Cruise-Ships Books

This is a physically heavy but informationally lightweight guide for crusing in the Caribbean. It is good but not great. We found it only slightly useful, preferring the Insight Guide Caribbean Cruises for more content and especially the "Cruising the Eastern Caribbean" more suitable to our nature oriented tastes. The latter book covers only EASTERN islands.

This is an excellent guide book for both the first time cruiser and the seasoned traveller. My travel agent gave this book as a gift to those of us cruising as a group to the Eastern Caribbean this past spring. Athough I have sailed on many cruise ships and feel I know many of the differences between the lines and ships, those in our group who were new to cruising found the glossary section very useful and filled with practical tips to make their cruise more enjoyable and less confusing (ie) tipping policy,dining options, onboard activities.

We liked the pull out map and had this hanging in our staterooms so that we could plot our course each day. The smaller maps of the ports of call were very useful, and often had more detail than the maps from the shore excursion desk onboard. So often on a cruise I feel the tour department is promoting their shops and excursions ... but having this book provided an unbiased synopsis of what there was to see in each port and where to go.

The section on Caribbean history and the history of each island helps in understanding the people and the culture. When one 'drops into a port' for just a few hours or a day, it is not always easy to get the entire flavour of the people. By knowing a bit of the history, my onshore experience was
certainly enhanced.

I was incredibly disappointed in this book. I haven't taken a cruise in over a decade and still didn't learn a thing reading this book. It reads like a travelogue for various islands in the Caribbean but offers no insights on any of the ships or any of the lines. It didn't have much on shore excursions either. I learned more from the various cruise lines home pages than I did from this book.

We just returned from a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise and found this book invaluable. The maps were great! Details on shore excursions and port attractions allowed us to focus on aspects we were interested in and also gave us the confidence to do walkabouts. Great book, highly recommended.

This book provided very good information about where the ships dock, as well as activities on the islands, modes and costs of transportation, and feedback about beaches, shopping and water activities. The maps and information that showed the distances from the ship to the activities/localities were just what I was looking for to plan my days on the islands. In addition, the book was very helpful in the selection of shore excursions that I could do on my own and through the ship (e.g., it helped to narrow down the best spots for snorkeling and golf, etc.). I would recommend it to anyone traveling via cruise ship to the Caribbean.

I have been on 15 cruises, and this book is right on. I have read alot of books about crusing and if you have never been on a cruise or have been on many, you will enjoy this book. Gives you little tips and tricks and just explains how things all work on the cruise ship and in the ports you visit. Everything from the food, what to wear, how to pack, the staff and entertainment.

This is an amazing find. It has everything a rookie or a veteran to cruising will ever need. I found it very helpful in planning my sixth cruise. But, I have also passed it on to first time cruisers who couldn't be more thankful. Detailed descriptions on all types of cruise ships, ports of call, shore excursions. And helpful hints on how to save $$ on booking, why to use a travel agent and what to pack. I wish I could find a book that was similiar, I've read this one too many times...

This book is too big and covers too little that the average first- or multiple-time cruiser wants or needs to know.

Much of the information -- particularly about ships -- is time-sensitive and outdated. This may be corrected in the next edition, but will probably by out-dated by the time the new and improved version "ships".

It's hard to figure out why "Cruise Lingo Word-Find" ... one of those puzzles where you draw lines around particular terms, was worth a page in the book. Many of the 446 pages are what might be called, kindly, "filler."

The set-in about meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous was particularly grating. Any member of AA knows that "Friends of Bill W" is the buzz term to be found in the ship's newspaper or anywhere else members might meet.

The tips on tipping are quite off-base. The idea of tipping one-half to either a room steward or a waiter for a child makes no sense. Anyone with children knows that they're more trouble than the average adult ... and they do take up a seat in the dining room ... and probably want to order from a kids' menu. Tipping half for more work?

Further, the author states that the tip exceptions are "ritzy Seabourne and Radisson" then goes on to say that a cruiser OUGHT to tip on Radisson?

This book would have benefitted from a good copy editor and a first-class fact-checker, to say nothing of an expert in design.

Overall, this is not a well-researched or well-presented book.

There are a few good bits of information included, but paying for the book might put the buyer in the "Idiot" class.

