Compare your crusing from 15 or 20 years ago and now.

[wieslaw]

Compare your cruise from 15 or 20 years ago and now

Hi,

if you still remember your cruises from the late eighties or early ninties....how would they compare to the ones that you have been on 'lately'?

What was there that you liked?

Is there anything that you miss from the 'old good days' of cruising ?

Is the 'new' cruising just as good or better than the 'old' cruising ?

Did the cruise lines 'cut' too many corners to be competitive and still affordable?

Was the 'old' cruising more elegant ? .......More fun ? ....or is the present cruising what you like and prefer ?

 

I have been comparing my memories of some cruises on Regency Sun, Star and Sea, the early ninties Horizon, Zenith and Meridian cruises with just the recent cruises on Constellation......and it seems to me there were more live music, more ballroom dancing, more carvings and decorations all over the ship, more tasty choices of beautifully prepared delicious food including some fantastic desserts, every night 'midnight buffets' in the dining room and the "Le Grand Buffet" that was truly something to take pictures of and admire...... and a little more of attentive and 'personal' service............is that just my imagination ? .........or are the memories of some 'first' cruises - just like memories of 'first love' .......more precious than the late ones?

I am a person that does not expect or require much......so every cruise even on old Seawind Monarch was a very good and enjoyable cruise and every cruise was a great vacation for me but it just seems to me that cruising is just not what it used to be.

 

I am aware that prices of everything ( fuel, food, ships, peronnel) went up and prices of cruising perhaps did not go up in the same proportion........so cutting the price of some food items, or eliminating a musician here and there ( or even eliminating a whole lounge for dancing and the need for the musicians - per design of ship) ,eliminating the capella singers, eliminating midnight buffet in the dining room, eliminating few vegetable carvers and whatever else - had to be done to save money and did not have a big impact on the cruising........was the right thing to do.......but did some of the cuts diminish the 'glamour' of cruising for you ?

 

For sure did not reduce the number of cruisers, which is on the rise every year.

 

Please share your thoughts.

 

Wes

[joramrose]

I cruised aboard a small Greek ship, I think it was called the Rhodos, in the eastern Med in the early 70s and it was a wonderful experience.

 

It was the beginning of the season, and the ship was overbooked when it pulled into port at Piraeus (sp) near Athens. Everyone was calmoring to get on, and the captain was trying to sort it all out. Finally he got to me, a solo passenger, and he offered me a share in an inside cabin on a lower deck. I'd come this far, so OK.

 

The share was with the lovely social hostess, a vivacious French girl named Veronique. She was a bit put out to find her quarters invaded, but she was gracious and we settled in to make friends. What a blast I had with her for that week!

 

The bathroom was so small you had to sit on the stool, draw a sheet around you and use a hand-held sprinkler to take a shower. The bunks were built into the wall.

 

But the food was delicious, entertainment was fun -- we passengers made up most of it with lovely Veronique directing us, and I loved it. Probably cost me all of $40 a night.

 

In the mid-80s my sister and I took our Mom, then 92, on a Carnival cruise. It too was great fun. I will always remember how good everyone on board was to my Mom and how much she enjoyed the pampering and the attention.

 

In the late 90s I started cruising again, this time aboard the QE2, a classy ship despite her age. I was hooked for sure now, and in the dozen or so cruises since then I have seen a lot more glitz and sophistication aboard ship, but still the same fun, some formality and great friendliness.

 

And the cost keeps going up. Oh well.

 

love

joan

[Longboysfan]

Having cruised in two different time periods - May be able to see differances.

The cruising in the 70's and early 80's on the Holland America lines and Home lines was something entirely differant.

The were more dress up and night time activities like a large hotel that comes alive at night. Big food displays - buffetts - big shows. Dress was formal every night but the last night.

Their were not a lot of daytime ship activities - except sit at the pool or walk around at the port.

 

Stopped cruising from 82 or so till the early 90's.

Bang - here is Celebrity.

Activities - young people - great shows still.

Food was a bit beter - they just improved on the product - where Homeines stayed with the old and died on the vine.

The ships now are set for a 20 hour day.

Activities all the time and varied to cover a lot of differant age groups.

Lots of things to do ashore also.

[sacway]

Hi Wes -

 

Our first cruise was on the Zenith, first port of call was St. Thomas -- the old anchorage in town, and instead of air conditioners whirring we could hear birds chirping.

 

That first cruise really seemed like something special.

 

What's different that seems real is the size of the ships, meaning the loss of the old terminals for the mega-terminals. Tiny dockside shops replaced by the same stores/malls from back home or every other port of call.

