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

[newmexicoNita]

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.

Well that makes sense; All this time I assumed you were either employed by the phone company or retired from the same. See what asuming can do to you? Our house was always the hang out as well and a couple of my middle aged daughters friends still think of me as "their other mother" but you had 1 more than me and you have 2 more grandkids. NMnita

[flashdog_1]

I lived in St Thomas from 1965 to 1972. it was a rare day that we did not have more than one ship in port. Usually it was 5 to 7 a day, plus navy ships. I'm glad that those of you who cruised there in the 70's had the "we're the only ship" experience, but just know that it was unusual!

 

I was a teacher there and moonlighted in one of the shops (Place Vendome on Main St) because the school was on a split shift. (My wage was $4 an hour which was more than the full time people made!) They would ask for volunteers to open the shop for the hours that the ships would be in on a Sunday when we were normally closed.

[wander]

Twenty years ago I was able to enjoy closing the most lively bar on the ship night after night.

 

My first cruise as an adult was 43 years ago and all I cared about was hanging out with other young people my age. Still have pictures of the "gang". Never worried about anything else on the ship, just where the young adult action was. This trip was really a way to have fun while getting across the Pacific and ships in those days were very different.

[scapel]

I think I miss the smaller ships. The bigger ones are newer and ride better in 15 foot seas. I used to soar with the Eagle during the day and hoot with the Owl at night, but can't do it anymore.

Cruise History below.

Legend of Seas Nov 5, 2005 Western Carribbean

Constellation Sept. 2004 Transantlantic

Infinity Feb. 2004 South America Valparaiso-B.A

Holiday (Carnival) New Orleans to Cozumel (won it)

Infinity July 2003 Alaskan Cruise

Horizon (Celebrity) Feb 2003 Costa Maya etc

Constellation July 2002 Norway Fjords

Summit Oct 2001 Carribbean

Millennium July 2000 Baltic Sea (Milli’s second cruise)

Paradise (Carnival) Oct 1999 Caribbean

Renaissance (R-4) Jan 1999 Barcelona to Lisbon

Sun Viking (RCI) Nov. 1997 Orient

Splendour of Seas (RCI)July 1997 Norway Fjords

Nile River Cruise Oct 1996

Royal Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line)(Old Royal Viking Sea) 1995 Panama Canal

Monarch of Seas (RCI) 1995 Carribbean

Crown Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line) 1991 Rio de Janeiro

Salvador Bahia, Montevideo

Carnivale (Carnival) 1990 Bahamas

Old Royal Odyssey (Royal Cruise Line)1988 Med Cruise

Fairsky 1987 Caribbean

Nantucket Clipper 1985 Boston Area

Mississippi Queen (Delta Steamship)

Stella Solaris (Sun Line)1984 Aegean Sea Israel and Egypt

Sagafjord (NAC)1983 Alaska

Vistafjord (NAC)1979 Caribbean

Stella Oceanus (Sun Line) 1979 Greek Isles

SS Veracruz 1978 Gulf of Mexico

Mermoz (P&O)1977 Med Cruise

Stella Oceanus (Sun Line)1975 South America Incl. Rio

[cruisinjudy]

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!

Glad to be of service. Wasn't that amazing how big we thought the Sovereign was at the time. I remember it being at the pier in Florida with another ship and it was about twice as big!

[FISHHOOK1]

We took our first cruise in 1986 on Premier's Big Red Boat out of Cape Canaveral. It was a four day cruise along with 3 days at Disneyworld. It was our 25th wedding anniversary and we knew the minute we stepped aboard that we were hooked on cruising. We laugh now about the size of our cabin. It had one small porthole and barely room enough to turn around. Getting dressed for formal night was a challenge. The couple across the hall was on their honeymoon and had a cabin with bunk beds. They had to stand in the hallway to take a picture of their room. But the service was great in the dining room and everywhere we went. The passenger list was small and the Captain actually shook everyone's hand and posed for pictures before the Captain's reception. We ended up on the same ship twice more under different company names. We have moved on to bigger and better ships through the years but if it weren't for that little boat, we would never have known what a wonderful vacation cruising can be. The newer ships have wonderful amenities, more space and certainly ride the waves better and I'm sure now that "Big" Red Boat would look mighty small. (Actually it sank in a storm a few years ago while going into drydock) Any cruise on any ship is a great cruise as long as you look for the good things. We hope we can continue to do just that for many more years.

