SS Veracruz

[cruising lady]

Glad to see so many have fond memories of the Veracurz I enjoy checking back to see who has posted.My first cruise was on the Veracurz and whenever we cruise now I think about how small she was but what a great time we had. We always get a balcony now and I wonder how we survived in her tiny inside cabin but like someone before said we were younger then and the tight space didn't matter then. I am taking my grandchildren on the Liberty in Aug and I hope in years to come they can look back with fond memories of this cruise, the only thing is they won't be saying how small the ship was. I can't image the ships getting much bigger.

[SliderNc]

I sailed on the Veracruz from Montreal to NYC B2B with the Bermuda Star the next week to Bermuda. That ship was so small. It was my 4th cruise I think. I had made friends with one of the cabin stewards and hung out with the crew. That was also my first bought with rough seas when we entered the bay above Nova Scotia from the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 

My dw (never cruised before) and I (15 under my belt) will be sailing in December on the Carnival Legendy for our anniversary. It will be my first time on a ship above 50000 tons (last ship as the Homeric, now the CostaEuropa). My godfather was the head chef on that ship until Home Lines went belly up, then moved to Princess for 12 years before retiring.

 

Those were the days...

[saxman1030]

As a youngster of 19, I was aboard the Veracruz for about two short weeks as a musician in 1976. We were employed in the casino area of the ship, and played intermittently between another latin group with an old piano player. Unfortunately, due to the improper and immature behavior of one of our fellow musicians, we got kicked off rather quickly. But I seem to remember a young lady named Carol that worked on the ship...not the purser, but in the office for sure. We communicated once or twice by letter, and then lost touch. Our lead singer, Penny, stayed on for a while after the boys were let off...I wonder if any one out there remembers me...Carol, are you our there?

[Wine Steward]

I worked as a Wine Steward on the Veracruz in 1976-1977. We had some terrific times on the ship. The smallest cruise ship of the day I would bet. We sure could make some speed though. I think we could make 22 knots. Fast!!!! We had a bow thruster (not common at the time) we could turn on a dime. The parties we had back aft....whew!! I have stories you would not believe....they would make the TV show the love boat look like a disney cartoon.

[Wine Steward]

I'm Carol's brother Mike....who are you?

[Wine Steward]

No Way!!! this can't be....do you know the radio officer Ramo from Ireland?

[judyzoo]

One of our very first cruises was on the Veracruz, in 1983, out of Tampa. Tiny ship, tiny cabin (I recall that sometimes I had to stand on the bed in order to have enough space to get dressed), but a great cruise! One of the best aspects was that we had a sea and land package -- we sailed to the Yucatan, disembarked for a week-long land tour of the Yucatan with one other couple and a Mexican guide in his car, then reboarded when the ship came back the next week from Tampa again. DH insists that the ship held our cabin empty for our return trip, but I'm not so sure that we didn't just have a different cabin on the way back. Either way, it was certainly different from the current cruise experiences and gave us some wonderful memories.

[Panda3]

This was the very first cruise I took with my parents in 1982 when I was 12. I can't remember if it was out of Canaveral or Miami but one of the ports was Freeport, Bahamas. I'm glad I just found this website it brought back really fond memories. I think I was the only child/young teen on board. I remember the ship seemed huge to me at the time. The cabins were so tiny. They movie they had one night was "On Golden Pond" I remember winning some $$ at Bingo. Now I'm getting ready to take a cruise on RCCL Freedom of the Seas, wow has cruising really changed! Thanks for posting this for helping me to remember good memories as my parents are both deceased now.

Warmest Regards,

[slycougar]

My first cruise was also on the Veracruz somewhere around 1984. We were lucky enough to be on the relocation cruise from Tampa. Two weeks of sun and fun. Everybody is certainly right about the cabins, though. We used to take turns dressing so there would be enough room. It really was a special ship--very personal service. I'm taking a cruise on Liberty of the Seas in June and wonder how it will compare. More perks, but so many more people.

[cudder]

My wife and I booked our first cruise on the Vera Cruz in 1978 it was thru Strand Cruises out of Toronto they advertised it as go bananas as they had a Vacation resort in Montego Bay in which you had a choice of a 1 week cruise and 1 week at the resort we opted for a 2 week nostalgic cruise thru the Caribean featuring the Peter Duchin orchestra and Helen Forest and There was a blind famous jazz pianist whos name escapes me, we had a blast I think we were the youngest couple on board at that time, it was just at the end of the hurricane season and it pretty rough a couple of days in fact one night the dining room was almost empty, I remember the main dance floor had large support poles and when the shiplisted you had to grab a pole. My pet name for it was the African Queen.

