Our first cruise ....Celebrity Horizon 2005......., .Why did you go on your first cruise ?

[markeb]

Have to jump in on this one!

 

My wife had cruised with her family long before we met, and went on a Hawaiian cruise with her mother (already planned) right after we were engaged. But as a couple, our first cruise was Venice to the Greek Islands and Kusadasi (Ephesus) in 1993 while stationed in Germany. It was an overnight bus trip to Venice, and then boarding a ship built in 1952 and refitted (more or less) over the years into a cruise ship (more or less). Pre-internet days, we wanted to do something different, a cruise sounded fun, and the itinerary was nice. The ship was something of a dump, but it could actually go through the Corinth Canal, which was fascinating! We actually had a great time, but it was a world away from a modern cruise ship!

 

Bizarre fact of the day: There was almost no security anywhere on the cruise, except for Athens. Among other things, the next berth over was the Achille Lauro...

 

Just for fun: http://www.cruiseshipodyssey.com/ferdinand-de-lesseps-la-palma-1952/

 

(Next cruise for both of us was 2004 on the Oosterdam. A whole new world...)

[tonyd285]

it wasn't our first cruise but we were on the Horizon in the mid-80's.  Cruise to Bermuda.  Lovely time and great ship.  First cruise was on the Carla Costa, probably in the mid 70's.  The ship was ancient but well cared for.  Lovely Italian staff and great food.

[mfs2k]

22 minutes ago, markeb said:

Bizarre fact of the day: There was almost no security anywhere on the cruise, except for Athens. Among other things, the next berth over was the Achille Lauro...

On my first cruise on Carnival’s Tropicale in 1986, one of the activities was skeet shooting off the stern of the ship. They handed us rifles with live ammunition. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

4 hours ago, Denny01 said:

So you don’t count it as a cruise….and your DH says you can’t count it as ‘sea duty’?!?!? It’s one or the other!! My MATS was in 1957 from San Francisco to Guam. I was 11 and I still remember it. the staff walking through the ship binging on a chime to announce dinner…..wow. I think it was a Fantastic Cruise!

 

Den

I was a kid going to Puerto Rico on my first MATS cruise--thought it was awesome.  Also took one to Germany and one in the Med.  They were all great.  Loved the guy playing the chimes to call us to dinner!  Enjoyed dancing and endless games of Canasta.

 

Could be MSTS--Military Sea Transportation Service?  Lost in the mists of time.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[mahdnc]

On 3/25/2022 at 11:51 AM, runningtide said:

My late wife Sharon, back in 2005, asked me what we could do for her mothers 90th birthday. We went over various options, until Sharon mentioned her mom always wanted to see Bermuda. Up to this point, her Mom had never traveled, been on a plane, boat, or train. My wife's family were farmers in Maryland. Her mom and dad used the honeymoon money they saved,  to build their small farm house, and gave up their dream of seeing Bermuda. Now years later and a healthy and active widow about to turn 90, you can understand why we wanted something special for this wonderful woman.

I want to point out that my family are avid sailors in Annapolis, and none of us had every been on a "cruise". We spend vacations and days off sailing mostly on the Chesapeake Bay. While talking to a TA about Bermuda, she suggested doing a cruise from Hampton Roads VA on Celebrity Horizon, instead of flying there. I gotta admit, it sounded so convenient for my mother-in-law, not having to deal with hotels, cabs, airports, etc. My wife and I agreed, and booked the trip. I will admit, though I had over 25 years of sailing under my belt, I knew nothing about cruise ships. Like most, my only experience was watching the TV show.., The Love Boat.  I figured cruising was very lame and boring, and they would have to drag me kicking and screaming to get on a cruise ship.  But to accommodate my wife's mom on her special birthday, we figured....what the hell. 

Along with my youngest son, we left Virginia on Horizon for Bermuda in the summer of 2005. I'll not turn this into a cruise review, but in short, all of us were amazed at how much we enjoyed the ship, the crew, and all the personalized service and activities. It was nothing like what we expected. My mother-in-law was over the moon about cruising, along with getting to spend three days in St George and Hamilton while having her ship waiting for us at the end of each day. 

This first trip became the beginning of many subsequent cruises that continue to this day. I still have that great anticipation before each tip, and owe so much to the first cruise on Celebrity Horizon.

Tell us why you went on your first cruise.

 

All the best.........See you on the next tack !

 

 

We actually sailed on Horizon during the same year as you, but in in March when she was doing the extended Caribbean sailings during the winter season before switching back to the Bermuda run that you were on.  

