Berlitz Publishing
(The Boating Channel / Review) -- The latest edition of Douglas Ward's essential resource for anyone interested in cruise vacations is on the shelves. Over the course of 20 years, Ward has provided readers with an extraordinary guide through the world of ocean liners and cruise ships. It is the most comprehensive volume to be found. The industry has changed much during the last two decades, and so have Ward's guides. In 1985, when Ward first embarked on a career that is the envy of all who know him - he spends 8 months of each year at sea on the best, and sometimes the worst, passenger ships - his book contained 250 pages reporting on 120 ships.
The 2005 edition, the 15th in its line, contains 656-pages and includes comprehensive information on 256 ships. With new ships being launched every year, even if you have an older edition of Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships it's worth picking up the 2005 version for the updated information.
“At one time, cruising was a luxurious pastime of the very rich,” says Ward. “Today it is accessible to everybody. As the market widens, the choices in ships and the variety of the level of services they provide expands. Making a choice for the right vacation becomes all the more tricky.”
Among the new features in the 2005 guide are:
- A Private Islands Chart that includes a score and rating for each of the Big 7 Cruise lines private island experiences
- More Frequently Asked Questions
- A chart of Expedition cruise vessels
- A greatly expanded evaluation of the Queen Mary 2, with full rating
- A fourth size classification - Boutique (50 - 200 passengers) has been added to the previous three: Small (200 - 500 passengers); Mid-Size (500 - 1,200 passengers); and Large (1,200 - 4,000 passengers)
- Increased importance given to the Open Seating offering of many ships. Almost all of the ships that achieve a Five-Star rating now must provide Open Seating or one-seating dining. Two exceptions are Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony.
Reviews include detailed descriptions of the ships belonging to the “Big 7” - Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean - as well as of smaller lines, River and Barge cruises, Steamboating, Sail/Cruise ships, Freighter travel and Expedition cruises. Read through this volume and you will find yourself checking your calendar to see when you can slip away for a week or two.
And this year Ward has let us in on one of his personal evaluation elements for determining the level of luxury onboard: The Oatmeal Factor.
Who knew that the serving of oatmeal could be so complex? But Ward has found something just esoteric enough to be an indicator of the personal attention and care one can expect to find at sea. So, what is the ultimate, “utterly exclusive” oatmeal?
“Hot Scottish (large flakes, hand ground) oatmeal water, sea salt, tahini, and nutmeg (grated at the table), high-quality cold-pressed olive oil and a layer of rare single malt Scotch whisky; served in small production hand-made china with base plate and doily, and sterling silver cutlery. Of course, the waiter/waitress will ask if you'd like hot or cold milk (or anything else) with your oatmeal.”
After all this build-up, it was a bit of a disappointment to find that the oatmeal rating itself is not included in the ships' descriptions.
Still, the book is chock full of details - including complaints - that lets readers know just what they can expect to find on any given ship. And the many pages devoted to cruising history and trivia, as well as an abundance of photos and maps of cruising areas, are great fun.
Mr. Ward pulls no punches when he lists what he does not like about modern cruising - reduced service, intrusive music and long lines among others. Forewarned is forearmed. But Ward's overall appraisal of the industry is resoundingly positive. With the cruise lines logging in more than 12 million passengers in 2003 (9 million of them from the United States), and industry surveys showing that cruisers rate their vacations decidedly satisfying more than do any other vacationers, he must be right.
