MY BOOK REVIEW: "BERLITZ OCEAN CRUISING"

This is my review of the book "Berlitz: Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2004" by Douglas Ward.

One word: Fantastic!

This book was recommended to us when we were on the Aurora in August by all of our table companions. All of them! We had started talking about another cruise ship that had been alongside us when we were at anchor outside Guernesey. We had tried to work out what cruise line it was from but couldn't, and mentioned it at dinner. We then also got into a discussion about how the QE2 compared size wise to the QM2 and Aurora. They all said get the book.

So I did. This 688 page book is written by Douglas Ward who spends up to 200+ days a year at sea, and has done for many years. The book has a number of general sections with tips and advice and then the bulk of the book is a review of what seems pretty much every single cruise ship out there. They are rated and there is a line drawing of each.

His writing style is flowing, full of amusing asides and very detailed. It is also a book that will be handy to have with you when cruising to check up on various ships in ports etc. And also it is great to dive into every now and then and read the chapters that cover thngs like:
- why take a cruise?
- what's new
- life aboard (a - z of cruising0
- 20 practical tips
- different types of cruising (romantics, families, physically challenged etc)

This book is great!! The best.