 

There are good changes. The megaships like the Constellation have excellent facilities -- gyms, theaters, restaurants (all well done on the Century class, too). I wonder how I'd feel in the "bitsy" Zenith dining room, which seemed low-slung even then! Love the spa cuisine, and Concierge Class (invented when no one wanted the 1As under the pool decks) has been so successful that other lines have a similar category.

 

Some things have more to do with how the world has changed, and cruising with it. Internet on board and in ports for cheap mean I can take longer trips by staying on top of some things after leaving and before coming home.

 

Oh, one more thing. Back then we were the youngest people on the ship, it seemed. Now what happened there...

[wieslaw]

Hi Wes -

 

 

 

Oh, one more thing. Back then we were the youngest people on the ship, it seemed. Now what happened there...

 

 

Hello Sacway,

 

Why do I remember 'this name' so well.........the last and lasting image of the very 'young looking' couple that were sitting next to us in the Celebrity's Theater is still in my memory and for sure 'they' can still be perhaps not "youngest" but beautifully matured 'Young people' on any ship.

Sending our warmest regards to Cathy and Wayne from very cold (today) Michigan.

 

Wes

[Sky Sweet]

When we took our first cruise during the seventies, not that many people cruised, and those who did had different expectations. Entertainment and actitivies were more sophisticated and included a ballet, classical music concerts, and intellectually oriented lectures during sea days. If a passenger requested a unique dish for dinner, a demonstration of its preparation was presented in the dining room, which was an amazing experience to watch. We were the only ship in St Thomas and St Maartin during the days we were in those ports, so the natives were very friendly. It was easier to find quality merchandise in Caribbean ports, that was unique to the area, so you felt as if you were buying things that you couldn't find easily at home. I am glad that my husband and I had the opportunity to cruise during that era, but realize that you can never return to the days of splendour in the grass.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Well I'll certainly chime in with my sentiments on the biggest difference that I see.......

My first shipboard travels were on the QE2 in the early 1980s, when formal night was indeed formal night. The gentlemen wore tuxedos, and the ladies were in evening wear. And it was just that simple. No "dark suits" for the gents; no pants with sequined tops for the ladies. Anybody in jeans or leisure wear was forced to walk the plank! How times have changed!

 

Kendal

[BrendaJ]

I think the major difference from my cruises in the mid 80's to now would be that, back then, a cruise seemed very special. I didn't know many people who had ever been on a cruise, and most people's frame of reference was "The Love Boat". When we landed in a port, we were generally the only ship there - it was a big deal if there was another ship in port. The islands were far less commercial, and there were some real deals on hand-made native crafts. The main towns were much less touristy.

I recall cruises being advertised as "just about all-inclusive", and, not being a big drinker at the time, it really seemed to be so. There were not so many revenue-generators on board. The fares were higher, and, although there were still bingo, the casino, spa and shops to spend your money on, that was about it. There were no "extra charge" restaurants, coffee shops, fitness classes, acupuncture, computer courses, etc. I really felt I didn't need to spend any extra money once on board. I recall my on-board bill being about $20, and that included a bottle of Bailey's from the gift shop, which, when I brought it to the disco to share with my new friends, a waiter brought an ice bucket and glasses for us - when's the last time that was an option? :rolleyes: .

I think that cruising is much more accessible to the masses now, with a much larger variety of experiences to choose from, but, in a way, I miss the old days.

Brenda

[mmp13]

What I remember most of our 70"s cruises was that we wore evening gowns every Night. My Dad Took several suits and tuxedos! Ships were small. by the end of the cruise we made friends with a lot more people because of the more intimate enviorment. Pool chairs were reserved. Shows were much less professionally produced. Drinks literally cost less than a dollar! there was no contact with the outside world while on a ship. Talk about a true departure! When Elvis died it took us a few days to find out. Not many people took cruise vacations so there was no one to really talk about it with at home...Most people just did not get it....but I had some of the best experiences of my life both here and in europe!!!!!

[aloanldy]

We cruised on Victoria, Chandris ship in 1987. She was beautiful, she was old and she was spacious. Our cheap outside cabin had two portholes with windowsills wide enough to sit in. The cabins were much larger than they are today and there was more dancing and music and food.

Midnight buffet was every night. We had coffee brought to our room every morning without having to fill out paper to remind them.

 

I don't personally miss the midnight buffets, I never really ate from them because I was still full from dinner.

 

I enjoy cruising today just as much as before, having cruised in both times, I feel fortunate to know the difference and appreciate cruising more.

