book has been worth every penny we spent. It gives you tremendous insight into the various cruise lines, what to expect, do's and don'ts, excursion planning etc.

If you're spending the money to go on an Alaskan cruise, buy this book, it will help you pick the right one for you.

I bought several books before my Alaska cruise, and this was by far my favorite. It presents all the necessary information about the different cruise lines, ships, routes, and ports of call in an organized fashion without wasting space on glossy photos and rambling chatter. It was very easy to open the book right to the information I wanted. I don't mean to imply that the book is dry, however; the authors do express opinions and the whole thing is a pleasant read. There are nice sections with information about cruising and about the history of the area. This guide does not go into great detail about the larger cities, like Vancouver, but it gives a good overview while still being small and light enough to easily carry on your trip.

My 4 year old daughter loves this book and wants me to read it over and over. Pigs Aplenty, Pigs Galore is also another favorite

When you're a parent and you read 3 or 4 books before bedtime, finding books which are fun to read is a priority (especially when you read the same book over and over again.) This is one that my son and I both enjoy--about a man who goes on a cruise and finds that he's sharing his cabin with a group of mischievous and misbehaving pigs. Though they get in everyone's way, he comes to love them. Great fun to read (it's written in verse) and fun illustrations as well.

Homer's got nothing on these seafaring swine, and I say that with all affection. David McPhail tells a tale of mythic proportion in another one of his popular pig books. Creative rhymes, chaotic scenes, and bright, imaginative illustrations make this one wild and rebellious adventure. Here, a young yuppie-type leaves for an ocean excursion, his blonde hair slicked back, and a tropical shirt covering his pale skin. He holds two suitcases, one of which has a "ROAM" travel decal.

But our would-be anti hero (he wears a shirt proclaiming "Just Don't Do It") is no match for the real Wild Bunch, a sty-full of pigs who have taken over his stateroom (so crowded it resembles that of the Marx Brothers), and seemingly every activity on every deck of the giant liner:

"After breakfast I recline
Until aerobics class at nine.
The pigs prefer to exercise
While eating burgers, shakes, and fries."

They take over the swimming pool and "race their pudgy motorboats," they enter the boiler room ("where pigs are not supposed to go") and paint stripes on the pipes. FOr some reason, they're invited to the Captain's table. The pigs, inappropriately dressed to the nines (wearing Victorian clothes, loud checkered coats, patched shirts, gaudy jewelry), and they even make our hero look like a respectable decked-out suited hippie. Things predictably--and hilariously--go berserk:

"The table's soon piled high with food.
(The Captain's in an angry mood.)
A piggy swings a baseball bat.
And knocks a meatball towards his hat."

The vividly colored, riotous frolicking continues to the delight of the pigs and the consternation of the humans, until the latter throw the former into lifeboats. As they row towards shore, the porcine ones call out cheekily: "Hey, Captain, let's do lunch!"

All is calm on board without the snouted ones. Maybe too calm. Our thirty-something hero realizes that he didn't need just an escape, he needed the messy, antisocial, glorious fun that only pigs can provide. His eventual reunion with this motley crew is a happily disorganized one.

I wonder why Hollywood has not yet discovered this book: it has all the ingredients for a box-office hit - sailing in the Baltics, scenic sea- and landscapes, a romantic love affair of a British writer and the private secretary of Leon Trotsky. And the background - the Russian revolution, Estonia's struggle for independence. Rare photos illustrate the book. A must for the romantic sailor!

I have a Penguin edition of 1956 without all the additional material of this new edition. But the basic story is the same.

This is a charming narrative of a cruise in a well-built little sailboat, in waters of the Baltic countries, to places the author clearly knows and loves.

Arthur Ransome later wrote a series of children's books focused on sailing. He would certainly have agreed with Kenneth Grahame's "Ratty" that ""There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." One might qualify that, noting that in Ransome's books, the sailing is rather more directed and purposeful - but he always communicates the sheer joy of being on the water in a craft that responds to the elements, at your direction (He was not a fan of engines of any kind - a sometimes necessary evil. Sailing was the thing.)

