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Looking for more memories of fun times/stories/unusual events aboard the Home Lines ships (Oceanic, s/sHomeric, m/v Homeric, Atlantic, Doric, etc.).

 

Let's here those fun stories.

 

I sailed on the Oceanic starting in 1976 yearly for many years as well as a trip on the old Homeric, aboard the maiden voyages of the Atlantic and m/v Homeric plus another run on the Atlantic. I remember them well and the Italian spirit aboard the ships.

 

Thanks

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  • 3 weeks later...
Home Lines was my introduction to cruising. I sailed on the Doric once and the Atlantic twice. Such memories.............I was in my 20's and oh....those wonderful Italian waiters and Stewards...............

 

My family and I sailed on the Oceanic about 25 times (mostly X-mas from NY) when I was a child and teen, on the Atlantic Maiden Voyage, and twice on the new Homeric. Words just can't describe the family atmosphere. The memorable crew members are too many to name, but a few are.....

 

Everett E. Everett (we are still in touch with his family)

Luciana Trevisan

Donzelli's Group (they had the whole ship rocking and rolling; standing room only in the Oceanic's Italian Hall)

 

No other cruise line even comes close! The Home Lines ships (esp. Oceanic) truly had a "soul".

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  • 3 weeks later...

We sailed on the Doric from NYC to Bermuda on June 6, 1981, our first cruise! I still have the "passenger list" from that cruise. The captain was Alberto Marossa and the cruise director was Stanley Kayne. What strikes me today is the list of passengers. So many were single passengers. The ship at the time seemed enormous. Our favorite times were sitting on the promenade deck and having drinks, which I remember were so inexpensive at the time - about $1 for a mixed drink or beer! I'm not sure if there were any outside public areas, as I don't remember sitting outside at all. I remember our group of 10 dancing each night in some large ballroom. At midnight the staff would come out and announce "its pizza time." They brought around small rectangular slices of a really terrible cardboard like pizza that we really enjoyed!!!! The wait staff was so dignified compared to today's wait and bus staff. Anyway, my wife and I are going back to Bermuda June 4, 2005, one week from today, and 24 years almost to the day from our first cruise there. We're on the Celebrity Horizon out of Norfolk.

Rich M

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just returned from a transatlantic voyage, NYC to Barcelona on HAL Prinsendam.

 

When we docked in Barcelona in front of us was the old Home Lines Oceanic.

 

Oceanic is still lovely - all white. Tho the Prinsendam is about the same size, the Oceanic was more streamline & gracious looking comapared to Prinsendam. You would never know the Oceanic is over 30 years old!

 

Oh those were the days onboard Oceanic!!!!!!

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Yes, the Home Lines brings back memories. We went probably 10-12 years in a row on the first cruise of the year, usually leaving Jan 2-3. on the "Oceanaic" Sometimes once or twice on the 7 day summer sailings to Nassau (in port for 2 days) or Nassau/Bermuda, a day each. Then the Atlantic to Bermuda several times and the "new" Homeric to Bermuda several times. Never sailed on the "old" Homeric or the Doric. We still have and use several of the LeMoges (sp) plates they would give us as a "thank you" for sailing with us, as well as the little wallets, change purses, thermometers and the like. Dining was SOOOO special, with clean plates put in front of you for each course and the selection served off of those huge silver platters. Remember those trays with like 20 selections of hous d'ouevers that were served even before the appetizer course?!?!?!?! I remeber no casinos, no buffets for breakfast or lunch, other than the "Buffet Magnifique" on only 1 day during the cruise, being "barred" from entering the dining room or lounge after 6PM if men were not in jacket and tie ANY evening, drinks for under $1, no signing a cruise card, cash only for drinks, gift shop, excursions. The Italain staff was tops and I think if they were still around, and still operated they way they did, they would be in the same league as "Crystal". I remeber how devistated we were when they withdrew the "Oceanic" from winter departures starting 1982 and more so when they "closed" completely.

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I sailed on Homeric (1st cruise) and Oceanic in the late sixties or early seventies. I remember the "horse racing" in the lounge with wooden horses. I used to scoop out the insides of the warm rolls and stick them back together and put them back in the basket. I always wondered if anyone knew. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I sailed on the 13th Cruise of Homeric to Bermuda and loved the ship and the crew. I was sorry to see the cruise line disbanded and assets sold. The Captain was a little Italian guy named Salvatore Musumicci who had boxes on the brige where he grew basil and tomatoes!

