Devils on the Deep Blue Sea: The Dreams, Schemes, and Showdowns That Built America's Cruise-Ship Empires

If you have ever been on a cruise, especially lately, on one of the big new ships, this is a must read. It provides you with the history of the cruise industry, primarily in the United States, with a little Europe thrown in. You might be thinking that a history of this industry would be boring, but Garin is an exceptional storyteller and reporter (the source notes are very impressive). He does an excellent job of introducing you to the men behind the ships, the Port of Miami, and the mergers and acquistions that led up to two companies owning 90% of the cruise market.And yes, he talks about The Love Boat. :-)The book isn't all about the good stuff; he reports on corruption (both on and off the ships), sexual assaults of passengers by crew members, environmental issues, and why most of the employees come from impoverished nations. Not only does he report on these issues, he illuminates how the industry allowed these to occur. As for the last point, labor is the most expensive cost of a cruise - Garin explains the process that the companies use recruit people to work on the ships (and to keep them there).Even with the reporting of the above blemishes, it is still a facinating book. If you are interested in any aspect of the cruise industry (even as a simple vacationer), Garin explains how each company operated and marketed themselves. How they were able to work the travel agents, Congress, tax and maritime laws to their advantage. I came away with a much better understanding of the nature of Flags of Convenience and what that means to you, the traveller, as well as to the bottom lines of the cruise companies.A great book on the rise and maturation of an industry. But I don't think that your cruise staff will appreciate you reading this while on-board.As an aside, I bought the book from Amazon for $7 (Borders had it for $25). When it arrived, I found that I had an autographed copy! What a deal.

In the first chapter, Garin writes of the last day on a cruise ship which any cruiser knows is every man, woman and child for themselves....no longer are passengers royalty but more like refugees! He captures the irony of the debarking day that has always made my family chuckle as we tell stories of things we see on that last day! E.g. one poor passenger's luggage broke open outside an elevator...not one steward or other crew member offered assistance....they walked right over his strewn belongings. Anyway, Garin knows cruises and gives a wonderful history of the makings/history of the cruise industry from its humble beginnings to the big business it is today (and the two major cruise lines left). I was particularly fascinated with the evolution of the ships themselves! This was an easy read (and if a portion got dry....I skimmed!). I am cruising in 17 days...will do so with even more appreciation for the experience!

Despite online reviews suggesting upcoming cruisers avoid this book, I elected to take it with me on a recent voyage, and I am pleased I did. Garin does well to explain the emergence of the cruise industry and to tie the triumphs and obstacles of the industry to broader events that permeate common historical knowledge. Not surprisingly, the reader is made aware of many of the industry's practices that have plagued their relations with labor groups, environmental groups, and the countries that host ships in their ports of call. Given the concentration of the current cruise industry, Garin's focus on the prominent players allows the reader to escape the historical context and to "witness" how events and forces have shaped the industry today. The final third of the book may be viewed as a bit heavy on the political and M&A activity that captured the industry's focus in the last two decades, but may be due to the maturing nature of the indusry itself, and not the author's focus. Overall, this account of the cruise industry was entertaining, eye-opening, and will make any cruiser appreciate the logic behind they way things are on their next voyage.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I am a cruise enthusiast with many cruises under my belt. If you want to have a good idea as to how present day cruise lines came to be what they are today, multi-billion dollar companies, this is the book for you.The book touches on the early competitive years between Carnival, Royal Carribean and Norwegian cruise lines and the men that shaped their development. Prominent of those is of course the Arison family that owned much of Carnival. This is an easy to read book with a lot of exciting chapters particularly dealing with the big showdowns between Carnival and Royal Caribbean in their quest to become the biggest in the industry.

I'm glad I bought this book because I can read it over and over. It is so interesting to read. Even though it's full of facts, it is written in an "easy to read" format and not full of technical wording. It mainly focuses on the Arisons and Carnival and their history but enough is mentioned about the history of the other cruise lines to keep acquisitions of Ted and Micky in perspective.

A Great Read if you want the Nitty-Gritty of How Today's "Cruise Line Empires" were formed. The section on Carnival Cruises start, was Ominously Horrifying (on par with Recent Carnival Chaos!"), particularly the part on the Burst Pipe on one of the early ships, and a Young Woman (it was almost as if Stephen King wrote the anecdote- but it's Sad and TRUE!). If you want the Dirt on the Rise of the Big Cruise Lines (Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean), "Devils on the Deep Blue Sea" is for you.This Book is Factual, Objective, and Powerful. The Cover isn't telling, but it tells all you need- to suck you in like a Maelstrom!

As described, quick delivery. Thx

Essential book for anyone who has an interest in the history of modern cruising. It explains why RCCL has Celebrity and why Carnival Corp has Holland America. It reads like a thriller.

A must-to-be-read by anyone in the Cruise Industry. It is the history lesson every cruise operator and manager should read.

Dieses Buch ist sehr spannend und interessant geschrieben. Es beleuchtet die Hintergründe der Kreuzfahrt, aber auf eine erzählende und mitreißende Art. Es macht Spaß dieses Buch zu lesen.

If you work in the cruise industry it is good to know where it all begun.