"Racundra's First Cruise" was published in 1923. He had commissioned the building of Racundra, a thirty-foot ketch built for seaworthiness and comfort inside. With the "Ancient Mariner" - an old veteran of the days of sail in clipper ships - and "Cook" - probably the companion who was to become his second wife, but only identified by her unending task - he takes us through many sometimes tricky passages along the Baltic coast, visiting old cobblestoned towns and remote peasant villages.It is delightful to sink back into a time when the sea was still full of trading vessels under sail, though of course large and small steamers also abounded. Mentions of "during the war" refer of course to the Great War. Relics of older conflicts abound - Russian, Swedish, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian - and Ransome provides many interesting footnotes to their stories.

My favorite encounter is that with the enigmatic man who lives alone, building a ship, in the forest. The ship is at first seen as "a golden hull in the shadows among those tall trees" then we see that "the upper planking was new, certainly, ruddy gold where the sun caught it, but lower down her hull was weathered"...."The keel, laid on great stones, was joined to them by moss. There was lichen upon it, and on the foot of the stern-post was a large, bright cluster of scarlet toadstools."

Enjoy.

Great little book - takes you back to a different, simpler, world. You don't have to be a sailor to enjoy this.

I usually hate to read books but this book inspired me to read. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. It had a lot of humour. The kind of humour that boys like. This story makes me wish that my Dad worked on a cruise ship so I could come along.

This book is a example of superb writing. With witty charcters and a twisting plot line this book will keep you at the edge of your seat for hours on end. This book is a great example of one that you can never put down. I would totaly recomend this book to anyone who loves to read.

Sea journeys and pirates are the "it" topics of children's literature this year, but Shearer manages to avoid pitfalls by placing his narrative in the hands of a boy named Eric, accompanied by his perpetually dirty twin brother Clive. The two brothers stowaway on a cruise liner during the summer holidays in order to be closer to their father, who serves as a ship steward. Laying low is not an option for Eric and Clive, and the story really starts to hum when they become more devious in their attempts to elude exposure. The pirate episode occurs at the end of the book, but is a satisfying tie-up of threads, rather than the core of the plot.

Instead, it is Eric and Clive who hog the spotlight - especially Clive. As Eric would have us believe, Clive is eternally hungry, has a face like a cowpat, and never washes his (under)pants. Together they ruthlessly take advantage of, and expose, the adult world around them while Eric pauses now and again to reflect philosophically on their situation: "Something inside us had changed...I guess that's what happens to you when you make a journey - a real journey, that is. A journey both inside and out."

Shearer does a brilliant job capturing a boy's perspective (for the twins the pyramids are "hot" and uncomfortable), and one can forgive him the fairytale clichés of the absent mother, the kind little old lady with incredible wealth, and the observation that children can get away with anything because adults underestimate them. The book deserves a sharper title and cover, tighter editing on minor repetitions, and a PR campaign that highlights its quirky voice. It's a great summer read with a healthy dose of slapstick. Perfect for boys and girls who crave an escape from "books that are good for them".

Clarion Review
by M. Wayne Cunningham
Foreword Magazine
October 16, 2007
Three Stars

Billed as a memoir by author Timothy J. Richards, Ship Happens! A Tiger Cruise Tale: How to Spend Six Nights on a Navy Warship for $70 is an extended personal essay with more than two dozen full-color photographs of the brief time he spent on a Navy warship with his daughter, Corrin, and son, EN3 (SW) Timothy F. Richards. Their time on the vessel was--except for a $70 food fee--courtesy of the Tiger Cruise promotional program that the US Navy sponsors for relatives of personnel returning home from tours of duty. In this case, son Timothy was returning from active duty in the Persian Gulf on board the USS Bridge.

An outsized soft cover book that includes snapshots of family members and descriptions of activities the three enjoyed during their adventure, Ship Happens! is clearly and entertainingly written for the most part. A few intrusive footnotes include information that could have been contained in the text or relegated to the appendices, which contain specifications about the USS Bridge and its tour of duty, the resume for the younger Richards, and an impressive listing of the Richards' military ancestors. These ancestors date back to Colonel Philip Howell, "a noted Indian fighter."

