Anyone remember the Caribe?

Reading through his thread brought back many happy memories for I met my wife on it in 83 when we were both working on her, she as a croupier and I was 3rd Officer. We are still together and planning next month on going on our first cruise since the Caribe to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

We did keep meaning to take a cruise on the REGAL EMPRESS for old times sake but unfortunatley had left it too late.

I have been trying to figure out when my first cruise was and it was on board the Caribe! I have no idea whether it was Caribe or CaribeI. What I do remember is it was a small ship compared to the ones since.

I remember being very ill the first night (I remember begging my friends to just hire a helicoptor and get me off) and that we could not dock the last day because it was too rough, we all sat in common areas waiting and trying not to get sick, lol. However, I enjoyed the entertainment and the food was great. I also remember that bingo went all night while the dance club closed early. I was probably around 24 or so at the time and there were not a lot of passengers that were around the same age other than the ones I was with and a handful or so more. There was a family from Winnipeg, Manitoba on board - mom, dad and their teenage/twenty something children.

All in all (other than the first night) I totally enjoyed my first cruise experience.

Cruised on Caribe 1 with my family over New Year's 90-91, interior cabin. After reading these posts I'm sure it had to be the cruise I still remember as being so rough. The ship was just rolling. Fortunately it seemed to roll the right way as I fell sound asleep, like I was in a cradle instead of a bunk. I never wrote down which ports we visited. If anyone knows, please let me know. I think it was St. Thomas, San Juan and Puerto Plata. Don't know if they will let me keep my email on here or not. patriciavatta@hotmail.com

Oh, and by the way, I bought a coffee mug on board and I still have it...and it has been used a lot!

Just looked up the MS Caribe 1 and found this post. I actually worked on the ship for almost a year in 1985 as one of three photographs. Great memories. Not much of a ship but fond memories.

Sailed Caribe 1 four times in the 84 - 85 timeframe

Master started to recognize us as frequent fliers probably cuz I wore uniform for formal events ... for laughs he even introduced me when he did 'crew introductions' as his cocktail party resulting my having to dance with guests! Not sure if he thought we were junior high rollers (we were 30) or just liked hanging with another sailor but we got invited to the bridge, private ship tours and private 'liberty parties' ...

In truth DW was doing books for a travel agent who was paying us in cruise tickets rather than cash ... booking us as travel agents! An example of what a 'cruise compass' looked like in 1985 ...

p.s. this one was definitely the ex OLYMPIA ... I saw the builder's plate ..... we're not sure but believe this is the same ship DW's grandparents were on for an around the world cruise around 1960 .... the Master's story was that the hull was begun to be a warship but was not completed yet when WWII ended and sat unfinished until later bought and converted to the passenger vessel seen above (or before modifications anyway). During an extend tour (from 'shaft alley' to the top of the bridge) he pointed out where the 'limits' were that divided the first class section of the ship, and the original 'class' dining rooms. On our last trip, they'd been digging in a storeroom and found a case of REALLY OLD schnapps which was shared freely with the diners at his table (see above) with his favorite meal of weinerschnitzle served with a fried egg on top.

Cruised on Caribe 1 with my family over New Year's 90-91, interior cabin. After reading these posts I'm sure it had to be the cruise I still remember as being so rough. The ship was just rolling. Fortunately it seemed to roll the right way as I fell sound asleep, like I was in a cradle instead of a bunk. I never wrote down which ports we visited. If anyone knows, please let me know. I think it was St. Thomas, San Juan and Puerto Plata. Don't know if they will let me keep my email on here or not. patriciavatta@hotmail.com

 

Oh, and by the way, I bought a coffee mug on board and I still have it...and it has been used a lot!

I worked as a photographer in 1985 most of the year. First stop Cap Hatien, Haiti excursion was up to the Citadel on donkeys. Tuesday was San Juan, Wednesday St.Thomas, Thursday Puerto Plata, DR. Fell in love every week for a week until the next cruise......Fond memories

My first cruise was on Admiral Nachimov (or Nakhimov) in 1986 when I was 14 out of Odessa, back than Soviet Union where I grew up.

This ship was former ship SS Berlin which has sunk during WW2 after mine explosion and was salvaged by USSR.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Admiral_Nakhimov

It was a great cruise by standards back then.

However this ship sunk 4 months later due to an accident with cargo ship at night many people died. [emoji20]

First in US was Celebrity Century in 2003. One of the best cruises ever.

Here's a link to a YouTube about the Caribe...