 

By the time we sailed on her, Celebrity did an experiment where they installed a balcony on stateroom #1074 which was the 5th cabin from the rear on Deck 10 on the starboard side.  Do you remember seeing it?  I imagine the occupants were pleasantly surprised since no other cabin or suite had a balcony!

 

I never got a good photo of it because most of the time Horizon was docked with her port side facing the pier.  Here is the best photo I have of the balcony located right above the red arrow.  

 

Horizon docked at Roatan, Honduras on Apr 1, 2005

 

[runningtide]

3 hours ago, markeb said:

Have to jump in on this one!

 

My wife had cruised with her family long before we met, and went on a Hawaiian cruise with her mother (already planned) right after we were engaged. But as a couple, our first cruise was Venice to the Greek Islands and Kusadasi (Ephesus) in 1993 while stationed in Germany. It was an overnight bus trip to Venice, and then boarding a ship built in 1952 and refitted (more or less) over the years into a cruise ship (more or less). Pre-internet days, we wanted to do something different, a cruise sounded fun, and the itinerary was nice. The ship was something of a dump, but it could actually go through the Corinth Canal, which was fascinating! We actually had a great time, but it was a world away from a modern cruise ship!

 

Bizarre fact of the day: There was almost no security anywhere on the cruise, except for Athens. Among other things, the next berth over was the Achille Lauro...

 

Just for fun: http://www.cruiseshipodyssey.com/ferdinand-de-lesseps-la-palma-1952/

 

(Next cruise for both of us was 2004 on the Oosterdam. A whole new world...)

Great link to the old girl. Really got a kick out of the interior layout. She looked good for her age and background. Sorry to see she, like so many other ships, wound up in a ship breaking yard. 

[runningtide]

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

We actually sailed on Horizon during the same year as you, but in in March when she was doing the extended Caribbean sailings during the winter season before switching back to the Bermuda run that you were on.  

 

By the time we sailed on her, Celebrity did an experiment where they installed a balcony on stateroom #1074 which was the 5th cabin from the rear on Deck 10 on the starboard side.  Do you remember seeing it?  I imagine the occupants were pleasantly surprised since no other cabin or suite had a balcony!

 

I never got a good photo of it because most of the time Horizon was docked with her port side facing the pier.  Here is the best photo I have of the balcony located right above the red arrow.  

 

Horizon docked at Roatan, Honduras on Apr 1, 2005

 

Wow…what a great comment. I don’t remember seeing the balcony, but being totally new at the time, I doubt I even knew what a balcony was. I was just so excited to have a window for both our cabins. There are a few videos on YouTube of Horizon and Bermuda cruise. I loved going thru the “cut” into St George, as we looked down at people looking up from their yards waving. I’ve also sailed thru the same channel after a Annapolis to Bermuda sailboat race back in 2000 I think.

[markeb]

34 minutes ago, runningtide said:

Great link to the old girl. Really got a kick out of the interior layout. She looked good for her age and background. Sorry to see she, like so many other ships, wound up in a ship breaking yard. 

 

There's a really cool picture in the link of the old school promenade on the old girl. There was a lot about her that was really dated, but we spent most evenings on that promenade with a cappuccino. That was just really fun and relaxing.

 

The shower, not so much...

[goldsmip115]

My first cruise was on the SS Norway in 1995. Now 43 cruises later I love the Penthouse Suites on Celebrity.  In 1997 we sailed in the  Norway Owners Suite which was the top suite on the forward facing newly added deck.  Here are some pictures of the Owners Suite back then:

[cl.klink]

In 2007 we were changing planes somewhere, coming home from a family trip, and waiting in line to get into an airport restaurant for a dinner. A couple in front of us were coming home from a cruise, had done dozens, and this one, they said, was the best ever.  It was a Panama Canal cruise.  Right then I decided I wanted to do that.  My wife tolerated my enthusiasm, and I began to plan.  We had never cruised, or even considered it.  The tiny staterooms and seemingly uninteresting features of a Love Boat view of what cruises were like was all I knew.