[donnaw]

We took our first cruise in 1986 on Premier's Big Red Boat out of Cape Canaveral. It was a four day cruise along with 3 days at Disneyworld. It was our 25th wedding anniversary and we knew the minute we stepped aboard that we were hooked on cruising. We laugh now about the size of our cabin. It had one small porthole and barely room enough to turn around. Getting dressed for formal night was a challenge. The couple across the hall was on their honeymoon and had a cabin with bunk beds. They had to stand in the hallway to take a picture of their room. But the service was great in the dining room and everywhere we went. The passenger list was small and the Captain actually shook everyone's hand and posed for pictures before the Captain's reception. We ended up on the same ship twice more under different company names. We have moved on to bigger and better ships through the years but if it weren't for that little boat, we would never have known what a wonderful vacation cruising can be. The newer ships have wonderful amenities, more space and certainly ride the waves better and I'm sure now that "Big" Red Boat would look mighty small. (Actually it sank in a storm a few years ago while going into drydock) Any cruise on any ship is a great cruise as long as you look for the good things. We hope we can continue to do just that for many more years.

 

I had to laugh when I read your post! Now stick two teenage girls in that cabin because that is what we did in November of '05. I came back to pick up something at dinner to find 14 teenagers in that cabin. They all had to move into the hall so I could find my purse. DH didn't think he could handle a cruise so booked 3 days cruise with 4 days at Disney. He definitely protested the loudest when we got off the ship. We have never had that degree of service again and I really can not imagine what it would cost to find it now!

[TEXASMUNK]

Then: Price in the catalog, price you paid

Now: Price in the catalog, are you kidding?

 

Then: People adhered to the dress code

Now: "It is my #$%@ vacation, I will wear what I want"

 

Then: Crew leaned heavily towards Caribbean nationals

Now: Crew heavily Eastern European and Asian

 

Then: Small ships

Now: Ships so big they are3 petitioning the UN for membership

 

Then: Shoes outside your cabin door at night, they came back polished

Now: Shoes outside your cabin door, stolen

 

Then: Cruise Director met passengers

Now: Cruise Director is in a meeting

 

Then: Ship put out a directory of who was on board

Now: Privacy Rights

 

Then: The boss could not find you

Now: E-Mail, cell phone and coming soon..

 

Then: You paid for your drinks and tipped at your discretion

Now: Scan card, tip auto added

 

Then: My once favorite cruise line led in innovation

Now: I spend my money on other cruise lines

Not all changes are bad, not all good, just the natural dynamics of the changing marketplace.

[tom_uk]

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

 

Some of those old ships keep coming back.... Fred Olsen's new ship 'Boudicca' sailed into Dover Harbour this morning, prior to her first cruise for Fred Olsen which starts on Saturday. Boudicca is, of course, the former Royal Viking Sky. She's just been fully refitted, re-engined, and joins her former sister Royal Viking Star, now sailing as Olsen's 'Black Watch'.

 

They're not big, they're not glitzy, but in their own way they're high quality classic ships, and Fred Olsen has gained a big following in the UK cruise market.

[Sky Sweet]

During the seventies, a cruise was usually considerably more expensive than a comparable land based vacation, but today the opposite is true. That is probably why most cruise lines can no longer afford to provide the same experience that they did years ago. Yet, how many of us would be willing to pay more so they can?

[wieslaw]

 

Then: Shoes outside your cabin door at night, they came back polished

Now: Shoes outside your cabin door, stolen

 

 

 

Hi Jim,

 

Now I know, why some people bring eight pairs of shoes on a 7 night cruise..........seven get stolen and the last one is used to get back home.

