What Was Royal Caribbean Like Back in the Day?

[John&LaLa]

My first of 66 cruises on Royal Caribbean was i 1977 on the Song of Norway. This was before it was stretched to add more rooms. The ship only sailed one route.

7 day cruises from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, then to St. Thomas. There was no such thing as a balcony room. We had a washing machine type window. The cabins were small, but efficient. There was a full size Hershey bar on each pillow every night. There was also a fruit bowl with 2 bananas, 2 apples, and 2 oranges.

 

Dining was either at the main dining room or at the buffet. In the dining room you had the same table with the same waiter for all three meals each day. Bells chimed when meals were being served.

 

We flew from L.A. We were put on a midnight charter with other passengers all going on our ship. Going home was the same.

 

Ship shape dollars were given out each time you participated in a exercise event. They were redeemed for tee shirts.

 

Most entertainment was provided by the passengers. There was talent night. The big event was a costume party where everyone wore a costume. The ship provided material. The crew did their "If I were not upon the seas" event on the last night. There were trivia nights and name that tune nights.

 

You got to meet most of the 700 passengers because everyone participated.

 

I got hooked on cruising.

 

Jerry

 

I was going to mention the fixed seating. Dilemma was if you wanted early dinner, you got early breakfast. :eek:

I seem to recall that port days had open seating though

[Paulette3028]

I agree with much of what you say. We all understand the guest/customer relationship. When I first stepped on board a Royal ship, (Royal is all I've sailed, BTW) There was no question, I was a guest. I fully understand that I was a paying customer but Royal treated me as an honored guest. They actually enjoyed having me on board. I've lost most of that feeling on my first Voyager cruise. The service was still there but it was different and difficult to describe, really. Of course, by my first sailing on Oasis, I was a paying customer, nothing more.

 

I see you've been on Majesty several times. We're sailing on her in 38 days. Never been on her. We've been on her sister ship, Monarch, and by all admission, she remains, to me, Royals most memorable ship. Something about her crew or maybe the ship itself, I don't know but she was grande. Something about her I will never forget.

 

Yes, we are neighbors, glad to see other South Floridians posting here. :)

 

We love Her Majesty.....she is a ship on which you won't find all the WOW of her newer sisters, but it is a wonderful get-a-way. I have always found the staff and crew wonderful, not unhappy that they are on a ship that lacks some of the 'swagger' of the other ships in the fleet. Our crew/staff experiences have been wonderful....even though we have seen slower service from cabin attendants, simply because they have more cabins to take care of as Royal has reduced staff on ships. Same with the dining room staff -- but our personal service has always been fine....I attribute that to the way we try to interact with staff -- friendly and nice. It is my belief, come with an attitude and you will be treated with an attitude and you might not like the attitude you get, but it may mirror your own -- just my personal opinion.

 

Food has changed over the years, but so has the dining experience at land restaurants all around us at home. I take it with a grain of salt.

[cruisegirl1]

Service was great, food was outstanding, but those cruises were much more expensive than today's cruise prices. A year or two ago we found a brochure for Song of America and an outside stateroom for a weeks cruise was about $1500 per person.........what would that be in today's dollars?

 

.

 

Everyone needs to keep this in mind.....there might be very few cruisers at the rate it might be in today's dollars.

 

 

not sure of the year in question, but we first sailed in the late 80's and a cruise was considered expensive. A quick search (I read it on the internet so it must be true) revealed that in 1987

 

family income was $ 26,000

Gal. of milk was 2.28

Doz eggs were .78

 

 

 

So if the cruise noted was in the late 80's that is a considerable portion of income. If the cruise mentioned is earlier, then it is even higher in current dollars. I wish I had kept the invoices from some of the early cruises.

 

I am sure an economist out there can use a formula to take the cruise fare of the "old days" and put it into 2015 dollars. Cruising (like a lot of travel then) WAS EXPENSIVE. It was not a mass market family vacation option. Sailing in the 80-90's ( and I'm sure even earlier) was a different experience than sailing today. Some changes for the better, some, maybe not so much.

 

Wonder if we will look back in 25 years and lovingly recall cruising in 2015?:eek:

 

 

 

M

Edited July 2, 2015 by cruisegirl1

[John&LaLa]

not sure of the year in question, but we first sailed in the late 80's and a cruise was considered expensive. A quick search (I read it on the internet so it must be true) revealed that in 1987

 

family income was $ 26,000

Gal. of milk was 2.28

Doz eggs were .78

 

 

 

So if the cruise noted was in the late 80's that is a considerable portion of income. If the cruise mentioned is earlier, then it is even higher in current dollars. I wish I had kept the invoices from some of the early cruises.

