Your first cruise ship

[EasyGoingGuy]

NCL Westward in1994. I was the guy who booked this for three other couples (although I had no experience cruising and really didn't know what H I was doing...just wanted to find something for the 4 couples to do). So, with Mr. 'no experience' in charge... the cruise is out of Ft. Lauderdale and that's where were flying to...not. We're wherever the connection was and the flight is cancelled. 6 of us there and in a panic. Luckily, in my younger days, I was good at problem solving, so after some time, some stress and some adventures I got us booked to W. Palm Beach just up the road. Timing's close but ok. We arrive in West Palm and no one there has heard of us or has a plan. More time and more problem solving and they're going to get us a van (and a bus for other people going elseware). Well, no van shows up, but there's this bus with a lovely lady who's an ex taxi cabdriver from NYC. We hijack the bus (I guess we'll never know who's bus it really was) and off like a bat out of H she's off to Ft. L. We arrive with no minutes to spare but somehow in all of the poor comuncation they knew we were coming. Big sigh, on the boat, end of story... not quite. Into our cabin. Now I've never been on a cruise ship so what do I know. The beds are on different walls with no chance of putting them together. So, for 4 nights we looked at each other across the room and went to sleep. Getting ready to go on our 10th cruise so I guess it all worked out. Bon Voyage.

[TheDMan62]

2003 on the Carnival Ecstasy. It was a 5 night out of Galveston and I was hooked. Going on my 7th in April. Going to be retiring within the next few years and Im starting to look at Transatlantic, European and other longer cruises. 

[grandpacobra]

Commodore cruise lines Enchanted Isle from New Orleans many years ago, about the same time Carnival was introducing the Mardi Gras and Festivale.

[4cats4me]

Carnival Holiday 1992.  

Did not like the ship.  

[jpsykes]

1992 Nordic Empress ---- fell in love with cruising -- RCCL brought it back as the Empress of the Seas --- maybe we need to cruise on it again

 

[FuzzyWuzzy1]

2003. Disney Wonder. Bahamas.

[Expat Cruise]

First cruise ship is docked in Philadelphia rusting away. It should have been scrapped years ago but some foolish people think they can restore her. It is the SS United States, first cruise 1968.

[MicCanberra]

Blue lagoon cruise around Fiji.

[floridagoddess]

NCL MS Skyward 1986

[gtouch]

RC Viking Serenade 1993

[cruising46]

On 9/13/2008 at 6:06 PM, Copper10-8 said:

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

 

Royal Caribbean Legends of the Sea.   Great 14 day cruise through the Panama Canal

[careyayn22]

Princess Star 2002 Inside passage Alaska 

Refurbished in 2017 and  still sailing 

[kruzns4me]

My mother got me hooked on cruises when I was a teen.  Our first was on Sitmar's Fairwind and followed by Sitmar's Fairsea.  We went to the Mexican Rivera and Caribbean.  This would have been in the late 70's early 80's.  So much fun!!!  So different.  Midnight buffet's every night.  Bar - b - que hamburger's on the aft deck - breakfast buffet on the aft deck.  Much smaller ship so easy to meet and find people.  As a young adult I cruised with Carnival on the Holiday and have been cruising ever since!

Edited May 28, 2019 by kruzns4me

[FionaMG]

9 minutes ago, kruzns4me said:

Our first was on Sitmar's Fairwind and followed by Sitmar's Fairsea.  We went to the Mexican Rivera and Caribbean.  This would have been in the late 70's early 80's.

Oh my goodness, this was precisely the period when my DH was working aboard those ships. He always talks so fondly and enthusiastically of his time with Sitmar. In fact, once he starts reminiscing it's hard to get him to stop! 

 

[kruzns4me]

13 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

Oh my goodness, this was precisely the period when my DH was working aboard those ships. He always talks so fondly and enthusiastically of his time with Sitmar. In fact, once he starts reminiscing it's hard to get him to stop! 

 

LOL - It really was a great start to cruising for me!  I always found a great group of kids to hand with - my last name at the time was Smith and one time I found a Jones to hand with so we were Smith and Jones!!!  Another time - found a huge group to hang with - always great memories!  No phones to keep in touch with people - you physically found each other on the ships - LOL.  The bands were always amazing - activities were fun!  Cruising has become quite the experience but we are still enjoying - just very different!

[pdsgt]

On ‎9‎/‎13‎/‎2008 at 5:06 PM, Copper10-8 said:

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

Other then an overnight ferry in Alaska, my first cruise was on the TSS HAMBURG of the German Atlantik Line. We sailed from Los Angeles to Miami (Panama Canal). Did it get me hooked?? Well after 104 cruises, I'm still trying to decide if I really like cruising!

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, pdsgt said:

Other then an overnight ferry in Alaska, my first cruise was on the TSS HAMBURG of the German Atlantik Line. We sailed from Los Angeles to Miami (Panama Canal). Did it get me hooked?? Well after 104 cruises, I'm still trying to decide if I really like cruising!