 

Charlie

[davis0056]

Dave and I were both in the military stationed in Europe. We booked our first cruise, the Mediterranean, from a discount offered to military personnel. We got the cheapest cabin on a line we don't remember. It seemed like the cabin was below the engine and water line. Tile floors, built in bunk beds; Dave and I took the lower level and Kris, our son and 6 at the time, got the top bunk to his delight. The bathroom was like one in a cheap travel trailer and the water never completely drained. The food was great and Kris always wanted multiple bowls (not cups) of the soups. The pool was slightly larger then a postage stamp. The entertainment was done in a lounge, very cozy. One night there was a comedian and we ended up in the front with Kris. The comedian joked with Kris and at one point told him to toss a bucket of confetti on him as part of a joke-not the bucket of water near by. In his excitement Kris grabbed and tossed the water. The audience and comedian loved it-Dave and I were mortified. Dave said we'd never do another cruise-he wasn't impressed with the whole thing.

Its 12 cruises later, with two booked this year and waiting for Celebrity's Alaskan schedule for 2007 (3rd cruise to Alaska). Now we only do CC cabins on the aft (no aft CCor FV=no cruise). Kris caught the bug too, he's done 5 cruises and he and his wife still gravitate to an inside cabin.

Dave and Elaine

[donnaw]

Hi Wes,

 

Wow, we were just talking about this last night. First off, let me say that if pricing had gone up at the same pace as everything else has, we wouldn't have cruised 25 days in the last year. We paid $4,500 for a porthole cabin in 1992 on Nordic Prince embarking in Miama with disembarkation in San Juan.

 

First cruise, on Premier's Big Red boat got us hooked. Keep in mind that there wasn't a straight hallway on this ship and we never would have found our cabin without the help of stewards who were on duty 24/7. We couldn't leave our cabin for 5 minutes (bare bones inside booked 6 days pre-cruise) without coming back to it looking absolutely perfect (with 14 and 16 year old daughters there to trash it as soon as it was cleaned up). Went from the 3 day to 11 day in '92 without girls who stayed home with Grandma. Biggest memory on both of these was the service! Dining room staff was unbelievable. Dining room had nightly themes and tables/staff were dressed/decorated accordingly. Gary (head section waiter) flamed Baked Alaska, Cherries Jubilie and Crepes Suzette at the table. He also did the pasta's and caesar salad at the table. Every night was a show in the dining room. Table of 8 had the attention of Gary, our regular waiter, 2 assistants, a beverage server and a wine steward. Nightly major buffets led up to the Grand Buffet (even on the 3 day). DH's favorite memory is coming back from the casino in Nassau at 3:00 AM and getting French Onion Soup by the pool. Food always but no large central buffet, instead 13 different meals a day. Fast forward 1999 and Nordic Prince is now MS Carousel run by a European cruise company and sailing out of Aruba. Full window outside this time with the entire family with. Had to talk to the head waiter because our waiter refused to serve coffee during dinner to dmil! His comment "That is not the way we do it". Spent a hilarious week hearing "This is how we make our _____". It provided a very nice transition to the latest run of cruises that started in December of '01 and definitely softened the blow dealt by all the changes in the industry!

 

Today, for comparable price, we get a much larger cabin and occasionally a balcony. Traditional dining still has the baked Alaska parade but the menu's are much less creative overall. Service lavels have dropped! Cabin stewards no longer clean the cabins the second you walk out the door and head waiters no longer provide entertainment at dinner. Do we miss it? Not enough to look for it since we could probably find mucht of it again on Radisson, Seabourn or Crystal. While dh fondly remembers that french onion soup, he also realizes his ulcer would keep him up all night these days! Seems for us, the better deal is to continue enjoying the mass market cruiselines while moving away from the lower end of it and enjoy taking an extra cruise a year.

[WatchHill]

The port tax on our first cruise was $19. and I got to wear some of those bridesmaids dresses almost every evening! Wow, have things changed.

 

Darcy

[RhondaPerr]

Our first cruise in the middle 80's was on The Song of Norway, a very small RCCL ship. What stands out most in my mind was we knew just about all the crew by the time we got off the ship. Each night we had dinner with an officer, when we were in port the cruise staff hung around with us.. We are still in touch with some of those people.

 

The shows were in a small room and totally interactive....such pride was put into even the smallest things... There was not one rude person that I remember...When the ship hit some really rough water, and I along with many other people had to leave the diningroom, crackers and ginger ale were sent to our rooms.

 

We were bitten by the cruise bug and never recovered, and I hope we never do!