I found this book to be excellent. I read it cover to cover before my husband and I cruised last year. I felt like I already had a jump start when we boarded our boat. I liked reading about all of the boats and that was how we decided on the cruise we took. The chapters were divided so you could pick the ones that contained information that was vital to you. We are going on yet another cruise with our children so I went back and reread the Chapter that is about cruising with kids. I would recommend this book to anyone even thinking about taking a cruise vacation.

An enjoyable introduction to the world of cruise travel, this book provides a thorough overview for those of us new to this form of indulgence. I have read Cruse Travel magazine and various cruise travel guides, in anticipation of our first cruise. This book offered the first detailed step-by-step approach to making all the important decisions.

The contents covers seven area: making the decision, tips on discounts and deals, the cruise lines and their ships, cruise planning practicalities, the ports of embarkation, what to expect of the cruise experience, visiting the ports of call, and wrapping up your cruise.

I highly recommend this to anyone planning their first (and subsequent) cruise.

Ms. Day novel "Cruising'" is a fast pace, well written, and laugh out loud story of four women who are pretending that life is all good. However, when the stress of dealing with pressures on the job, family drama, and crazy boyfriends become too much they decide to take a cruise. The scenes are steamy. Makes you want to gather your closest girlfriends/boyfriends and take a cruise. This was a very good read.

CRUISING by Desiree Day is the tale of four women that bonded in a yoga class. Eventually, their time in class turns into a weekly meeting for dinner and drinks. All the women have a secret that leads to a 14-day Caribbean cruise that will give them the opportunity to escape their hectic and tumultuous lives.

Blair is a Caucasian woman whose marriage is on shaky ground due to her husband's infidelity. Lauren is a successful career woman whom while pleasing everyone else has managed to neglect her family, including her patient husband. Madison is a striking beauty that learns a decades old family secret that shakes her foundation. Stacy is a Christian woman who is engaged, but fighting an attraction to one of her student's father.

CRUISING was an entertaining read. Each of the women's situations reminded me of something my friends have gone through. How the women deal with personal issues is described accurately and completely by the author and allows the reader to understand why each of the women makes the choices they made. Desiree Day effectively uses language to paint a picture of the beauty of the Caribbean. The true story in CRUISING was the meaning of true friendship.

Reviewed by Katrina G
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

In Atlanta, Blair Ricci, Madison DuPree, LaShawn Greene and Lauren Hopson are close friends who every Thursday celebrate "Screw Men Night". This time they decide to get away together on a Caribbean cruise. Each needs the time desperately to think how to fix their out of control life.

Suburbanite Blair is shocked to learn that her perfect spouse makes mistakes that can prove quite costly to their relationship. Single swinger Madison finds sex is no longer a turn on as her parade of one night stands seem lacking lately. Religious fanatic LaShawn's insistence on celibacy is driving her fiancé away. Finally Lauren is a super-spouse, super-mom, super-business mogul and definitely super-tired. CRUISING together these buddies seek some harmony in their respective lives after the ship docks.

The four disheartened females are likable protagonists with different needs, desires and troubles that distinguish them from one another. The audience will understand and appreciate that the consistency of the personalities the foursome display throughout as each seeks solutions to their woes seem apropos to that person's basic behavior. Though much of the subplots are conventional, readers will enjoy how each responds to the issue of how to regain some harmony and balance in their respective lives.

Harriet Klausner

Madison, Blair, LaShawn, and Lauren are four Atlanta girlfriends that met at a yoga class. They start having dinner and drinks on a weekly basis and become as close as sisters. But each of them have a secret. Madison's no-strings attached sex life comes to a halt when her dad shows up with a bombshell that will turn her world upside down. Suburban housewife Blair suspects that her husband is cheating on her. Lauren is burning herself out pleasing everyone except her husband. LaShawn is an engaged kindergarten teacher who's planning her dream wedding and fantasizing about a student's father. The women decide a vacation is in order and go on a two-week Caribbean cruise. With a ship full of sexy eligible men, they decide to have some naughty fun out on the high seas. But will that fun come with a price?

Cruising is a refreshing and breezy read by Desiree Day. Day does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the story. This author's writing is so descriptive that I felt like I was actually on the Caribbean cruise. I liked that each of the four friends came from different lifestyles and backgrounds. This story is not just about a cruise but how people deal with whatever life throws at them, no matter how devastating it is. A novel about a seductive Caribbean cruise wouldn't be complete without a fair share of juicy sex scenes and there is plenty of it for all to enjoy. Cruising is light, tantalizing, and delightful.

