What inspired you to take your first cruise?

[Bridge Maven]

What inspired you to take your first cruise? My parents loved cruises but never took us (the kids) with them when I was growing up. When my husband and I were planning our honeymoon during the seventies, we wanted to do something special and decided to take our first cruise.

 

"Leonardo da Vinci" to West Indies, March 1976

"Sovereign of the Seas" to Bahamas, December 1999

"Destiny" to Canada, August 2000

"Infinity" to Alaska, August 2001

"Millennium" to Eastern Carribean, December 2002

"Century" to Western Carribean, December 2003

"Mercury" to Mexican Riviera, January/February 2005

 

[jdlewis]

DH and I had booked vacation time last September and in July hadn't firmed up any plans. We were watching the TV News at suppertime and they had a segment called "Best Bets" There was a 7 days alaskan cruise offerred for a ridiculously low price, we had talked about trying cruising but didn't know if we would like it. I looked at the DH and said do you want to? He said why not! I booked it the next morning and the rest is history.

We're Hooked!!!!

 

'till Infinity and the Panama Canal

 

 

09/03 Celebrity Mercury Alaska

[sweet sheep]

I used to watch the tv show Love Boat all the time and that really intriged me. I have now taken 15 cruises and love it.

[lougee1043]

someone gave us a wedding present for a one niter as part of a hal repositiong cruise- we sailed from portland to vanc bc and took the bus back------------been hooked ever since

 

lougee1043

 

 

Since we last sailed on the Oosterdam

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til our next cruise on the Galaxy

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9/87 HAL - Noordham

10/92 HAL - Westerdam

4/01 HAL - Zaandam

5/02 HAL - Maasdam

8/02 HAL - Zaandam

3/03 HAL -Statendam

cancelled due to surgeries

12/03 HAL - Statendam replacement cruise

3/04 HAL Oosterdam

3/04 Celebrity Galaxy

[Tatka]

My grandfather cruised alot in Med sea and Atlantic ocean.... I was dreaming to cruise since I was a kid watching ships in many Black Sea ports.

 

 

Last year my husband decided to visit his friends in Ukraine (our origin country) and I didn't really want to go.

 

He booked a cruise for me and my son!!! I knew he should start loving it too and booked Med cruise for two of us for May. (he had big doubts about it).

 

During the first day he said that we'll be crusing at least once a year!!!

 

He booked the next cruise for August two days after we returned.

 

------------------------------

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL

<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona

<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow

<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum

 

GO BRUINS!!!!

[excitedofharpenden]

When I was younger, I used to go to Spain and France a lot on holiday with my parents. I enjoyed the ferry trips, especially the one from Southampton to Bilbao on a Swedish Lloyd ship called the SS Patricia (that was 1970).

 

I watched the TV series "Around the World in 80 Days" with Michael Palin and always enjoyed the maritime parts of his trip. I was speaking to a friend one evening in the pub and said how much I would like to go on a cruise. We decided to book one as she had been on a couple of cruises and loved it. I am now totally nuts about cruises and cruise ships.

 

This baoard makes it even more enjoyable to plan!

 

Phil

 

Mercury Western Caribbean November 2002

Galaxy Eastern Caribbean November 2003

 

<BR

 

Until Galaxy Panama Canal Out Of Galveston

13th November 2004

 

 

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[DUCK33]

about a year or so after we were married i received an advertisement from my high school that it was arranging a celeb cruise on horizon to bermuda. the idea was to book as much of the ship as possible in order to get a bunch of perks. turns out only myself and 2 others took advantage of this deal

[Randyk47]

As a child I crossed the Atlantic by ship going to and coming from England. Had good memories and talked the ex into a trial on the Fantasy in 1993. We loved it and cruised a couple more times before we discovered cruising was great but decided the marriage wasn't. Took my new bride on a cruise for our honeymoon....now she's hooked on cruising.

 

Until Galaxy

[Andee]

My parents took us on a cruise for their 50th anniversary in 1996. We've been on four others since, with another booked for October.

[wesp]

I had a great aunt who crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and SS United States. She also took a cruise on the Delta Queen, President Wilson, Lurline and others. It was her stories and slides of her travels that grabbed my attention when I was a kid. My first three cruises were because of the ship and a chance to capture the magic in her stories, the last one, on Galaxy, because of the home port in Baltimore.

 

Wesley

 

 

 

Galaxy April 2002

Norway August 2001

Independence April 1999

Delta Queen April 1996

[sweet sheep]

Hi Weslie,

 

Where in Maryland do you live? I was born and raised in Baltimore and vicinity, but left in 1954.

[teedee]

My husband and I always talked about taking a cruise together sometime, unfortunately he passed away suddenly before we had the chance so the next year on our anniversary I took our daughter on a cruise on NCL's Skyward. It was a bittersweat cruise, but it did start my love of cruising.

 

Terri

 

Skyward - 1989

Carnivale - 1991

Holiday - 1994

Fantasy - 1998

Century - 2002

Century - 2003

Jubilee - 7/04

Century - 9/04

Coral Princess - 3/05

Valor - 10/05

 

Days til Valor Vampires Cruise

[RM]

Husband's choice for our honeymoon. Didn't go again for 10 years......kids of course but we turned them into cruisers and now it's the only vacation we know how to do.

 

Up next Mariner of the Seas

Then Jewel of the Seas

[Nanatravel]

My DH always wanted to take a cruise, especially after the family grew up and went out on their own. I did lots of research and finally gave in to celebrate his 50th birthday. Ever since then, we don't even need a reason to cruise. As soon as I land a new job, I am making a reservation for our next ship.

