You're Old If You Can Remember When.....

[POA1]

Poolside ice carving demos.

 

And we remember pretty much everything except skeet shooting. We still take our boarding documents and put them in the blue leatherette folder. It confuses people in the check in line.

[kirkc]

I was “Mr. Amsterdam” on one of our cruises.

[HamOp]

17 minutes ago, kirkc said:

I was “Mr. Amsterdam” on one of our cruises.

Did you get found out?

[Haljo1935]

16 hours ago, jules815 said:

I have pictures of my parents wearing Dutch hats on board a HAL ship in the 1980's. HAL was their favorite line. Raved about it in fact. Now my husband and I are newly retired and sailing on our first HAL ship next year. 

 

Awe - welcome to HAL!! Hope you'll share your thoughts & pics after - and that you enjoy sailing HAL for years to come.

[syesmar]

On 10/2/2023 at 7:50 AM, whogo said:

I am trying to forget the almost mandatory disembarkation meeting in the showroom with pleas for excellent ratings on the post cruise survey.

😁 Singing “Love in Any Language” at the end could get nostalgic. Fun times! I agree discontinuing the disembarkation talks is better now.

On 10/2/2023 at 7:48 AM, bluesplayer said:

The Baked Alaska parade with the dessert on flames.

I still have a paper Chef’s Hat from our first cruise that they gave all the MDR diners that night.

+ I remember the stewards having some sort of line and illustrated assembling food (was it a salad?) in an entertaining way. Maybe someone has an old video to share?

17 hours ago, saturn93 said:

I really liked the Lido Chocolate and Dessert Buffet around the pool area.

I always enjoyed the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza, too! Although it was often quite late in the evening, perhaps a different time would have been more feasible. It was quite the event!

Edited October 3, 2023 by syesmar

[syesmar]

14 hours ago, Btimmer said:

Then there were the open BBQ's around the LIDO pool.

Loved when they did the BBQs….what wonderful food we enjoyed especially at the Salmon Bakes in Alaska, the BBQs in Istanbul and Santorini, each with their own unique regional dishes and decor! Great memories!

[HamOp]

14 minutes ago, syesmar said:

😁 Singing “Love in Any Language” at the end could get nostalgic. Fun times! I agree discontinuing the disembarkation talks is better now.

I still have a paper Chef’s Hat from our first cruise that they gave all the MDR diners that night.

+ I remember the stewards having some sort of line and illustrated assembling food (was it a salad?) in an entertaining way. Maybe someone has an old video to share?

I always enjoyed the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza, too! Although it was often quite late in the evening, perhaps a different time would have been more feasible. It was quite the event!

For those who never hade the pleasure, it was something like this.

[Essiesmom]

I remember all of those things…I think on Princess we got stationary in regular cabins…Started on Home Lines back in 1972 when breakfast was open seating, but both lunch and dinner were fixed seatings.  No other place for food except late night pizza somewhere, and the maybe twice per cruise midnight buffet was tables of tastefully arranged cold cuts and salads on the promenade deck.  Everything was cash, no credit cards or running tabs.  EM

Edited October 3, 2023 by Essiesmom

[geocruiser]

12 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I remember all of those things…I think on Princess we got stationary in regular cabins…Started on Home Lines back in 1972 when breakfast was open seating, but both lunch and dinner were fixed seatings.  No other place for food except late night pizza somewhere, and the maybe twice per cruise midnight buffet was tables of tastefully arranged cold cuts and salads on the promenade deck.  Everything was cash, no credit cards or running tabs.  EM

Do you remember the buffets?  I loved Home Lines.  I sailed on Oceania many times.  What about horse racing, do you remember that?

[Heidi13]

30 minutes ago, geocruiser said:

Do you remember the buffets?  I loved Home Lines.  I sailed on Oceania many times.  What about horse racing, do you remember that?

 

We always had horse races, sometimes a couple per cruise.

 

Did HAL also have the Noon day's run lottery, where pax guessed how many miles the ship steamed since departure or the previous 24 hrs. If memory is correct it was a 50/50 lottery.

 

How about slot machines on the stairways. They used to generate a fortune on the P&O ships. Since the ships were all cash those days, pax always had money in their pockets.

[lcand1923]

4 hours ago, aliaschief said:

 ….. What I learned the most is that many of us really are old.😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

 

My knees tell me that each and every day!

[DFWGUYZ]

Skeet shooting off the stern...

[1ANGELCAT]

@Heidi13, Yes to the noontime lottery on the ships run. My girlfriends and I won it one time and celebrated it with some drinks. I think it was about $50, 

[Ken the cruiser]

I remember our first cruise with HAL on the Ryndam back in 2012 where the band sat on a mini set of bleachers on the back righthand side of the stage playing music during a production show. A memory I will always cherish and as one might imagine never experienced on any cruise since.🤣

[Silverspringcruiser]

I remember when bingo was free and the winners received prizes.