Desiree Day introduces Madison, LaShawn, Blair and Lauren in her latest book, Cruising. They are all beautiful women that seamlessly balance love, work and family...or so it seems.

Things begin to unravel at one of their weekly "Screw Men Night" gatherings. Lauren is running herself ragged trying to be superwoman at work and at home. Madison 's libido leads her through a string of sexual romps with no sign of a meaningful relationship in sight. A family secret comes to light that turns her world upside down. Bible-toting LaShawn is the chaste, blushing bride-to-be. Unfortunately her fiancé prefers to make other women blush as LaShawn soon discovers. Blair lives a full life as a loving housewife and mother. She is forced to take off her rose-colored glasses and acknowledge that her husband is having an affair.

Finally admitting the mess their lives have become, the four friends decide that a two-week cruise is the only way to handle their troubles. All are determined to "get their groove back" on the open sea. Madison, LaShawn and Blair concoct a competition that has the boat buzzing. Unfortunately, the competition takes a turn for the worst and threatens their new-found happiness.

Day's Cruising will have you laughing out loud as you follow Madison, LaShawn, Blair and Lauren. The cruise allows each woman to rediscover herself and rebuild her confidence. Madison 's character is outrageous to the point of disbelief but Lauren's voice of reason offsets her antics. Blair and LaShawn's characters fall somewhere in-between both extremes.

Cruising is a great vacation or lazy-day read for anyone looking for humor, romance and adventure.


Reviewed by M. P. McKinney
APOOO BookClub

Murder on the Marmora, brings us back in time to a point where travel on the ocean was the only way to get to where you were going, and the most luxury that you could find anywhere. These ships were also a great place for the criminal element.

In this story we follow George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield as they track down confidence men and more sinister characters. Like the title suggests there is a murder on board and it is up to Dillman and Masefield to solve the crime.

With great detail, many characters are brought into the story, and fans of Allen will delight in meeting Genevieve's former fiancée. The characters and settings are rich in detail, and the mystery will keep you turning the pages.

Again Conrad Allen scores a touchdown with Murder on the Marmora.

Murder on the Marmora is the fifth fictional voyage of George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, and I found it to be the most enjoyable.

The Marmora is a P & O (Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) ship on which Dillman and Masefield are playing their familiar roles as undercover detectives. The ship doesn't provide any of the glamour that helped make the earlier books about the Lusitania and the Mauretania interesting. That lack is filled in by the novelty of minor Royals, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their children, on board with the usual bevy of Royal watchers and hangers-on. The ship is also off to exotic Egypt and contains some rare artifacts.

Relations are tougher though on the detectives. The purser was once turned down by Cunard and holds a grudge against anyone who has worked for that luxury line. The purser likes Americans even less so Dillman takes his lumps in this new relationship.

Once on board, there's the usual crime spree that this series always features along with a quick death as the title suggests. From there, the detectives wander around not learning very much until just at the end of the book.

One of the most interesting of the subplots brings Genevieve Masefield into the company of her ex-fiancé. I rated the book as the best in the series due to the benefits of that subplot. Otherwise, I would have found this book to be an undistinguished three star effort.

Bon voyage!

After several voyages with the famous Cunard line, cruise ship detectives George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield take a job with a competitor--P&O in a cruise from England to Australia by way of Egypt and the Suez Canal. Unlike their experience with Cunard, however, they find the Pursor unhelpful and even antagonistic. He assures them that his nose for trouble is all that is needed to keep his ship clean. Unfortunately, several robberies prove him wrong. When one of their suspects is murdered, Genevieve and George know that they need to move quickly in able to prove their worth, but the crimes are so skillful, without any evidence of tampering with the cabin locks, that they realize they are dealing with a professional.

George and Genevieve work together to determine who could have known about any valuables hidden in cabins, clear alibis, and deal with the personalities on board the ship--a difficulty compounded by Genevieve's ex-fiance now on board as a newlywed but still interested in Genevieve, and the young woman who quickly falls for George.

MURDER ON THE MARMORA is the fifth in author Conrad Allen's George Dillman/Genevieve Masefield historical mystery series and the strongest to date. Allen added more dimension to his characters while maintaining the entertaining mystery and strong period atmosphere of his earlier mysteries. Allen sets his stories in the glory days of the cruise industry before World War I--a period when manners mattered, dress was formal, and progress seemed certain.