[buddyboy_4]

Our first two cruises were aboard the old Veracruz, the first in 1980 around the Caribbean, and the second a few years later. The ship was small beyond belief and everything about it was fabulous, almost beyond belief. I now measure all present day cruises against that ship and, as good as some are, none measure up to the Veracruz. The food, the service, the entertainment, the value, all great. I have some photos of the ship, but I particularly treasure a full set of menus from the seven day cruise we took aboard. Ah, those were the days.

[Wine Steward]

The VeraCruz was a great time for me. I worked on board as a wine steward for about a year. 1976-1977 anyone out there remember those days post a reply it would be cool to chat.

The ship went all over the Caribbean during that time. 11 ports 14 days. Whew! busy for the folks working on the boat.

The parties back aft were the best!:D

[InvestiGator]

This link has several photos of a 1987 cruise on the Veracruz. Page 5 has some deck plans and other documents.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/563002557NjOoFR

[luckycruzer]

we booked on a Wed, and sailed Fri..$250,7 days.. we each had our own cabin..no single supp!..A TA..had dumped all its res'..and cabins were up for grabs, just to fill the ship.. A great beginning to a 9 year relationship, from that cruise;) .

[judyzoo]

My wife and I booked our first cruise on the Vera Cruz in 1978 it was thru Strand Cruises out of Toronto they advertised it as go bananas as they had a Vacation resort in Montego Bay in which you had a choice of a 1 week cruise and 1 week at the resort we opted for a 2 week nostalgic cruise thru the Caribean featuring the Peter Duchin orchestra and Helen Forest and There was a blind famous jazz pianist whos name escapes me, we had a blast I think we were the youngest couple on board at that time, it was just at the end of the hurricane season and it pretty rough a couple of days in fact one night the dining room was almost empty, I remember the main dance floor had large support poles and when the shiplisted you had to grab a pole. My pet name for it was the African Queen.

 

I remember those poles, and I especially remember holding onto one during rough water while DH grabbed an elderly woman to keep her from falling.

[cudder]

The VeraCruz was a great time for me. I worked on board as a wine steward for about a year. 1976-1977 anyone out there remember those days post a reply it would be cool to chat.

The ship went all over the Caribbean during that time. 11 ports 14 days. Whew! busy for the folks working on the boat.

The parties back aft were the best!:D

Did you know a wine steward called Gordon Wallace he lived on Montego Bay?

[cruising lady]

I keep checking back and reading all the posts. Seems like alot of us present cruisers started out on the Veracruz and have great memories of her. I have been on Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas and many others and think back to how we managed in our small inside stateroom we now have a balcony all the time.

 

The crew we had was the best and seemed to do double duty at everything but always had a happy word for us and everyone seemed to know everyones name.

[photo 2]

It sounds like you are talking about a ship that was run by Bahama Cruise Lines for a while in 1976/77. They had 2 ships if I remember correctly, the Veracruise and the Caribe. The Caribe was somewhat of a ferry, with a large opening bay at the stern. I was ships photographer on the Veracruz and it was as ome have described. Very small, only 10,000 tons with very small cabins. I can tell 2 interesting stories.

 

First was the time a passenger allegedly went overboard e route to Nassau. She was supposedly some kind of spy and the authorities requested all of our photos during that cruise to identify her. We actually had a shot of her disembarking with what could be described as a disguise. We heard rumors later of a person being picked up at sea, in the middle of the night by an "undisclosed german freighter" and was resting in an "undisclosed south african port". We all got a good laugh over that one, but nobody ever really knew the truth. Second is when the city of Galveston, TX seized the ship in the harbour and then confiscated all of the gaming equipment dockside with a row of Ryder trucks lined up. That one has a lot more narrative to go with it I have been long winded enough.

 

If anyone remembers any of this or was there, I would love to hear more.

 

Photo 2

[DaveNoWhere]

My wife (then girlfriend) and I went on the "Cruise to Nowhere" with my Parents. My brother and I had to stay together and our girlfriends in the other room. It was probably about 88 or 89. Nothing but a non-stop party. No ports of call, just sail in and sail back. I think the cost per person was $99. I won $120 bucks in bingo!

 

Does anyone remember the entertainer "Arthur Boy Luna" and "Hodji"--sp? They performed in the tiny lounge at the front. They were great.