 

 

Built in 1969 by Howaldtserke/Deutche Werft in Hamburg, then West Germany, as TSS (turbine steamship) Hamburg for the former Hamburg Atlantik Line/Hamburg Atlantic Line (in 1966 that name had been changed to Deutsche Atlantik Linie/German Atlantic Line.) As a side note, Holland America Line (HAL) acted as Deutsche Atlantik Linie's agents for the North America trade during those years. 

 

Deutche Atlantik Linie fell on bad times financially during the early seventies and TSS Hamburg, who had been renamed Hanseatic, became the property of the Soviet Union's Black Sea Shipping Company and in 1973 was renamed Maxim Gorkiy. Until 1991, Maxim Gorkiy spent most of her time under charter to West, and later after West and East became one, German companies, incl. Phoenix Reisen, the soon to be new operators of HAL's Prinsendam II. Maxim Gorkiy was ultimately sold for scrap in January 2009, beached at Alang, India, and made into razor blades and other assorted metals during the first part of 2009

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by Copper10-8

[asuedonym]

On 9/13/2008 at 8:34 PM, CZodda said:

Mine was on the Big Red Boat (anyone remember who owned that line? was it Premier?). The itinerary was Bahamas, and the date - this is where it gets sketchy for me 😉 I believe was around May of 1994

 

Loved that cruise - I've been hopelessly addicted since then! 😄

 

Cathy

 

On 9/13/2008 at 8:34 PM, CZodda said:

Mine was on the Big Red Boat (anyone remember who owned that line? was it Premier?). The itinerary was Bahamas, and the date - this is where it gets sketchy for me 😉 I believe was around May of 1994

 

Loved that cruise - I've been hopelessly addicted since then! 😄

 

Cathy 

We went on this one in winter of 89. The kid workers called it the Big Dread Boat. The rooms were tiny especially for 4 people. We went on Royal after that and then we loved it! The line went into bankruptcy and all the people had to get off at the next port. Then they took the boat out and sank it. 

 

 

[cruising46]

Our first cruise was Legend of the Sea.  1992.  Panama Canal San Diego to Fort Lauderdale.    25 cruises.   Love cruising.  

[pdsgt]

18 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Built in 1969 by Howaldtserke/Deutche Werft in Hamburg, then West Germany, as TSS (turbine steamship) Hamburg for the former Hamburg Atlantik Line/Hamburg Atlantic Line (in 1966 that name had been changed to Deutsche Atlantik Linie/German Atlantic Line.) As a side note, Holland America Line (HAL) acted as Deutsche Atlantik Linie's agents for the North America trade during those years. 

 

Deutche Atlantik Linie fell on bad times financially during the early seventies and TSS Hamburg, who had been renamed Hanseatic, became the property of the Soviet Union's Black Sea Shipping Company and in 1973 was renamed Maxim Gorkiy. Until 1991, Maxim Gorkiy spent most of her time under charter to West, and later after West and East became one, German companies, incl. Phoenix Reisen, the soon to be new operators of HAL's Prinsendam II. Maxim Gorkiy was ultimately sold for scrap in January 2009, beached at Alang, India, and made into razor blades and other assorted metals during the first part of 2009

 

 

 

Copper, Thank you so much for the picture and history. Brought back some super memories! On another note, I was an Explorer at N/E Division in '69 to '71. Later I put in 25 years at Alhambra PD. Thanks, again! 

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, pdsgt said:

Copper, Thank you so much for the picture and history. Brought back some super memories! On another note, I was an Explorer at N/E Division in '69 to '71. Later I put in 25 years at Alhambra PD. Thanks, again! 

 

Thanks for serving PDSgt. I put in 30 yrs also as a PDSgt (Torrance) - Take care and be safe!

[dabear]

My first cruise was new years 1969 on the Costa Carla C with my first wife. It didn't save that marriage!

[ShawninFL]

Mine was The Big Red Boat with Premier Cruise Line.  We went to Nassau and Freeport out of Port Canaveral in December of 1995 when I was 23 years old.  I'm now 47 with a total of 44 cruises under my belt.  You might see i'm slightly addicted.

[cruising46]

RCCL Legend of the Seas in 1992.   14 Day Panama Canal Cruise.    Outside room with small pothole.    Had so much fun.    Took excursions, entered every event, (learnt to not do this) and throughly enjoyed it all.    Have since taken over 20 cruises on RCCL, Celebrity, Holland American, Princess, Norwegian.     Travel solo, with friends, etc.etc.  Next cruise Celebrity Summit to Bermuda and Sojourn from Athens to Dubai.    

[George C]

On 4/8/2019 at 8:30 AM, Expat Cruise said:

First cruise ship is docked in Philadelphia rusting away. It should have been scrapped years ago but some foolish people think they can restore her. It is the SS United States, first cruise 1968.

Interesting I was working for US Lines in 68 but as a computer operator in nyc, never has a chance to cruise her was 18 at the time