[sweetair]

hiya wes(say hi to the lovely and better half..mrs wes!)

 

i am sorry but i was a late bloomer and didnt start my addiction until 1992.

The only thing i truly miss is the amazing food that once was. Especially after our december connie cruise...standard to below standard fare/cheaper cuts of meat. I can only hope it has improved for my march 11 cruise!

 

I also have noticed that since the popularity of this all-inclusive type vacation..people dress any way they want. A lot want a very relaxed vacation and dressing up doesnt seem to fit into their plans. I see 1 day a ship that will be totally relaxed..no dress-up nights/eat when and where you want/all night casino and bar/all-inclusive alcohol/etc etc.

Everything changes...sometimes for better, sometimes not but they need to try attract a new generation of people

 

take care

hugs,

*sweet*

[4 cruisers]

Royal Viking Line for us in the late 70's. Magical to us!

 

Much more formal. Food very beautifully served, but very Scandinavian in stlye (much better now, actulally).

 

You got to know the service staff because most cruises were 12 days or more and the smaller ship allowed you to get to know more passengers too (we're cruising with a family in June who we met on our 1978 cruise).

 

QEII in 1982. Also very formal compared to more current cruises...which is fine, actually. Still prefer all our cruises in the 90's and 2000's to that one.

[newmexicoNita]

Of course I can remember and I am sure DH and DD and SIL can as well. Our first cruise was in the mid 80s on now defunk Commodore lines. The ship held 999 passengers, cabins a joke and the entertainment was provided by the crew plus lots of audience participation. We had the costume party, broom dancing, our CD has a lovely voice and sang each night. The pre port talks offered all kinds of freebies, not just a 10% off at some shop if you spend a $1000. We choose the ship as it was the only one offering a discount for airline employees and their families that week. It was mid March. Well we didn't have the atruims we have now, the ship didn't have dining room choices and the pool was nothing but a big hole in the cement, a real joke. But the food and service were 1000 times better than today. As for price, actually taking inflation into consideration the price was probably a little higher than a similar sailing would be now. The only thing that was less and some one did mention this: port charges; 3 ports and I want to say they were $29.00, that included all taxes.

 

Todays ships offer lots of excitemnt and I still love cruising, I love the production shows, the alternative dining and the nicely decorated cabins, but there is still something missing: maybe it is just lots of repetition. After you do something so many times it loses some of it's glow. NMNita ps I would never stop cruising.

[Ma Bell]

We took our first cruise in 1974. Of course everything always seems better in retrospect. It was wonderful, but then I didn't have the experience I have now. I always tell myself that when I start saying everything in the past was better it would mean that I'm an old codger.

 

The truth is that some things were probably better and some worse. Even now some cruises are better than others, but they're all at least good. I'm not the type that goes around trying to find fault so I always enjoy myself.:)

[newmexicoNita]

We took our first cruise in 1974. Of course everything always seems better in retrospect. It was wonderful, but then I didn't have the experience I have now. I always tell myself that when I start saying everything in the past was better it would mean that I'm an old codger.

 

The truth is that some things were probably better and some worse. Even now some cruises are better than others, but they're all at least good. I'm not the type that goes around trying to find fault so I always enjoy myself.:)

maBell, does your name have anything to do with telephones? of course it does. You are so right, like everything times change, some things for the better, some not. I was talking to one of my daughters the other day about this as she was almost wishing she lived in the 50s when when our lives were slower and a little simpler, especially being a teen ager at that time. Anyway I was telling her, yes, we had fun doing nothing, we went away to college and lived on nothing and we did what was expected of us growing up: the good about today: technology, think of all our friends we meet via the net: think about the advancement in science that now allows us to live relatively healthy and active lives into our 80s plus. Our grandparents may have lived a long time but not the active life we live: airplanes help us go almost anywhere our finances can take us. Of course we could go on and on. There are wonderful memories of the past and great hopes for the future. I will say, for me those hopes do not consist of a ship that carries 5000 passengers. LOL

[Ma Bell]

Hi Nita,

 

Actually my name is because I have four children and seven grandchildren and my last name is Bell. My mother-in-law did work with the phone company for 35 years, so she could have used the name too.

 

When the kids were young everyone always hung out at our house because I had a job where I could get home before the kids did. My children's friends always thought of me as their second mother and we had lots of fun together so I kind of became everyone's mother. I'll never forget one Mothers Day when they were in college I got 12 Mothers Day cards. I was honored that they thought of me that way.:)

 

I think I will probably skip the 5000 passenger ships too.