I'm afraid the Dillman/Masefield series is getting very repetitious, and this novel is a good example. The protagonists investigate thefts and a murder on a voyage from England to Egypt and wrap things up before the vessel reaches Port Said. However, it's the same cast of shipboard characters with diferent names, and not much new happens, although the author tries to introduce variation by adding a purser who is hostile to the detectives and the appearance of Genevieve's former fiance, a creep if ever there was one. There are lots of red herrings, and, as it turns out, two sets of villains, but one has the nagging sense of having read it all before. Maybe there's just nothing left to do to liven things up on board. Pirates??

After sailing on the maiden voyages of the Lusitania and Mauretania for the Cunard Shipping Company as in-house detectives, George Dillman and Genevieve now work for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. They are sailing on the Marmora from England to Australia with a stop in Egypt. The purser on the ship Brian Kilhendry makes it clear to the duo that he has no use for them and thinks they are not needed as there is never crime on his ship.

Shortly after he makes that proclamation, a woman sailing alone is robbed of her jewelry and money while she is out of the cabin. Other robberies follow and the victims are all women traveling without a man to protect them. While the two detectives are trying to help the victims, a man is murdered but nothing is missing from the room. The man was very well liked leaving Dillman and Genevieve desperate to find the criminals even if it puts them in danger.

Anyone who loves to sail the seven seas will want to read MURDER ON THE MARMORA, a picturesque who-done-it that will make readers want to go on a cruise. Although much of the book is concentrated on the mystery, Genevieve is kept busy trying to evade her ex-fiancé on board with his new bride and Dillman is trying to discourage a young woman from chasing after him. The surprise ending is just the icing on the cake for one of Conrad Allen's best voyage mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

Outstanding book for cruise buffs who enjoy the history of the pleasure cruise industry.

As you can imagine from the title, this book is for people who are fascinated with cruise ships or the industry and have a penchant for details. Not everyone needs to know that the Carnival Destiny was the largest cruise ship afloat- for less than a year. If you do though, this book is for you. There is equal parts of the history of each of the major cruise lines and the history of the ships they own and operate. The chapter near the end about the construction process is fascinating. If you are looking for tipping guidelines for the wait staff you have the wrong book. If you want to be the only person on your cruise that knows where you ship was built and its propulsion system, this book is a must.

Mr. Cudahy's book is a historical review of the development which started in the late sixties. He covers the history of all major cruise lines (Carnival, RCI, Princess, NCL, HAL, Cunard and Seabourn, Celebrity and some others) in much detail. Even cruise lines which have left the trade are mentioned, like Admiral Cruises or Commodore Cruise Line for instance.
Other chapters deal with fleet management, the building of cruise ships or environmental regulations. The information given here is rather superficial. I wonder, whom the book is adressed to? The historian, the cruise insider, the experienced passenger, the potential passenger the travel agents or the ship buffs?
I miss some information on how the cruise lines are positioned in the market and if they succeeded in getting the image anticipated. Mr. Cudahy only mentions the facts, visible to anybody observing the cruise market. Any reasons for this PHENOMENON to happen are not given. This costs one star of the rating.
A very extensive Appendix A (almost 100 pages - out of 366) gives technical details on ALL cruise ships (past and present).
Rather strange is Appendix B in which the location of 156 vessels at high noon on July 4, 2000 is mentioned (Example: Carinval Triumph: At sea, 7-night western Caribbean cruise from Miami). Does that make sense?
The rather limited number of pictures (all b/w) and the poor quality of the paper (the pictures have almost no contrast) resulted in the loss of another star.

The book can only be recommeded to people who are interested in the facts of the historic development of the cruise industry in North America.

If you are a cruiser, this is definitely a book for you to buy or at least borrow from your library. It has EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about cruising history.

First, to be clear, this is NOT a review of which cruise ships have pools and which have nice restaurants. Instead, this book talks about the history of cruising, and gives you background on the various cruise ships in operation. You learn really cool stories about how the cruise ship lines formed, and hear stories about individual ships and what has happened to them over the years.

The book is hard cover and HUGE. It's about 360 pages of dense information. I had a real blast reading it. There's a story about the Norwegian Majesty, about how it was running on GPS autopilot in 1995 heading back from Bermuda to Boston. The crew figured it was OK and didn't bother to look out the window at all. The next thing they knew, the ship was grounded on a shoal near Nantucket.

The book has a giant appendix full of histories of all the ships. It is really fascinating to learn how frequently ships are traded from line to line, and just what they were originally built for. Some cruise ships began their lives as car ferries, and then were rearranged to handle passengers.

