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| Berlitz 2005 Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships (Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships) | 
 enlarge | Author: Douglas Ward
Publisher: Berlitz Guides
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $4.21
You Save: $19.74 (82%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (4 reviews)
Sales Rank: 887895
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 656
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 9812465103
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.45
EAN: 9789812465108
ASIN: 9812465103
Publication Date: November 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005
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| Customer Reviews:
 If you're new to cruising this book is a "must" read January 5, 2006
If there ever were a book that could vie for the title of "Bible on Cruising", I would readily put forth Ocean Cruising by Douglas Ward. It is without a doubt the most definitive guide to the subject I have ever seen. I did not use the word "read" because this is truly a reference manual to be used for research and fact-finding and not as a bedtime novel. It is a true encyclopedia of detailed information on just about every aspect of passenger ships sailing the seas today.
What is significant and unique about this book is that it not only covers the subject of traveling by ship but it outlines every last detail of some 256 cruise ships worldwide. In addition, this "bible" provides complete details of the companies that own the ships as well as every facility, activity and even menus offered for each and every ship listed.
My recommendation is for any traveler who has selected a cruise destination or cruise line or cruise ship for his or her holiday, the very next step should be to reach for a copy Ocean Cruising and then read about the specific vessel in question. By doing so, the traveler will be that much more informed, educated and acquainted with all aspects of the ship well before even boarding it for the trip.
 Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005 July 25, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Comprehensive. An invaluable tool for those seeking to thoroughly research and compare cruise lines and ships.
 Totally Unoriginal April 13, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Having been on 23 cruises and very familiar with many of the cruiselines and ships reviewed, I have to say that the last few editions as well as the present publication of this guide book are very disappointing..The ship descriptions are often inaccurate or carbon copies of other reviews for similar ships in the same class..There is also a lot of bias in reviews of certain ships falsly attacking aspects of certain ships from their amenties to the personality of the crew...There is a definate lack of research apparant in many of the reviews.. The book seems to be written by a man who's attitude is quite pretentious and unrealisitic for any person experienced or inexperienced to cruising.. Therefore, I would not recommend this book as a guide for anyone who wants to try cruising as the opinions and the ratings are not trustworthy, and are written from a very negative and overly critical, often exagerated point of view.
Inconsistent, repetitive, and inaccurate. January 24, 2005
31 out of 32 found this review helpful
Perhaps this tome, or "bible" as the publisher calls it, should be laid to rest with this 20th edition! Having purchased several issues of this book over the years, I find that Mr. Ward and/or his team of reviewers are either allowed little time aboard these ships to actually witness them firsthand, or are more interested in bulk than substance.
Spliting the book in two pieces, the reader first is thoroughly exposed and taught about ALL aspects of modern cruising: Introduction to cruising; picking the right ship; ports and regions, etc. All very useful information, and while not particularly telling, probably effective enough and certainly thorough.
The second portion of the book are the actual reviews of the ships. Here is where the clumsy inaccuracies and bulky repetitive commentary are unavoidable and unfortunate. In a past version of this work the author wrote one review for identical sister ships and would refer you back to the initial review - now we have eight reviews for all of Carnival's "Fantasy" class ships. Had each review actually told us something unique about each ship that would be all well and good, but the text is a carbon copy that has been not-so-cleverly cut & pasted from one ship to the next. Most embarassingly, often times the editor has accidentally cut a portion of the review, re-inserted it for another ship (to make the text appear slightly different) but neglects to remove it from the original place in the review thereby having duplicate text! Not sure if this should be the responsibility of the author, the editor, or the renown and revered Berlitz?
Furthermore, the editorial page asks for the reader to write to Mr. Ward with corrections to outdated information. If the author knows that "Sovereign of the Seas" has had a recent refit and now has a bar/lounge called "Bolero's", how is it that he doesn't know that the dining rooms are no longer called "Kismet" & "Gigi"??? If the "Zuiderdam" has "a complete wrap-around promenade deck, which is enjoyed by many", why does the review go on to say, "....has an exterior promenade deck - something new for this traditional cruise line. Although it DOESN'T go around the whole ship...."??? Additionally, Holland America Line ships (Zuiderdam) have ALWAYS had wrap-around promenade decks.
One last gripe. Since I HAVE been reading (and buying) this book over the years, it is also apparent with this edition that the author is now borrowing word-for-word text from past ships in past texts. I guess the former Rotterdam (1959) which used to be, "like a well worn shoe" is now valid for the QE2.
For 1st time cruisers, this book is too textbook-ish and reads like a manual. For experienced cruisers, stick to brochures and online reviews from passengers like yourselves. Personally, I won't be spending another $25.00.
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