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Title: Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003 (Berlitz Cruise Guides, 2003) by Douglas Ward ISBN: 9-8124605-8-6 Publisher: Berlitz Travel Guide Pub. Date: January, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4

Rating: 5
Summary: Berlitz Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003
Comment: I now own the 1995, 2000 and 2003 editions of this guide, and this new edition is, as it claims to be, indeed a <> guide to the world of cruising. My previous review of the book seems to have been helpful to 123 readers, so I feel encouraged to rewrite and update my views on this new edition.
There are many cruise ship guides on the market, but none as complete and thorough as this one which gives very detailed reviews of no fewer than 254 cruise ships, ranging from the modest <> to the, some would say, immodest <>. Certainly there is a very important first section dealing with many aspects of the cruising experience, but thankfully not the huge amount of space that many cruise book writers feel they must devote to descriptions of ports and cruise destinations. There are many other travel books that can give you that information. The major part of the book [around 75%] is devoted to the very detailed descriptions, reviews and ratings of the individual cruise ships, each review giving a general description, accomodation, dining, entertainment, and, very importantly, <>. You may not agree with all of Douglas Ward's comments, but he is generally very fair in his criticisms.
Some reviewers feel that Mr. Ward is too <> in his viewpoint, but my own view is that although Carnival, Princess or Royal Caribbean are excellent introductions to cruising for first-timers, each with their own particular strengths, however it's sad to see so many cruisers who won't venture past their <>, and this is where Mr. Ward's expertise comes in. Most cruisers won't have the means, nor perhaps the desire, to travel on his top rated ship <>, but his description of life aboard such a superb ship makes a mouth-watering read.
One reviewer took Mr. Ward to task for a perceived <> stance, however I can detect no such bias. Rather, his approach is truly international, unlike most cruise ship writers who look at the cruising scene only from the american perspective. The most interesting cruises are those which have a truly international clietele. If the ship were full of only Los Angeleans, or Londoners, or Sydneysiders, it would be a very dull cruise indeed.
The inclusion of colour photos and maps in this new edition makes a welcome innovation, as are the descriptions of ships, like the Queen Mary 2, that are yet to be launched. Some may argue that the cruise enthusiast can find all he or she needs to know on the internet, however I would counter that few writers could compete with Ward on completeness or detail in their reviews. The blurb on the back cover claims <> and I woud have to concur with this judgement. It's a great read, both for the experienced cruiser, and the novice - and I defy any non-cruiser who delves into it to resist after sampling Ward's enthusiastic tome. Good reading - & Good cruising!

Rating: 3
Summary: A good reference book, but....
Comment: The book provides detailed information on vritually every cruise ship alfoat. A good portion of this is useful, too, like the eletrical current in the cabin, or if the ship has a movie theatre. However, the ship reviews do need some work. They come across as hypercritical, and seem to be written based on traditional British cultural expectations. They do provide a breakdown of how they arrived at their scores, but this causes some problems. They compare luxury ships such as the QE2 with mainstream ships like the Fantasy. This is innapropiate because people have different expecations from a luxury ship as compared to a mainstream liner. There are some minor innacuracies, too. The main dining rooms on the Paradise are the Destiny and Elation, not the Destiny and Paradise as the book states (I sailed on that ship twice). Also, the book implies that the Carnival Destiny uses a new facility at the Port of Miami. However, the Destiny has been based out of San Juan, PR since at least 2001 (I have all the brochures).

In summary, if you can overlook the minor errors, this book makes a good, concise reference book.

Rating: 3
Summary: Ship by Ship Summary Analysis
Comment: This book can only be described as a very excellent summary level reference guide for the over 260 ships covered. If you need to have more indepth review, please look elsewhere (unofficial cruise guide would be an excellent choice). However, if you don't mind shelling out the cash to purchase this book, it's an excellent reference material (similiar to a view from 5,000 ft above).

I'm happy with this reference book, but I also have plenty of "duplicative" books (Unofficial cruise guide, Frommer's caribbean cruises and ports of call, Alaska by cruiseships, Passporter Disney cruise lines, and various other titles).

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