Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

10 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Still fairly unusual to have a helo actually land on a cruise ship that is not designed for that purpose as none of the Holland America Line ships ever were/are, unlike some of the modern day behemoths like those of Royal Caribbean who have an actual helo spot. Still, as you related, it has happened.

 

This is a pic taken in the Summer of 1985 of a Garde Côtière Canadienne / Canadian Coast Guard  Sud Aviation (Sud-Est) SE3160 Alouette III with floats, I'm thinking from Prince Rupert / CCG Base Seal Cove, BC, having landed and conducting a medevac from the aft deck (note the shuffleboard markings 😉 ) of Rotterdam V in Queen Charlotte Strait, BC. Not a lot of room to spare! Those pilots know their stuff!

 

Also check out the group of Rotterdam pax happily watching the event from one deck up! That would never happen in this time of age! Can you say liability if something would go wrong with that helo or its rotor blades   

 

 

And that same Alouette III helo taking off from Rotterdam V. Note the Deck officer in khakis marshalling the helo off and the portable fire extinguisher at his feet, plus a (not charged) fire hose from the cabinet on the left, just in case. Nowadays, that entire area would have been evacuated and the ship's fire teams in full gear would be standing by with charged hoses and foam adapters

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by Copper10-8

[broberts]

Wow! Tight quarters indeed. Hard to tell from the pictures, presumably very calm conditions.

Edited January 7, 2022 by broberts

[POA1]

Holy crap, Batman! I'm pretty sure that I responded to this long ago, before I started dying my hair gray so I could buy beer.

 

Old Noordam in 1994. New Orleans RT Jazz cruise from Nawlins to Jamaica to Grand Cayman (order could be wrong.)

 

We had a sweet, sweet top o' the line stateroom with a --- wait for it --- genuine picture window! There were no balcony rooms at the time. The ship had a pax capacity of 1,200 but we sailed with 600 during the first week of December. This was before the internet ruined last minute sailings by filling excess capacity.

[rotjeknor]

ss Rotterdam , july 1980 , NYC to Bahamas, cabin # 42 on boat deck.

My uncle was onboard as Second Engineer , my dad was Marine Superintendent for HAL at that time so as a 20 year old, I had a blast 😉  . My mom and sister were also onboard but luckily we didn't share a cabin ....

[Aquahound]

3 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

...plus a (not charged) fire hose from the cabinet on the left, just in case. Nowadays, that entire area would have been evacuated and the ship's fire teams in full gear would be standing by with charged hoses and foam adapters

 

 

Oh wow, yes, we have come a long way regarding fire watch best practices.  Today, no way would an uncharged hose be allowed to be strewn out on deck like that under rotating helo blades.  Not to mention all those passengers right there.   Sheesh...could you imagine if that downthrust caught that hose??!!  😲

Edited January 7, 2022 by Aquahound

[rkacruiser]

WCB in their blog from Aruba mentioned SS Freewinds.  This is a very old ship that belongs, as I understand it, to the Church of Scientology and is used for their members.  It began life as Commodore Cruise LIne's Boehme in the mid-to-late 1960's and was a ship that initially considered for my first cruise.  For that experience, I chose Rotterdam V and am surely glad that I did!  

[jeh10641]

RAS4331

You will love the new RTTERDAM. I cruised on her 12/01-12/12/2021. See my review on CC under Rotterdam - Holland America has another "dam" winner.

Jim

[dawei]

On 2/17/2016 at 10:25 PM, dawei said:

Ours was on the Regent Sea for a 10-day New Year's S. Caribbean cruise in 1990 RT from San Juan. The ship was built in 1957 for Swedish America Line's trans-Atlantic schedule. She was 22,000 GRT carrying 700-plus pax.http://i67.tinypic.com/fa3ax2.jpg

Winter storm weather with lots of delayed flights resulted in the first port, St. Barts, being cancelled. I recall the itinerary included a visit to tiny Marie Galante, Guadalupe (haven't seen that on any itinerary since).