 

I am sure an economist out there can use a formula to take the cruise fare of the "old days" and put it into 2015 dollars. Cruising (like a lot of travel then) WAS EXPENSIVE. It was not a mass market family vacation option. Sailing in the 80-90's ( and I'm sure even earlier) was a different experience than sailing today. Some changes for the better, some, maybe not so much.

 

Wonder if we will look back on 25 years and lovingly recall cruising in 2015?:eek:

 

M

 

Some might say we are in the dark ages awaiting the renaissance. ;)

 

I am not one of those people

[Troyer5]

I've been on the Majesty & Monarch each two times. The Majesty, IMHO was great the 1st time due to Captain Karin & Dave Chapman[ CD at that time]. The 2nd time I was by myself, had MT dining, one person at a 2top but didn't get great service (each night was a different level of "slow" slow to ultra slow.

 

Both times on Monarch of the Seas, they still were on west coast. Both times were great IMHO due to Captain Rick & Johnny O.[ CD at that time]. I don't remember what dining was like but my stateroom always was in 'the dungeon'.

 

I also had been on the Viking Serenade 2 times & service was "great''. This was IMHO due to Captain Kent Ringborn and 'white-glove' service at the time. Doug

[OddHack]

Our first cruse was on thenCarla C, all Italian waiters, upper and lower bunks, room so small you could stand in the middle and reach all four walls! Food and service were outstanding!

 

First RCI cruise was Song of Norway in 1983, had an outside room with a double bed (really a 3/4 board with a full mattress, so one of us was always falling onto the board! After the bunk beds we thought it was heaven!

 

When we wanted to go to the Viking Crown Lounge we had to walk up the outside staircase, and it was quite a sight with the ladies in dresses trying to hold the dresses down because the wind was trying to blow the dresses over our heads!

 

Service was great, food was outstanding, but those cruises were much more expensive than today's cruise prices. A year or two ago we found a brochure for Song of America and an outside stateroom for a weeks cruise was about $1500 per person.........what would that be in today's dollars?

 

The ships of today have so much more to offer, rooms are better, food not so much,, entertainment better (Broadway shows, ice shows) we find the service to be outstanding 95% of the time, and the prices are much better than years ago.

 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1500 in 1983 would be $3581.40 in 2015.

[Paulette3028]

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1500 in 1983 would be $3581.40 in 2015.

 

I could tell you this....that amount we could not afford per person and it has nothing to do with the type of cabin it was for.....we simply could not spend over $7000 for US for one week on a cruise ship. If some people could -- it is great for them.

[hoffyhof]

Our first cruise was on the empress. A small ship by standards of today but what class. My wife was holding a small bag when we got on the ship. It was taken out of her hand and she was told she was on the ship and her vacation started. She would not have to carry anything until we left the ship. We were escorted to our little cabin on deck 3 by a steward. We were treated as if we were sailing in the most expensive cabin on the ship had. The respect given to passengers was incredible. The midnight buffets were not to be believed. They would open it up 1 hour in advance just to let passengers take pictures. A special time to never be forgotten or experienced again.

[CRUZBUDS]

Our first was the Song of Norway 1986 -- it was a bit under $2600 for two, 7 days in an outside cabin. That included R/T airfare, transfers and the hotel the night before in Miami.

 

Back in the day, air, transfers and hotel were commonly included in west coast offers.

 

When you put it in today's dollars (around $5600) -- no wonder we only cruised every several years.

[tamilyn]

I've enjoyed reading all the responses to this thread. Our first cruise was on Nordic Empress in either 1994 or 1995. That started a true addiction - approximately 20 cruises since then. I don't remember being escorted to the cabin, or being offered a glass of champagne, but I do remember the entire staff being there to introduce themselves and point you in the right direction. It also seemed as though the Cruise Director and his staff never slept. They were the last ones you saw at night and the first ones in the morning and at every activity throughout the day and evening. I also remember a "hostess" who introduced you to the captain, etc. I also honestly don't remember the passenger lists. I will have to go through some of my things to see if I have any of those as it would be interesting to see. I don't remember even being given a choice of dining at a two-top. You were just automatically paired with other tablemates, and we truly had some wonderful people at our table for many years. We do usually do MTD now, though, and usually sit at a two-top. The first time we went to Labadee, probably in 1996 or so, there was absolutely nothing there except some very modest restrooms. I remember them being very dark and a Haitian lady in there asking for tips for paper towels. I think she was also braiding hair. There was also the "garage" as some have described it with the trinkets for sale on the way back to the ship. Even though there was nothing there, I wish it was still like this. Too commercialized now for me with zip lines, roller coasters, etc. Who needs all this on a "private island"? Oh, well! I do miss the overall "experience" that cruising used to be, but we're still hooked and will continue to cruise as long as we can.