On 5/1/2018 at 5:28 PM, Jerryfriendly said:

 

I worked as a photographer in 1985 most of the year. First stop Cap Hatien, Haiti excursion was up to the Citadel on donkeys. Tuesday was San Juan, Wednesday St.Thomas, Thursday Puerto Plata, DR. Fell in love every week for a week until the next cruise......Fond memories

Wow, you might have taken pictures of my girlfriend at the time (now my wife!) and a large group we were with! It was 1985, same ports as you listed above! My 'wife' and I won the dance contest, lol! It was during October, I loved Octoberfest on the ship! Free beer and Schnitzel's for an hour!! I would love to be 18 and have free beer again, lol! And be able to dance all night, lol! My wife's older roommates would get upset when she got in at about 2 am, lol!!

Funny, I just found a pic of us!!

On 11/28/2006 at 11:42 AM, flowerchild said:

My first cruise ever was out of Miami on the Caribe in July 1985 when I was 18 yo. It was my parents and my sister and I in one cabin and although I remember it to be rather small, I dont remember much else except for bunk beds! I remember it as being elegant, sophisticated and oh so grown up...the itinerary included San Juan, PR, Port Au Prince, Haiti, St. Thomas, and the DR. Living in Miami most of my life, docking in Haiti was very exciting for me as I saw my first mountain landscape!! Does anyone remember this itinerary? You never forget your first cruise...

We did this cruise in Oct, 85! See my post here....

Ok so hope you're sitting down. Not only was I on the Caribe in 1985, I was one of the three photographers. I worked all 1985. Monday we went to Haiti and I took pictures of people on donkeys going up to the Citadel. Tuesday we were in San Juan, Wednesday St Thomas and Thursday Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata. Saved many of the pictures I took as souvenirs. We generally dumped them overboard but I hated the thought of dumping chemicals. Any other questions please feel free to ask. 

On 4/30/2019 at 1:11 PM, Jerryfriendly said:

Ok so hope you're sitting down. Not only was I on the Caribe in 1985, I was one of the three photographers. I worked all 1985. Monday we went to Haiti and I took pictures of people on donkeys going up to the Citadel. Tuesday we were in San Juan, Wednesday St Thomas and Thursday Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata. Saved many of the pictures I took as souvenirs. We generally dumped them overboard but I hated the thought of dumping chemicals. Any other questions please feel free to ask. 

WOW! Did you take our picture, lol?! We got married 2 years after. Been married 32 years now! That was the funnest cruise ever. We've been on about 20 cruises so far. We still have many pictures of formal night, the dance contest, Oktoberfest, etc. I'm sure you took a few pictures of us or our group. We had about 15 people. Oh, and the costume party, lol! We dressed our 'older' friend as a nerd, grease in his hair and all!

In San Juan, we did the Barcardi tour. In St. Thomas, we hired a driver and did some shopping and touring. In Puerto Plata, I don't remember, lol. And then there was Haiti, Cap Haitian! We got on a cab and went to a beach area. Sad place..... 

Great times! SMALL WORLD!!!

Well I have been trying to remember to pull out some of the pictures from my time on the Caribe. I will do that and get back. I am certain I took your pictures. There were three photographers, so the chances are I took your pictures. I will get back. And it was not the most elaborate cruise ship but the crouds were always fun and friendly. Such fond memories.

Hear are three pictures. In the one with all three photographers, I am on the left.......I have many more if you are interested. As I said great memories...... By the way I just returned from our seventh cruise on Carnival, mostly the new ships. I travel with my 16 year old son....

Oh wow, great pix!!!! It's starting to come back, lol!!!  You look very familiar, no lie! I love old pix...!

True, the ship wasn't that fancy, but everyone was nice and had a great time! From the employees to the passengers! I met a few workers and got to go down to the crew section a few nights.. I remember the drummer, he was black and from DC... I play drums also, so we were talking down below in a barmaids room..  Actually, the DJ took me down... I think he was a Filipino gent..... Great times, the 80's!

Thanks for the message. Sounds like we were both bit by the cruise bug. I have been on seven with my son, including the Vista, Pride, Magic, and Horizon. We booked the Panorama but don't really like the ports it is going to. (Went to these ports when I worked for Holland America and not my favorites) So I switched it to the Mardi Gras in Nov. 2021. Probably go on another before then, I heard the Breeze is a good pick, according to Carnival staff that I know......

We're fans of all the cruise lines.... so far! Royal, Carnival and NCL... Shoot, any cruise beats work! We leave this Thurs for Symphony of the Seas! I wonder how many Caribe's would fit inside!?!

I think around 5+ Caribes would fit. Great ship you're going on. You'll have a blast.