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Who sailed on the Bahama Star


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As I recall, there were 2 "Bahama Stars"...the first was at one point named the Arosa Star (as previously mentioned) and was grounded on the west coast of the USA. The other sailed originally for Zim Lines (an Israeli outfit) and I believe was named "Jerusalem", but I'm going strictly from memory here.

 

Anyway, the first Bahama Star ceased Bahamas operations around 1970 and then the second ship took up the task. She was at first named "New Bahama Star" and then her name later changed to "Bahama Star".

 

The second Bahama Star cruised from Miami to the Bahamas during the early 1970's, but was later retired. As I recall, this particular ship later sank on the way to the scrapyard after having been laid up in Mobile, AL, for a time.

 

Garnett

 

This is correct: I was the drummer in the show band on the New Bahama Star in 1970/71. We were flown out from England to join her in Jacksonville where she was being refitted. I'm not sure if that was the actual conversion from the Jerusalem or if she had already been in service for Eastern, but not everything had been refitted - when we were allocated our cabins on arrival, the bandleader discovered that his had been the Synagogue - very spacious with a large Star of David on the floor!

 

As I recall, we sailed out of Miami on Friday afternoons at 4pm and arrived Nassau Saturday morning, departing Sunday night to arrive back in Miami Monday morning. We sailed again Monday afternoon, arriving Nassau Tuesday morning, sailing Wednesday night for Freeport, arriving Thursday morning and departing that night to arrive back in Miami Friday morning to start the cycle all over again.

 

This was early days cruising, and about as far away as you can get from today's floating blocks of flats (which I would never board): these were 'proper' ships with a funnel in the middle, and although pretty basic by today's standards, there was an intimacy and sense of adventure that has perhaps been lost as the vessels have become so much bigger and more lavish.

 

Our job was to back the visiting cabaret which changed every few weeks, and play for dancing in the main showroom (The Star Lounge): there was also a really good little jazz trio playing in the forward bar / lounge and a Jamaican steel band.

 

On the last night of each trip, when the meal reached the dessert course, the dining room lights were extinguished, and with my snare drum strapped around my waist, and our saxophone player immediately behind, I led a procession of all the waiters on a march round and round the room, each holding aloft a large Baked Alaska with 3 blazing half eggshells on the top. This was real living in those days!

 

The waiters and bar staff were Italian, most of the crew were Bahamian, Haitian or Hondurasian, and the officers hailed from every corner of the known world. The captain was Bill Makrinos, (an Omar Sharif lookalike), the Cruise Director was Frank Dorman and the purser's name was Palmer Purser. Frequently we would have announcements consisting of "Attention: would Mr Purser, the Chief Purser, please come to the Purser's Office!

 

Her sister ship was the Ariadne, which sailed weekly to the Yucatan peninsula.

 

When our contract came to an end, we returned to the UK, and I spent the summer of 1972 cruising the Mediterranean on Shaw Savill line before sailing out to Australia to cruise out of Sydney for a couple of years. At the end of this I had fallen in love with one of the dancers, and came back to settle in England, hang up my lifejacket, and settle down to family life.

 

Happy days - I couldn't imagine any other job which would pay me to travel the world, doing the one thing I loved, and meeting lots and lots of delightful young ladies, many of whom seemed quite attracted to my Scottish accent!

 

Robbie

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My first cruise was with my family.. On the Bahama Star. This had to be in the early seventies.. Maybe 1972. Our family of four board the ship in Miami..I think.. Then set out on a cruise to Nassau and Freeport. The ship was exciting for me, As a child.. The room was super small..with the bathroom being airplane like small ness. I remember docking in Nassau.. And seeing its sister ship, the eastern star also in port. We were all jealous, as the Eastern Star was sooo much nicer.. my dad booked our ship , due to its additional destination to Freeport...which the eastern star did not. Well, we had a terrible storm at sea.. And the ship decided NOT to proceed to Freeport anyways. While in port, late at nite, some of the crew got in a huge drunken brawl outside our cabin. I remember my mom being so scared and upset. Guys were punching each other..while in our hallway, falling onto our door! We heard it all nite.

While our food was fine..and I had some fun memories made..we NEVER heard of the Bahama Star sailing again. Not sure if we were on one of the last voyages or not.

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  • 2 months later...

I remember this cruise with great fondness. My husband signed us up for this cruise and it was such a surprise. He came home from work and told me to pack, I said where are we going and what should I bring? He replied a bathing suit and shorts. We had such a fun time on this wonderful old ship. I remember the chef made all the soups fresh each day and Oh My the backed Alaska flaming platters, held high on platters by the waters.

 

Wonderful memories!

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  • 3 weeks later...