[Aboat1]

Were passengers of yore really that oblivious when they hit golf balls off the back of ships? I've read that they take about a thousand years to decompose.

 

Am enjoying all the responses!

 

No they were not oblivious. The "golf balls" were made of a special Biodegradable material. I seem to remember that they "decomposed" in a very short time. (maybe hours).:)

Edited July 2, 2015 by Aboat1

[Nado44]

No they were not oblivious. The "golf balls" were made of a special Biodegradable material. I seem to remember that they "decomposed" in a very short time. (maybe hours).:)

 

Good to know that special balls were used. Whew.

[seashell]

My first cruise in 1982 was on the Song of Norway. We left out of Miami and I remember just walking off the boat to go make a call on a pay phone. No security, no sea pass card, and a real key for the cabin i think. My sister and i shared an inside. Mom and dad were towards the front and we were towards the back. People were very friendly. I had the best cabin steward i have ever had and George our waiter was the best.

they had skeet off the back of the ship and my dad posted the high score. No big production shows since they did not have the big venues. They were more creative with entertainment. More of the old fashioned games and parties. yes and midnight buffet but only one night. the food was great.

I was in college and there was about 2 dozen in our age group so we all would spend time together. We were the lively ones at the crow's nest at night. Drinks were cheaper too. Small dance floor. That cruise hooked me for life.

now i would not want my tiny bathroom back or the bunk style beds but otherwise it was great.

[EmpressofPurple]

This has been great fun to read! Thank you for sharing your memories and experience, some of which I share, some of which are before my (cruising) time.

 

There are many things I remember fondly (on other lines from 1998, since I didn't start sailing RCI -- then RCCL -- until 2006), most of which have been mentioned already:

 

Flaming Baked Alaska, carried on waiters' heads (I think I have a videoTAPE of that somewhere!) and Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster flamed tableside... waiters dressed in different outfits based on that evening's menu theme (I think they still put on gold vests for formal night, right?)... and related theme music played live at dinner...

 

The elaborate Midnight Buffets with the hour beforehand to take pictures of the amazing spread plus the remarkable carvings of ice and butter (I really miss this food artistry onboard)...

 

The Shipshape dollars (and later, Vitality coins) that you earned at various physical activities and could trade in at the end of the cruise, not just for T-shirts but all sorts of fitness-related gear, like towels, backpacks, visors, water bottles and more (I REALLY wish they'd bring back that program)...

 

The even-more attentive service by cabin stewards and MDR waiters, before they became overwhelmed with excessive cabins/tables to serve... I remember being stunned by cabin stewards who would "tidy up" as well as just clean and freshen the room... and I loved waiters and assistant waiters who interacted with my kids...

 

As a single mom and sole support of my family, I had to cover all costs, and never benefitted from the "3rd/4th" person rate (well, just the "3rd" since I had 2 kids!) -- still, even so I found cruising more affordable than most land trips, if you factored in airfare, food, entertainment, etc., etc.

 

The kids' programs in the pre-videogame era were highly interactive, lots of pirate games, art projects, board games, maybe a movie showing or a group dinner... my kids loved the children's programs on all the ships, and always made lots of friends...

 

I enjoyed meeting lots of people, too! As mentioned above, everyone wasn't lost in their phone/table/kindle (including me!) -- we would read, chat, play games in the library... I even brought along needlework... as I recall anyone could ask for a free deck of cards at the Passenger Services desk (can't you still do that??)...

 

I loved getting dressed up (with the expectation that everyone else would make a similar effort) and providing an occasion for my children to dress up, too... they learned nice table manners, how to make polite conversation, behave in public, etc., etc. which I believe has served them into adulthood. (I still dress for formal night, even with the challenges of air packing restrictions.)

 

There's still a lot of live music and performances on RCI, especially on the larger ships, and I really appreciate their live orchestra in the theatre, live island band on the pool deck, piano bar, etc.... but I do recall more small live bands/dance bands (though by the later cruises there might be only one white-haired couple dancing while everyone else watched)... and I've heard about dueling pianos, and much more engaged cabaret-type performances, too...