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Onboard, we soon discovered that my DW was quite sensitive to motion sickness. Even so, port visits were fascinating, and the cruising experience was addictive. Like so many other couples, it was DW who at first had a strong urge to try a cruise while hubby was not at all interested. Finally, I decided to agree for her sake. Well, I got well hooked, to put it mildly.

Afterward, we thought that it would probably be our first and last cruise, in light of how easily sick DW got. Several months later, she brought the subject up again, and in 1993 we took our first HAL cruise on the (1983) Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

[dawei]

16 minutes ago, dawei said:

 

 

18 minutes ago, dawei said:

 

This last photo of the laid up "Sea" was taken in Dec. 1999 from the deck of the Nieuw Amsterdam as she was leaving Tampa harbor. Regency Cruises went bankrupt in 1995. The former Regent Sea left Tampa under tow in April, 2001. Three months later, she sank while enroute to scrappers in India. She had been built in 1957 and was first named Gripsholm, the first of four names she would sail under.

[MISTER 67]

11 hours ago, dawei said:

 

This last photo of the laid up "Sea" was taken in Dec. 1999 from the deck of the Nieuw Amsterdam as she was leaving Tampa harbor. Regency Cruises went bankrupt in 1995. The former Regent Sea left Tampa under tow in April, 2001. Three months later, she sank while enroute to scrappers in India. She had been built in 1957 and was first named Gripsholm, the first of four names she would sail under.

It's amazing how many ships sink on the way to the scrappers, hmmm.

We sailed with Regency in 1991 on the Regent Star which was built in 1955 as HAL's Statendam. Ship was almost 40 years old but except for some AC issues was in pretty good shape for her age.

Great itinerary out of Montego Bay for Ocho Rios, Cartegena, the Panama Canal and Grand Cayman. Food, entertainment and service were quite good and free air from Chicago was included in the fare.

Edited January 9, 2022 by MISTER 67

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, dawei said:

She had been built in 1957 and was first named Gripsholm,

 

I appreciate you posting the photos.  Swedish American's Gripsholm was a beauty.  

 

If I recall correctly, she was the next newbuild for Swedish American Line whose first Master was the Captain of the Stockholm when she was involved in the Andrea Doria disaster.  

[Caribbean Chris]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:12 PM, dawei said:

 

 She had been built in 1957 and was first named Gripsholm, the first of four names she would sail under.

And IIRC her sister ship was Kungsholm.

[BarbinMich]

On 1/7/2022 at 8:13 PM, rkacruiser said:

WCB in their blog from Aruba mentioned SS Freewinds.  This is a very old ship that belongs, as I understand it, to the Church of Scientology and is used for their members.  It began life as Commodore Cruise LIne's Boehme in the mid-to-late 1960's and was a ship that initially considered for my first cruise.  For that experience, I chose Rotterdam V and am surely glad that I did!  

We saw SS Freewinds in Curacao years ago.  You're correct about it belonging to the Church of Scientology (I looked it up when we got home <g>).

[DrKoob]

Ours was a 7 night Alaska, RT Vancouver on the original Westerdam in 1999. She was an ocean liner type ship with low ceiling dining room, very few verandahs and no real atrium. Loved the ship and the cruise except that I was sick for most of it. 

We weren't immediately sold on cruising so we tried another one a year later. It was a Carnival from LA to Baja for four days...AKA a booze cruise. HATED IT! We call it our Cruise From and To Hell. Only cruise I have ever worried about being beaten up, caught in a riot or a fire and totally disgusted. So many things went wrong on that cruise that it took us four years before we cruised again. (BTW: Our TA told us not to do this cruise and has never once said I told you so in 20+ years.) 

Four years later did a Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity and have been hooked ever since. Done more than 30 now and hope to take the 31st on the Nieuw Statendam on the 23rd. 

