Nothing Can Go Wrong

Rating:
Summary: Out-dated but funny
Review: Nothing Can Go Wrong is the story of the last long cruise of one of the last American passenger ships, the Mariposa. Told in alternating sections by John D. MacDonald (the mystery writer) and Captain John Kilpack, the book shows a fascinating side of cruise ship travel and work that is amusing and even informative.

The book was written in 1977, and hence is a bit out-of-date. This affects MacDonald's sections much more than Kilpack's, though. Kilpack's sections, which are written in a voice so clear you can almost hear the captain speaking, are mostly stories about incidents on this and other trips, and they retain their humor. MacDonald's section, being partly a travelogue, is much more susceptible to the ravages of time - most of the places he discusses have changed a lot since he was there. Still, the book commemorates a wonderful ship and a truly funny cruise - one on which the company said "nothing can go wrong." It does, in the form of broken anchors, sinking floats, incompetent harbor pilots, and bureaucracy everywhere.

If you can find it, it's well worth reading - both for cruise-ship travelers and those of us who would never set foot on one of the floating monsters. For a more modern comparison, read Nothing Can Go Wrong alongside David Foster Wallace's A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Recommended for lovers of travel memoirs and travel humor everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Out-dated but funny
Review: Nothing Can Go Wrong is the story of the last long cruise of one of the last American passenger ships, the Mariposa. Told in alternating sections by John D. MacDonald (the mystery writer) and Captain John Kilpack, the book shows a fascinating side of cruise ship travel and work that is amusing and even informative.

The book was written in 1977, and hence is a bit out-of-date. This affects MacDonald's sections much more than Kilpack's, though. Kilpack's sections, which are written in a voice so clear you can almost hear the captain speaking, are mostly stories about incidents on this and other trips, and they retain their humor. MacDonald's section, being partly a travelogue, is much more susceptible to the ravages of time - most of the places he discusses have changed a lot since he was there. Still, the book commemorates a wonderful ship and a truly funny cruise - one on which the company said "nothing can go wrong." It does, in the form of broken anchors, sinking floats, incompetent harbor pilots, and bureaucracy everywhere.

If you can find it, it's well worth reading - both for cruise-ship travelers and those of us who would never set foot on one of the floating monsters. For a more modern comparison, read Nothing Can Go Wrong alongside David Foster Wallace's A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. Recommended for lovers of travel memoirs and travel humor everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who has ever taken a cruise.
Review: One of the most delightful accounts of life on a cruise ship. The historic last long journey of a ship under the American flag reveals all of the personalities that come together and learn to relate in a confined space. The real adventures of the passengers and crew will keep you laughing through every chapter. A book that I re-read before every cruise. As any traveller can tell you, don't believe anyone when they say "Nothing Can Go Wrong".