 

Trivia games had awesome prizes, especially the progressive games that went over several days: mugs, hats, bags, purses, leather photo frames, and on and on... not just key chains and pens...

 

Re: Labadee, it was in between in development when we first went there: it was a tender port, no dock (that was built for Oasis, which was too big to tender)... there were a few paved walkways, but not all over with neat sidewalks, etc.... there was a cool character called "Labadee Luc" (French for "Luke") who kind of looked like a black Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, he was on the maps and signs, I miss him... all of the beaches were open, not closed off for Gold Cards only (and of course, they closed off our favorite beach, where you could float and look at the ship... we now go to the next one over, not as nice or as near...)... I think they had just put in the first zip line and plastic floating giant sea toys, but no coaster yet... On one trip we were lucky enough to have an overcast day so we could actually walk out and see "Dragon's Breath," usually it's so hot on Labadee we'd be breathing fire by the time we got there!! Too hot to walk on the stones, too hot to walk, period! I never understand how people are playing beach volleyball, etc. We always enjoy the folkloric show with the fire dancers (tip generously!), and shopping in the covered building, though the walkway shops are indeed challenging if you're not good at dealing with aggressive vendors. I've never really liked the food there, so I usually go back to the ship for lunch, then come back to the island afterwards... except once when I shared a cabana with some gold-card friends and enjoyed the "upgraded lunch"... though I had to wait on a long line since some folks ahead of me had taken ALL of the shrimp... sigh...

 

Of course, as also mentioned above, there are a few things I do NOT miss on the old ships:

 

TINY cabins, lucky if you could afford a porthole... odd cabin shapes and layout... weird ups and downs to get anywhere on the ship... the advances in shipbuilding and design are simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring... (though I wish they'd stop RE-designing ships and closing off the beautiful public spaces they designed to create more revenue-generating cabins and suites, upcharge restaurants, etc. -- the sense of luxury is in those sweeping ocean views and shared large areas)...

 

Ugh, those fixed dining times for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner! I LIKE fixed dining for dinner, and large tables... no small tables for my small family, thank you, we cruise to meet others and make new friends!... but as mentioned above, if you selected early dining (for your young family) you had to select EARLY BREAKFAST as well, and that was something like 6:30 AM!!! Yeah, we missed breakfast a lot in those days... No buffet, no café... room service, but that was it.

 

The gym and pool used to be in a dank, windowless room in the bowels of the ship, and usually only frequented by some old guy in a white tank top and cutoff sweatpants, working out feverishly on weights you might find in an old boxing gym... and oh yeah, me...

 

(Though I DO miss the days when they moved the fitness center up up up and into the light, and offered ALL FREE fitness classes, with fitness center staff always on hand in the gym to help with weight machines, give advice, etc. -- without having to sign up for the myriad of paid classes, yoga, spinning, boot camps, private training, etc., etc. -- now with AUTO-TIP on top of the fees! Gone are the days when I used to use the gym all the time, and then turn up on the last day with a considerable cash tip to thank those who had helped me there... they are now paid plenty without any thank-you from me.)

 

(That's the personal touch that is missing in the days of auto-tipping. Yes, it's easier, you can charge it to your card, or pre-pay it before you board... but I enjoyed some touch of the past when I received my cruise documents in advance of the voyage and went to the bank to get the right amount of bills to be able to pay the proper tips in cash at the end of the trip... it was an education to me to learn how to hand someone an envelope, shake their hand, and thank them for their service over the course of the week. Something new cruisers will never have to learn to do... maybe better, maybe worse, who knows... I'm glad I had the experience.)

 

I started cruising too LATE to enjoy a lot of other things mentioned: sailaway parties with streamers... being able to board a ship on which you were not a paying customer... being welcomed onboard and walked to your stateroom with a free welcome-aboard drink (Disney comes close by announcing your family and applauding as you walk onboard!)... skeet shooting or driving golf balls off the aft of a ship (yeah, I understand the ecological damage, but it sounds cool! Let's design some water-dissolving golf balls and clay pigeons?!)... packing 4 large suitcases for a cruise (there were always air baggage limits, though higher than they are today)... the free/included charter flights and pre-cruise hotel nights... Midnight buffets every night?!?!? We had it once or twice per cruise max... I don't remember a passenger list, but I believe there was a small "record of the cruise" with the staff, ports of call, times, etc.... I think horse racing was still going on when I started sailing, but I never did it (not much of a gambler)... as a non-drinker, all the various drink threads re: prices, packages, freebies, bringing bottles to your room, etc. don't really apply -- but I do enjoy the camaraderie of pub crawls, and collecting various glasses (though so few of them make it home with the packing problems)...

