Carla C who remembers her !!

[Sellup]

Our honeymoon was on Carla C. We travelled in June 1984, this was our first cruise ever and we are still cruising. We sailed from Curaçao as it is our native island. We also looked up information on the Carla C and was informed that it was destroyed by fire.

"Dear Selfrin and Guadelupe, thanks for writing! Carla C was renamed Carla Costa in 1984, but was sold to Epirotiki in 1992 becoming the Pallas Athena. Her life with them was short, since she was destroyed by fire in 1994. Thanks again, and best wishes!

Sincerely,

Alan Fox"

 

We still have the books and some menu's of back then, very nice presentation.

Thanks to the one who started this thread, it brought back so many memories.

Lupe

[sandpebble]

I just by happenstance found this memory blog of the Carla C ....

I recently found an 'award' scroll from Captain Aldo Nardini issued for our

carnival Party presentation of...BC Carla C....

We liberated some bed sheets and a lounger and as a group carried in

One of our fellows as one would Cesar....complete with a head wreath from Grenada.

I had the distinct pleasure of blowing a couch shell rather poorly, which

Sounded more like a flatulant bull...to howls of laughter.

Sorry to have just read that she is no longer....many good memories of her

Even so many years later.

[George C]

Wow this thread brings back memories! My first cruise, I was 13 and we were stopped by soldiers with guns in Grenada by the time we got back to the US there was a full fledged invasion.:eek:

 

Loved the Italian waiters, the Baked Alaska parade. So fun! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.:rolleyes:

 

I was on the cruise a few weeks before the invasion , fun cruise with about 50 people from singleworld most from NYC.

[Cruiselady83]

Hi, yes. The Carla C was my very first cruise. I was overwhelmed being just a 16 year old girl at the time. We left England (By Flight) to San Juan.It was the 20th of August 1983. I do believe it was a seven day cruise. So long ago, I forgot so much. One of the best times in my life. And I do have many of the old photographs to this day. Sadly both my Dad and my brother have passed. Rather sad in a way, but still one of my fondest and favourite out of the five cruises.Actually reading this post is what made me join this website. Yes I even remember some of the crew members. Emilio our steward. Louise was the care taker for the kiddies. I do remember Leonard Weir from Manchester, England was the cruise director. Pasquale was our maitre d. And yes I do remember the Carla C Song. It made me sad to learn of it's untimely demise in 1994 due to fire. They say the first is the best, and i must attest how true that is for me to say.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Cruiselady83
mispelled words

[Cruiselady83]

more photos of the Carla C. The final photo was after the fire of 1994. It's last and final voyage.

[Cruiselady83]

I am going to go through my old photographs and see how many I can find, so i can upload a few.Please, if there is anyone who was on the Carla C during late August Of 1983, please reply to this post. Be it crew,passenger or any of the names I have mentioned in my post above, contact me either on this site, or on my You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQfTsXa4uETq7pZ4jltIw9g

[Cruiselady83]

If there is anyone who sailed on the Carla C around 1983,wither it be crew or passenger please reply to my post, thank you.:)

Edited September 22, 2015 by Cruiselady83

[George C]

I was on the Carla C about 4 or 5 weeks before invasion so late August or 1st week of September, fun cruise, I was with a group of single people and had a blast, I was in my early 30's and had just moved to Texas from NYC. I have pictures but I am very low tech and have never posted any pictures.

[Cruiselady83]

then you and I were on that same cruise.. At one point i had actually saved all my menus, daily pamphlets. I do remember the very last day of the cruise on the back cover of their daily flyer it read " I no wanna go home".

[Cruiselady83]

I too am from England.Might you know the whereabouts of Leoarnd Wair the Cruise Director. He and our family became quite acquainted during the seven day voyage.I hope he is still with us, as well as his son (I cannot remember his first name). He was the ships photographer in 1983,then went on to become Cruise Director

[sandpebble]

Amazing how we differ in opinions: We never cruised the Carla but did cruise the Costa Riv in about 1986. It was a fun ship but a big disappointment after the Caribe. I think the most fun thing about Costa cruises is the Toga party the last night. What a blast!!! NMNita

 

I cannot recall the date when we as a group.of young students cruised on the old Carla C".but I do distinctly recall our presentation..

We called it the Carla C....BC...not too appreciated by the Program Director....

We carried in one of our group on a lounge chair, wearing a reed crown from Grenada...and all of us of course, with borrowed bedsheets.