[cruisinjudy]

My first cruise was in 1986 on American Hawaii then in 1987 on RCCL Song of Norway and 1988 Sovereign of the Seas, which was the largest cruise ship at the time or at least one of the largest. What I remember is that the cruises seemed quite expensive. Also food was not nearly as available as it is now. Breakfast and lunch were assigned times and seating. American Hawaii Independence was a much smaller ship than most of those sailing today. Entertainment at night on the smaller ships was by the same staff that ran any daytime games and activities and by the CD. I was impressed by the food, but don't really know how it compares to now as that was quite a while ago. Sovereign of the Seas had the first vegas style shows that i saw on cruise ships. I was not impressed. I remember costumes having cutouts in the back to reveal cheeks!

[cruisinjudy]

I forgot to add, they also used to hand out streamers to toss into the water as the ship sailed from port. I am not sure when that stopped.

[donnaw]

My first cruise was in 1986 on American Hawaii then in 1987 on RCCL Song of Norway and 1988 Sovereign of the Seas, which was the largest cruise ship at the time or at least one of the largest. What I remember is that the cruises seemed quite expensive. Also food was not nearly as available as it is now. Breakfast and lunch were assigned times and seating. American Hawaii Independence was a much smaller ship than most of those sailing today. Entertainment at night on the smaller ships was by the same staff that ran any daytime games and activities and by the CD. I was impressed by the food, but don't really know how it compares to now as that was quite a while ago. Sovereign of the Seas had the first vegas style shows that i saw on cruise ships. I was not impressed. I remember costumes having cutouts in the back to reveal cheeks!

 

Judy, your post straightened out my dates for one very easy reason. We were stuck outside of San Juan with a barge run up on a sand bar when the Soviergn was trying to make it out of San Juan on it's first full voyage! I remember looking at it and announcing that I would never go on anything that big! I was shocked when we got on the ship in '99 and it was open seating at breakfast and lunch but I had actually forgotten about that too. Yikes, dates straightened out and we have been doing this for more than 20 years!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

When we started cruising...1971...there were no other ships when you pulled into an island. St. Thomas was a sleepy little village...I remember them opening up the stores when our little ship. the AMERIKANIS, showed up on a Sunday...everything was closed.

 

The ships have gotten better but the quality has not. In the early 70s we did not know anyone else who liked to cruise...they would just look at you with a blank stare when you mentioned cruising.

 

Back then: Everything onboard was a special event. The ships were all one nationality...British, French, German, Italian etc. There was no mass market concept. Every night was New Year's Eve. Drinks flowed like water...you actually bought rounds for each other during the evening. You stayed up until 2 or 3 or until the sun came up again. The crews were real professionals...many of whom had served for decades. You took almost every meal in the dining room...no food courts...buffets were the exception. You only saw a buffet on deck if the weather was good. The menus were very long. Lunch was as good as dinner. Caviar was served on an ice block that was brought to your table...and you always ordered 1 or 2 bottles of Champagne to go with it. The wine lists were incredible...because complimentary table wine was served with the meal. The prices for drinks and wine were very reasonable. Port taxes were less than $10.00 and you only had to tip those who had served you directly. The tips were about $1.00 or $1.50 per day for your dining room waiter and his assistant. The bar waiters were tipped by you only when they served you a drink (you payed cash for the drinks) and the service was fantastic all around and at every level. You could ask for just about anything in the dining room and you usually got it. The menus were so extensive and full of real nice dishes that you never see anymore. The men would usually stay at the table and have port and cheese after dinner while the women went to refresh themselves. Many times you would not leave the dining table until 10:30 or 11:00 PM. Room service was a serious business. You only had to let your cabin steward know what you wanted and you got it. There were no chair hogs...you rented your chair for the duration of the cruise and it had your name on it...if anyone sat in it the deck steward would come and ceremoniously kick them out in front of everyone...so it seldom happened. Service on deck was extraordinary...you never had to leave your deck chair. The deck stewards would look after you like mother hens. There was a lot of music and dancing in the evening. The nightclub would run until dawn. Young women really got to meet young men and shipboard romances were everywhere.

 

The ships have changed and gotten bigger and better with many more things to entertain the passengers...but..."in the old days" there were less "things" and you got to meet other passengers and have a great time socializing.

 

ROSS

[npb]

Our first cruise was on NCL's Skyward in 1967. We thought it was huge. Several years ago we saw this ship in Miami and it looked like a personal yacht.

 

We didn't cruise again until the 80"s on the Song of NOrway. The cruise director and his wife were the entertainment. We still remember that to get from one place to another you had to go "up, over and down".

Karen