[leerathje]

On 1/7/2022 at 11:09 AM, Copper10-8 said:

 

And that same Alouette III helo taking off from Rotterdam V. Note the Deck officer in khakis marshalling the helo off and the portable fire extinguisher at his feet, plus a (not charged) fire hose from the cabinet on the left, just in case. Nowadays, that entire area would have been evacuated and the ship's fire teams in full gear would be standing by with charged hoses and foam adapters

 

 

😃 @Copper10-8 I have seen you post more than one photo of a CCG helo, or CAF SAR Cormorant.....during your adventures with HAL, you must have spent a good amount of time to and from Alaska!  

 

I must say, it gives me a thrill when I see them, first of all as I am proud Canadian, and secondly I live on Vancouver Island, in the Comox Valley, home 442 Squadron, BC's only SAR squadron.

 

L.

 

[MISTER 67]

40 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Ours was a 7 night Alaska, RT Vancouver on the original Westerdam in 1999. She was an ocean liner type ship with low ceiling dining room, very few verandahs and no real atrium. Loved the ship and the cruise except that I was sick for most of it. 

We weren't immediately sold on cruising so we tried another one a year later. It was a Carnival from LA to Baja for four days...AKA a booze cruise. HATED IT! We call it our Cruise From and To Hell. Only cruise I have ever worried about being beaten up, caught in a riot or a fire and totally disgusted. So many things went wrong on that cruise that it took us four years before we cruised again. (BTW: Our TA told us not to do this cruise and has never once said I told you so in 20+ years.) 

Four years later did a Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity and have been hooked ever since. Done more than 30 now and hope to take the 31st on the Nieuw Statendam on the 23rd. 

The Westerdam which we sailed on in 1997 is still one of our favorite ships, that was our first HAL cruise and we are now 4 star members, we sailed on her again in 2001 a few months after 9/11. She was originally Home Lines Homeric and when Holland America bought out Home Lines they did a stretch job on her adding 121 feet to her and IIRC her tonnage went from 45,000 to 55,000. Beautiful ship.

Edited January 10, 2022 by MISTER 67

[dawei]

CaribbeanChris-- Your memory is good.

I just found the Kungsholm on a UK site where she was described as a virtual sister of Gripsholm. It certainly looks that way when comparing photos. The Kungsholm was built four years before the Gripsholm.

 

David

[Copper10-8]

On 1/10/2022 at 1:22 PM, leerathje said:

 

😃 @Copper10-8 I have seen you post more than one photo of a CCG helo, or CAF SAR Cormorant.....during your adventures with HAL, you must have spent a good amount of time to and from Alaska!  

 

I must say, it gives me a thrill when I see them, first of all as I am proud Canadian, and secondly I live on Vancouver Island, in the Comox Valley, home 442 Squadron, BC's only SAR squadron.

 

L.

 

 

 

Hi L, yes on that plus been involved, as rescue squad commander (the lateral assignment of the SECO on HAL ships) with more than one medevac involving the 442 boys from Comox! They know their stuff, as do the air rescue services around the world! "That others may live!"  

[LadyBerard]

Our very first cruise was with our daughters who were in 6th and 8th grade at the time, back in the late 1990s.  It was on the Oceanic Big Red Boat!  I fell in  love with cruising, and then, my husband could take it or leave it.  We had a very big inside cabin.  It really was huge compared to what they are now.  I even remember one of the performers.  His name was Tommy Treadway.  Played guitar and sang.  The children on board had to cut through the casino to get into the lounge.  lol  He would stop them in their tracks while they were running through to find their parents.   To this day, I prefer not to sail on the megaships that are out there, but prefer ships that are less than 100k tons.

[Navybikermom]

My first ship was the Ryndam. My sister and dad came along to celebrate my 1/2 century of life. They had never been out of the country and my sister had terminal cancer, so this was the “adventure of a lifetime”. We went from Rome to Barcelona, and had a really wonderful time. My sister was only able to go on one other cruise with me before she passed. I chose HAL because my aunts had all cruised that line and loved it. Of course, I fell in love with those Dam ships and have not cruised any other line. I almost went on a “Seabee” cruise on Carnival with several of my shipmates, but it was cancelled when COVID turned the world upside down. 