 

Wes

[canderson]

Our first cruise was on NCL's Skyward in 1967.

The Skyward's maiden voyage was 1969. Sure it wasn't their first ship, the Sunward?

 

You're still way ahead of us, though. Our first cruise was on the Seaward in '89 when it was just a year old.

[Texed]

20 years ago I couldn't afford to cruise. If they had been selling cruises for a $1.00, all I could have done is run up the pier saying "Ain't that cheap?" :rolleyes:

[DeepWaterMariner]

My first cruise was in 1968. Back in those days most of the old transatlantic lines were struggling to stay in business and I felt I was lucky getting to experience a cruise before they were all gone. Boy was I wrong!

 

What was different:

Ships of all one nationality. My first cruise was on a Greek registered ship and it had an all Greek crew. The next one was registered in West Germany and the crew was all German. Some of these guys (there were no female crew except for the entertainers) had worked for the same line for their entire career. I had room stewards that were in their 40's and 50's. These guys were real pros.

 

Menus were far more extensive and had a flavor consistent with the ships registry...expect lots of Greek dishes on a Greek ship and so on. All meals were in the dinning room. Veggies were brought around separately where you choose from a variety on the silver tray.

 

Dress was much more formal back then, just as it was on shore. You boarded a ship wearing a coat and tie and it was coat and tie every night. Dress was casual during the day.

 

If you sailed from New York there were always bon voyage parties in progress with most of the people attending being non-passengers who stayed onboard until PA announcement told them to go ashore. Anyone could board a ship during embarkation by paying 50 cents to the seamans fund.

 

No casinos. In fact, I remember signs posted in the card rooms saying "No Gambling". And the card rooms were huge. Some ships also had smoking rooms (always grossly under used on my cruises).

 

Entertainment was caberet style. No big production shows like today and there wasn't necessarily entertainment every night. Some evenings it was just music for dancing. I remember staying up until the wee hours of the morning every night trying to close down the late lounge but never managed to do it. There weren't showrooms either but show lounges with generally bad sight lines.

 

Cheap drinks. The bar was not necessarily a profit center back then. On the cruise I met my wife on (1969, a German ship) I was able to buy a glass of draft German beer and a drink for my future wife for less than a dollar.

 

The gym was usually located in some dark small room deep within the ship with rowing machines and stationary bikes. I never saw one used.

 

All ships had movie theaters, some quite grand like the ones on the old Rotterdam or the France.

 

This could go on forever. I loved cruising then and I still love it now even though it is a much different product, better in many ways but not as elegant or personal. Oh, btw I'm also one of those who was in St Thomas on the only ship in port that day.

[chrismch]

Our first cruise was somewhere between 10-15 yrs ago. I won the cruise as a bonus in my job. It was on the Azure Seas which was part of Admiral Cruises - now defunct. We were both excited about going on a cruise. It was a 3 day out of LA. However, it was only great while we were still in port. Once at sea, my DH was seasick all the time. It took me about 8 yrs to get him to try another ship. Since then we've been on 14 other cruises and rarely ever get sick. We do take bonine with us just in case. :p

[TEXASMUNK]

Ships never were concerned about Handicapped facilities. Every door way had a two inch lip doorways were too narrow and forget restroom facilities.

 

Cruise lines have all moved to accessible facilities. Although I am not handicapped, I am glad to see so many folks, young and old, able to cruise today because of this change.

[4 cruisers]

tom_uk, I am so happy to hear the information about the Sky and the Star!!!! Those are the two of the Royal Viking Line ships that we cruised on!!! The Star played a wonderful little sail-away song every time you left port. I'd love to "run into" either of those ships when we are in Europe in June. I'm checking itineraries to see if by chance we will be in any of the same ports.

 

I loved Jim's list and agree completely!

 

Handicap issue is truly an improvement! You never know which of us could be in that situation one day! Nice to know mobility limitations aren't going to be a problem.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I forgot about the accessiblity issues. The old ships were certainly a nightmare for the disabled. Fortunately we didn't have to worry about it back then but now we use a wheelchair for my wife. The new ships are not perfect but they are vastly improved in the accessibility department.

