Your first cruise ship

My first cruise was in March of 1984, the fourth sailing of Premier Cruise Lines. The ship was the (Starship) Royale, cabin Main 22. It was a five night cruise in an inside cabin with Upper and lower bunk beds. After more than 50 cruises, in everything from that cabin to Queen Mary 2 suites, that cruise is the one that I can remember almost minute by minute. The midnight buffet, the burgundy and gold dining room, the private island with hammocks and snorkeling and watching the helicopter circling around taking pictures for the first brochure. We wound up two slightly larger than specks in the cover of a travel magazine.

The Royale was eventually sold to Dolphin and became the Oceanbreeze.

Later she was being towed to a new home when she rolled over and sank off the coast of Virginia.

I've sailed on the best ships and a couple of the worst, but Royale has a permanent place in my heart.

 

 

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I also was on the Ocean Breeze back in 1997 and loved the ship. [ I love the smaller ships]

Also was on its sister ship the Sea Breeze twice - 1996 and 1998.

Wish the newer, bigger ships had the 'character' of the older ships.

Golden Princess Nov 2002 7 days - I married my husband onboard. Our suitcases went missing until the last 2 days of the cruise.

We didn’t cruise again until 2014 but we’ve cruised every year since, next cruise Carnival Horizon Inaugural.

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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)

 

 

 

 

That was my first ship as well only it was still the Stardancer, Admiral Cruise Lines. Loved it so much I got a job with them as a purser on the Emerald Seas.

 

 

When were you working on the Emerald Seas ?

My first cruise was on this lovely ship in Oct. of 1974

Sitmar Fairsea in 1974 to PVR and MZT with sailing by Land's End (Cabo not a port back in the olden days! And, oh yes, hook - line - and sinker since then!

1962 Matson Line Matsonia, L.A. to Honolulu. Quite a ride with no stabilizers. What a great way to prepare for the islands.

M/S Southward (Norwegian Caribbean Lines)--October 1976, our honeymoon, Western Caribbean itinerary,

I feel like mine should have been the Santa Maria but our first was the Carnival Festivale I think it was in 1981. That got us hooked.

Our first was in 1972 on the SS Bahama Star out of Miami where we lived it was 3 days and 4 nights and cost $69 per person we were in our 20’s we had a great time and it hooked us on cruises, we now take at least 2 per year and book Suites times have changed instead of $69 per person our 2 upcoming this year are over 12k per person.

One is on Viking ocean, and one on the American Queen on the Mississippi River

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Our first cruise was on Princess Cruise Lines Crown Princess in 2008. It was a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise. We went to Princess Cays, St Maartin, St Thomas and Grand Turk. We had a great time and since then we have been on 4 more cruises (1 on Carnival with our son, his wife and grandson) and are headed on an 10 day Alaskan cruise on Princess the end of May 2018. We love cruising.

Our first cruise, RCI Serenade of the Seas, 7 day Alaskan, inside passage, 2005. Most definitely hooked.

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Norwegian Dawn, August 2004. RT New York. Ports were Port Canaveral, Miami, and Freeport. Due to Hurricane Frances, our itinerary changed from Nassau & Great Stirrup Cay to Freeport plus an extra sea day. We were a little disappointed, but this cruise got us hooked for life! Especially for me. I was in middle school then, and when I got off the ship, I made it my goal to pursue a degree in naval architecture, which I did. I was fascinated by the sheer complexity and technical details of what makes a cruise ship run.

My first cruise was on the Carnival Ecstasy in summer 1995. It was a girls trip with my cousin and a friend. It was a 4 day to the Bahamas. I was totally hooked!!

My first cruise was on the Carnival Ecstasy in summer 1995. It was a girls trip with my cousin and a friend. It was a 4 day to the Bahamas. I was totally hooked!!

Although my first cruise was on a now defunct cruise line in 1995,I followed with sailing the Ecstasy, and was totally hooked, also!

My first cruise was in 1974! It was on Home Lines (now a defunct cruise line) on the Oceanic! My parents took me with them on their first cruise out of NYC. Our only stop was Nassau, but we loved it! In those days men wore suits to dinner and women wore gowns every night. We saved the tuxes and dressier gowns for formal night. Everyone stayed up until midnight to take pictures and eat at the midnight buffet, and everyone enjoyed afternoon tea at 4:00 every afternoon in the main lounge. The ship didn’t have great stabilizers so it was rough going around Cape Hateras, but we didn’t mind because all the tables in the main lounge were bolted to the floor! The service was incredible and the food even better. Every night in the dining room was a different theme, with the waiters dressed to match the theme and the menu selections matched it too. The servers paraded with actual flaming baked Alaska (not led candles) on formal night, and everyone dressed formally and ate in the dining room, there were no specialty restaurants. It was definitely a luxurious vacation!