 

Also, Sean Meaney would throw a huge party on the back of the ship with all the entertainers. What a great time!

[wtorres]

I was the agent that handled the SS Veracruz in 1981 out of Tampa and handled the ship for 40 consecutive weeks. Captain Thorn was the captain of the ship during this time. He was German and very distinguished looking and ran a tight ship. I became friends with many of the crew and officers. The ship sailed out of Tampa and visited the ports of Key West, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel on a weekly basis. I had the opportunity to sail twice aboard the Veracruz and was bit by the cruise bug and have continued sailing. The company that handled the ship out of Tampa on Hooker Point was Eller and Company, which also handled Holland America Lines when it started in Tampa. It is amazing that the cruise industry that now exists in Tampa evolved from the tiny ship Veracruz.

[lubowiem]

This was our first cruise in April 4, 1987. It was a wedding gift from my sister and her husband. We had a great time. I think there were maybe 30 of us who were under the age of 60 on that sailing, and the joke was that whatever lounge you were in, if there was live music, at some time during the set, the band would play "You are my Sunshine".

 

2 Funny stories from this cruise:

 

This was at the time when you could still have people come on the ship to wish you a bon voyage. My sister had arranged with the ship to have a little party (Drinks, munchies, personal waiter) for all of us (there were about 12 of us) in the main lounge prior to sail away. Our wedding was the night before and we were one of 2 honeymoon couples on board.

 

The other couple was married that morning and arrived still in their wedding attire and got on the ship a little before us. When we got on, my sister asked to speak to the food and beverage manager and told them that we were here and that she was the one who had arranged the party for the honeymooners. They brought us to the lounge and my sister said "Who the hell are these people?" "They are the honeymoon couple" was the answer. My sister pointed us out and said "No, this is the couple I arrange the party for." He turned very red and said to wait just a minute.

 

He quickly got us set up in the other lounge and explained that when the other couple came on board with their group, they just assumed that they were "the honeymoon" group and were brought over there. He apologised profusely. They didn't charge my sister for the party and went out of their way to treat my wife and me like royalty for the remainder of the cruise. We were seated at the staff captain's table (not sure whether that was already set or due to the screw up) Got invited to the captain's table for the formal captain's dinner, had several complimentary bottles of champaign sent to the cabin and we got the best service ever all over the ship on any cruise we have since taken.

 

I asked later what they told the other couple? They said that they didn't tell them anything as it was their mistake and that they let the other couple think that it was just a nice thing that the ship did for them as honeymooners.

 

The second was a little incident at dinner. Since we were at the staff captain's table, when he joined us for dinner (I think it was 5 out of the 7 nights), he always ordered wine with dinner for the table, his treat. He would asked the table our preference for white or red. This was just after we had ordered dinner. The first couple of nights the consensus was white. Well on this particular night (after spending the afternoon on the Fiesta Party Boat) we had all ordered beef, so I spoke up and said "We all ordered the beef, how about red for a change". He said "very good". The wine steward gave me a look (not really a dirty look, but still) then made a big production of taking away the white wine glasses that he had just set out and bringing back red wine glasses. The next night the staff captain said to him (with a little grin) "How about we choose the wine before you set out the glasses just in case Marc wants red again".

 

Great memories of a great 1st cruise.

[chrystine]

I love ready these stories. My first cruises were on the Veracruz back in the late 80s as a teenager. Good memories!

[k9mama]

My "real" first crise was on the Veracruz in 1982 or 1983. I was a young teen. There was a terrible storm, and the ship was rocking front-to-back. trying to walk anywhere was a huge challenge. I remember there were square-dancers on board, and they kept falling over! I was the only one in my family who didn't get seasick.

[judyzoo]

My "real" first crise was on the Veracruz in 1982 or 1983. I was a young teen. There was a terrible storm, and the ship was rocking front-to-back. trying to walk anywhere was a huge challenge. I remember there were square-dancers on board, and they kept falling over! I was the only one in my family who didn't get seasick.

 

The Veracruz was our first cruise of any meaningful length. It was in 1983, and we also had some very rough seas -- maybe you and I were on the same sailing, k9mama. I recall chairs sliding all over, and DH rushing to save an older woman from falling. Leaving me, of course, to grab a post to avoid falling on the floor myself!

[mythreechildren2001]

I sailed on the VERACRUZ in August of 1989. It was my first, and so far only, cruise. My dh and I were on our honeymoon. We sailed out of Tampa to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. I came here to look for a 20th anniversary cruise and read about the fate of our honeymoon ship. :(