 

Anyway, thanks for the trip down Memory Lane. Good times!

[WyKnott]

Wow, most of you have better memories than I!

 

My first cruise was the 4-day cruise out of Long Beach stopping in Catalina, San Diego, and then Ensenada, late 80s, I think. It was on the Admiral Cruise Line's Azure Seas. I can't remember what year, but after that a group of us did yearly 3-day Memorial Weekend cruises, eventually on the Viking Serenade. I had to go look at my cruise history in the C&A section to verify some of this. :D We all had inside cabins, 4 to a room. I seem to remember that it cost me around $300. I remember the midnight buffets, but not passenger lists.

[shipshape sam]

This has been great fun to read! Thank you for sharing your memories and experience, some of which I share, some of which are before my (cruising) time.

 

There are many things I remember fondly (on other lines from 1998, since I didn't start sailing RCI -- then RCCL -- until 2006), most of which have been mentioned already:

 

Flaming Baked Alaska, carried on waiters' heads (I think I have a videoTAPE of that somewhere!) and Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster flamed tableside... waiters dressed in different outfits based on that evening's menu theme (I think they still put on gold vests for formal night, right?)... and related theme music played live at dinner...

 

The elaborate Midnight Buffets with the hour beforehand to take pictures of the amazing spread plus the remarkable carvings of ice and butter (I really miss this food artistry onboard)...

 

The Shipshape dollars (and later, Vitality coins) that you earned at various physical activities and could trade in at the end of the cruise, not just for T-shirts but all sorts of fitness-related gear, like towels, backpacks, visors, water bottles and more (I REALLY wish they'd bring back that program)...

 

The even-more attentive service by cabin stewards and MDR waiters, before they became overwhelmed with excessive cabins/tables to serve... I remember being stunned by cabin stewards who would "tidy up" as well as just clean and freshen the room... and I loved waiters and assistant waiters who interacted with my kids...

 

As a single mom and sole support of my family, I had to cover all costs, and never benefitted from the "3rd/4th" person rate (well, just the "3rd" since I had 2 kids!) -- still, even so I found cruising more affordable than most land trips, if you factored in airfare, food, entertainment, etc., etc.

 

The kids' programs in the pre-videogame era were highly interactive, lots of pirate games, art projects, board games, maybe a movie showing or a group dinner... my kids loved the children's programs on all the ships, and always made lots of friends...

 

I enjoyed meeting lots of people, too! As mentioned above, everyone wasn't lost in their phone/table/kindle (including me!) -- we would read, chat, play games in the library... I even brought along needlework... as I recall anyone could ask for a free deck of cards at the Passenger Services desk (can't you still do that??)...

 

I loved getting dressed up (with the expectation that everyone else would make a similar effort) and providing an occasion for my children to dress up, too... they learned nice table manners, how to make polite conversation, behave in public, etc., etc. which I believe has served them into adulthood. (I still dress for formal night, even with the challenges of air packing restrictions.)

 

There's still a lot of live music and performances on RCI, especially on the larger ships, and I really appreciate their live orchestra in the theatre, live island band on the pool deck, piano bar, etc.... but I do recall more small live bands/dance bands (though by the later cruises there might be only one white-haired couple dancing while everyone else watched)... and I've heard about dueling pianos, and much more engaged cabaret-type performances, too...

 

Trivia games had awesome prizes, especially the progressive games that went over several days: mugs, hats, bags, purses, leather photo frames, and on and on... not just key chains and pens...

 

Re: Labadee, it was in between in development when we first went there: it was a tender port, no dock (that was built for Oasis, which was too big to tender)... there were a few paved walkways, but not all over with neat sidewalks, etc.... there was a cool character called "Labadee Luc" (French for "Luke") who kind of looked like a black Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, he was on the maps and signs, I miss him... all of the beaches were open, not closed off for Gold Cards only (and of course, they closed off our favorite beach, where you could float and look at the ship... we now go to the next one over, not as nice or as near...)... I think they had just put in the first zip line and plastic floating giant sea toys, but no coaster yet... On one trip we were lucky enough to have an overcast day so we could actually walk out and see "Dragon's Breath," usually it's so hot on Labadee we'd be breathing fire by the time we got there!! Too hot to walk on the stones, too hot to walk, period! I never understand how people are playing beach volleyball, etc. We always enjoy the folkloric show with the fire dancers (tip generously!), and shopping in the covered building, though the walkway shops are indeed challenging if you're not good at dealing with aggressive vendors. I've never really liked the food there, so I usually go back to the ship for lunch, then come back to the island afterwards... except once when I shared a cabana with some gold-card friends and enjoyed the "upgraded lunch"... though I had to wait on a long line since some folks ahead of me had taken ALL of the shrimp... sigh...