Bon Voyage

 

Celebrity Millennium 2/22/04

Carnival Conquest 10/26/2003

Carnival Legend 4/11/2003

Carnival Pride 2/23/2002

Celebrity Galaxy 11/2001

Grand Princess 3/2001

Celebrity Millennium 9/9/2000

Sea Princess 2/22/1999

Vison of the Seas 10/28/1998

Rhapsody of the Seas 3/1998

Celebrity Century 3/1997

Celebrity Zenith 11/1996

Legend of the Seas 6/1995

Celebrity Horizon 4/1994

 

 

[mazza]

Our Alaska cruise will be our first. I wanted to go to Alaska because it just seemed like a really interesting place - and just a bit different from Australia , and the cruise seemed to be the best way to do it. Mind you, to convince my husband, we have to do a hiking trip near Denali first, but a small price to pay, I think!

 

Until Summit 23 July 2004

 

 

 

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[hajekfam]

We wanted to do something special for our 25th wedding anniversary; thought about a cruise and weren't sure if we would like it. So we went on one for our 24th and have been cruising ever since.

 

Zenith-Western Caribbean-6/92

Zenith-Eastern Caribbean-6/93

Century-Maiden Voyage-12/95

Galaxy-Southern Caribbean-11/99

Mercury-Northbound Alaska-6/00

Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic-9/01

Horizon-Western Caribbean - Adults only cruise-11/02

Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic 10/26/03

Century - Western Caribbean 1/31/04

[mjarens]

Each year our company sponsored a trip for our customers, who would earn the entire trip through purchases they would make in the product lines we sold. Our TA suggested we try a 7 day cruise in 1985 on RCCL Song of Norway. This trip was a huge hit with our customers and our company continued to book a cruise at least every other year until our last one in 1998 on RCCL Majesty of the Seas. On opposit years we did land trips.

 

After we stopped doing company trips, DH and I have cruised three additional times. Our next will be Feb 7 2005 on Mercury and we are very excited. This upcoming trip will be our 15th cruise. As much fun as we had hosting our customers (80 to 100 of our "closest friends") on board, we are enjoying our relaxing vacations even more.

 

Can you tell we love cruising or what?

 

mjarens

Next Up Mercury 11 Days, Feb 7, 2005.

 

[mjarens]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mjarens:

Each year our company sponsored a trip for our customers, who would earn the entire trip through purchases they would make in the product lines we sold. Our TA suggested we try a 7 day cruise in 1985 on RCCL Song of Norway. This trip was a huge hit with our customers and our company continued to book a cruise at least every other year until our last one in 1998 on RCCL Majesty of the Seas. On opposit years we did land trips.

 

Since we have stopped doing company trips, DH and I have cruised three additional times. Our next will be Feb 7 2005 on Mercury and we are very excited. This upcoming trip will be our 15th cruise. As much fun as we had hosting our customers (80 to 100 of our "closest friends") on board, we are enjoying our relaxing vacations even more.

 

Can you tell we love cruising or what?

 

mjarens

Next Up Mercury 11 Days, Feb 7, 2005.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

mjarens

Next Up Mercury 11 Days, Feb 7, 2005.

 

[Guest]

We took our first cruise specifically to see the long total solar eclipse back on July 11, 1991. The Jubilee's scheduled Mexican Riviera itinerary put her at the right place at the right time (Mazatlan) for us to experience one of the most memorable moments of our lives....

 

And from that we found out that we enjoyed cruising.

 

Jubilee 1991 Solar Eclipse

Century FO 1996 E Carib

Mercury FO 1998 W Carib

Galaxy SS 2000 Alaska IP

Infinity FV 2002 S Carib

Horizon HS 3/05 W Carib

 

[Seaya39]

Our first cruise was a Christmas surprise present for my husbands father and step mother from all the children (6). It was a great family cruise of about 20 people, 14 day Panama Canal cruise on the Galaxy. LOVED IT!!!

 

Beth

[captain1]

My Hubby had always wanted to take a cruise - I kept saying "who wants to be stuck on a ship AND have to DRESS UP (if left to my own devices I would be in jeans and T shirts ) - but he finally talked me into it when another couple we are friends with were going on Horizon to the Caribbean. I grumbled, bought fancy duds, grumbled some more, and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT from beginning to end! Since then, we have taken another Celebrity cruise and are planning a third. Just goes to show, sometimes husbands do have good ideas!

[captain1]

Interesting - my post didn't seem to appear on the board after I posted it - maybe there are still technical difficulties??

[ACJV]

One Christmas about 20 years ago, my husband and I decided to give each other a cruise for Christmas presents to each other. We have been hooked ever since. We haven't missed a year taking a cruise since. We have been all over the world, and think that cruising is the best way to travel. Our next trip is South America 2005. Can't wait!

Vicki

 

ACJV

[sassycruiser]

Received a 5 day cruise from work and went with about 20 people from work. Was hooked - go every year and have been on 7 cruises. Don't know any other way to vacation anymore! Took a "land" vacation to Boston last weekend and couldn't help thinking how expensive it was!

[jezzdogg]

We were in old San Juan and saw all these people laughing and having a ball coming off this cruiseship(century) while we were not having a great time in San Juan. At night if you do not gamble, there was not much else to do, after dinner, and these people where really telling us great the food was, and everything elese. We decided to give it a try -- one cruise and we were hooked. We just finishd our 14 cruise in April, with one book for Aug Millie to the Med, Feb on the Navigator, next summer with Connie to the Baltics, and maybe to the Mexica/Baja this easter.

 

Then of course I still want to do Australia, Tahitti, British Isles, and aroudn the horn in Souoth America

 

norm