Do you remember when??

[Cruise Raider]

I agree with everything you said. Cruising is the most economical way to travel. It cannot be beat. There are pros and cons to changes made but you still come out with a fabulous vacation.

 

I think the only things that have really gone up are the cost of the port charges, gratuities and government fees and taxes. You are right, it really cannot be beat. All the little extras, such as drinks, specialty restaurants, photos, excursions, spa treatments, etc have gone up but the bare bones of the cruise are still quite reasonable. :)

[Lucky TGO]

How about an announcement a day or two before the end of a cruise asking if anyone would like to stay onboard for the next cruise half price or 2/1 :-)

That would work for me. How long ago was that?

Tony

[markf]

actually they had a person called a deck chair steward, he was in charge of assigning a chair on the first day, and that was your seat for the cruise. so there was no chair hogs-, but of course there could have been --I am talking the early 1960s

[Happy2cruise]

I remember on Princess cruises there would be a little plate of fancy cookies waiting for you in your cabin upon embarkation:)

[websailor]

Skeet shooting off the fantail, Dawn Princess Alaska Cruise, 1990

Edited May 1, 2016 by websailor
fix picture

[websailor]

Aaahhh, this is better....

 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

I won a shooting comp onboard once.

 

Pax et bonum,

Kevin Westley T.M.R.F.

[websailor]

Back in 1988 and 1990 on the Dawn Princess, breakfast was served as a buffet. You got in a line on deck, picked up you food, found a table (out on the deck somewhere) and enjoyed the scenery. LOL, that was in any weather....

 

The buffet area (not in use when I took the picture) - what today is the equivalent of the grill

 

The breakfast line

and

 

It's not tooooo cold outside on the way to Alaska...am I chewing my food or is that just my teeth chattering?

[websailor]

Do you remember when we could throw streamers/confetti overboard when leaving the dock. It was quite a festive/celebratory affair when a cruise ship was leaving!

 

See the streamer on the railing and over the Captains hat?

 

Someone gathered a bunch for themselves

[websailor]

The promenade was a lot more enclosed and closer to the sea.

 

[websailor]

We had LIFEBOATS! Not the enclosed tenders that are everywhere now, but open lifeboats just like on the Titanic! It really made us hope the ship didn't sink! ;)

 

3 lifeboats, a batch of RAFTS, and 2 tenders

 

LOL, at Ketchikan, the US Coast Guard made the ships crew of the Regent Sun do a lifeboat drill with the same type of boats that we had. It was fun watching them lower the lifeboats....but then the Coast Guard made them try to motor away from the ship. I almost died laughing as they went in circles and bumped into each other.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2016 by websailor

[websailor]

You could do things on board the ship that could really get you in trouble. This was before any such warnings as "Be careful, the coffee is hot".

 

What's a little high voltage just out of reach (for most people). That will jolt you awake!

 

 

And you might not want to go down that ladder in the gap in the railing....but nothing will stop you from going down. :D

[websailor]

I liked it back in the day when a cruise ship like the Dawn Princess came into port and did not overwhelm the town You could walk around and it would not be crowded - with only 925 passengers, people could spread out.

 

Ketichikan 1988

 

At the historic Creek Street

 

Skagway 1988, look at the crowd!

[shredie]

Great old pictures! :)

[websailor]

LOL, good thing you're not seeing us all dressed up with the women in big hair & puffy sleeves, etc. The 70's and 80's fashions were wild!

Edited May 2, 2016 by websailor

[easyboy]

Back in 1988 and 1990 on the Dawn Princess, breakfast was served as a buffet. You got in a line on deck, picked up you food, found a table (out on the deck somewhere) and enjoyed the scenery. LOL, that was in any weather....

 

The buffet area (not in use when I took the picture) - what today is the equivalent of the grill

Great pics!

[Putterdude]

Websailor, great bunch of photos, I only wish I hadn't thrown out my 1963 photos about 13 years ago:( But if you thought Ketchikan was un crowed in 1988 you should have seen it in 1963 when there was only 300 pax on ships.

[websailor]

Things were a bit more primitive back in 1988-90. Here are the seats on the White Pass and Yukon Route trains in Skagway. Yes they do look like ordinary lawn chairs all facing one way. :)

 

 

Cabins on the ships were small (still are) but we got towel animals and bed decorations using your own night clothes. Note the wonderful rotary dial telephone on the desk.

 

[websailor]

The ships were smaller - much smaller!

 

Here is a link to the Wikipedia article about the Dawn Princess (aka RMS Sylvania) that I sailed on.

 

General characteristics (after 1971 refit)

Type: cruise ship

Tonnage: 24,724 GRT

Decks: 11 (I think they counted all the ones the passengers were not allowed on also)

Capacity: 925 passengers

Crew: 330

 

The Ship

 

Note the lifeboats hanging out

 

 

At every port, what was not white, was painted. It seemed like the sailors had pride in their cruise ship, or at least, very strict officers.

[websailor]

Some other ships in the same era

 

I believe this is a Royal Caribbean ship - it would qualify as a lifeboat on their current mega ships now. :D

 

 

Unknown other ship coming into Skagway

Edited May 2, 2016 by websailor

[websailor]

The crew was smaller too! I think this was so they took up less room on the ship and didn't eat as much. :D

 

On a Bridge Tour (that you could easily do on different days) Note that the ex-wife was only 5 ft 3 inches. He could barely see over the console.

 

 

Our dining room waiters weren't much taller

 

Ditto our room steward on the Eastern Caribbean cruise

[websailor]

The late night shows were a lot more risque - European style. These were the Princess Dancers of the day....

 

and the game shows on shore would never fly in todays PC climate - Blind folded men trying to feel which woman in a group is their wife assisted by the crew staff? I don't think so!

 

But it was fun!

[2BeOnaBoat]

Not as far back in the time machine... Princess had it's own art dept.

[Bemidji Ty]

Great photos. Thanks.

 

Cheers

[DougH]

I liked it back in the day when a cruise ship like the Dawn Princess came into port and did not overwhelm the town You could walk around and it would not be crowded - with only 925 passengers, people could spread out.

/QUOTE]

 

Are you sure it was the Dawn Princess? I didn't think there was a previous one, current version started sailing in 1997 and holds about 2000