All change with Ferry & Cruise Review

[giftgrub]

The latest edition of Ferry and Cruise Review is arriving with subscribers at the moment and it looks and feels quite different. Here's why:

The new edition of Ferry & Cruise Review has now be despatched to all our subscribers this week. With the increased costs of the Royal Mail and Isle of Man Post Office, the Directors of the company have decided to change the paper quality to reduce postage costs for our subscribers. We have been faced with three substantial increases in postal costs over the last two and a half years, for which we have not come back to our subscribers with further subscription increases. In the light of the current economic climate, we do not think it is fair to ask for further monies from our regular customers, so we have reduced the paper quality of the magazine to a standard magazine material. The new paper quality does not reduce the quality and standard of the magazine and we hope that our decision will be understood in the current economic climate. The magazine continues to improve and expand its features and the new issue reflects the changes in the current Ferry and Cruise industry.

http://www.ferrypubs.co.uk/news.asp?

[cullyburn]

Just finished reading the new edition and the reduced paper quality does not detract from the usual indepth news presented.
In the current economic climate we subscribers should praise Ferrypubs in their efforts to continue providing the magazine and its quality of reporting for the price charged.
The accompanying letter with this edition adequately covered the need for economies and the steps taken to reduce costs.

[Steven]

Great to see a company looking at alternative options rather than just passing on cost increases.  I order mine from coastal shipping personally as sometimes can get it locally and sometimes not.

[Steven]

Having now received my copy I must admit I was initially disappointed.  However I soon realised that the quality of paper was still better than most magazines and think I prefer the tweaks that have been made to the magazine layout.  Its a pity they didnt retain the glossy cover tho.  Always thought F&CR was more like a reference book than a traditional magazine as often find myself diving into past issues to read articles, etc and the news section is often out of date by the time the magazine is published such is the speed at which information travels in this day and age.

However, I think this was the lesser of two evils, as I feel the purchase price is already high enough without it being raised to cover costs.

[ccs]

Having now received my copy I must admit I was initially disappointed.  However I soon realised that the quality of paper was still better than most magazines and think I prefer the tweaks that have been made to the magazine layout.  Its a pity they didnt retain the glossy cover tho.  Always thought F&CR was more like a reference book than a traditional magazine as often find myself diving into past issues to read articles, etc and the news section is often out of date by the time the magazine is published such is the speed at which information travels in this day and age.

However, I think this was the lesser of two evils, as I feel the purchase price is already high enough without it being raised to cover costs.

Agree with all the above. I usually order my copy from Coastal Shipping who for some reason are able to deliver it much quicker than the punlishers!

[Steven]

Having now received my copy I must admit I was initially disappointed.  However I soon realised that the quality of paper was still better than most magazines and think I prefer the tweaks that have been made to the magazine layout.  Its a pity they didnt retain the glossy cover tho.  Always thought F&CR was more like a reference book than a traditional magazine as often find myself diving into past issues to read articles, etc and the news section is often out of date by the time the magazine is published such is the speed at which information travels in this day and age.

However, I think this was the lesser of two evils, as I feel the purchase price is already high enough without it being raised to cover costs.

Agree with all the above. I usually order my copy from Coastal Shipping who for some reason are able to deliver it much quicker than the punlishers!

It is strange considering ferry pubs are based on the IOM, but I find this also to be the case as well as delivery being cheaper.  I usually get my Ferry Pubs books through coastal as well

[giftgrub]

Next Issue of Ferry & Cruise Review coming soon:

http://www.ferrypubs.co.uk/news.asp?

The new edition of Ferry & Cruise Review will be published during the week commencing 22nd July and includes features on the Viking Grace, the Stena Nordica at Stranraer and Carnival. The newly designed publication includes more pictures than previous editions and of course includes all the usual features which the magazine has brought over the last 17 years.

[Steven]

Which Stena Nordica are we talking about here, the one chartered to BR in the 60's or the current one which doesn't operate to Stranraer?  Im confused!

[giftgrub]

The current one, I would imagine its a typo as it covered Belfast - Cairnryan earlier this year.

[Steven]

The current one, I would imagine its a typo as it covered Belfast - Cairnryan earlier this year.

Thought that was probably the case Though a historical article would have been interesting as well.  Annoyed I didn't manage to get a pic while she was up here.

[giftgrub]

My mistake, turned out to be a historical article, another good issue of the magazine though a few spelling and date errors are in some articles, they must try to keep the standards up.

Good issue but could do better.

[loughro]

Does anyone know of a stockist of Ferry and Cruise Review in Ireland?

[wartsilaone]

Might as well just order one online from Ferrypubs. I wish they could keep their glossy covers though.