I was the one who blew the couch shell, not very well, since it sounded like a bull moose with intestinal problems...:D...as I was the 'cruise director'...

I've sailed many ships since, SS Norway, NCL, Princess, Windstar..

But for some reason this cruise experience with Capt Aldo Nardini remains

One of my most memorable.....

[Sellup]

Hi, we werw on the Carla C in June 1984. I have a previous post. I too have some memorabilia like menu card of captain's night etc. May I use the picture of the ship coming in the harboyr of Willemstad. That is my hometown and where we boarded the ship in 1984.

[George C]

Carla C might not have been the best ship I have cruised on but it was fun, we did a beach party on Grenada, we had a cooler filled with beer and a couple of bottles of rum , I discovered the cooler floated so we could remain in the water. Also was my 1st and only trip to Caracas which I thought was very interesting. I have taken several Costa cruises since but none were as much fun.

[mqd]

Wow! This was my first cruise back in 1984 with my family out of our hometown of San Juan for 7 days to southern Caribbean islands visiting La Guaira in Venezuela.

The best trip was my second in 1986 our high school senior trip.(there were 2 more high schools aboard) We were called for meeting early morning of the second day and told by the Captain that we were going to be "kicked out" of the ship and returned to San Juan for partying and bothering other guest by the cabins the previous nigth. Thankfully, we got a break after our teachers agreed and we swore to stay on upper deck for partying and not by the cabins...  lots of good memories!

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, mqd said:

visiting La Guaira in Venezuela.

 

Did you visit Caracas at that port stop?  I visited that port in 1986 on Rotterdam V.  Driving into the city, I remember seeing mountainsides filled with shanties.  In the city, soldiers with long guns were at many intersections.  La Guauira was, at one time, a popular port stop for Caribbean cruises.  

[norboy76]

On 9/22/2015 at 2:15 AM, Cruiselady83 said:

The final photo was after the fire of 1994. It's last and final voyage.

I have a postcard for her, for the line that would become her demise. I have an Epirotiki Pallas Athena Postcard of her in her happier times with that line before the fire. 

[john watson]

Carla C was originally built in 1957 and called Flandre. It was under Costa control between 1967 and 1992.  It was the third ship  Princess Cruises ever chartered and marketed as Princess Carla although the ship's name was not changed.

 

Regards John

[norboy76]

On 11/1/2022 at 2:38 PM, john watson said:

Carla C was originally built in 1957 and called Flandre. It was under Costa control between 1967 and 1992.  It was the third ship  Princess Cruises ever chartered and marketed as Princess Carla although the ship's name was not changed.

 

Regards John

I have a postcard of her as the French Line's Flandre

[medbiller]

What memories. Sailed with my friend in 1975. We were 25 and fans of the Loveboat TV show. 

She had never been out of our city so first plane flight too. 

We laughed so hard when we saw our room (closet) had to stand in the hall to get a picture.

My suitcase was lost or so I thought. They upgraded us so my suitcase was in front of the other room for 3 days. My contact case was missing so in Martinque we went to a pharmacy to try and buy a contact case. Thought I'd try out my high-school French. The clerk couldn't understand me so she got the pharmacist.  He thought he understood. He came back with a old leather case and when he opened it there were about 30 glass eyeballs! So much for my French. We laughed so hard. Later down the street I fainted in the Waterford Crystal store. 

Loved tge comment about the raised threshold on the doors. I tripped and broke off my high heel on the way to the captains dinner. Had to hide my broken shoe with my long dress. 

I think I have the cassette tape of the Carla C song. Used to have a pencil holder that was the smokestack. I need to go through photos. I have tons of stories because we were the youngest on the cruise. Great fun but a severe sunburn

[Griff4AU]

I had to do a Carla C search as we were talking the likely demise of Costa on another thread. 

Like many of you, the Carla C was my first cruise... I believe in 1978 (give or take). I was a teenager then, but to this day whenever I am in charge of vacation planning, my crew knows we're going on a cruise.

[Jackieah]

Wow I’m blown away to read all this! Just got back from a cruise with Royal Caribbean and was wondering whatever happened to my first cruise ship, the  Pallas Athena which I sailed the fall of 1993. I had no idea it was destroyed by fire the following March! I fondly remember all the friendly good-looking Greek crew and officers. It was an amazing trip with my mom who has long since passed. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Jackieah