The Purser A Story Of Life Aboard A Cruise Ship

Posted In: Cruises

Marco Wizwer says...

"The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003" is a well written book that is a quite complete guide to virtually all cruises that you might realistically be interested in. The detail on different ships and lines is excellent, though I personally think that the Berlitz book "Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003" is more detailed on the ships themselves, and is generally easier to use than "The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003," though both have strong and weak points.

The strength of this book is in the complete and clear explanations of every aspect of a cruise for someone new to cruising. Some people like the breakdown by separate quality and value scales, but I didn't find it particularly user friendly, and often was scratching my head trying to resolve the grades received with narrative about particular ships. Once again, I think Berlitz has a more straightforward numerical system where it is clear why each ship got the overall score that it got.

While I prefer the Berlitz book marginally, this is also an excellent book with it's own unique viewpoints and strengths. My strategy has become to use the two books in tandem, as together there is a complete picture that neither book completely captures on it's own. Overall a noble effort and in the end this book is recommended for anyone considering a cruise, especially first time cruisers.

Posted on September 22, 2011

Yasmine Fandrich says...

Amazing for new cruisers- purchased as alternative/additional info source, and fabulous for it's maps, and etc.

Posted on September 22, 2011

Takisha Weisenborn says...

I had already booked my cruise when I purchased this book.I was looking for details on shore excursions, shipboard info and how to get to the port of Miami.Frommer's Carribean Cruise book had more of the information I was looking for.This "Unofficial Guide to Cruises" would be good if you were trying to decide which cruise to take. But again, there wasn't any information on what I was looking for in shore excursions, sightseeing, maps, etc.

Posted on September 23, 2011

Rosanne Usilton says...

This light read is a well written description of what life aboard a cruise ship was like for one young man before mega-ships.The author weaves a tale around what we're lead to believe his life was like as a Purser aboard this vessel that plies the Caribbean from its Miami homeport; we see the outcome of his infatuation with a passenger early on, before he does, sadly, and we're left to ponder what might have been.Ahh, but what sweet memories...

Posted on September 24, 2011

Russell Puppo says...

Have taken a few cruises and wanted to expand my knowledge of different cruise lines.This book was great to compare cruise ships and cruise lines especially since I am familiar with some of them already.

Posted on September 26, 2011

Alex Badal says...

This book was informative enough, entertaining enough, honest enough and impartial enough to motivate me to book my first-ever cruise.There is useful - indeed, necessary - information about every facet of a cruise, from booking the best deal, to required documents and from incredibly detailed descriptions of every cruise (and all of their ships) to a full description on what a day on a cruise is like.I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering a cruise, particularly for the fisrt time.

Posted on September 27, 2011

Lavera Hudspeth says...

For planning our first cruise, this book is excellent.Prior to reading this book, even though I had spent countless hours on the web, I was uncertain as to the best cruise choice for us.This book provides so many details that made it a simple matter to compare ships and make a decision.Especially helpful is the information on fellow passengers and recommendations to find the ship that best matches one's preferences.The detailed descriptions of the ships' features and life styles were extremely valuable in making a selection.The section on preparing for the trip and settling in is great for first-time cruise travelers. So much information is crammed in this book, and it is very well written. Would be nice to have an index, but the book is well organized so that one can easily bookmark sections of interest.

Posted on September 28, 2011

Shane Alderink says...

Look if you're going to spend thousands on a cruise why not spend a few bucks before you book?

Posted on September 29, 2011

Evie Hubble says...

I am planning my honeymoon cruise with my bride, and I was feeling completely overwhelmed at the beginning of our quest to plan the voyage.I feared being "taken" and going into even more debt (you don't even want to know how much the wedding costs!).

I bought this book to bring me up to speed fast and protect me from tourist traps for wasting money.The book has been an excellent primer and reference guide, all in one.The first hundred or so pages teach you about the history of cruising and present cruising market, gives guidelines for choosing the cruise package right for you, and lists ways to capture those elusive "deep discounts."The second section (the next several hundred pages) gives detailed discriptions of the cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc.) and reviews of the individual boats in the line; detailing dining options, crew, tipping, recreational activities and more.

The only knock on this book is that it promises to be critical of the cruise lines (saying it is an "unofficial" guide, so it can be negative) but it never is critical.It rates some boats as a 5 out of 10 on quality and a "C" on value, but it will go on to say that the boat is "exquisite" and "lavish" and leaves the reader wondering why the boat deserved the much lower rating ...

Posted on September 30, 2011

Franchesca Yanagida says...

Showker's cruise guide is right on target, what the Fielding guide once was before the reviews became dated.I love her focus on value for money, descriptions of fellow passengers and the comprehensive coverage of allaspects.Great for first timers or the experienced cruiser.

Posted on October 4, 2011