[norboy76]

On 1/9/2022 at 7:26 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

I appreciate you posting the photos.  Swedish American's Gripsholm was a beauty.  

 

If I recall correctly, she was the next newbuild for Swedish American Line whose first Master was the Captain of the Stockholm when she was involved in the Andrea Doria disaster.  

I thought might find this Gripsholm postcard interesting as it’s for the older Gripsholm before her name changed to Berlin for Norddeutscher Lloyd, but they hadn’t changed the name yet and still shows as Gripsholm on the bow of the ship and on the back but under the Norddeutscher Lloyd name. 
Ship Name History:

Gripsholm: 1925-1954

Berlin: 1954-1966

Scrapped: 1966

[OlsSalt]

On 1/6/2022 at 2:45 AM, Nephite Beauty said:

My first Cruise was on the Statendam in the late '60s.
We left Los Angeles for the Orient and South Pacific. Along the way a sickness broke out and they would stop the ship in the middle of the night to have a brief ceremony and inter the body to a watery grave.
We were supposed to go on to New Zealand, but got off in Sydney early.
I was about 3 years old at the time.
Would really like to know what everyone was getting sick and dying from. All I know is after a while, it really started to freak my Grandmother out.

 

My first long distance cruise in the 1970's also had three deaths right away. They were all elderly passengers who apparently, (according to cabin mate stories around the ship) left notes requesting burial at sea and that their life affairs had been left in order.

 

They left assurances if they died, they were doing what they loved doing best.  In the 1970's people still died simply from "old age", no further questions asked. The trick question back in the 1970's was, what was "old age"?

 

 The randy and very handsome Italian captain used this as a pick-up line, bemoaning how hard it was to be at the top face all these buriel ceremonies and have no one to talk do. 

[norboy76]

On 1/7/2022 at 3:46 PM, rotjeknor said:

ss Rotterdam , july 1980 , NYC to Bahamas, cabin # 42 on boat deck.

My uncle was onboard as Second Engineer , my dad was Marine Superintendent for HAL at that time so as a 20 year old, I had a blast 😉  . My mom and sister were also onboard but luckily we didn't share a cabin ....

My 3 Rotterdam postcards.

Top: 1908-1940 (postcard used and dated Feb 2, 1914)

Middle: 1959-1997

Bottom: 1997-2020

[norboy76]

On 1/7/2022 at 11:28 AM, jeh10641 said:

Copper10-8

Thanks for the photo of my first ship (Nieuw Amsterdam, 1938 version). I sailed on her again in 1966 with my parents. Had the same table steward as in 1959. His name was Carl. In 1959 I also sailed from Genoa to New York on American Export's Constitution. Stay well.

 

Jim

Some nice menus from the Nieuw Amsterdam including an *error* menu which I’ll post information about lol. And a nice scarf. 
 

*Error Menu Information 
Arrow is pointing to the indentation of the embossed front cover, but as you can see when the menu is opened it is all upside down. The menu is also on the back of the front cover where the name of the ship and date should be, and that part is upside down inside the back cover where the menu should be. I’m unsure how many of these *error menus* are still around, unless others have it too if they had been on that cruise. The date for the error menu is Tuesday, November 3, 1970.

[jeh10641]

1 hour ago, norboy76 said:

Some nice menus from the Nieuw Amsterdam including an *error* menu which I’ll post information about lol. And a nice scarf. 
 

*Error Menu Information 
Arrow is pointing to the indentation of the embossed front cover, but as you can see when the menu is opened it is all upside down. The menu is also on the back of the front cover where the name of the ship and date should be, and that part is upside down inside the back cover where the menu should be. I’m unsure how many of these *error menus* are still around, unless others have it too if they had been on that cruise. The date for the error menu is Tuesday, November 3, 1970.

Hi, Norboy76,

Thanks for the menu. I rotated it and then saved it. Although it was 4 years after my second Nieuw Amsterdam cruise, it brough back find memories of a great ship. And why I am still a preferred HAL cruiser.

 

Jim