My Dad (Ernie Blackwell) worked on this ship and my Mother and sister and I made the trip with him once! I remember thinking it was so fancy, getting dressed up for dinner, sitting with the Captain! So long ago! I wonder if there are any pictures of the crew and passengers? Mom had some that were taken by an onboard photographer, haven't seen them in years though!

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My Dad (Ernie Blackwell) worked on this ship and my Mother and sister and I made the trip with him once! I remember thinking it was so fancy, getting dressed up for dinner, sitting with the Captain! So long ago! I wonder if there are any pictures of the crew and passengers? Mom had some that were taken by an onboard photographer, haven't seen them in years though!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

June of '61 was when I was on the ship. Maybe we cruised together?

Hopefully, someone will have some pictures they can post for you.

LuLu

Edited by OCruisers
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My Dad (Ernie Blackwell) worked on this ship and my Mother and sister and I made the trip with him once! I remember thinking it was so fancy, getting dressed up for dinner, sitting with the Captain! So long ago! I wonder if there are any pictures of the crew and passengers? Mom had some that were taken by an onboard photographer, haven't seen them in years though!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

June of '61 was when I was on the ship. Maybe we cruised together?

Hopefully, someone will have some pictures they can post for you.

LuLu

 

Great idea! That would be really cool if anyone did have photos. I know I have a couple from when I sailed on her, but that was 1973 or 74. Still, if I ever come across them, I will post them for sure. ;) That was my first cruise, too (I was 15), and I've been hooked ever since! :D

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  • 2 months later...

Like so many others, it was a high school trip for me. I was 16 and I had a ball.

 

We must have had some trusting teachers, because past the three mile limit we could drink. Surprisingly (?) no one made an ass of him or herself. Some of us rented motorcycles in Nassau---more fun. The food was great. The cabin was spare, but spotless. I still have the pictures from the cruise. It was a four-night cruise costing $139.

 

We hardly slept. When our charter bus got back to Chattanooga, our parents were in disbelief that a busload of high schoolers could be that quiet. :)

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  • 1 month later...

This was my first cruise at age 5! We sailed on the Bahama Star around '72ish...I can't believe other people on here sailed on her as well!

I can remember sleeping in the bottom bunk and we had a teeny porthole to look out of..

I don't remember much about the ship's interiors, like lobbys or dining rooms does anyone have any pics?

I only have like 2 taken up on deck.

 

There was a a fire in Nassau the day we docked there and we all had to get back on the ship, and I have pics of that too.

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  • 5 weeks later...

My first cruise was on the Bahama Star back in May, 1964. My best friend and I drove from Durham, NC to Miami. Dad had relatives in Miami so I looked up one of his cousins and we "crashed" at their house. He took us on a auto tour of Miami Beach. He told us the Bahama Star was a bit antiquated. Our cabin was several decks below next to the engine room. The bathroom was down the hall. Reminded me of my collage dorm.

 

There were 3 ships that sailed together to Nassau. One of those ships burned at sea and the Bahama star rescued the passengers. Not sure if it was in 1965or later.

 

This started my addiction to cruising and we Cruising again in May, 2015 out of Port Canaveral.

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  • 2 months later...

I believe the cruise was in 1973, I was 16 and the Bahama Star was crowded with a convention of handbell ringers from all over the southeastern U.S. One bell ringer of 15 years old caught my eye and there began some dating and after five or six years, a wedding.

 

Our memories of the cruise were mostly of not seeing much of the chaperones, and perhaps that was a good thing from our point of view at the time. A song in the jukebox out on the pool deck was Elton John's Benny and the Jets, and I cannot hear that song without being transported back to that deck and the romantic moments of those few days.

 

The story of how I met my wife has been a delight to tell over the years.

Edited by CruiseRomantic
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  • 4 months later...

Thanks for everyone's info on the fate of the BAHAMA STAR. I remember the room being Ssooo Small..for the 4 of us.. And the bathroom/shower was all together. We did see the Emerald Seas ..sister ship.. And it was so much nicer..and newer, we were jealous. During our cruise we had a terrible storm..rocked the shipped.. And during dinner..all the lights went out.. But, thankfully, the crew brought out flaming Alaskas..desert...it was all planned.

My dad and I won a shuffleboard tournament..and we beat some guys who were upset they lost to a kid and his dad.. That was funny. I got an ashtray because we won.. How funny... There was also a big fight outside our cabin one night..the crew and guests got into it. My mom was really frightened.. Great memories.. But my first cruise was fun... Thanks bahama star .. ! R.i.p. Somewhere...:(

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  • 1 year later...

