CRUISING PLUS: Douglas Ward's Insight Guide 2025

There was a time when the publication of the cruise ships guide by Douglas Ward was the ship review event of the year.  I retain the 35th 2020 edition and my recommendation is if you still have a copy do not throw it away.  It is very inclusive with, for the most part, a minimum full page very comprehensive individual ship review.

The expanded 2025 Cruising and Cruise Ships celebrates 40 years of publication and offers up-to-date information on 368 cruise ships across 408 pages.  However, the reviews are much simplified from the classic pre-Covid books.

Time has moved on and if you want a detailed examination of any ship, visit the internet where you will find many a personal assessment written by holidaymakers who want to have a good time at sea, and are prepared to glorify where good, and be highly critical when the line fails. And write about it.

If you are a regular cruiser, you will find the book very useful, but if it is something you have not done before consider it a “must” before even beginning to contemplate going to sea.

Ward is recognised as the world’s top authority on cruising and cruise ships, has completed over 6,400 days on ships and river ships on more than 1,130 cruises, 160 transatlantic crossings, and countless Panama Canal transits, shipyard visits, ship-naming ceremonies, and maiden voyages.

The volume is divided into two sections, with the first 200 pages essential reading for prospective newcomers.  Regular cruisers will enjoy it too.  Ward is skilled in extracting what he calls “Cruise Experiences” highlighting the best of arriving on Queen 2 (QM2) as the dawn breaks at New York and the Statue of Liberty looms up. It is very detailed and very much worth the time if you are considering a deep-sea cruise and not been to sea before.  And something of an eye opener even for those with plenty of cruising experience.  You will find it a very good read.

Part One begins with an introduction “New to Cruising” and takes the reader through the essential things to know.  In fact it complements my own “Cruising is a Complex Business” www.travelnewsupdate.co.uk/article/176.  Straightforward things stand out.  “Will I need a passport?”. Sounds simple, but make sure yours has six months of life.

New for this edition is “Cruising in the Digital Age”.  It is a section even regular cruisers should read. Some cruise lines do not even offer a dining menu. You are supposed to download with an App.  Ward, at the age of nearly 80, seems to have mastered artificial intelligence (AI).  Connectivity at sea is essential for many today, but with technology moving at a blistering pace it can be stressful.  Most cruise lines offer wi-fi at sea, sometimes included, and not 100% perfect.

“Cruising Uncovered” starts by answering many of the questions that first timers query beginning with “Is cruising good value?” and “Isn’t cruising expensive?" and offers, mostly in detail, some 100 headlines, finishing with smoking, the do’s and don’ts!

The “Chronology of Cruising” is 20 pages of seaborne holidays going back to 1835.  It would make for a good talk on a ship.  Having personalities on board is nothing new.  In 1950 an all-American star cruise on Cunard’s RMS Queen Elizabeth included Noel Coward, Walt Disney, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Fred Perry, Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor.  

Ward’s review includes some of the famous cruise ports “Historical Ocean Liner Terminals”, Tilbury in the UK gaining a mention as a grade two listed building with many historical details included.  The Ten Pound Poms boarded their ship here (including TNU’s Editor-in-Chief), but no mention of its links to the Empire Windrush.  A port review could be added next time around, comparing say Istanbul with Barcelona.  

“Choose Where to Cruise” asks the same question of any holiday, and “Ship as a Destination” is a misnomer but is short and concise and tells you what is on offer on board. “40 Cruise Experiences” is Ward’s own occurrences over the years.

The chapters unravel and I highlight “Cruising for Special Needs” which not only deals with wheelchair users (large doors are provided on some ships), but also those who require dialysis.  Some lines provide free trips for nursing staff to enable passenger care.  Also hoists for access to pools and hot tubs are provided by most operators.

“Choose the Right Cruise” is followed by “Ship as a destination”, “Choose the right ship” and sections on accommodation, families, romantics, solo passengers, seniors, themes, expeditions, a section called “Life Aboard”, cuisine and very important descriptions of every cruise line worldwide.

The real key to the book for regular cruisers is page 212 “The Star Performers”, a listing of the top 20 ships in four classes, large resort (2,501 to 6,500 passengers), mid-size (751 to 2.500), small (251 to 750) and boutique (50 to 250).  

At that point you might want to jump to the final chapter at the end of the book “Ships rated by score” to find Hapag Lloyd Europa 2 topping the list, although it is far from “accessibility” friendly and whilst English is spoken the ship caters for a German audience.  How do you compare the Silversea ships with Swan Hellenic, totally different ships for different markets, but both of high quality.

Part Two is the traditional ship by ship examination, all 341 of them, but severely cut down from the previous books. P&O Britannia for instance is just 130 words, whilst in 2020 it ran to a double page spread of detailed copy.  Short and sweet is the best way of describing the new reviews never going into the real details of each ship.  In truth the old ones were repetitive, all the vessels in one build class for the most part with the same description.  This time around Ward, landlocked during the pandemic, has each ship in one build class individually examined.  

It is the question of “Insight Guides Ratings” that are most controversial.  For many the quality of the catering is number one on the list and with others the entertainment.  

On QM2 you can take your dog across the Atlantic and it tops the Cunard ratings now followed closely by Queen Anne.  Saga does well here with Adventure and Discovery rated at 1,458.

“Insight” is a massive holiday guide publisher with more than 250 travel titles currently in print and clearly knows its customers.  The book sells well in the largest cruise market of all, North America!

www.insightguides.com/shop/product/insight-guides-cruising-cruise-ships-2025/9781839054006

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