I remember when ships didn't have theaters and the evening entertainment was two dancers or a magician in one of the lounges.

[sciencewonk]

20 hours ago, cruzingnut said:

The one thing that has never changed?  The CREW!  They have always been the absolute best we've ever experienced.

 

Linda R.

 

Agreed.  100%!

[sciencewonk]

While we are celebrating the good old days, let's not forget that some of these changes (flaming Baked Alaska, open BBQs) were made after the Star Princess fire.  I am glad the cruise lines are responsive to passenger (and crew) safety concerns.

[aliaschief]

I remember and miss hands on cooking classes followed by a special lunch in Pinnacle Grill with the menu of what you learned to cook in class. Our first suite appreciation get together reception in 2007 on Volendam with unlimited caviar offered. 
The Piano Bar and Jimmy Maddox, Diane and Sir Stryker.

Pool side BBQ’s? When we take Azamara’s cruises they always have two Weber charcoal grills cooking up ribs, sausages, lamb chops etc.

Mussels and Poutine on Canadian cruises. Held around pool and other themed lunches.

Sterling beef display cart  in Pinnacle and flaming kabobs and Steak Diane.

I miss some of our first very interactive cruise directors from 70’s and early eighties.

Yum Yum man was probably a company waste of manpower but it was a wonderful sailing tradition.

Miss the variety of entertainment and utilization of the Main Stage and most of all my all time favorite Famous Flaming Spanish Coffee.

I could go on…

Edited October 3, 2023 by aliaschief

[Ready2go11]

My first cruise on the Maasdam way back included a ship’s Officer meet and greet the second night in the Neptune lounge. Have never seen that happen again. 

[USN59-79]

We remember most of these things except skeet shooting off the fan tail.  Our first HAL cruise was in 1996, an Alaska cruise on the old Noordam.  After our 42 day cruise on the Westerdam earlier this year, we decided to try something different.  Our next one is on Seabourn, 33 days Sydney to Taipei this February.

Ray

[ellieanne]

My first cruise was in 1998 and I have seen a lot of changes, some are nice, others not so much. And I think that is what most people feel, but not necessarily the same things.
I miss the YumYum Man, but not so much the bells for dinner. I miss the extra staff in the dining room; I think everything ran much smoother with more staff. I am sorry they went to the Any-Time dining in the Main Dining Room, as I think that was when service started to suffer. But on the other hand, I find the desserts better and the variety of choice on the menu much better -- especially for my vegetarian husband.
On my most recent cruise, I was disappointed to learn there was no option for a bar of soap in the cabin bathrooms. I can't use the provided gel, so I had to scramble to get soap at the first port stop. That's a cutback I miss at hotels too. Just give me an option for a bar soap, even if I have to ask for it!
I once got the personalized stationery when I was upgraded to what was then called a "Mini-Suite." I felt so fancy. I still have it.
I do miss the old Lifeboat Drill, but only because I believe the research that people remember what to do in an emergency better if they have actually practiced the procedure. And leaving it to the honor system that you actually watched the film in your cabin and just checked in at your Muster Station seems a bit sloppy and unsafe to me.
The only other thing I really miss from the earlier cruises is the toppings bar at the ice cream station in the lido. There used to be bottles of liqueurs and all kinds of toppings for the ice cream. It was so indulgent and nice.

[RuthC]

I had forgotten about the skeet shooting until it was posted here, but I do remember it now. 

We also had heavy stock paper boarding passes, and paid up in cash the last morning of the cruise. 

I also remember large plastic bags of trash and garbage being tossed over the stern. From a public deck! 

[DAllenTCY]

Streamers 

 

[CurlerRob]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We always had horse races, sometimes a couple per cruise.

 

Did HAL also have the Noon day's run lottery, where pax guessed how many miles the ship steamed since departure or the previous 24 hrs. If memory is correct it was a 50/50 lottery.

 

How about slot machines on the stairways. They used to generate a fortune on the P&O ships. Since the ships were all cash those days, pax always had money in their pockets.

 

Never saw a run lottery Andy - great idea, but unfortunately it would fall victim to smartphones and geolocation now!

 

Nor slots outside the casino - geez, sounds like Vegas washrooms! 🍺🥌

[Heidi13]

1 minute ago, CurlerRob said:

 

Never saw a run lottery Andy - great idea, but unfortunately it would fall victim to smartphones and geolocation now!

 

Nor slots outside the casino - geez, sounds like Vegas washrooms! 🍺🥌

 

Rob - last time I recall seeing the Noon lottery was back in the 80's. Back in those days, I don't recall a casino on any of the P&O ships.