 

Of course, as also mentioned above, there are a few things I do NOT miss on the old ships:

 

TINY cabins, lucky if you could afford a porthole... odd cabin shapes and layout... weird ups and downs to get anywhere on the ship... the advances in shipbuilding and design are simply breathtaking and awe-inspiring... (though I wish they'd stop RE-designing ships and closing off the beautiful public spaces they designed to create more revenue-generating cabins and suites, upcharge restaurants, etc. -- the sense of luxury is in those sweeping ocean views and shared large areas)...

 

Ugh, those fixed dining times for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner! I LIKE fixed dining for dinner, and large tables... no small tables for my small family, thank you, we cruise to meet others and make new friends!... but as mentioned above, if you selected early dining (for your young family) you had to select EARLY BREAKFAST as well, and that was something like 6:30 AM!!! Yeah, we missed breakfast a lot in those days... No buffet, no café... room service, but that was it.

 

The gym and pool used to be in a dank, windowless room in the bowels of the ship, and usually only frequented by some old guy in a white tank top and cutoff sweatpants, working out feverishly on weights you might find in an old boxing gym... and oh yeah, me...

 

(Though I DO miss the days when they moved the fitness center up up up and into the light, and offered ALL FREE fitness classes, with fitness center staff always on hand in the gym to help with weight machines, give advice, etc. -- without having to sign up for the myriad of paid classes, yoga, spinning, boot camps, private training, etc., etc. -- now with AUTO-TIP on top of the fees! Gone are the days when I used to use the gym all the time, and then turn up on the last day with a considerable cash tip to thank those who had helped me there... they are now paid plenty without any thank-you from me.)

 

(That's the personal touch that is missing in the days of auto-tipping. Yes, it's easier, you can charge it to your card, or pre-pay it before you board... but I enjoyed some touch of the past when I received my cruise documents in advance of the voyage and went to the bank to get the right amount of bills to be able to pay the proper tips in cash at the end of the trip... it was an education to me to learn how to hand someone an envelope, shake their hand, and thank them for their service over the course of the week. Something new cruisers will never have to learn to do... maybe better, maybe worse, who knows... I'm glad I had the experience.)

 

I started cruising too LATE to enjoy a lot of other things mentioned: sailaway parties with streamers... being able to board a ship on which you were not a paying customer... being welcomed onboard and walked to your stateroom with a free welcome-aboard drink (Disney comes close by announcing your family and applauding as you walk onboard!)... skeet shooting or driving golf balls off the aft of a ship (yeah, I understand the ecological damage, but it sounds cool! Let's design some water-dissolving golf balls and clay pigeons?!)... packing 4 large suitcases for a cruise (there were always air baggage limits, though higher than they are today)... the free/included charter flights and pre-cruise hotel nights... Midnight buffets every night?!?!? We had it once or twice per cruise max... I don't remember a passenger list, but I believe there was a small "record of the cruise" with the staff, ports of call, times, etc.... I think horse racing was still going on when I started sailing, but I never did it (not much of a gambler)... as a non-drinker, all the various drink threads re: prices, packages, freebies, bringing bottles to your room, etc. don't really apply -- but I do enjoy the camaraderie of pub crawls, and collecting various glasses (though so few of them make it home with the packing problems)...

 

Anyway, thanks for the trip down Memory Lane. Good times!

 

We first sailed Sovereign of the Seas in April 1998. It was a completely different experience from land based trips and that is why we kept coming back.

 

I too liked earning ShipShape points for prized 'junk'. Still have a couple of shirts, but sold most other stuff on Ebay after a few years and DW eyeing my drawer full of stuff.

 

Loved the attention in MDR the most and the 2 hour dinners most nights. Liked lots of other things too about cruising and the ship, but picking just one, I think it would be around eating dinner in MDR and all the experiences of those meals/fellowship/service. We still keep up with 3 couples we met over the years as our tablemates!

