Cruise-Ships Books

Nearly a laugh out loud romp around a not so typical cruise ship week. There are plenty of descriptive true references to a real cruise ship and the cruising experience to make any cruiser feel at home. But after that, the trip sails into uncharted waters. The characters are quirky and fun, the plot a few degrees off the compass center leaving the reader never certain what direction you are headed in. Don't bother taking the trouble to pack a suitcase, just sit in the sun somewhere and enjoy this armchair trip!

I just finished a GREAT book!: "Cruise Ship Doctor" by Gerry Yukevich! It was thoroughly enjoyable, fun to read, and
I am sorry it ended. In it, you will learn to love and appreciate the mambo, piano music, bengal tigers, sun over the caribbean, the garden of Eden, and life. Zest for life is Gerry's middle name: when you finish this, you will want to go out, dance and sing!

I found this book to be very informative and enjoyed the author's style of writing. However, this book was published in 1993 and the second half, which discusses specific cruise lines and cruise ships, needs to be updated due to the fact that approximately half the cruise lines mentioned are no longer in existence. New edition, anyone?

I think Ms. Maisel's book was not only filled with lots of useful information but was also fun to read. There should be more books out there like this. I really enjoyed it

Janusz Skulski is probably one of the foremost IJN experts outside of Japan and his books are known for their meticulous research and first class drawings. Skulski uses sources in Japan with ties to the IJN and this is reflected in his books. This effort on the cruiser Takao is probably his best effort, with more information than the Yamato book (of course, the Yamato was sunk and information on her is sparse-Takao survived the war, albeit in a damaged state) and none of the editing flaws which marred his latest book on the Fuso.

The drawings are worth the price of the book and contain enough information for the modeler to scratchbuild or improve the only Takao model on the market, which is a pretty bad one. A must for any ship modeler or historian, especially since the only other book comparable to this one is written in Japanese.

Janusz Skulski's second contributation to the "Anatomy of the Ship" series, I thought that this was a bit more polished than the "Yamato" volume. These two books together are one of the best English-language resources (that I am aware of) for WWII Japanese navy vessels. This book has everthing; from profiles of the ship as it appeared in its career, down to the rivet patterns used to assemble the hull, all in scaled drawings.

This must be one of the best Cussler books. A real page turner, with all the bells and whistles that Cussler has got us used to.
Reccomended!

I would have liked this book except that his style got in the way. Cussler always writes a good story, but with a co-writer, this book is bogged down with long, unnecessary explanations and descriptions that add nothing to the story. It was much too wordy, but the plot was good. I just didn't have the patience to finish it. I gave up on page 145.

This is a good book but it is not the best in the Oregon series and far from Cussler's best.

Hard to put this delicately. Clive Cussler sux. Talentless formulaic garbage with his own political bias.

I hesitate to call him the "Bill O'Reilly" of fiction because
a) he probably sees that as a complement
b) its hard to discern who is the fictional writer with that comparison.

Cussler writes an excellant story of international intrigue. The "bad" people he writes about have very real counterparts in the real world. He brings science into the plot in such a way as to make you believe it could really happen just as he describes it. The plot of mass murder thru disease that he writes about in Plague Ship is one that worries Americans today. Plague Ship is well worth the read.

Have cruised several times before, however thought it would not hurt to review things to keep updated or if we missed something. Plus my parents were taking a cruise for first time, so shared the book with them also. Lots of helpful information! For the price I would say it was worth it. Reminder in the book on packing cannot be stressed enough and is so true. (Pack less, you don't need that much stuff) I liked the fact that the person writing the book has some years of experience.

My Fiance and I were rookie cruisers, and I bought this to help us out. It is great! It has lots of helpful hints and "do not forgets" for first timers and veteran cruisers alike! Buy it if you have any questions about cruising!

A new edition is due by Fall of 2008, and is needed. This remains a VERY useful guide for first-time cruisers; for those with several cruises under their belt [given the amount of food on a cruise ship, this may be a double entendre] this little book is probably of minimal use.

The gist of this book is: "Have a good time, no matter what. Avoid bugging the staff, your problem's not that big." Very little in the way of stuff which could enhance your cruise or keep you out of trouble.

I am returning this item.
Its a small little book with just general information nothing specific or insightfull.

Gives an overview of many stops along the Mediterranean. I took it along on my cruise trip and enjoyed reading it along the way. Easy to pack and carry- not too cumbersome. Tauck recommended we buy it and I'm glad I did.

I am planning my first trip/cruise to Europe and I was hoping for a more in depth look at the museums, restaurants, sights, etc. More than anything it was a history lesson... But, overall it had good information and it a nice "catch all" guide.

