It has been a particularly rewarding experience to produce this work. In all, it took aver foue years. It began at the New York offices of Harry Haralamhopoulos, the Executive Director of Chandris Cruises and its twin affiliates, Celebrity Cruises and Fantasy Cruises. He has both encouraged and supported this project from start to finish. His blessings have been most important - and they've often moved whole mountains. Al Wallack, the Company's Senior Vice President of Marketing & Passenger Services, also deserves my deepest appredation. And very, very special thanks to the late Antoinette De Land, the well known cruise expert and authoress, for making the initial introductions and for always being a bright star on the horizon. A unique opportunity was to spend several, almost uninterrupted hours, it was, in fact, a long holiday weekend, with Dimitri Kaparis. As the Technical Director for all of Chandris and a member of that firm since 1960, he has, without doubt, the most detailed knowledge of the Company's large and diverse passenger fleet. He began with the Brelagne-Brittany purchase and conversion, and is currently at work on the three ship Century class. As we sat together in his office that overlooks Miami International Airport and where the artifacts included the brass bell from his beloved Australis, his recall of facts and dates and details was extraordinary. I came away with 30 pages of notes! I made two visits to the Chandris offices in Piraeus ,one aboard the Achille Lauro, the other on the Romanza. I had a most enlightening and helpful interview with Captain F.X. Xenios, then the most senior Chandris officer, having started back in 1937. While onboard Chandris ships, I must also give warmest thanks to the officers who gave of their time and their memory: Captain Nieholas Aslanis, Captaio K. Ferreotinos, Shore Excursions Manager David Llewellyn, Chief Purser Tassos Pagoulatos, Captain George Panagiotakis, Captain John Tourvas, Captain A.S. Varsamis and Captain Niekos Voloviois. At the Chandris New York offices, my appreciation also to Helen Burford and Susan Rice for passage arrangements, flights and all of the other details that go with travel and research. And from the vast maritime historian community, my warmest manks to a grand list of collector photographers: Frank Andrews, Ernest Arroyo, Frank Braynard, Philippe Brebaot, Michael Cassar, Anthony Cooke, Luis Miguel Correia, Francis J. Duffy, Alex Duncan, Laurenee Dunn, the late A.J.Gambino, Alan Goldfinger, Michael D.J. Lennon, Ian Loeff, Vincent Messina, Chris Montegriffo, Ove Nielsen, Peter Plowman, Fred Rodriguez, Selim San, L.A. Sawyer, Antonio Scrimali, the late Victor Serivens, James L. Shaw, Roger Sherlock, Marie and Willie Tinnemeyer, Everett Viez, Steffen Weirauch and Victor H. Young. Companies and organizations that assisted included the Matson Line, Moran Towing & Transportation Company, the Steamship Historical Society of America and the World Ship Society; and in past years the Incres Line, Union-Castle Line and United States Lines - now, alas, gone - were all very helpful. And finally, to all of the onboard personnel - the waiters and the stewards, the entertainers and the bellboys - who make a Chandris eruise a warm and pleasurable experienee.