Edited July 2, 2015 by shipshape sam

[CRUZBUDS]

On the Song of Norway the gym was an exercise bike and a rowing machine, the library was a shelf of paperbacks above the purser's desk

 

It was still great :)

[Priusprof]

Our first RCCL cruise was on Song of America in 1983. I remember shooting skeet and the Midnight Buffet every night. Then there was the Gala Buffet on the last formal night that was just over the top. They let people in for picture taking at 11:30 so that the whole spread was still pristine. Ice sculptures and fruit sculptures, not to mention the breads baked like crabs and lobsters. There were even sculptures made from butter. The flaming deserts were entertaining when the waiters brought them to the tables balanced on their heads.

The other thing that I remember is our tiny inside cabin on deck 2 was $1200 per person.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Priusprof

[KansasK]

Our first cruise was on the Enchantment of the Seas in 1999. Painted on the side of the ship was "Like No Vacation on Earth", and they tried to make it like that.

 

We had tags we put on our luggage and they picked up our luggage at the airport and took it to the ship. We did not see it after we checked it at our home airport until it was outside our room.

 

As others have said, the ship was smaller and there were almost no balconies. This was before the Enchantment was stretched and more balconies were added.

 

Everyone dressed up for dinner. There were no shorts, t-shirts, or jeans in the dining room. The compass showed the dress code for dinner and people observed it. For some reason, people did not seem to think they shouldn't.

 

Formal nights had a good number of men in tuxes, the rest in suits, and most women were in long dresses. Nobody wore shorts or jeans.

 

We shared tables in the main dining room with other cruisers and generally enjoyed it. The service was better and they wanted you to enjoy the food. The waiters and assistant waiters were not rushed the way they are now.

 

There was live music around the ship at night and live music on the pool deck.

 

We had towel animals every night and chocolates on the pillows. We did not have to ask for ice.

 

By 1999, there was only one midnight buffet. We had the option to file past all the tables and take pictures first, and then later enjoy the buffet.

 

You were greatly cut off from the real world after the ship left. There were no computers or Wi-Fi on board. Nobody had a phone that would work at sea.

 

The self assist debarkation option is very popular now - we did not have this option then.

 

The cruise line seems now to have unfriendly policies when you book your cruise with them. The main dining room has been wait listed over a year out and not everyone can even be wait listed, when we booked. Getting the dining time you wanted was not hard then.

 

I enjoy the new big ships with so many features and I enjoy having a balcony. The service was better because there were more employees to serve us.

 

I still enjoy the cruises I go on today.

Edited July 3, 2015 by KansasK

[PLEIKU68]

Our first cruise was back in the 70's on the Sun Viking. I really liked be treated like a guest rather than just another warm body filling a berth. :)

[CavePearl]

This has been a fun thread, and I would love to share my memories of the “good old days.” But to do so I shall seriously date myself.

 

The year was 1972, and it was my first cruise. I honestly can’t remember the cruise line. I didn’t even know there was more than one at the time. We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale and there were at least two ports of call, San Juan and St. Thomas.

 

A girlfriend and I worked as waitresses all year to save enough money to pay for a bunk in the women’s “dorm” room on the ship. The small room housed 8 women, and all shared a bathroom. It was the only way we could afford to go, so we were okay with it. Then, we thought we had won the lottery when we got on the ship! We were told that there we the only two single women on board so they would put us in a private room. The room was the size of a small walk-in closet, but we loved it. (I actually have photos of this cruise somewhere. If I ever find them I’ll scan them and post them here.)

 

The dining room. Oh, the beautiful dining room. There were 6 of us at our table, and the sommelier was there every night, suggesting wines for each course. There were at least six courses. I had never seen such beautiful food. Dessert was served from a tray to our plate. I tried my first (and last) caviar.

 

One day the passengers made costumes from items found on the ship. That night there was a passenger fashion show, and my friend draped a bedspread over her shoulder and used cocktail stirrers to create a crown. She won a bottle of champagne for her Statue of Liberty costume.

 

The hot spot on the ship was the small lounge where the British Band played Girl From Ipanema at least 10 times each night. I don’t remember any other entertainment except guest singers and one comedian.

 

The ship had one very small swimming pool, and spent a lot of time broiling myself. There weren’t very many young people on the ship, and I loved it that the older ladies frowned at my friend and I because we were wearing (very modest) bikinis. Ah, the pleasures of youth.