This book is a great help in preparing for a cruise. It contains a wealth of information on cruising, but an unexpected & very interesting section is the "History of the Mediterranean.

This is a good book. Nice color pictures, lots of information on history, architecture, what to see in ports, where to eat and maps. A nice small enough to carry in you purse book.

If you go on a Mediterranean cruise...buy this book..if,like me,you really enjoy immersing yourself in a book about the trip of your dreams..buy this book...It is a perfect combination of facts,history and beautiful pictures and maps.The "must see" sections turn an overwelming siteseeing tour into one that is relaxed and enjoyable.My daughter and son-in-law are flying to Rome next month..she is looking forward to "borrowing" my book...it has wonderful suggestions for a Roman holiday....how romantic is that!...I would not go to the Mediterranean without this book..it would be like trying to make a delicious italian cream cake without reading the recipe..

The book is okay for people who haven't booked a cruise before, but I found that much of the information they offer as an "unofficial guide" may be found at various discussion sites that are easily found through a web search.

I was looking for a cruise to Europe--so I bought this book. Save your money. This book is poorly organized. My husband and I wasted several hours trying to figure out how this book was organized. Then we realized it was not organized at all. I actually gave up and bought another book.

"The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003" is a well written book that is a quite complete guide to virtually all cruises that you might realistically be interested in. The detail on different ships and lines is excellent, though I personally think that the Berlitz book "Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003" is more detailed on the ships themselves, and is generally easier to use than "The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003," though both have strong and weak points.

The strength of this book is in the complete and clear explanations of every aspect of a cruise for someone new to cruising. Some people like the breakdown by separate quality and value scales, but I didn't find it particularly user friendly, and often was scratching my head trying to resolve the grades received with narrative about particular ships. Once again, I think Berlitz has a more straightforward numerical system where it is clear why each ship got the overall score that it got.

While I prefer the Berlitz book marginally, this is also an excellent book with it's own unique viewpoints and strengths. My strategy has become to use the two books in tandem, as together there is a complete picture that neither book completely captures on it's own. Overall a noble effort and in the end this book is recommended for anyone considering a cruise, especially first time cruisers.

I had already booked my cruise when I purchased this book. I was looking for details on shore excursions, shipboard info and how to get to the port of Miami. Frommer's Carribean Cruise book had more of the information I was looking for. This "Unofficial Guide to Cruises" would be good if you were trying to decide which cruise to take. But again, there wasn't any information on what I was looking for in shore excursions, sightseeing, maps, etc.

We all love books with titles like these. They are going to tell us the "real" truth behind the corporate line. How well does this book live up to its promise?

First, the basics of the book. The first 130 pages holds background information - why cruises are cost effective, maps of key cruising regions, and so on. The rest of the book - which is about 660 pages total - is a ship by ship review of the main ships that you can choose to cruise on.

I bought this book, so obviously I was keen to hear the "secrets" :) But unfortunately, even though this version of the book came out only a year ago, I already see a large number of inaccuracies in it. It's not really a surprise - as much as they claim to be "unofficial", there is no way a group of reviewers (or especially the 2 who claim primary credit for writing this book) can go back and visit every ship listed, every year. But that means that either 1) the information is therefore inaccurate, or 2) they fall back on what the company reports, meaning they are no longer an unbiased 3rd party.

In addition, just what information are they giving you? I turned right to the Norwegian Majesty as I am looking to cruise with them shortly. They give stats like cabin count, draft, beam, etc. Undoubtedly they got those from the cruise lines, and didn't measure them themselves :). They list the decor colors, the names of the restaurants, the items in the cabins (desk, TV, etc.)

Really, the entire review (which is about 2 small pages long) is a transcript of information found on corporate pages. It says things like the Sky Deck has lounge chairs, rest rooms and showers. It really doesn't have any subjective information at all.

With the thousands of reviews available online, from people who DO go into the good, bad and ugly of each cruise line, I have to admit I was disappointed. Let's say I wanted to choose between the several cruise lines running to Bermuda, I don't know that these write-ups would really help over the official information found on the cruise ships' websites. With the information in the book not necessarily being accurate or up-to-date, even what they do show isn't something I could rely on fully. And given how much the price is for this book, it's really not very price-effective given how few pages are actually applicable for a given person.

That's not to say that the book is "bad" in any way. The beginning section is quite helpful, if basic. It talks about planning ahead, making sure you're in town a day early so that you don't risk missing your ship. It gives general advice on what to pack.

But again, you really do far better with web offerings - because instead of giving general advice on packing for "all cruises everywhere" (which has to include both Alaska and Jamaica), the web can give specific advice for specific lines going to specific destinations. Even two ships both going to a single island can have vastly different dress codes.