Alastair

[Steven]

Might as well just order one online from Ferrypubs. I wish they could keep their glossy covers though.

Alastair

Works out £1 cheaper from Coastal Shipping to Ireland http://www.coastalshipping.co.uk/ferry-cruise-magazines/1075-ferry-cruise-review-summer-2013-9770958186804.html. 

Always had top class service from Bernard as well.  Get most of my Ferry Pubs stuff from him (unless significantly  cheaper elsewhere).

EDIT:
Regarding the publication itself, it never ceases to amaze me how many errors slip through the net.  Also getting increasingly unimpressed with the paper quality.  Whilst the previous paper was overkill I find the current paper very poor for photographs and it reminds me a little of wet paper to be honest (especially when turning pages).  The reasoning behind the change in quality (increase postage costs) doesn't hold much water with myself, as I feel the publishers prices are already inflated anyways (hence my refusal to order direct or subscribe as its cheaper elsewhere).

Whilst I accept F&CR has quite a small circulation and so higher costs the paper doesn't feel as good as other magazines at the same sort of price with many more pages.  Unless the basic editorial errors can get sorted out I fear readership will continue to decline.  Furthermore, the current issue has ferry "news" on some 32 pages and cruise news on a further 6 - all of which is long out of date by the time the magazine is published (thanks to the internet).  The first article appears on page 40 meaning there are only 22 pages left for any articles (including photographs).  The book reviews section seems to be a challenge to sum up a book in 100 words or less, often not telling us much more than we could have deciphered from the books title anyways.

I also feel the magazine needs to focus more on providing quality articles and features and less opinion.  Would be great to see some technical features for instance rather than glorified voyage reports.  Would also like to see the return of readers letters and the centrespread pictures.

On the positive side I think the layout is much better than it was in the European Ferry Scene days.

[Matt73]

Might as well just order one online from Ferrypubs. I wish they could keep their glossy covers though.

Alastair

Works out £1 cheaper from Coastal Shipping to Ireland http://www.coastalshipping.co.uk/ferry-cruise-magazines/1075-ferry-cruise-review-summer-2013-9770958186804.html. 

Always had top class service from Bernard as well.  Get most of my Ferry Pubs stuff from him (unless significantly  cheaper elsewhere).

EDIT:
Regarding the publication itself, it never ceases to amaze me how many errors slip through the net.  Also getting increasingly unimpressed with the paper quality.  Whilst the previous paper was overkill I find the current paper very poor for photographs and it reminds me a little of wet paper to be honest (especially when turning pages).  The reasoning behind the change in quality (increase postage costs) doesn't hold much water with myself, as I feel the publishers prices are already inflated anyways (hence my refusal to order direct or subscribe as its cheaper elsewhere).

Whilst I accept F&CR has quite a small circulation and so higher costs the paper doesn't feel as good as other magazines at the same sort of price with many more pages.  Unless the basic editorial errors can get sorted out I fear readership will continue to decline.  Furthermore, the current issue has ferry "news" on some 32 pages and cruise news on a further 6 - all of which is long out of date by the time the magazine is published (thanks to the internet).  The first article appears on page 40 meaning there are only 22 pages left for any articles (including photographs).  The book reviews section seems to be a challenge to sum up a book in 100 words or less, often not telling us much more than we could have deciphered from the books title anyways.

I also feel the magazine needs to focus more on providing quality articles and features and less opinion.  Would be great to see some technical features for instance rather than glorified voyage reports.  Would also like to see the return of readers letters and the centrespread pictures.

On the positive side I think the layout is much better than it was in the European Ferry Scene days.

I'm old enough to remember the very first issue of British Ferry Scene, back in 1989! It was A5 size and in black and white.  By today's standards, it was very primitive.  It improved in leaps and bounds after that with the advances in IT and desktop publishing in the 1990s. It soon moved to colour printing and was of a very high standard.

I can also remember when they unilaterally increased the cost mid-way through the subscription year in, I think, 1998/99 to pay for the increased costs associated with better quality paper and printing, not to mention the postage. That was, I felt, sharp practice and I terminated my subscription at that point, only to subscribe again shortly afterwards.

European Ferry Scene, as it had by then become, was probably the most informative journal of its type at the time, aside from Russell Plummer's column in Ships Monthly.  He is still going strong and always worth a read.

We're now in a totally different world with the internet and, as you say, the information is often out of date by the time these journals hit the doormat.  The typos also used to infuriate me, as did the poor quality of some of the writing in certain sections of the magazine.  I no longer subscribe as forums like this more than cater for my interest.

Ferry Publications books are still unbeatable in terms of quality, but you do pay for it as it is such a niche market and expensive to produce high quality books like that.

Matt