What is your favorite cruise line that no longer exists?

[dorisis]

Renaissance! And I still cruise in those ships with Azamara (Journey and Quest) , Oceania (Insignia, Nautica and Regatta), Princess (Ocean and Pacific). Oceania comes closest to Renaissance but doesn't quite make it.

[h20cruzer]

Sitmar, Sitmar, Sitmar, sure do miss them, my heart bike when Princess bought them. Never had the heart to try a Princess cruise.

Currently Celebrity is my favorite line.

Norma

 

Aso liked Home Lines as well.

[Hlitner]

Agree with Sitmar. DD still remembers how nicely she was treated by the Italian crew when she cruises at the age of 5 (she is now over 30). Sitmar was the first line to have real Pizza parlors (which also had some great pasta) staffed by Italians that understood the cuisine (Princess adopted the wonderful Pizza tradition of Sitmar). We also remember the amazing midnight buffets (every night) that were wasteful of food, but a sight to behold. We were on the last Sitmar cruise of the Fairsky and remember the sad atmosphere as many of the Italian crew were being fired after the cruise.

 

Hank

[jmkennett]

Sitmar, Home Lines, and Pearl Cruises of Scandinavia

[OCruisers]

Many of us will always miss Sitmar! :(

LuLu

[Rotterdam]

Living here in NY the Italian LIne & Home LInes were the best...we did not sail on Sitmar until we flew to California & the several times out of Ft Lauderdale. I also loved the Lauro Line - my first!

 

All 3 lines were exceptional all around..people sailing today do not know what they missed!!!

[Conte Di Savoia]

I will always be an Italian Line refugee.

I recently discovered a Facebook entry for the Italian Line, mostly with postings from former crew members. Although the postings are frequently in Italian, the pictures also hold some interest. It can be found here

[Matsonbrat]

None of my 6 cruises (all different lines) are gone.

 

Passenger ship companies: Matson (to and from Honolulu 1937 and 1939) , American Export, Loved the 4 trips on the Independence and Constitution to and from the Med in the 50-60's. .

 

Nice size ships and not like the large sheep ships cruising today (they sail to and from the Gulf states from down under, Arabs love mutton) . 1,000 passengers were a comfortable size and not so far to walk to and from everything.

[Lucy Jane]

Royal Cruise Line - Greek - offices were in San Francisco - catered mostly to West Coast folks. Great Food, entertainment and itineraries .

 

 

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[sullaRaffaello]

CGT. The French Line.

[Greyhound3]

The former Mrs. Grey loved Sitmar; however, I remember with great fondness our trips aboard Dolphin.

 

Grey

[wvufan]

Without a doubt! the old Grace Lines. My first cruise was on the S.S. Santa Rosa, where they used to have people guess how many miles the ship per day for $5.00 per guess. It was long before computers and the internet.

I remember they had a Sadie Hawkins night, where the women asked the men to dance as we were going thru Cape Hatteras as the ship was pitching from one side to the other. Oh by the way I was only 14 yrs. old then so all the little girls tried to get me to dance. How awkward.

 

I was on two of the old Grace Lines. The Santa Luiza around 1948 and the Santa Rosa in 1953. They were ocean liners as opposed to cruise ships, and we used them to transport us from NY to points in South America for my dad's work. I think the Santa Luiza took us to Antafogasta and the

Santa Rosa to Cartagena, but not sure. I still have the passenger list from the Santa Rosa and was listed as "master" at the ripe old age of 8.

 

I remember horse racing with large dice and going through the Panama Canal.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[caladezi]

SEAWIND CRUISE LINE. Prior to purchase by Premier. The ship was the Seawind Crown and sailed out of Aruba.

[Crcervelo]

Qe2

 

 

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[greenrose]

SITMAR, but had great times on Commodore, Royal Viking, Sun, Home, and many other.

[Angielovescruising]

Loved, loved, loved Sitmar. Sailed on the Fairwind 4 times and the Fairsky and Fairsea once each. What wonderful memories I have of those cruises!

[TWA4Ever]

I have to cast my vote for US Lines, sailing Hawaii (they went under after 9/11, as no one was flying to Hawaii, and everyone was trying to get home).

[jeanatsea]

The Victoria - sailed on her twice in the 70's.

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

Renaissance Cruise Lines. They were glorious.

[George C]

Renaissance Cruise Lines. They were glorious.

 

Loved that line , did a Athens to Rome cruise in 2001, great cruise, adults only , non smoking

[Knickearth]

What is your favorite cruise line that no longer exists? I have 2 Renaissance Cruises, ( line was non smoking and adult only) which I sailed in 2001 went under after 9/11 and Home lines.

 

The Admiral Cruise Line and can't remember the ships name but I loved it and so did many others.

[Stevedan]

Very simple: Home Lines. Nothing has eve come close.

[worldspan]

Very simple: Home Lines. Nothing has eve come close.

 

You are so totally right. Having completed 135 cruises now and likely never to take any more when I look back, numero uno no doubt was Home Lines, specifically the SS OCEANIC. The consummate ship of all time, she was particularly great on her longer winter 11 days or more sailings where she sailed with a reduced passenger list to further enhance the service.

 

HOME LINES/SS OCEANIC. The cruise line/the ship I will take to my grave!

[cruisr]

Not quite right.

I worked on Royal Viking Star until she briefly became NCL's Westward. Soon after that she was sold to Royal Cruise Line and became Star Odyssey (1993??).

Then when Royal went under, the ship was sold to Fred Olsen and became Black Watch.

She is still there.

 

Norwegian Star was built by Star Cruises in 2001, shortly after they bought NCL. It was originally planned to be a gambling ship in Asia, but instead they gave it to NCL. I worked on that one as well, in Hawaii and Mexico.

 

Knut Kloster, who was running RVL in it's later years, vowed that he would never cheapen his product - even if it killed him.

It didn't kill him - but it killed his company.

By the way, he absolutely detested American passengers, and blamed their demand for cheaper and cheaper cruises for his downfall.

 

 

Royal Cruise Line did not go under. it was closed by Adam Aron and Kloster. Aron said that when he was hired his first job was to close RVL, which he did and then his next job was to close RCL which he did. RCL was an amazing cruise line.

 

the other wonderful line was Home Lines and the Oceanic.

[HectorAchilleus]

Our American Hawaii Cruise in 1988 was wonderful. Very good food, all-American staff (though the service was not up to the par of a Carnival or RCI line ship) and most of all - Hawaii. I remember it was a little pricey, over $1000.00 for a room about 1/3rd the size of an current inside cabin. If you convert that into 2015 $ it was actually quite pricey.