Your first cruise ship

[chachi]

My first cruise was when I was 24 back in 2002. My friends and I took a week long cruise on the Carnival Elation. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Matzatlan, and Cabo. We had a great time.

[mew1]

Well mine was my honeymoon in 1984 on the Mardi Gras with Carnival, it is now part of the ocean floor, they sunk it to make a reef.

mew1

[BroncosFan2010]

Honeymoon cruise on the Adventure, very shortly after it was released. Funny thing is, now I prefer Radiance class ships, which are older and smaller!

[bethaniesmom]

NCL Starward to Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Nassau...August 1974. now that makes me feel old!

 

Beverly

[Guest TropicOne]

I am a newcomer.

Sensation, Carnival, 2007, 3 day Bahamas.

Yes it did get me hooked :)

Edited October 12, 2009 by TropicOne

[westcruzer]

First cruise was Carnival Tropicale in 1988. I was only 9 at the time. It was a 7 day to the Mexican Riviera. That was such a great trip! I absolutely love cruising!

Edited October 13, 2009 by westcruzer

[cruiserbryce]

our first was 05 on Disney Wonder. A 4 night to Nassau and Castaway Cay...still new to this:D

Edited October 14, 2009 by cruiserbryce

[mets07]

My first cruise was in 1972. I went with my parents and younger brothers on the Olympia from New York City to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen. I celebrated my 16th birthday on the cruise.

 

We had a terrible storm the first night, but things calmed down after that.

 

I so appreciated the history above of the Olympia!

 

Thank you.

[RTanner]

I feel like such a newbie! We waited until we were retired before we found cruising. Now we're hooked. (I swear, they should put a warning labels on the boarding passes for first-time cruisers advising them that cruising can be addictive!) The trip was memorable because in five days we were caught in not one but two hurricanes, Wilma and Alpha. We still loved it.

 

Our first cruise (Civilian type - I spent 22 years in the Navy) was in 2005, on Carnival's Celebration, out of JAX. We were hooked.

 

Does anyone know the final disposition of Celebration? I know she was stricken from Carnival's fleet in 2006 or 2007. Her sister ship, Holiday makes her last run from here in Mobile the first week of next month. I don't know who is buying her. She'll be replaced by Fantasy until next spring when Fantasy will be replaced by Elation.

Edited October 21, 2009 by RTanner

[tally10]

NCL Starward to Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Nassau...August 1974. now that makes me feel old!

 

Beverly

 

We were on the NCL Starward in August of 1974 for our belated honeymoon with the same itinerary. We lived in Florida then but the cruise could have been the same week as yours. Small world. It was great! My first cruise, however, was on the Ariadne to Cozumel about 5-6 years before that one. She exists no more. She was more like an overgrown yacht, but I still have the pictures somewhere. Very elegant with lots of wood.:)

[tally10]

I feel like such a newbie! We waited until we were retired before we found cruising. Now we're hooked. (I swear, they should put a warning labels on the boarding passes for first-time cruisers advising them that cruising can be addictive!) The trip was memorable because in five days we were caught in not one but two hurricanes, Wilma and Alpha. We still loved it.

 

Our first cruise (Civilian type - I spent 22 years in the Navy) was in 2005, on Carnival's Celebration, out of JAX. We were hooked.

 

Does anyone know the final disposition of Celebration? I know she was stricken from Carnival's fleet in 2006 or 2007. Her sister ship, Holiday makes her last run from here in Mobile the first week of next month. I don't know who is buying her. She'll be replaced by Fantasy until next spring when Fantasy will be replaced by Elation.

 

We saw the Celebration in Civitavecchia, Italy a year ago. Still has the Carnival stack although repainted and called the "Grand Celebration" I believe. She looked really good. We sailed on her, too, in the 1980's.

[goldie888]

Any pictures of this ship or information? The company was Strand Cruises and embarked from Barbados.

Edited October 29, 2009 by goldie888

[dwelsh]

I did not realise this thread was here but coincidentally I had started one a couple of weeks ago on the Silversea thread.

 

We started our cruising days aboard the Costa's "World Renaissance" in 1969. A trip from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the S. Caribbean. Quite a start being assigned the owners suite on a charter cruise. We were not too impressed with the accomodation, 2 bunk beds, high on the ship. Then we sailed on Sitmar to Alaska, this time in a very nice suite, we were hooked.

By the mid 70's we had found Royal Viking, the epitomy of luxury in those days. We sailed all over the world with them until their sad demise. Since then, with our discovery of Raddison (now Regent) on "The Song Of Flower" in 1994, we have stuck to the "luxury lines." (Except when we have taken family groups on Carnival.) The kids love that and so do we for great fun.

We have really enjoyed Oceania for service, food and itineraries and soon will set sail on Silver Sea, "Silver Shadow" to revisit the islands of French Polynesia. We started cruising in our 30's, now we are approaching our 80's so we must be "those old people" who, when we were younger seemed to be in the majority!:):):)

[dyjack]

Great thread! Amazing reading these stories.