As much a dedication to Armed Forces personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and a tribute to the Tiger Cruise program as Richards' personal memoir, the book begins with a brief overview of young Timothy's upbringing in a divorced family and his search for a suitable career before a happy landing with the Navy. After his tour in the Persian Gulf after doing his bit in the war against terrorism, he arrived in Hawaii where Timothy J. and Corrin joined him on the Bridge to sail home to Seattle, where he would reunite with his wife and the baby daughter born while he was at sea.

Told in a lively anecdotal style and with an occasional literary flourish, Richards recollects daily activities including a visit to the USS Arizona memorial, tours of the Bridge, funny mishaps in its berths and bathrooms, chow calls, observations of high-line transfers from and to the USS Nimitz, inspections of SeaKnight helicopters, watching an air show and bombing run, and even firing "several bursts [from an M2 machine gun] over the open water." A justifiably proud highlight concerns the medal presented to Tim for the emergency work he performed on duty in the Gulf. Corrin's addendum of her journal enhances the enjoyment the three had during their trip, and Timothy's description of the homecoming scene with Tim, his wife Sharon, and daughter Emily is especially poignant.

Obviously a book for family members to enjoy and share with their friends, Ship Happens! could also serve as a general guide for others contemplating their own Tiger Cruise on a Navy warship for $70. For others it's an entertaining read about a close-knit family welcoming home a son and brother from war.

I ordered this book for my husband. It was delivered yesterday, and he finished reading it before he went to bed. He loved it, and is looking forward to more books from Timothy J. Richards :)

During my Navy days, we never had such things as Tiger Cruises; I think they are a great public relations event for the Navy and a special treat for those who can get their families involved in their children's sevice lives.

Tim Richards writing skills are impressive--a tribute to the work you have been doing at the creative writing course you have been taking. Great descriptions!

Author House is an interesting company--I was not aware of any print-to-order book publishers before learning about Author House.

Son Tim F. has really benefited from his time in the service; he has grown in both stature and wisdom and now seems to have focus in his life. I am sure that his civilian life will be equally meaningful.

Tim F.'s story should serve as a model to so many youth who never stop meandering aimlessly through life--always at their $10 hour jobs (and sometimes in prison). I am an advocate of military service for all youth since it can impart a well needed sense of discipline while teaching responsibility. In my Navy days, we sometimes had to teach discipline and respect by awarding 3 days in the brig on bread and water to 18 year olds who had not learned how the world works. The punishment was swift, certain and not too harsh or too long. Our criminal system today is quite uncertain, excessively long, costly to society and not effective in changing behavior.

Thanks for calling your "Ship Happens" to our attention.

TAKE IT OFF is another installment of the INSIDERS series that describes the innermost thoughts of A-List teenage boys. This is a very funny book because the characters seem like what real, rich A-List boys would act like.

In this particular book, the boys crew that consists of Mickey, David, Arno, Patch, and Jonathan take a "cruise" over winter break together that is a program that Patch's parents wanted him to go on. He of course couldn't go without all of his friends. The cruise is supposed to be a learning experience that teaches the students about history, classics, and sailing. They sail from Athens, through the Mediterranean, around the Iberian Peninsula, and on to London. Along the way all of the crew gets "expelled" from the ship except for Patch.

You will have to read the book to find out how, why, and what they do about it!

I really liked this book, because it was funny, easy to read, and super insightful. One of those books that should only be read next to a pool, or on the beach! A super-fun read!

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

The novel is a great book to read. The novel flows perfectly; there is never a point when the story becomes boring. This is the best teen series that follows life though the eye's of teenage guys. The characters are all unique and accurate represntations of teens today. I would recomend this book to anyone!

For those who get tired of always seeing bitching stuff and the teenage problems from a girl's view, this is a change and its really addictive! I agree with the gossip girl writer, the only cure is more. I cant put down the book and i'm already craving for the next sequel, which unfortunately will only arrive in november. The story unravels the lives of 5 A list guys, who are almost perfect but are made to face up with the problems in their lives, despite their good looks and credit cards. Its a great teenage series!!!