Just saw your post I was with you on the Cleveland High cruise in 1973 I remember Ms Russo was one of the teachers with us. Had a lot of fun spent some time on scooters with Renee K. while she filmed our rides. How about the bus ride there!

Those were the days!:cool:

 

 

 

 

Wow! Can't believe I stumbled upon this thread. I cruised to Nassau on the Bahama Star in the spring of 1973. It was our high school Senior Trip. Cleveland High School - Saint Louis, MO (USA). Turned out that there were several other Senior Trips booked on this same cruise. Oh, the mayhem!The liquor flowed freely and 'romance' was everywhere...

As our 40th reunion approches, I was digging around for artifacts and found that I still have my cabin key with fob.

As a P.S. to the above post, that same site mentions (in 1974) "...that the ship had been suffering various mechanical problems in the past twelve months...."

On our return to Miami, there was a problem with the ballast pumps and we made the trip with a substantial list to Port.

I have not been on a cruise since and probably will not ever again. After that experience, anything else is sure to disappoint.

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  • 5 months later...

Oh my such memories. My second cruise was on this ship with a friend. It was 1967 I believe. We met a few of those local fellows and they taught us how to dive for coins with them. It was so much fun, and cruising was so different. You could visit other cruise ships in port, dive from the pier, hang out with crew members....even go to the beach with them! You My first cruise was on the Ariadne a year or so earlier....a waiter named Venetio was the highlight of that trip!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Those were innocent times. No cell phones, no tv in the rooms no security checks, just fun! How times have changed! Would go back to those days of our youth in a minute but that’s not possible. Still love cruising, but will never forget the old days my friends!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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  • 4 weeks later...

Whoa! Just stumbled on this. The original Bahama Star was my first cruise in 1964 - a 3-day trip to Nassau from Miami. I can still see the guys diving pennies off the top of the ship. And at home I still have an S.S. Bahama Star wooden hanger. (Okay, I confess - I took it. I was 12!)

 

My wife actually included a picture of my older brother and me on the gangway in one of her blogs posts: https://www.themodernpostcard.com/notes-home-cruising/

 

My brother reminds me that it was a floating "tub." ;-) But it started me on my love of cruising!

 

--Herb

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  • 2 years later...

My first cruise was on the Bahama Star in September 1968, 3 days out of Miami to Nassau. I was 13, with my parents while we were in Florida for the 1668 UTU convention. It was a weekend side trip offered by the Union to the delegates. I remember dining in my white dinner jacket, everyone dressed up then. We had a nice stateroom for three on an upper deck. I also remember the local diving off the bow for quarters, they sure couldn't get on a ship to do that these days. Eastern had another ship that sailed on the same time and route. I wanted to be on it as it had a swimming pool! I remember the food was great and the ship really moved with the sea. I remember the straw market and the horse draw carriages. I have some photos that i will try t find and post.

 

Bert

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40 minutes ago, bpm5515 said:

I remember dining in my white dinner jacket, everyone dressed up then.

 

As a 13 year old, you wore a white dinner jacket?  I am impressed!  Good for you.  

 

Such attire is rarely seen today.  Maybe the guests dress like that on the Cunard ships, but dinner jackets, as such, it has been a long time since I saw a gentleman wearing one.

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5 hours ago, bpm5515 said:

My first cruise was on the Bahama Star in September 1968, 3 days out of Miami to Nassau. I was 13, with my parents while we were in Florida for the 1968 UTU convention. It was a weekend side trip offered by the Union to the delegates. I remember dining in my white dinner jacket, everyone dressed up then. We had a nice stateroom for three on an upper deck. I also remember the locals diving off the bow for quarters, they sure couldn't get on a ship to do that these days. Eastern had another ship that sailed on the same time and route. I wanted to be on it as it had a swimming pool! I remember the food was great and the ship really moved with the sea. I remember the straw market and the horse draw carriages. I have some photos that i will try to find and post.

 

Bert

 

Dinner.jpg

Deck.jpg

Cabin.jpg

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A reader made a comment that motivated me to find the photos I promised! The first is in the dining room, it was taken by the ship's photographer, look close, you can see the captain at his table in the background. The second photo was my mother and I on the upper deck and the third was taken in the cabin! Glad I was able to find them. My father in the center, was an executive with the United Transportation Union, based in Cleveland, he was a stickler for proper dress and grooming! There's the white dinner jacket, maybe I was watching many James Bond 007 films?

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15 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

As a 13 year old, you wore a white dinner jacket?  I am impressed!  Good for you.  

 

Such attire is rarely seen today.  Maybe the guests dress like that on the Cunard ships, but dinner jackets, as such, it has been a long time since I saw a gentleman wearing one.

check out the photos I added!

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