When was your first cruise you took?

Disney Magic 1997, 3 day cruise to the Bahama's. We promised our girls a trip to Walt Disney World for many years. The oldest daughter was a Senior in COLLEGE! We had to bite the bullet and go. This was when Disney offered the vacation package of Land and Sea. 7 days and your choice of 4 days on Land First part of the week and then 3 days at Sea. The other plan was start with the 4 day cruise and then 3 days in the parks. Loved this plan, your Key card opened your hotel door (Old Key West) and also the Ships door. The package included transportation to Port Canaveral and back to the airport. It was a great deal and I am so sorry they don't offer this as a package anymore. Land and Sea now have to be booked separately. A lot a good memories were made and a promise kept!

1987, Sitmar Line

10 days, Western Caribbean

Didn't cruise again until 2007. I realized time had passed, and cruising had changed, and I'll never experience a cruise again like that 1st one.

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Mine was April 1983 on the CCL TSS Festivale on a seven day Eastern Caribbean sailing to Nassau, San Juan, and St Thomas.

Next cruise was not until 1998 on the Big Red Boat.

Started cruising again in 2005 and will go on my 10th cruise in November on NCL Escape.

Been on CCL, Princess, HAL, Celebrity, and RCCL.

2007 Carnival Legend

I fell in love with cruising right away.

DH didn't like this cruise at all, said people were rude, the food wasn't good, etc. To this day, he refuses to go on another Carnival cruise although I've tried to get him to cruise on one of their newer ships.

In 2009 we gave cruising another shot. Cruised NCL. We both had a great time and now cruise once or twice a year on various cruiselines other than Carnival.

Our first cruise was in 1971 on the Bahama star 3 days 4 nights out of Miami for $69 per person it was a blast hooked us ON cruising for life!

 

 

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2002, Carnival Paradise, when it was a non smoking ship. That was 30 cruises ago now.

July 27, 1970, an eleven day Caribbean Cruise from New York aboard Rotterdam V.

I am presently celebrating the 46th Anniversary of my second cruise that departed New York aboard Rotterdam V on July 31, 1971, a 9 day Caribbean Cruise. This was my Mother's first cruise with more to come and my late Brother's only cruise.

A week around Iceland - last week!

Thoroughly spoiled by a small ship (200 passengers), getting on and off for excursions took only a couple if minutes each time.

Our first cruise was December, 1992. A seven day eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami aboard the Sovereign of the Seas (IIRC).

SBtS

A one night cruise to nowhere out of NYC on the SS Amerikanis (Chandris Cruise Lines) in 1991. It was so awful (no need for details), that it took me 20 years to get back on a cruise - 2 week Grand Mediterranean on the Ruby Princess in 2011 for our 25th Anniversary - been hooked ever since!!

It took me years to get DH off all those planes, buses, trains, etc., and living out of 1 suitcase per person while traveling for weeks all over Europe.

But I won and we did our first cruises back in the 80's -- back-to-back cruises on the Cunard Countess for 14 days. H

He was hooked.

It took me years to get DH off all those planes, buses, trains, etc., and living out of 1 suitcase per person while traveling for weeks all over Europe.

 

But I won and we did our first cruises back in the 80's -- back-to-back cruises on the Cunard Countess for 14 days. H

He was hooked.

KK,

Were these Caribbean cruises? Out of Fort Lauderdale? I don't remember the exact dates or ships, but, when it was still possible to visit ships during embarkation, I visited either Cunard Countess or Cunard Princess (which were sister ships) in FLL in that time period you mentioned. I thought they were nice ships, but never had the chance to sail on either.

First cruise October 2008, Monarch of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. DH and I for our anniversary.

We loved it so much that we took DS, 10 at the time, for his first that December, on the Sovereign.

Another one in 2013 on Enchantment, our first balcony.

DH and I this past December on Majesty.

Freedom coming up and Mariner next year.

In 1978 I boarded the NCL Starward for a seven day cruise to Jamaica (Port Antonio), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Haiti (Port-au-Prince) and their private Island (Great Stirrup Cay).

Very small ship around 12,000 tons with a very noticeable bow in the hallways from aft to bow. Like walking down hill from the back to the middle of the ship and then back up again to the front.

The food was very mediocre with assigned seating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The buffet was small and pretty awful. Cabins were just over 100 sq ft.

The crew seemed very stressed and there was a "dog eat dog" kind of interaction between them. I'm pretty sure the head waiter stole the tips envelop we left for the asst' waiter.

Not sold on cruising until four years later when we cruised on Sitmar's Fairsea. Much better food and a much more pleasant cruise overall.

Didn't cruise again until 1993 on Celebrity's Horizon -- we were hooked for sure after that nine day cruise.:D

Enjoy!

Kel

We went on a five day out of NOLA on the Commodore Enchanted Capri in 2000. Less than two years later they were bankrupt and out of business.....but had us hooked though. We're going on #13 in two weeks.

A one night cruise to nowhere out of NYC on the SS Amerikanis (Chandris Cruise Lines) in 1991. It was so awful (no need for details), that it took me 20 years to get back on a cruise - 2 week Grand Mediterranean on the Ruby Princess in 2011 for our 25th Anniversary - been hooked ever since!!

So sorry you had a bad experience on the Amerikanis. I took a 1985 New Years Trip to Nowhere on the Amerikanis and we had a lovely time. Guess the years between were not good for that ship.

