CGTNORMANDIE

I JUST REMEMBERED!!! I was onboard her 35 years ago today!!! Thanks again Reini the web site brought back a lot of great memories.:D

ROSS

THANKS REINI!!!

A lot of us on both sides of the Atlantic have great memories of this excellent ship.

ROSS

HI ANDREW!!!

I knew that you had a deep appreciation for the "Old Guard"...those who were fortunate enough to have crossed in the twilight of the Transatlantic Era. Most newbie cruisers, who get hooked on cruising, do not realize where all those fine traditions of service came from. Most do not realize that you could not go to Europe in the 50's and early 60's unless you took a ship...it was, indeed, THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS...LOL.

You are right...we do see glimpses of the past...the OLYMPIC DINING ROOM on the Celebrity MILLENIUM...the GRILLS on the QUEENS...the NORMANDIE DINING ROOM on the Celebrity SUMMIT. The French created "L'atmosphere Transatlantique" when the French ships sailed. The Italians created "La Dolce Vida" and these experiences will never be recaptured. The crews of the ships you mentioned were highly trained and highly skilled and then finely tuned. Aldo Barbieri told me that the Italian Line would send him back to their school in Italy just to tune him up...lol. We have been so fortunate to have had a taste and to have experienced this. What great memories...Thanks Andrew.:)

Ross

THANKS JIM GALLUP...TOO FUNNY!!!

I am with you MRS FUZZMO!!!

How about being able to bring on your own Champagne etc. for Sail Away. On the French Line...You could bring on a few bottles, take them up to a public room and the steward would open and pour for you as the ship left the pier. Bon Voyage parties were incredible...you could have your family and friends go onboard with you and they could bring a cooler with bar snacks and plenty of booze and you would party like hell until the gong sounded..."ALL ASHORE WHO ARE GOING ASHORE"...LOL. I can remember one party on the Amerikanis out of Boston where they found a Long Shoreman passed out on a couch in a foyer...they had to take him all the way to Bermuda...LOL. He actually stayed onboard and paid his fare for the entire cruise!!!

How about 5 cent beers on Cunard and 10 cent steins of Becks on HAPAG and 10 cent pints of Heiniken on HAL. The Gala nights on the French Line included arm bands and Pom Poms that you could dip in your Champagne and toss at someone you liked...LOL!!! We would toss them high...out onto the dance floor. HAPAG LLOYD would serve Champagne with a little wooden stirrer that took the excess bubbles out of the Champagne. All the drink stirrers on all the different lines were unique...Cunard had one that looked like an oar. HAPAG had the Triton...type of pitch fork. Most of the lines would give you a souvenir ash tray.

Deck stewards really worked to keep the pax happy. Plenty of blankets in your "reserved" deck chair in the cold weather along with plenty of beef bouillion and other snacks including afternoon tea. Informal cocktails while shooting skeet in the afternoons. Bar snacks always served from Noon on at the bars. Low priced drinks...made it easy to buy multiple rounds for friends etc. The would always be a bar that would stay open until dawn and the service was extraordinary. The Atlantic Bar on the SS FRANCE would allow Tourist Pax to sneak up a hidden stairway to that First Class Bar. The French thought it made things more interesting for all the pax. They would also serve all sorts of litte hot snacks all night long...with onion soup at dawn. Some of the lounges had great live bands playing until 3 or 4:00 in the AM. Sometimes there would be a famous musician who would sit in with the band and you were treated to special concert. Every night was New Years Eve.

The dining room would only assign 3 or 4 tables to your waiter and his assistant. You never even knew that they were working other tables...they were always there for you. The late seating was the best...you could stay with your coffee, bottle of Port and cheese tray and the waiters did not care one bit if you left the table at 10:30 or 11:00 PM. Table side preparation was always there for special orders. The Italians loves to prepare special pastas at dinner. The French and English would flame everything they could. Special orders were never a problem.

GREAT MEMORIES!!!:D

ROSS

THANK YOU MATSONBRAT!!! What a great story...you must have some wonderful memories. I collect ocean liner memorablilia and I know how good Matson really was.

THANKS,:D

ROSS

Thanks RKA...you did make a good choice with Rotterdam V. I remember seeing her from the Bremen.

Thanks Doug...I have seen the book...interesting.

Thanks DMK...she was used to transport the troops...in high style I might add.

The BREMEN was a wonderful ship and classy. She had a style that will not be seen again...very nice. Everything on her was top shelf...sharp and first class all the way. The only ship that I can remember with loads of caviar, lobster and more. They even gave us bottles of German Champagne at dinner...twice. She was pure heaven...and nice wood interiors...that creaked a lot when the seas came up.

Great memories!!!:D

ROSS

Let's see if any of you "old salts" remember the T.S. BREMEN. She sailed transatlantic from 1958 to 1971 from NY. She also did a lot of cruising out of NY in the winter months. She was another fantastic ship that had a wealth of tradition sailing with her. :)

ROSS

I was only 7 years old when the Andrea Doria sank off Nantuket...and I will never forget it. Years later my wife and I were able to sail on the Leonardo DaVinci in 1976...WOW!!! We still use that cruise as a yard stick to all other cruises...nothing like it and...probably never again. Everything was fantastic and we had more fun than anyone ever deserves to have in their lifetime.

Last year we were on STAR PRINCESS and had the pleasure of meeting Dianne and Aldo Barbieri...HI DIANNE AND ALDO!!!...Diane has posted above (Scaaty). I am an ocean liner historian and it was a great pleasure to sit and talk to Aldo about all his experiences on the Michaelangelo and Raffaello. I remember seeing the Michaelangelo in NY harbor in 1965. She was brand new and I saw her from a very unique vantage point. I was onboard the (old) QUEEN ELIZABETH and we were preparing to sail that morning. I was high enough up to get a real good look at the Michaelangelo...she was brand new and she litterally sparkled in the sun...and that image is still as clear in my mind today as it was 41 years ago.

The Italian Lines is sorely missed and will never be replaced by any line today...however...many thanks to Rick Sasso and his management team at MSC North America for trying to bring back that great Italian ambiance onboard the new ships of MSC. They are our only hope and we wish them God speed...and BONA FORTUNA!!!:D

ROSS BLOUIN

We cruised from Boston on her in 1972...it was our first anniversary. We booked that 10 day cruise for $305 per person. As we were getting onboard they informed us that we were upgraded...our first upgrade!!! The service was fantastic...and she had been refitted beautifully. Our cabin had the thick flocked wall paper and a huge marble bathroom...we even had a TV!!! Everything about her was nice. The best thing about her was the great crew and the entertainers who kept everyone going full speed. I still have my menus and programs and the menus would put any of today's ships to shame.

GREAT MEMORIES!!!:)

ROSS