 

My first cruise was July 2003 on the Majesty of the Seas. I'm a single mom and wanted to get away with my then 11 year old. Cruising was highly recommended as we'd have great together time and even some alone time for me.

 

I took mom along for her first cruise this past February on the Navigator of the Seas. She's now hooked!

[MszKitty]

Add me to the list of first cruise on the SS Azure Seas (3 nights LA-Ensenada - 1983)

[trfccruiser]

My first cruise was on the Empress of Britain too in 1964-from Liverpool I was 3!can't really say I was hooked from then but it didn't take me too much longer!!I used to get very seasick as a child and My Mum tried to persuade my dad not to go cruising every year.Fortunately,My Dad took no notice and I grew out of it and now love them and enjoy taking my children on them.Don't think my kids would cope with the difference in facilities back then though!!

As a child, I sailed on Empress of Britain in 1957 with my family from Montreal to Liverpool. This ship sailed as Topaz until this year.

 

My father bought one of the best suites on the ship and we were taught to use the First Class corridors which didn't seem fair. It was my first realization of the haves and have-nots and I didn't like it. It is so good to see that pompous era at a close, although the various dining rooms on Cunard are certainly a society divided into classes.

 

My parents were global travelers and generous enough to bring along us two girls on most of their jaunts. On the Empress of Britain, the cabin stewardess called us the Mucky Dears, a term which stuck to us like glue whenever our parents wanted us to behave.

 

I also enjoy land travel to soak up local environments and cultures but, when a luxury hotel sails you from exotic locales to exciting cities, it's a grand pleasure.

 

Ruby

[bojomitch]

Our first cruise was in 1983 on the Caribe, Commodore Cruise Lines. According to our TA, it was the "newest ship in the Caribbean". It was far from new - just had never cruise the Caribbean before. (Beware of artist renderings on cruise brochures.) It had been a Greek cruise ship, back when they had classes of cruisers. We had a wonderful time and have been hooked since. The cruise staff were the entertainers. The food and service was excellent. While docked in San Juan, we were docked next to RCI's Sun Viking. Some other couples and us brazenly walked aboard the Sun Viking, toured the ship and had a drink in the Viking Crown Lounge (cash in those days). No one even so much as challenged us - try that today. We were so impressed that we came home and booked our first RCI cruise.:):):)

[dancing bear]

It was on the MS Deutschland up the Rhine River from Boppard to Basel in August of 1967. The ship carried in excess of 500 passengers and was the largest ship on the Rhine at that time. It had been chartered by a group of Israelis, who cancelled out due to the Six-Day War that summer, and there were only 12 passengers on board. A wonderful cruise, with us being the only Yanks, 8 Australians and a couple from South America.

[cruisegrl79]

Carnival "Festivale" - back in 1987, I was about 8 years old. I don't remember the exact itinerary but it was likely a 7 night Southern or Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was probably Southern because if I remember correctly we went out of San Juan.

[ggo85]

Norway in 1985 to the Caribbean. I loved watching Love Boat and decided to do it for real. I knew it wouldn't be like the TV show but thought it would be great. It was.

 

I shared an inside cabin via Singleworld. Remember the wonderful great open spaces, dining rooms and the entertainment (they did a full Broadway play). Magnificent.

 

Did the Norway one more time in 1994 -- I really miss that ship.

 

More than a dozen cruises later . . .

[mehitabel]

Premier Oceanic, "The Big Red Boat". I fell in love with cruising, despite sleeping in an upper bunk in the same inside stateroom as my parents! I was about 13 at the time, I think.

Edited December 7, 2009 by mehitabel

[CRUISE2062]

My first cruise ship voyage was on the HAL Ryndam II as a part of a 6 week summer program with the Foreign Study League in July of 1969. We flew from NYC to Rome and traveled by bus and train to Switzerland, France, Belgium and England. We then boarded the Ryndam II for a 7 or 8 day transatlantic crossing back to NYC.

 

What a great trip is was but a little on the cold side even in July. It was a far cry from the cruise ships of today!

 

Lynn

[donaldsc]

Lewis R French out of Maine. 22 passengers. Powered by sail and by a skiff with an outboard motor. She is about 150 years old - probably the oldest 1st cruise ship on this thread.

 

http://www.schoonerfrench.com/

 

Two showers, 2 shared heads for the entire boat.

 

One of the best "cruises" I have ever taken.

 

DON

Edited December 7, 2009 by donaldsc

[Host Walt]

Please note that, because the discussions on this thread involve a number of HAL ships, this thread has been copied to the Holland America board. Because there is no ability to synchronize these to threads, all updates to this thread after today will not appear on the sister thread on the HAL forum.

 

Here's a link to the HAL version.

 

Please continue to post to both forums.

 

Thanks.

Edited December 10, 2009 by Host Walt

[Copper10-8]

Thanks Walt; I will pick up working on updating those "first cruise ships" from the various posters here:)