9 Nov 2003. 20 year High School Class Reunion for my Wife.

For the 20 year Class Reunion one of my Wife's Classmates did a survey to see how many would like to go on a cruise instead of renting the club house at one of the local golf courses for the reunion.

Response was overwhelming.

While the Wife and I had never been on a Cruise we also signed up. It was to be a 7 night Cruise down The Mexican Riviera on the Vision of The Seas out of San Pedro, Ca.

At that point we were hooked on cruising. This year we did a b2b to Alaska and will go on a TransAtlantic from London in Sept. Plus the Wife is looking at a fourth cruise in December.

BobR

So sorry you had a bad experience on the Amerikanis. I took a 1985 New Years Trip to Nowhere on the Amerikanis and we had a lovely time. Guess the years between were not good for that ship.

One day here on CC I found a bunch of old posts reminiscing about the great times people had on the Amerikanis - so I know I am in the minority!! Glad you enjoyed it!

June 2015. But this still makes me smile:

https://books.google.com/books?id=-i8DAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA7&ots=t_yLNp-dgQ&dq=old%20cruise%20magazine&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

In 1978 I boarded the NCL Starward for a seven day cruise to Jamaica (Port Antonio), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Haiti (Port-au-Prince) and their private Island (Great Stirrup Cay).

Very small ship around 12,000 tons with a very noticeable bow in the hallways from aft to bow. Like walking down hill from the back to the middle of the ship and then back up again to the front.

The food was very mediocre with assigned seating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The buffet was small and pretty awful. Cabins were just over 100 sq ft.

The crew seemed very stressed and there was a "dog eat dog" kind of interaction between them. I'm pretty sure the head waiter stole the tips envelop we left for the asst' waiter.

Not sold on cruising until four years later when we cruised on Sitmar's Fairsea. Much better food and a much more pleasant cruise overall.

Didn't cruise again until 1993 on Celebrity's Horizon -- we were hooked for sure after that nine day cruise.:D

 

Enjoy!

Kel

My 2nd cruise (1st 7-day ) was in Jan. 1979 on the NCL Starward doing this same route. We loved everything about this ship. Service was great, food was tasty & plentiful.The shows were enjoyable; even the passengers talent show. Back then they did the Grandmothers meet & picture show; then they also got husbands dressed up in their wives night clothes - all for a bottle of wine. Good Old Times

Anyone else remember those days?

1995- Nieuw Amsterdam-7 day Ca ribbean desalinisation broke down....everything really salty..…they wouldn't even supply bottled water, not great for high blood pressure.

1996 - Veendam

Next HAL - 2018 - Rotterdam

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Carnival Imagination, 1996. The ship was only 6 months old. It was just my younger sister and me. She had just turned 21 and was in the Air Force, so I thought this would be a great trip to celebrate. We did the Western Caribbean out of Miami.

I'll never forget my first sight of the ship and the awe I felt at seeing something so big. These days, the Imagination is small in comparison to its newer brethren, but for someone who didn't grow up near the ocean and had never seen a cruise ship before, that first sight of the ship made both of our jaws drop.

Oh, to feel that kind of awe and excitement again! :)

My first cruise was a 7-Day on Freedom of the Seas back in January 2014.

I had been very iffy about the whole cruise thing and feeling either trapped or bored so I avoided it for the longest time. I think I still prefer my land-based vacations but a cruise every once in awhile is nice.

Carnival Jubilee 1996. My friend was turning 40 and persuaded me to join her...neither of our husbands would join us, so...we decided to go anyway. Mexican Riviera for 7 days. That vacation started my desire to be on the ocean!

21 years later....current husband loves to cruise as much as me :D ;)

William Clay Ford

We were guests on this Ford Motor Co.Great Lakes iron ore freighter thanks to a friend who was at that time President of the Great Lakes Shipping Association. The guests were DH & me, friend & wife, and a father/daughter. We went from Duluth MN to Detroit via Lake Superior, the Soo Locks, and Lake Huron.

We had a huge cabin, a private lounge with a VCR and tapes for pax only, and a small pax only dining room. Two scary moments- just after leaving Duluth and settling in for the night, the foghorn started going off every 30 seconds or so (Edmund Fitzgerald came to mind!) and the other was taking a tour of the underbelly of the ship, including walking the corridor along the base of the hull!

It took 22 years before we became cruisers and to this day, not any cabin, even our Sky Suite on the Celebrity Silhouette, compared to the size of the one we had on the William Clay Ford!

William Clay Ford

 

We were guests on this Ford Motor Co.Great Lakes iron ore freighter thanks to a friend who was at that time President of the Great Lakes Shipping Association. The guests were DH & me, friend & wife, and a father/daughter. We went from Duluth MN to Detroit via Lake Superior, the Soo Locks, and Lake Huron.

 

We had a huge cabin, a private lounge with a VCR and tapes for pax only, and a small pax only dining room. Two scary moments- just after leaving Duluth and settling in for the night, the foghorn started going off every 30 seconds or so (Edmund Fitzgerald came to mind!) and the other was taking a tour of the underbelly of the ship, including walking the corridor along the base of the hull!

 

It took 22 years before we became cruisers and to this day, not any cabin, even our Sky Suite on the Celebrity Silhouette, compared to the size of the one we had on the William Clay Ford!

Ding-ding. Ding-ding.

I think we have a winner.

That is a great story. Thank you.