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My first cruise was in 1974! It was on Home Lines (now a defunct cruise line) on the Oceanic! My parents took me with them on their first cruise out of NYC. Our only stop was Nassau, but we loved it! In those days men wore suits to dinner and women wore gowns every night. We saved the tuxes and dressier gowns for formal night. Everyone stayed up until midnight to take pictures and eat at the midnight buffet, and everyone enjoyed afternoon tea at 4:00 every afternoon in the main lounge. The ship didn’t have great stabilizers so it was rough going around Cape Hateras, but we didn’t mind because all the tables in the main lounge were bolted to the floor! The service was incredible and the food even better. Every night in the dining room was a different theme, with the waiters dressed to match the theme and the menu selections matched it too. The servers paraded with actual flaming baked Alaska (not led candles) on formal night, and everyone dressed formally and ate in the dining room, there were no specialty restaurants. It was definitely a luxurious vacation!

 

 

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First time I’ve heard anyone mention that cruise line on here, but it brought back memories of my parents sailing it way back in the late 60s. I remember seeing the photos and all the men in their tux. Very elegant.

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)

 

The Golden Princess, October 2004. A Southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan for our Honeymoon. The ship now does Alaska sailings out of Vancouver, BC. It was my first cruise, and we had a balcony/junior suite. Have never had anything but a balcony room since, probably never will, thanks to this experience. Waking up to the hillside view in St. Thomas was breathtaking.

Our first was in 1986 on Ocean Cruise Line's Ocean Princess, from Philadelphia to Newport, RI and Bermuda. It was a bumpy ride and I got seasick. We eventually got hooked and recently took our 41st cruise.

Mine was in 1995 on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' Flying Cloud through the British Virgin Islands. Did another Windjammer cruise on the Fantome in February 1998 for a total solar eclipse. The Fantome went down in Hurricane Mitch the following October. I loved those large sailing ships where we could wear shorts all the time, have good but simple meals, get up into small coves and even sleep under the stars if we wanted.

First traditional ship was the Norwegian Majesty out of Charleston, SC in November 2005. Loved that cruise so much have done more.

Double post by accident. Can't figure out how to delete so just doing this.

Mine was in 1995 on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' Flying Cloud through the British Virgin Islands. Did another Windjammer cruise on the Fantome in February 1998 for a total solar eclipse. The Fantome went down in Hurricane Mitch the following October. I loved those large sailing ships where we could wear shorts all the time, have good but simple meals, get up into small coves and even sleep under the stars if we wanted..

SV Mandalay (Fantome's sister ship with WBC) is still cruising; she'll be 100 years old in 2023.

1993 The Carnival Tropicale from San Juan to Caracas and Aruba. our 25th wedding anniv. hooked. we do our 20th cruise Nov from Galveston and our 21st from Galveston next Dec. Celebrating our50th wedding anniv on the Nov cruise.

Mine was 1973 on the Ocean Monarch. Operated by Shaw Saville line. Still have an unopened packet of playing cards

The next was 1981 on the old Fairstar. Operated by Sitmar

Oriana. By P&O in 86

I don't remember the name of the ship itself, but it was on Sitmar Cruises to Alaska, a year or two before it was bought out by Princess.

It was a 15-day from San Francisco with my grandparents, mom, aunt, cousins, and my brother. (The ladies left the husbands at home to work).

I was 9 years old and it was 1986.

Hi Cruise prn,

 

My first cruise (BL -- before Lauren) was also on the Starward in 1978, and we visited the same ports as you, with the addition of their private island. Port Antonio was so raw and wonderful -- I remember the people looking so healthy and happy.

My first cruise with Lauren was Celebrity's Horizon in 1993, and thats where the addiction really started.

 

 

If I take ocean liners out of the mix (Queen Mary was my first ship experience) my first trip on a cruise ship was also back in the 70s aboard one of the M/S Starward's sister ships, the M/S Southward. A year later I did a trip aboard her little sister the M/S Sunward.

My first cruise was the SS Amerikanis in 1982. I was 20 years old and our ship docked in the Bahamas at the same time as the Coast Guard Cutter Achushnet. My future husband was on the Coast Guard ship!! Best souvenir I ever got!!!!