If someone doesn't have a web connection, and wants a general quick-reference book for scanning (say in the waiting room of a travel agency), this might be a good book to have. But if you're a cruiser who has a destination in mind, or a specific cruise ship in mind, this information is really far too brief.

We are planning a cruise this summer and I bought "Unsafe on the High Seas" in order to assess the risk of cruising in light of the fact that we are taking our entire family. Although I am still looking forward to the cruise, reading this book was a real wakeup call about the inherent risks which I will share with my family members before they get on board.

I just wish I knew what else I. Adels, Inc. has *ever* published. I smell a rat.

As the author of the first safety guide written for cruise ship and charter vessel passengers, and someone who was "interviewed" for this tome, I can't help but feel a little "ripped-off" myself. I guess that's the price you pay for doing the right thing for the right reason. Sad really.

The biggest irony about this "book" is that Mr. Lipcon owes all of
his success to the industry he is so critical of despite how unsafe he portrays it to be.
The "book" reads like an informational pamphlet that summarizes some of Mr. Lipcon's past battles and successes against the cruise lines. It is also already outdated as the cruise industry organization known as the ICCL, which Mr. Lipcon is not favorable towards, no longer exists. There are many brief references to people and situations that allegedly occurred onboard cruise vessels but the "book" contains no bibliography or index citing sources. This raises some question of credibility. Notwithstanding the absence of any cited references, the contact details to Mr. Lipcon's lawfirm are boldly included. Conclusion: this is merely a high priced advertisement of legal services

I have to say, if I was planning on taking a cruise anytime in the near future this book was enough to make me think twice about it! From the truth about labor to the sanitation issues faced by passengers while on board, this book takes all of the hype out of taking a vacation on the high seas and gives passengers some great ideas on how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. I'd say this is a definite must-read to anyone thinking about spending their next vacation away from dry land.

I've waded through a whole bunch of books about cruises and cruising. If I had to pick just one, this would be it. Tips on what to bring, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to enhance your trip. A tremendous amount of useful information, and it's fun to read.

I read Pam Kane's book before I went on my first cruise, and I can tell you I felt like an old hand with all the info she imparted. It's also a quick read and easy to navigate for info. Her packing tips are a little more intricate than mine, but have all the details you need to know on how to prep for a cruise.

Would highly recommend this for someone going on their first cruise.

Harry

I found this book to be very informative and helpful - the FIRST time I read it under the label of "Cruise Control". The information is great, but almost entirely repetitive of her first book. When I read this one, I was disappointed that I had invested in the duplicate disguised with a different title.

Packed with great information, Happy Sails is also a hilarious read--I frequently found myself laughing out loud at some of Pam Kane's quips. This is not your super-serious-counting-coup-by-traveling-every-single-ocean-liner guide book; it's written by a woman who's been there, done that and would like to save you some of the learning curve.

She's right, no one on a cruise ship really cares what you're wearing, but any woman will obsess about it anyway--and overpack for it, too. She tells you how to pack, WHAT to pack and when to wear it (what the heck DO you wear for "informal night" anyway?).

If you're going on a cheapie cruise, a windjammer or private ship, nope, this book isn't for you. But if you're going on any of the cruise lines you see advertised on TV, get this book before you buy your tickets!

Happy Sails is a gold mine of information and ideas about how to get the most out of your next cruise vacation. Even experienced cruisers will find Pam Kane's unique perspective refreshing and helpful. Have you ever thought about a systematic way to pack for a cruise, accounting for the limited space of ship cabins and the times you won't have access to all your luggage? Pam Kane has, and she describes her system in the book. Do you want to take a disabled loved-one on a cruise, but don't know whether its possible or how to address special needs? Pam Kane tells you what to expect and how to handle the issues that arise.

For first-timers - and cruise-curious people who aren't sure if cruising is for them - this book is indispensable. Pam Kane addresses all the issues people worry about: choosing cabins, traveling with children, onboard activities, shore excursions, shopping, handling the copious food and drink offerings without over indulging, money and tipping and medical / health issues. She does it all with a sharp wit that makes this a fun read as well as a valuable reference.