 

Probably the most interesting part of the cruise was our stop in San Juan. I can’t remember if we stayed the night or just until very late in port, but we were in port long enough that my friend and I went to a nightclub in town with cruise staff as our dates. My date was the sommelier. We had dinner then danced the night away to Latin Music. While we were in town at the nightclub, the San Juan locals were on the ship dancing to Girl From Ipanema.

[dhill]

This fun question is for the veteran cruisers who've sailed with Royal Caribbean for 20+ years. I would enjoy and appreciate hearing anecdotes or stories about what cruising with Royal Caribbean was like back then?

 

Some questions I have are: Were passengers more well-dressed and/or behaved? Was the general atmosphere more refined or even stately? Was there more passenger interaction? Were two-tops as popular then as they are today? What shipboard activities do you miss? What venues or customs have gone the way of the dinosaur? What was Labadee like in 1986?

 

Back in the day it was how it was suppose to be All the lower class people in steerage as not to bother us upper class.Oh it was a grand time back then Champane was flowing great food everybody knew there place,None of this mixing between classes.I long for them days:)

[John&LaLa]

No they were not oblivious. The "golf balls" were made of a special Biodegradable material. I seem to remember that they "decomposed" in a very short time. (maybe hours).:)

 

I'm not sure they were biodegradable in the beginning, probably something that evolved. I think I shot sleet off a Holland ship

[ronandannette]

Wow, most of you have better memories than I!

 

My first cruise was the 4-day cruise out of Long Beach stopping in Catalina, San Diego, and then Ensenada, late 80s, I think. It was on the Admiral Cruise Line's Azure Seas. I can't remember what year, but after that a group of us did yearly 3-day Memorial Weekend cruises, eventually on the Viking Serenade. I had to go look at my cruise history in the C&A section to verify some of this. :D We all had inside cabins, 4 to a room. I seem to remember that it cost me around $300. I remember the midnight buffets, but not passenger lists.

 

We adored this itinerary for a short cruise - sailed it twice on the Monarch! In "those days" RCCL seemed to have many more port-intensive itineraries, before the ships became too unwieldy to dock a lot of places and the temptation of "detaining" passengers as a captive audience for on-board spending took over. {{Sigh}} Many people have adapted to this and now see the ships as destinations in themselves, what with all the features some of them have. I predict a gradual creep towards making many of these offerings fee-based as cruisers become more and more accustomed to cruises with fewer and less interesting port stops.

Edited July 4, 2015 by ronandannette

[JimAOk1945]

This has been a fun thread, and I would love to share my memories of the “good old days.” But to do so I shall seriously date myself.

 

The year was 1972, and it was my first cruise. I honestly can’t remember the cruise line. I didn’t even know there was more than one at the time. We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale and there were at least two ports of call, San Juan and St. Thomas.

 

A girlfriend and I worked as waitresses all year to save enough money to pay for a bunk in the women’s “dorm” room on the ship. The small room housed 8 women, and all shared a bathroom. It was the only way we could afford to go, so we were okay with it. Then, we thought we had won the lottery when we got on the ship! We were told that there we the only two single women on board so they would put us in a private room. The room was the size of a small walk-in closet, but we loved it. (I actually have photos of this cruise somewhere. If I ever find them I’ll scan them and post them here.)

 

The dining room. Oh, the beautiful dining room. There were 6 of us at our table, and the sommelier was there every night, suggesting wines for each course. There were at least six courses. I had never seen such beautiful food. Dessert was served from a tray to our plate. I tried my first (and last) caviar.

 

One day the passengers made costumes from items found on the ship. That night there was a passenger fashion show, and my friend draped a bedspread over her shoulder and used cocktail stirrers to create a crown. She won a bottle of champagne for her Statue of Liberty costume.

 

The hot spot on the ship was the small lounge where the British Band played Girl From Ipanema at least 10 times each night. I don’t remember any other entertainment except guest singers and one comedian.

 

The ship had one very small swimming pool, and spent a lot of time broiling myself. There weren’t very many young people on the ship, and I loved it that the older ladies frowned at my friend and I because we were wearing (very modest) bikinis. Ah, the pleasures of youth.

 

Probably the most interesting part of the cruise was our stop in San Juan. I can’t remember if we stayed the night or just until very late in port, but we were in port long enough that my friend and I went to a nightclub in town with cruise staff as our dates. My date was the sommelier. We had dinner then danced the night away to Latin Music. While we were in town at the nightclub, the San Juan locals were on the ship dancing to Girl From Ipanema.

It's fascinating to read about your experience "back in the day." Do you recall having a "formal" night? If so, what did the passengers wear?