Ocean Cruise Guides, founded in 1993, is a publishing house producing guidebooks specifically for the cruise traveler. We do not sell or market cruises or tours. The company’s head office is located near Vancouver, Canada, with a distribution office in Point Roberts, WA.
OCG currently publishes six titles for the cruise market, namely:
Alaska By Cruise Ship
Caribbean By Cruise Ship
Hawaii By Cruise Ship
Mediterranean By Cruise Ship
Northern Europe By Cruise Ship
Panama Canal By Cruise Ship
We also publish a best selling guide book for boaters cruising the coast of British Columbia. Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage, now in its second edition, covers the inlets and anchorages from Victoria to Bella Bella.
Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage
Over one million cruisers now use our guidebooks. Books and travel remain linked as one of life’s enduring relationships, a joined opportunity to add greatly to one’s understanding of the world. We try to provide a clear perspective of each destination’s history, culture and attractions, and hope our books increase your cruising enjoyment.
Our company includes:
William Kelly, Publisher – With 25 years in the publishing business, including senior management positions with Canada’s major magazine publishers, Bill has also co-published several cruise books with Thomas Cook Publishing in the UK.
Anne Vipond, Editor – The author of more than a dozen cruise and travel books for publishers worldwide (including Thomas Cook UK and JPM of Switzerland), Anne has also contributed feature travel articles to newspapers and magazines in North America and the UK, and is the editor of our cruise destination books.
Michael DeFreitas, Contributing editor and photographer – Michael is the author of two popular books on the Caribbean, the most recent being Caribbean Adventures In Nature by John Muir Publications. Michael has contributed articles and photography to On-Board Media and International Voyager Media, and has also written feature stories for Ebony, Caribbean Travel and Life, Destinations, Expressions and Islands Magazine.
Alan Nakano, Artist and contributing photographer – Alan is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and has worked for many years with design and advertising companies in Canada and the United States. For the past decade Alan has concentrated on fine art, specifically maritime illustrations, and has created dozens of paintings depicting cruise ships in settings around the world. Alan, artist for all the covers of best selling cruise books published by Ocean Cruise Guides, recently won the coveted Award of Excellence at the 21st Annual Marine Art Exhibition at the Mystic Maritime Gallery and the 2003 Purchase Award.
Response from the media:
“With her crisp writing and in-depth reporting, Vipond’s created a terrific series of guide books.”
Cruise Critic“…there are few books better on cruising than those by Anne Vipond.”
Globe & Mail“The thing that is most attractive about this book (Alaska By Cruise Ship) is its focus on activities interesting to cruisers, as opposed to the long list of hotels and restaurants. Five Stars.”
Amazon.com“Alaska By Cruise Ship ranked as Most Popular of Alaska books 2001 – 2003.”
Amazon.com“Alaska By Cruise Ship is a beautiful book to, what appears to be, a beautiful destination.”
CBC Radio.“Mediterranean By Cruise Ship covers this destination with solid detail and from the cruiser’s perspective.”
Travel Trade magazine, New York“Anne Vipond goes beyond the standard cruise-guide fodder of ship and port descriptions. It’s a comprehensive work.”
Chicago Tribune“…(this) Caribbean cruise guide is packed with useful information.”
Toronto Star“Here’s an ideal guide to the 49th state…this book is the best way to navigate Alaska before leaving home.”
Toronto Sun“Alaska by Cruise Ship is a gem for travelers taking a cruise ship to Alaska.”
Vancouver Province“Anne Vipond has, finally, written a guide that is relevant to the Mediterranean cruise experience. Five Stars.”
Amazon.com
Response from the travel industry:
“These books represent an important addition to the cruise experience for our customers.”
Mark Comfort, Cruise Holidays, Kansas City“As a former shore excursion manager for many years, I am thoroughly impressed with the information contained in your guide books – they are clearly the best that I’ve seen.”
Louis Moskovis, DSM Holland America Line, Central California.“I highly recommend Caribbean By Cruise Ship for cruise passengers. It is especially helpful for people who want to explore the ports-of-call on their own.”
Suzanne Marlatt, American Express, Travel Source Int., Bellevue
And from customers:
“My wife and I have been on 28 cruises – eight of them in Europe – and I must say we thoroughly enjoyed having your book, Mediterranean By Cruise Ship, along on our recent cruise.”
R.J. Scott, St. Catharines, ON“The Mediterranean By Cruise Ship book is excellent. Easy to read and very useful.”
Peter Stevens, Vancouver BC