 

I never even looked back and it never occurred to me I wouldn't love it.   I researched it, looked at several cruise lines, several different options.  In the end settled on a 14 day cruise on Celebrity Infinity going from FL through the canal and repositioning to Valparaiso, Chile.  I remember that December 2008 embarkation day so well.  I remember a shuttle from the hotel taking us to the ship, everyone on the shuttle anticipating their cruise.  I remember the electric exciting feeling on that shuttle, as everyone was heading off to a cruise.  Someone on the shuttle said we were very brave to spend 14 days on a cruise before we even knew we would like a cruise.  It actually had not occurred to me before that comment -- my gosh, what if we don't like it?  I do get motion sickness easily and it didn't occur to me that it would be much of a problem (I had scopolamine patches read).   It helped that we were upgraded to a Royal Suite ( the last time we've ever been in one), so had that to look forward to.  But, really, in retrospect, we had no clue what we were getting into.

 

I remember the first glimpse of the ship.  I remember checking in and walking the terminal's maze to approach the ship.  I remember the last 100 feet or so as we walked toward the ship with the entry in view.  I remember crossing the threshold to be inside a cruise ship for the first time.  Standing there, glancing around from the viewpoint of that inner sanctum, having been on board for a total of 20 seconds, wearing a silly grin I could not suppress, I said to me wife, "I love cruising!"

 

Still feel that way.

 

The cruise was a first for us.  Everything cruise-specific we did on board was the first time we had done it -- the motion of the ship (I needed the patch one day, never have needed it again), the clever efficient use of space, the activities (art auction was a novelty) including the performances in the theatre, service in the MDR and the (then one) speciality restaurant, the sharing of tables and experiences with other passengers, the view of the ocean when the ship is out to sea and especially the mesmerizing view of the wake from the aft of the ship, the procedures going in and out of port, the feeling of going into a new port / country each day and then returning to your "home" on board.  Having a suite and a butler was a first, and, so far, a last -- we had not idea how good we had it at the time.  Seeing and learning about the canal was a life highlight.  Seeing South America was a first.  Being in the southern hemisphere was a first.  

 

Still the best cruise we've ever done, best we ever will, I suspect.  Special.

 

- Joel

[Denny01]

Yes, no matter how many cruises, I still get that same feeling pulling up and seeing the ship waiting for us. No matter what has been going on prior, I see the ship and it all goes away and I start getting excited and Ready!

 

Nothing like just seeing that clean, cut of ocean horizon.

 

den

[addie19]

My 1st cruise was the S.S. Norway in 2002 to the caribbean. It was cheap and my mom booked us on it. I was 24 years old and loved it! there were horse races (we carried around the horse all week!), the food was great, and the cabin I shared with my sister was so tiny that it had bunk beds! We had to tender at every port because the ship was too big. At the end when we were supposed to tip in lots of separate envelopes in cash, I was NOT prepared or aware that was to be done. So glad everything is included now or I can do it online! The Norway's boiler blew up not too many years later and was claimed by the ocean after a long time being beached.

[Alushar]

Newcomers compared to many on here our first cruise was in 2016.

 

My wife, having a fairly stressful job, liked our main holiday in all inclusive resorts lying by the pool for 2 weeks. The rest of the year we took lots of City breaks to appease my wanderlust. In 2015 we were in Egypt and I’d probably had too many mojitos as when she turned to me and said “isn’t this is great” I replied no “I’m bored”. I immediately recognised my mistake and tried to back track but it was no good. I was told I had to organise the next trip with no input from her. Panic ensued!

 

For a couple of months I tried and failed to get her to relent. Finally I started looking and I was stumped. I eventually found a trip in the back of a Sunday Newspaper 4 days in NY and a 7 day cruise to Bahamas on NCL Breakaway over her birthday.I suggest this and was told it was my choice so I booked it.

 

Once booked she said she’d been to NY lots and got seasick on ferries so it didn’t look good.

 

The trip to NY was great as we were together. Late one evening after a show we went to a pharmacist and asked what seasickness treatment he had. He said he had 3 I said ok he said which one and I bought all 3 they remained unopened. 
 

We loved the cruise even in an inside room on NCLand the addiction was born. Talking to people we knew we could find a line that suited us better and when back talked to my brother and sister in law who cruised a lot and the next summer we were on the Silhouette 14 nights to Canary Islands and Azores.

 

We've done 12 cruises so far mainly Celebrity a couple of Princess and one Virgin taster and have 8 more booked and any suggestion by me that we go to an all inclusive land resort I’m told to stop being silly! 

[dani negreanu]

We also came late to cruising, having done many land trips, with hubby driving and me navigating [and arguing with him 🙂].

 

I was quite fed up with "living off the trunk", and unpacking almost daily [beside booking hotels the 1st and the last night, hubby likes the "spontaneous" approach of deciding in the late afternoon... where we'll spend the night...  Lots of time wasted on finding on the last moment a suitable "abode".]