 

Also, a few of those old ships didn't have stabilizers when I began cruising. That made for a fun ride, particularly leaving from New York in the winter.

[caviargal]

What I liked better then:

 

- Smaller ships, more intimate

- More personal service

- Better food all the way around, lots of tableside preparations, refined service

- No art auctions, or gold by the inch

- No chair hogging

- People dressed for dinner and the experience was of fine dining in an elegant restaurant

- Most of staff was European and very well trained

- Real movie theaters

- fewer kids on board

- reasonable prices on wine and cocktails

- fewer ships in port

- no tendering

- no lines

 

What I like better now:

 

- Verandahs

- Big fitness centers

[DeepWaterMariner]

I guess that "no tendering" depended on where you sailed. There was plenty of tendering as I recall. My first cruise in 1968 even tendered into Nassau and Freeport. What I do remember was that tendering was faster than it is today because there were considerably fewer passengers to get ashore.

 

I also don't remember that much table preparations. They may have had more flambe type desserts or a special dish but obviously the huge dinning rooms make that a bigger challenge.

 

Both embarkation and debarkation are generally faster today, in many cases considerably faster.

 

How could I forget no art auctions.

[Shari2]

My first cruise was on the "Carnivale" back in 1979. I went with my parents and one other couple. I had a "single" inside cabin close to my folks. The cabin was around the size of a large walk-in closet. Very claustrophobic, but I wasn't in there except to shower and sleep.

 

There weren't any specialty restaurants or morning or afternoon buffets. If you missed the regular dining times in the dining room during the day, you were out-of-luck. They did have a huge midnight buffet every night and also a 1:30 AM buffet. The food was great!

 

The drinks were very inexpensive, and you tipped as you were served, it wasn't taken out on the bill. Everything was more "all-inclusive" back then.

 

The "Captain's Welcoming Party" was much more intimate. You actually got to shake the Captain's hand, and you had plenty of caviar and champagne and other hors d' oeuvres at no extra charge.

 

The ports were very uncrowded in those days. Your ship was usually the only one in port, and the ports were less comercialized (if that's the right word).

 

The entertainment was usually done by the cruise director and his crew. I do have to say that most of them were very talented. Some were great singers. There was a lot more audience participation. I was invited up onto the stage to be a heroine in a skit. They shot me at the end, and I had to fall down on the stage! Yikes! :D They also made a big evening of the costume party. A lot more prizes were handed out then.

 

You needed to go to a separate room for using your curling iron or hair dryer since the electricity was not wired for them.

 

There was much more interaction with the officers and the people. The officers were always seen in the disco dancing with the single ladies. I was single then.

 

When I shook the Captain's hand he spoke to me in Italian. My cruise director said that he told me "that he had such beautiful ladies" on this cruise. (I was much younger on this cruise. LOL). I'm sure he said that to all the ladies. :D

 

 

We didn't have cards to open the rooms then. I believe we had keys back then.

 

Pretty much anyone was able to take a tour of the bridge back then, and also, if another ship did happen to be in port with you...you often were able to tour the ship.

 

The ships were much smaller in those days, so it was much more intimate; the "Carnivale" was around 29,000 GRT. I believe she was a TSS;Turbine Steamship.

 

While there are things that I miss from back then, I really do enjoy the extras that are offered on today's ships. I rarely make it to breakfast, so it's nice to have the buffets and the waffle stations and such. I like the extra options for eating, although, I still like "traditional" dining for evening. I enjoy the big production shows they have today, and many other things.

[crzrr]

First cruise, 82... Carnival back when I think they only had 3 ships. We didn't really know people who cruised... just sounded exciting. I'd forgotten that the shows were more like talent shows, but we did enjoy them. The cabins were really small - I remember that - had to go out in hall to change you mind. Lot's more activities throughout the day, though I know I could find lines that would still do those things if they interested me.

 

Loved it then... love it now... best thing now is we can do more of it!