If there's any detraction, it's that the author seems a little fascinated with the type of funnel (smokestack) on the ships and the type of propulsion system :) But hey, we all have our little quirks. If that's what he enjoys, that's fine with me! I might have liked a little more detail about what the ships were like inside, but you can get that from plenty of other sources. As far as base history of the ships that we love, there really is no other book that comes anywhere close to this one.

Well recommended!

PLAYING THE ODDS is another in the MacGregor family saga and yes, the famous matchmaking Scot, Daniel MacGregor, is involved once again.

Daniel's daughter, Serena, had decided to escape the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with her family and became a blackjack dealer on a cruise ship named Celebration. She only wanted a couple of years to enjoy life and see the world. She figured this was an excellent way to do so. After letting his daughter enjoy her freedom for a bit, Daniel decided it was time for Serena to help continue the family bloodline and get on with her life. He arranged for her to meet the man of her dreams. The only problem was that Serena didn't know she had a man of her dreams.

As is Daniel MacGregor's style, he doesn't interfere per se, he just places two people he thinks are perfect for each other in close proximity and lets the magic of romance take over from there. He's batting 1000, so he must be doing something right. I'd like Nora Roberts to spend a little more time in the mind of Daniel MacGregor. I'd like to see just how Daniel figures out who is right for whom and how he knows things will always work to his expectations. Is it magic or an insight that is rare?

After some thought, Daniel decided that one of his business associates needed a vacation. Since he was the perfect man for his daughter Serena, he encouraged Justin Blade to take a cruise to relax. Daniel figured that since Justin was a gambler and owner of a casino, he would just happen to visit the onboard casino once or twice and that would all it would take to get this romantic escapade on it's way.

What Daniel didn't expect was that Serena would not want to marry Justin right off, but instead work with him at the casino for awhile. Serena didn't want to gamble with her heart and decided the situation needed more time to evolve.

During this evolution, an old enemy of Justin's with a debt to pay makes an appearance and kidnaps Serena. Justin does everything in his power to get Serena back and Daniel is beside himself with worry.

Ok, that's it, I'm not telling you the ending, you'll have to get a copy of this one and read it for yourself! It's definitely worth the time and is a very enjoyable journey. By the way, in my opinion, any book with the MacGregor's involved has to be a good one and PLAYING THE ODDS doesn't disappoint the reader!

This book is so boring that I read fifty pages and let it rest for a whole week, while I read a classical Fernad Braudel's essay. The girl, Serena, is a spoiled brat that, in order to know people different from her soccial class, goes to a pleasure cruise!!! And the man is one of those that thinks: `Your mouth says <> but your body says <>' which, in my country, means sexual harassment, because we think that when a woman says <> she means <>. The worst Nora Roberts I've ever read.

Contrary to the previous review... this is one of the best Nora Roberts I've ever seen. Serena McGregor was interesting and Justin Blade was just... charming. Especially when he surrenders to her. The dialogue was fabolous, ALL McGregors were delighting, and the plot was great! I find everything in this book perfect. You will not regret buying this :)

When fiary heiress Serena Macgregor ups the ante on cool Comanche gambler Justin Blade steamy doesn't begin to descibe the results.

The Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships guide is an authoritive guide to cruising, the cruise lines, as well as a full guide to almost every individual ship sailing today.

The book is well written, and is one of the only guides that accurately positions the ships within a sensible rating system. Wheras other cruise guides will rate some Carnival ships 4.5 stars, and give a paltry 3.5 or 4 stars to some of the Holland America and Celebrity 'Premium' line ships, this guide has a logical rationale for it's ratings, with points awarded for 5 distinct categories to give an overall 'score' and star rating.

All in all - a great guide for anyone interested in cruising, and indispensible for anyone in the travel industry selling or marketing cruises.

Two caveats however. First - the book is written from the perspective of a veteran cruiser who has a great insight into the cruise industry - but unfortunately there is a definite edge of 'snootyness' throughout the book. Cruise lines are criticised for offering 'mindless parlor and deck games', and many of the elements of mass cruising are sneered at.

Whilst there doubtless those who share this perspective and would prefer a refined, formal, upscale cruise vacation, there are also those than enjoy the 'fun ships' of Carnival or the activities of Royal Caribbean.

In short - you have to be prepared to read through a fair amount of reviews carrying a heavy dose of disdain for such 'common' activites.

