RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I was cleaning out some boxes and ran across this old cruise guide book - the following pics were taken from the Empress of Britain's World Cruise from New York, January 7 1939. This cruise was 127 days via the Mediterranean, India, Hong Kong, Bali, South Africa, South America, and West Indies. I am attaching a pic of the itinerary. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #2 Share Posted August 3, 2019 And what did this amazing cruise cost? from $2,300 per person... and for those wondering about deposits and cancellations, see the attached pic. If you had to cancel, they would refund your money after they sold your cabin to someone else (minus expenses). Interesting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted August 3, 2019 What about children? Yes, they had a rate schedule for them too. Again, interesting in how they priced out kids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted August 3, 2019 And what was included and not included in the fare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted August 3, 2019 And finally, I found this interesting - first, they limited "membership" so that there would not be overcrowding on this particular cruise, and second, they had set fees for deck chairs, rugs and cushions...lol. I guess nickle and diming is not limited to today's cruise lines... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Oh, and if you wanted to read ahead - here is their suggested reading list... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taglovestocruise Posted August 3, 2019 #7 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Makes todays cruising prices pretty cheap. $2300 in 1939 would be $42,000 today. Princess 111 day world cruise starts at $22,000, and that includes chairs and cushions. However Princess does not give a discount for servants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 3, 2019 Author #8 Share Posted August 3, 2019 29 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said: Makes todays cruising prices pretty cheap. $2300 in 1939 would be $42,000 today. Princess 111 day world cruise starts at $22,000, and that includes chairs and cushions. However Princess does not give a discount for servants. I knew someone would translate this into today’s dollars - thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted August 3, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 3, 2019 In 1913 my father boarded a ship in Liverpool England going to NYC.A first class ticket including sit down dining was $150.00. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNcruising02 Posted August 3, 2019 #10 Share Posted August 3, 2019 That's very interesting! Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted August 4, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Cheers, very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare babs135 Posted August 4, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Loved this. Thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaumD Posted August 4, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 4, 2019 A few years ago found the passenger manifest from my Grandparents honeymoon cruise on the SS Ft. Victoria from NYC to Bermuda in 1926. I tell people my first cruise was in 1926!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare whogo Posted August 4, 2019 #14 Share Posted August 4, 2019 That is a fun blast from the past, thanks, RSLeesburg. I have never seen 'vised' used to mean visaed. "In her time, Empress of Britain was the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ship between England and Canada. She was torpedoed on 28 October 1940 by U-32 and sank. At 42,348 gross tons, she was the largest liner lost during the Second World War and the largest ship sunk by a U-boat." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1930)" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1930) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted August 4, 2019 #15 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I love reading anything old that is from years and years ago on cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted August 4, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Thanks for posting, great reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txjim09 Posted August 5, 2019 #17 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Reminds me of Mark Twain''s cruise in The Innocents Abroad. Only made it as far as the Middle East and back but it had the same trappings of exclusivity. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awhcruiser Posted August 26, 2019 #18 Share Posted August 26, 2019 I love this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac66 Posted August 26, 2019 #19 Share Posted August 26, 2019 On 8/4/2019 at 10:36 AM, whogo said: That is a fun blast from the past, thanks, RSLeesburg. I have never seen 'vised' used to mean visaed. "In her time, Empress of Britain was the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ship between England and Canada. She was torpedoed on 28 October 1940 by U-32 and sank. At 42,348 gross tons, she was the largest liner lost during the Second World War and the largest ship sunk by a U-boat." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1930)" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Britain_(1930) Interesting history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare wishIweretravelling Posted August 27, 2019 #20 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Thanks for posting. This was fascinating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted August 27, 2019 #21 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Absolutely terrific. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted August 27, 2019 #22 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Love that they refer to cabins as "apartments". And had trunk rooms. I find it amusing to note that certain relics of this dawn of cruising still persist -- they specifically state that gratuities for stewards are not included, and also it appears most beverages are at extra cost. To the person who calculated the cost comparison -- did you account for the fact that the Empress cruise included shore excursions, transfers, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 28, 2019 Author #23 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I am glad that everyone enjoyed my initial post. I had some time to scan a bit more - here are the excursions that were included in the cruise fare, and I also have four pages that outline the "optional" excursions and their costs. What I found the most interesting is that they offered multi-day excursions that delved deep into the specific area where the ship was docked - extensive tours in India, Egypt, and Africa. I am not sure if this is something that is also offered on modern-day world cruises, so maybe it is not that unique. EoB Included Excursions.pdf EoB Optional Excursions 1.pdf EoB Optional Excursions 2.pdf EoB Optional Excursions 3.pdf EoB Optional Excursions 4.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike981 Posted August 28, 2019 #24 Share Posted August 28, 2019 (edited) On 8/3/2019 at 2:24 PM, RSLeesburg said: What about children? Yes, they had a rate schedule for them too. Again, interesting in how they priced out kids... I thought Disney started the ten year olds are charged as an adult. Edited to add a BIG thank you for taking the time to share. Edited August 28, 2019 by Mike981 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSLeesburg Posted August 28, 2019 Author #25 Share Posted August 28, 2019 30 minutes ago, Mike981 said: I thought Disney started the ten year olds are charged as an adult. Edited to add a BIG thank you for taking the time to share. I hope I have not given some of the cruise lines some ideas on how they could start to restructure their own fares with regards to children - although my son will be 10 in October, so it will not matter that much...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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