When did the cruise revolution start?

[Rudi610]

This should be my 100th post--Yea!!

 

With all the talk recently of the "good old days" when the food was gourmet and the service was fantabulous, it got me wondering. When did this change in the cruising environment begin?

 

Was it:

* with Legend of the Seas and its miniture golf course (back in 1995 I think)?

* or the Grand Princess, the first ship over 100,000 GRT?

* or the Voyager of the Seas the largest ship of its time with all of the extras such as a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, Royale Promenade, Johnny Rockets, etc?

* or how about NCL and their "freestyle" cruising atmosphere?

* which cruiseline/ship started the alternative/specialty restaurant with the surcharge thing?

 

Just curious to everyone's opinions as to when cruising changed to what it is today.

[skandls]

I am going to say the early 1980s. Royal Caribbean really pushed cruising as a vacation and not something just for the rich. Things have evolved - just like air travel. Cruising is much cheaper and so more accessible. Along with the idea of cruising for the masses comes competition and price concerns.

 

So I don't stay at the Marriott expecting the Four Seasons. I don't cruise RCCL and expect luxury line food, service and amenities.

 

My first cruise was so unreal. Grill class on the QE2. All British staff - a maid and butler. Rather stuffy. DH and I were so so under dressed from SoCal and not the movie biz getting dressed up was a tie and stocking for me. The second was an ice bath into reality.

 

A Carnival cruise. Nice room - thats about all I can say. The next was RCCL - Nordic Prince - great vacation- fun staff - have a good time atmosphere. We liked the attitude and ambiance of Royal. We took a break from cruising for a while but we're Back and love RCI and X.

[Madkitty]

Theres a fab book called 'Devils of the deep blue sea' which is all about the rise of the cruising industry - a very interesting read

[transam84]

I think the "Love Boat" did wonders for popularity of the cruising industry. When I was married in 1981 it seemed like cruises were really hitting big. We decided on a Panama Canal cruise for our honeymoon (seemed very exotic). We sailed on Sitmar Farwind. For the time it was a very big ship. When I look at pictures it seems so small now. :eek: Then I remember Home lines became very popular. The Doric and the Oceanic were introduced. The Oceanic with it's retractable dome over the pool was all the rage. When the Oceanic became the "Big Red Boat" with Disney characters on board we took our 5 year old son. Unfortunately Disney pulled support just before the cruise and we ended up with a Looney Toons cruise. It was OK though, it's all good. After that it seemed like the "mega" ships really took off and we became RCCL fans.:D Just my recollection during my short history of cruising. An interesting topic.

[sea-cruise]

Up until 1990 we found that cruiselines offered gourmet foods and elegant ambiance.

Prices were higher then as well.

[Nliedel]

I'm not sure, exactly, but I noticed a huge change between my 1985 cruise and my 1990 cruise. Just a completly different experience.

[BobBeaSea]

In terms of sheer numbers I think the mid to late '90s were the starting point of today's super mass markets, JMHO. :)

[LV2COOK]

We took our first cruise in 1982, NCL Starward from Miami. We paid $1250.00 pp for an inside cabin 7 days. It was a cash system onboard. The ship was very small by todays standards...only about 850 passengers. Was a wonderful vacations and now 25 years later we are still cruising and loving it.:D

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI RUDI!!! GREAT QUESTION!!!

 

We Ocean Liner Historians love this question. What really did happen that prompted all these ocean liners to come into existance???

 

IT ALL BEGAN: with the Transatlantic service more than 150 years ago...the transition from sail to steam and then the spectacular building of what I like to refer to as..."The Dinosaurs Of The Deep"...lol. As the great and famous ships evolved so too did the level of quality and service. The 20th Century brought the apex of the Transatlantic Liner. Such great ships as the Ile De France, Normandie, Liberte, Queen Elizabeth and the beloved Queen Mary, all helped to make the transatlantic crossing into a the height of luxury. The great ships were known for their deluxe service and dining that was the subject of conversation on both sides of the Atlantic. Then suddenly...the jet airplane swept in during the early 1960's and things would never be the same. The great shipping companies did not know how to make the change from crossing to cruising. Most of them quickly sold or scrapped those beautiful ships...but out of the chaos came such companies as NCL, Carnival, Chandris, RCCI, Princess, HAL and others. Some of the older ships were converted to cruising but the future looked bleak back in the early 1970's and then came the fuel shortages and price increases...and most of the older ships were just too expensive to run...but some of the companies found ways to conserve fuel by sailing from Florida and keeping the speed down. Other companies found ways to completely overhaul their ships and turn them into cruise liners. Somehow the companies hung on with numbers of pax that hovered under 1 million per year. A handful of us "ship daft" cruise lovers kept on proclaiming the virtues of cruising and then something miraculous happened. Aaron Spelling came up with THE LOVE BOAT!!! The TV series took off like a shot and created a whole new market that I liked to call "Cruise Curious". This created a new demand and helped to propel new ships being built. This change came about slowly at first...until...Knute Kloster at NCL decided to take a look at the SS FRANCE which had been laid up in storage for a few years...after completing her final transatlantic voyage in 1974. NCL bought the SS FRANCE and had her transformed into a luxury cruise ship with a huge lido deck. The result was the beloved SS NORWAY which really brought in the era of the MEGA SHIP.

 

A lot of the traditions of the Transatlantic Liners survive in today's cruise ships. That is why you will hear some of us "Old Guard" sailors complain about the quality of the food, the decline in formal dress, etc. etc.

 

So the revolution happened with the MEGA SHIP and that ship was the SS NORWAY...arguably one or two of the only great Transatlantic Liners to make the jump from crossing to cruising. Carnival Cruise Lines was able to expand their fleet from old tonnage to new tonnage but they grew gradually. NCL's jump to an 80,000 ton MEGA SHIP spelled the beginning of the MEGA SHIP era...thanks to the vision of Knute Kloster.

 

ROSS