My second major complaint about this book (and the reason I am returning it for refund): I already own the 2005 copy of the book, and sadly, the 2006 copy is nothing more than a copy and paste rehash.

True - there are some new additions, and a handful of reviews which have been 'tweaked'. But the vast majority of the book is just a word for word reprint of the 2005 edition. For instance, whilst the overall score for the Celebrity ship 'Zenith' has been lowered in this new edition - the review is a word for word reprint of the 2005 edition, and it still refers to 'forthcoming improvements and refurbishments due to take place in early 2005'... I find it disappointing that after a ship has a major refurbishment the reviews are hopelessly out of date and the 2006 edition refers to events 'due to take place' in early 2005!

If you don't already own a previous edition, then I'd recommend this book, but be prepared for some out of date information.

If you own a previous edition like myself, then don't waste your money on what is essentially an almost identical reprint.

Douglas Ward certainly knows his stuff. The 2006 edition is the best yet with loads of relevant information on the ships not only for cabin size, food etc. Knowledge of what type of cruise will suit you, and who are likely to be your fellow passengers are of great interest especially as ships get bigger. He obviously prefers the smaller more intimate and classy ships rather than the floating Las Vegas type. I concur.
However, having said this, I find the reviews are unbiased. Well worth the $$$$.

This is a good book to have in deciding which cruise or cruise line to take or to review cruises you've done and to plan any new ones.

(Last year's had a page which showed all the cruise line logos so they can be recognized by binoculars, we live on the beach between the Ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It wasn't in this year's edition.)

Although this book has good basic information it is several years outdated.

This cruise plan and enjoy your cruise by Fodor is a great basic first read for anyone new to the art of cruise vacations.
It is easy to read, laid out simply and gives many idea's on which line to choose, what to take with you, when to go, how to investigate what excursions you might like.
After reading this book I then purchased two Travel books to look at my options for how best to investigate the ports of call I will be going to see.

In Plan and Enjoy your Cruise by Fodor's FYI series, you get a brief, basic description of each step from planning, purchasing, packing for and enjoying your cruise trip.

The book is the size of a small paperback and is only about 200 pages of large-print type. That being said, it really does step you through all of the basic, common-sense things to keep in mind when you're planning a cruise. It talks about making sure you choose a cruise situation that is right for you - and not right for the travel agent's pocketbook. It discusses types of cruises, special needs, and how to choose a travel agent.

There are tips about what to do when you first get on board, how to make the most of your time at see, how to avoid any hidden charges. There are safety tips for both the cruise ship and shore excursions.

I don't know that this was really an "experts share their secrets" as touted on the cover of the book. There wasn't anything TOO secret in what I read! Again it was all pretty much common-sense information that you find on just about any cruise website. But it is all nicely gathered together for you, nice easy-to-read type, perfect for sitting back and thumbing through and preparing for your upcoming cruise.

Well recommended for the new cruiser!

While Harry Pidgeon's feat of sailing around the world is exceptional, and his writing style clear and concise, he offers few insights into sailing or his life. The book is fashioned after Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around The World:" Or equally as likely, Pidgeon and Slocum were two men of a like mind. In any event, both men portray that 19th century reserve so characteristic of the Englishmen. Such reserve in the face of near scrapes with death maybe admirable, but it does not make for as interesting reading.

This book is special to me as it opened my eyes to the reality that anyone with a true desire to see the world can make it a reality. It sparked in me a desire to 'go cruising' which I will be doing this summer when I leave on a trip to circumnavigate the world by sailboat. I was inspired by Harry Pigeons' account of his voyage aboard the 'Islander', and I think you will be too.

For the North American modern merchant ship buff this book supplies excellent data and pictorial information on the major shipping companies with service to the UK and Northern Europe. The only shortcoming, although plentiful, may be the black and white photo presentation, yet this also allows the book to be relatively inexpensive for the material contained. No book short of Lloyds Register will list all the world's merchant ships yet this effort covers a portion. I would suggest this to any merchant ship viewer or enthusiast.

R77PACK@AOL.COM's review was right on the money. I would just like to add that, while such tomes as Jane's Merchant Ships and the like are often sorted out by ship type, OCEAN SHIPS is listed by fleet. I would give 5 stars if it was an exhaustive reference, however, I note that fleets from ARCO, Pan Shipping, Tokyo Maritime, Matson and others are missing. It will still be carried in the car as an inexpensive and relatively comprehensive alternative to Jane's or Lloyds.