As another fellow passenger on the Aegean 1, this book certainly describes it all. I enjoyed reading it as it reminded me of 4 months of great adventures. I rarely keep a book after reading it, but this one has a place on my shelf with the many videos of our world cruise.

Virgin Voyage: Lessons Learned Circling The Globe At 15 Knots is a "virtual voyage", written by experienced travel writer Herbert Puscheck both to help people plan their first cruise so that they know what to expect, and to understand what such a journey is truly like. Tips include how to pack for a world cruise, how to stay in touch with friends and loved ones, and how much the expense can cost. An engaging, enjoyable book, packed with information about cruises to all seven continents, recommended for anyone with interest in this most luxurious way to travel. If you are thinking of going on a cruise anywhere in the world, begin with reading Herbert Puscheck's Virgin Voyage!

As a fellow passanger aboard the Aegean I the book provides an accurate description of the experiences of many of the passangers. This trip was billed as the first world cruise to visit all 7 continents. Fellow passangers were seasoned travelers with interesting life experiences.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone envolved in writting the American & Canadian Cruise Ship Employment Manual, and the support staff, especially Angela. You helped me get the job of my dreams, and reminded me not to loose hope along the way.

I'll never forget you.

Kendrick Dawes

I followed your advice in preparing and mailing out my resume's and 10 days later I got my first response from American Hawaii Cruises!. I Can't believe it they invited me to come to Honolulu for and interview. I'm so excited I can hardly breath! Thanks again you guys are the best.

Sincerely,

Daralynn Ryan Seattle, WA

This book gives you a wonderful list of cruise companys and an insite into each one. This includes the different ships owned by each company as well as helpful information like size, staffing requirements and ports of call. . With useful addresses to contact. However, it does not contain information about how to get a job in the cruise industry. If you are looking into different companys and what they provide it is an invaluble source of information.

Sharon.

5 stars why? Well because of this book I am making tons of money and traveling all over the Caribbean.

A friend of mine suggested that I try out for a cruise line position, she previously had obtained employment by using this manual, so I figure if she could do it so could I, By using this handbook, and following the tips and instructions. I am now a full time employee on Carnaval. I felt that I had to tell people about this book and give thanks to the folks over at International Jobs for helping me make a dream come true. If you are serious about working on a cruise ship don't think twice about it, this handbook is the key.

Thanks Amazon for giving me the chance to express my gratitude.

Dani Fortuna

Proves Stinnett's "Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor". At least FDR was honorable enough to not call the attack a "surprise" attack, but a "suddenly and dastardly" attack.

The Lanikai was originally assigned a suicide mission to get the US into the war; this was however overcome by events (meaning Pearl Harbor) and the story becomes an escape yarn, as the sailing boat escapes the Philippines, and makes its way south.
A fascinating sea yarn, that ranks there with the O'Brian novels, only this one is true.

If not brought to my attention by a friend, I would have missed this remarkable book. Tolley was the US Navy skipper of the Lanikai, a converted island sailing schooner, in Manila Bay when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This book is three tales in one, interwoven with reasonable success. First, it is an account of FDR's concern that the Japanese would attack the British and Dutch in Asia and the USA would not have the support of public opinion which was needed for the United States' inevitable entry into the fray against the Axis as soon as possible. Tolley makes a reasonable case that the vulnerable Lanikai was to be placed in harms way possibly to create an incident (such as the Japanese sinking of the USS Panay in China four years earlier), but the pace of war overtook whatever plan was intended. Secondly, the book is a story of the amazing flight of the Lanikai south from the collapsing Philippines to Java, and then, as the defense of the Dutch East Indies collapsed, onward to Australia. It was one of the few ships, civilian or military, to escape either the invading Japanese armadas moving south or the Indian Ocean sweep of the fleet that had bombed Pearl Harbor, a sweep that destroyed most of the ships trying to escape Java toward India. If this were not enough, this is a clear story of the early tragic months of the war in the Pacific, at sea, in the Philippines, and in the Indies, as well-trained Japanese forces swept all before them, and the hastily assembled ABDA (Australian, British, Dutch, American) defenses collapsed. I learned a lot of interesting history and enjoyed the small boat saga too.