I have purchased this book for the past several years for the single reason that it is very informative with basic facts and figures. If you are interested in specifics of ships such as tonnage, crew and passenger size, and other factual information, it is fine. However, I have been on over 300 cruises myself and have worked for several major cruise lines for years. I find Mr. Ward to be extremely bias and a down right anti-American snob. He insults anything he can about American service and hospitality, including mentioning the cheeses from America being of poor quality (I hope he doesn't visit Wisconsin anytime soon!)ans with statements like, "Americans eat anything put in front of them on their plates", etc. I also disagree with about half of his reviews, as do most major publications, such as Conde Nast Traveler which rates large cruise ships very differently. I do agree with some of the reviews, however he places so much importance on things such as afternoon high tea(fine if you are British and 85 years old), whether the jelly and jam is in glass jars or disposable containers(gasp!), and the percentage of cotton vs poly blend in the sheets and towels. Sure, perhaps this is nice to know, however, what Mr Ward does not seem to bear in mind is that over 75% of the Cruise Passengers in the world ARE the Americans whom he is insulting and buying this book. Cruise vacationers care more about issues such as entertainment, ship safety, health inspections, and many other facts which he consistantly fails to mention in specifics. Cruise Lines vary from ship to ship with entertainment quality. Very often one cruise line will have several different producers in charge of shows which means quality can fluctuate from very good to mediocre from ship to ship within one line. Some ships have brand new, state of the art shows, while some ships, due to the high expense of new shows keep the same tired shows for years. Some get an old show from a different ship and passengers can see the same shows they saw years before. Yet he rates all ships the same throughout one single cruise line. Also, Even though a ship may be the exact same layout as another, as cruise lines often mass produce one "class" of ships, each also has it's own distinct flavor, style, and some are maintained better than others. Each ship also has it's own head chef and food does vary in quality within each line, yet he once again groups ratings exactly the same for an entire cruise line. If you have purchased this book, you know the snobbery and the annoying repetitive information I am mentioning. If you have not bought this book, look elsewhere, or you will be disappointed. If you ARE Berlitz, you will realize Dougals Ward who self claims to be the "Leading authority on cruising in the world" is not what he claims, or perhaps was back in 1950's Britain. Today however, most cruise ship passengers, whether first time cruising or a 300 cruise veteran, want young, fresh attitudes, ideas, and more important details that will actually have an impact on their vacation.

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.

Who knows cruise ships like a former cruise ship employee? No one. That's why Douglas Ward's quarter century of experience with the "back of the house" makes fascinating reading.

Don't look here for tips on how to save money on cruises. Don't expect Mr. Ward to tell you which cruise to take. Don't even rely on him to be competely unbiased - Cunard (his ex-employer) and other British lines fare better than their U.S. based counterparts.

Instead, what you can expect is painstaking detail and some surprising insights. Want to know whether if a ship has a smoke free dining room? He'll tell you. Fussy about your towels? Discover which lines use luxury cotton, and who settles for cheaper blends. Want to stroll and take in some sea air? Find out the vessels that feature wrap-around promenade decks. Readers will learn which ships have the most space and best crew-to-passenger-ratios, as well as the others that are always so crowded you'll have to bribe someone to get a deck chair. And did you realize you have to bring your own shampoo on Carnival cruise ships?

The book does have its drawbacks. Ships are listed alphabetically, rather than by cruise line. As other Amazon readers have pointed out, many reviews have repetitive descriptions. And the aforementioned bias in favour of ships that serve a decent afternoon tea may disconcert American readers!

That said, Mr. Ward is one of the few cruise reviewers willing to criticize as well as praise. He'll warn you about annoying repetitive announcements, about waiters who can't speak English, and design flaws that exacerbate the ever present line-ups. You'll also find listed here charter cruise ships overlooked by other reviewers, and excellent ship histories that track when a vessel changed hands or was refurbished.

You'll get the most out of this book by reading a cross section of reviews for ships from different lines. If you've cruised before, check what Mr. Ward liked and hated about a ship you know. That way you'll get a feel for his priorities and preferences, and how they differ from your own. Remember that movie critic who hates every film you like (and vice versa)?

Douglas Ward's Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising is updated yearly, and for my money is a better value than any of its cruise review counterparts.

The first part of the book (on crusing) is informative, but the second part of the book (on cruise ships) is flat. Be forewarned: reviews of same-class ships on each of the cruise lines read the same! "The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2002" far outshines this book, which capitalizes on Douglas Ward's name and forsakes quality.

We purchased this book for the purpose of the ratings of the cruise ships. Sometimes the brochures from the cruise line can be a little deceiving. As we have not traveled by cruise yet, we have spoken with quite a few that have and the book mirrors their reviews rather closely the book just put it together so well. Each ship receives points on many facets of the ship from service food to amenities. This is very helpful. Though I will agree with the other reviewers that the writer tends to reuse his paragraphs for similar ships. Though the information may be true it does get a little boring re reading the exact same thing over and over again

Buy this book for the rating of the ships; however if you are looking for more detail for example food menus, on board amenities or more detailed things like that, then get Sterns Guide to the cruise vacation.

All in all this is an excellent book for learning about each cruise ship. We do like the rating system and the description again though he may reuse his words in other reviews.