 

February 2010. Caribbean cruise from Miami. Hooked.

[MISTER 67]

After taking trips out to Las Vegas and quite a few road trips we wanted to try something different and we thought that it was time to try a cruise.

In December of 1982 we booked a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on Sitmar's Fairwind. It's still one of the best cruises we've had out of the 65 we now have and we were hooked. Sitmar was a great line with an all Italian crew and treated it's  passengers way beyond expectations. They had great food and service along with fine entertainment. They built the brand new Fairsky in 1984 and we cruised 3 more times on that ship before it became the Sky Princess in 1989 as Sitmar much to our dismay and consternation merged with Princess. We vowed never to sail on a Princess ship but finally broke down and sailed on the Caribbean Princess in 2006. We have now become a big fan of Princess along with Holland America and Celebrity and made it to Elite status.

Edited March 28, 2022 by MISTER 67

[ChiGal1962]

1969. SS Raffaello. New York to Naples. 

My extended family (including grandparents and aunt/uncle) were going to spend 6 weeks in Europe that summer. We took the Raffaello over and flew back home from London. 

I was 7. The swimming pool had salt water and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world! 

(Random related memory -- right before we left, the paper boy came to collect. Mom was 10 cents short. She looked at me and said "Remind me when we get home that I owe Val a dime." Six weeks later, literally as soon as we walked back in the house, I said "Mom, you owe Val a dime." She looked at me like I was an alien. What kind of 7 year old remembers that stuff!)

[Redtravel]

Home Line. Atlantic from NYC to Bermuda.  

[mac66]

My parent cruised a couple times in the mid 70's so when I got married in '79 they suggested a honeymoon cruise. We did a 5 day cruise on the NCL Sunward II to the Bahamas.  Didn't cruise again for 10 years (life got in the way) but after that we started cruising every 4-5 years then 2-3 years then when we retired every year now 2-3 year.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by mac66

[Von & John]

     

[Warmer Climes]

Our four kids were aged 18, 16,14 and 6 and I was tired of all the work involved in our previous annual ski trips over February break. I booked three cabins on the RCI Navigator in 2004. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew there were activities for all age groups. It was just a six night cruise but I was hooked. Imagine a vacation that didn’t involve me cooking, cleaning and looking for lost ski goggles! I think I had forgotten how to relax. My older daughter hated every about it and would never cruise again but the rest of the family was hooked. We cruised with our younger daughter every February (until she was 16 and sports got in the way) on NCL because she preferred their kids’ activities over RCI. Now that she is out of the nest we are booked on our second Equinox cruise. 

[RedneckBob]

First sailed many many years ago on Holland America. It was either the Ninadam, Pintodam or Santa Mariadam. 😀 Chris was a stuff Captain.

 

Actually, Carnival Festivale 1978. Highlife of cruise was mid nite buffet!

[CMDE]

Our first cruise was on Celebrity Century in 2005. We decided to go because my niece was working in the children’s area and we really wanted to see her. The ship was coming over from Europe, and Fort Lauderdale had been hit badly by Hurricane Wilma a few days before we were supposed to cruise - everything was touch and go. We knew very little about cruising but we loved it - we dined at a table of 10 with very nice people and my niece was able to dine with us several times, and she spent one day out with us at St. Maarten. I really was just doing it to see my niece but we fell in love with cruising. That was our first of 15! And more to come!

[Elvis1209]

Our first cruise was on Celebrity Zenith in 2001, compliments of my in-laws.  It was their anniversary.  Ever since then I've been hooked!  We have a picture of my wife and me with my father-in-law on the back deck at sail-away with the twin towers in the background.  Four months later they were gone! 

 

Elvis

Edited April 17, 2022 by Elvis1209

[Crazy planning mom]

Great thread.  My parents took my husband and I are on our first cruise on the Celebrity Century for my Dad's 55th birthday.  Unfortunately, my parents are both gone.  We have continued to cruise mostly on RCL and NCL since we had our son who is now in college.  We recently booked the Apex for 2024 but first have a sailing later this year out of Greece on NCL.

[Dancing Shoes]

On 4/5/2022 at 6:06 AM, RedneckBob said:

 

 

Actually, Carnival Festivale 1978. Highlife of cruise was mid nite buffet!

Oh, those mid-night buffets!  Carnival Mardi Gras 1983.  Western Caribbean.  First cruise with my husband.