Luxist Giveaway: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2011

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 8th 2011 at 10:01AM

Calling all cruisers, this is your giveaway. Berlitz gave us a couple of copies of its massive tome, the 2011 edition of Cruising and Cruise Ships, to give away to two readers chosen at random. This indispensable guide to all this cruise is now in its 26th year of publication. The book is written by cruise-guru, Douglas Ward, who spent 17 years working in the cruise industry before becoming a cruise reviewer. The website for this book states that Ward has logged in over 5,600 days at sea, participating in more than 1,000 cruises, 155 transatlantic crossings and plenty of shipyard visits and maiden voyages.

The book reviews 285 cruise ships and also offer at-a-glance charts compare the major cruise lines for cabin facilities, food and service. The book doesn't just review the ships, the first few sections are devoted to broader issues designed to narrow down what you might be looking for. There is advice on cruising with families, cruising for seniors, nature cruises, river cruises and more. Every conceivable angle of traveling via cruise ship is covered from etiquette to safety concerns and whether or not you can cringe your golf clubs or check email while cruising. Ward is also an incredible compendium of cruise facts. He goes into the history of the various cruise lines and also delivers behind-the-scenes details of the logistics of running a large cruise ship. His knowledge both as an avid cruiser and as a former cruise ship professional gives him a unique point of view.

The reviews for each ship cover food, accommodations, special features and entertainment. Each ship is rated both by stars and by a points system that breaks down ship, service, food, accommodation, entertainment and cruise allowing a more subtle rating. A total of 2,000 points are possible with each category having a fixed number of possible points to be earned. The reviews are incredibly comprehensive covering everything from the plates you will eat on to whether or not there will be a hairdryer in the bathroom. For those preparing to spend thousands of dollars on a cruise vacation, this book is perhaps the best education you could get.

We are giving away two copies of this book which has a retail price of $24.99. To enter leave a comment below telling us about your dream cruise adventure.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before February 15, 2011 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* Two winners will be selected in a random drawing and notified by email.
* Two winners will each receive the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2011, retail price, $24.99.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See full giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Tags: berlitz, crime, cruise, cruise guide, cruise ship, cruises, luxist giveaway

Filed under: Books

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Michael Feb 8th 2011 10:36AM

I'm no longer reading this blog, or any other AOL blog, until these contests are open to all visitors. This is ridiculous, why is it restricted to residents of the US? Shame on you AOL.

P.S. I hope you don't mess up HuffPo - it's one of your last chances to stay relevant.

Speney G Feb 8th 2011 10:36AM

Excellent!

Greg Feb 8th 2011 11:11AM

My parents love cruises...this would be a great gift for them.

LVW777 Feb 8th 2011 11:47AM

My dream cruise would be a world cruise in a suite!

Steve Feb 8th 2011 11:49AM

I hope I win so I can go on a cruise in the Baltic Sea!

GC Feb 8th 2011 12:00PM

Perfect.

CEBPMH Feb 8th 2011 12:43PM

Nice book to have.

aslan4real Feb 8th 2011 2:08PM

yes.

aslan4real Feb 8th 2011 2:10PM

Mildred Feb 8th 2011 2:15PM

Touring around the South Pacific would be my choice

charlestoma Feb 8th 2011 3:54PM

Cruise ships!! I am ready.

TERESA Feb 8th 2011 4:41PM

Cruisin' the Virgin Islands in style...Well, a girl can dream, right?

Susan Feb 8th 2011 4:40PM

It would be a tough call between a Mediterranean cruise, with at least one or two stops around the Greek Islands, or a South Pacific cruise, possibly including parts of Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Fiji

Ray Feb 8th 2011 6:17PM

My dream cruise is one that will be year-long trip spanning South America's Atlantic Ocean and then traversing through southwestern part of Africa on the way to te islands on Indian Ocean and Pacific.

Terry Feb 8th 2011 11:45PM

I would love to have a cruise that went to Germany. It would be like a sail boat with a motor. Dude, so quick! It would have McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Five Guys on the ship. Then I would eat dinner at IHOP. This would be called the Western Cruise. Then when we got to Germany we would complain about how different it is. The Germans would tell us we don't understand culture. We would say American profanity and get back on the ship. THUS, we have cruised all the way to Germany just to do the same things we did in America.