 

I remember when Homeric became Westerdam for HL and they filmed that comedy Out to Sea on it!

 

Does anyone know the real story behind why Home Lines disbanded??? I could not believe it when it happened since they had a loyal following and a great market.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, I have a really great story!

 

I sailed on my one and only Home Lines cruise in August 1981 on the Doric to Bermuda. We had very rough seas going out and I was sooo seasick I wanted to die LOL. Well all that pain suddenly left when I met my adorable Italian waiter on the second night.

 

We flirted a bit on that night, then the next night we danced all night at Forty Thieves. The following night he took me dancing at the Hamilton Princess. Then next night it was a horse and buggy ride around Hamilton. We spent every spare minute we had together...mostly sneaking around the ship:D . It was great fun and very exciting. I remember hanging out with him on the outside crew deck the last night. I was lucky that my cabin was right next to the back kitchen door so it made the sneaky part a bit easier ;) .

 

It was my waiter's last cruise...his contract was up and he was headed back to Italy. To make a long story short...he stayed an extra week in New York so we could be together. He ended up moving to New York (on a student visa) and we were married a few years later.

 

We just celebrated our 21st anniversary on the Zenith to Bermuda!:) This is the first cruise we took since we met on the Doric 26 years ago! The reason? Well, every year we went back to Italy to visit his family and see the country and other parts of Europe. I've been to Italy more than 20 times and it has since become my second home.

 

And to think all of this was because I took a cruise on Home Lines.

 

You can read the longer version of the story on the ShipBoard Love Stories forum on the thread "There are Happy Endings".

 

BTW, there are Home Lines reunions every two years in NYC/NJ for all the crew and their families and even loyal passengers. There are many many successful marriages between Home Lines crew and American women. My cousin married her waiter too and I am good friends with at least 6 couples with the same story, all married over 20 years.

 

The reunions are run by the owners of (Il) Divino Restaurant in NYC. If anyone here would like to be invited I think you could just contact Divino.

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Hey JrMafia90...does your father go to the Home Lines Reunions? Do you know Cafe Pasquale? I think I found his name in my little Club Alumni Home Lines booklet. I wonder if we met him at the reunion. I think there is another reunion next year. They have them every two years.

 

If anyone...former passengers or former Home Lines crew want to be invited to the next reunion contact either Jimmy at Mulino Restaurant 914-761-1818 or Antonio at Divino Ristorante in NY at 212-861-1096. They are always searching to contact former crew or frequent passengers of Home Lines and the reunions are always lots of fun.

 

Hope to see you all there.

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I adored the Oceanic and also have fond memories of the Atlantic.

 

I am just off MSC's Sinfonia and I have to say it was very reminiscent of my experiences with Home Lines. The food, service and overall class were all there.

 

CG

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I can't believe I found this site!! I travelled Homes Lines - mostly the Oceanic - about 20 times from 1975 through the mid-1980's! Boy do I miss them! I saw your note about MSC - I too was hoping they'd be like Home Lines. I'd heard that a lot of ex-Home Lines crew went to work there. Is that true? Is the atmosphere the same? Thinking of going next winter for 11 days on MSC.

 

Has anyone any idea what may have happened to any of the following ship's officers: Engineer Romano Secci, Purser Rocco Macri', Dr. Sergio Lazzaro, singer Graham Scott (from the winter 1980 16 day Oceanic Cruise)?

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Hey JrMafia90...does your father go to the Home Lines Reunions? Do you know Cafe Pasquale? I think I found his name in my little Club Alumni Home Lines booklet. I wonder if we met him at the reunion. I think there is another reunion next year. They have them every two years.

 

If anyone...former passengers or former Home Lines crew want to be invited to the next reunion contact either Jimmy at Mulino Restaurant 914-761-1818 or Antonio at Divino Ristorante in NY at 212-861-1096. They are always searching to contact former crew or frequent passengers of Home Lines and the reunions are always lots of fun.

 

Hope to see you all there.

 

My fahter owns Caffe Pasquale in South Jersey.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I took 10 cruises with Home Lines in the 70's and 80's and the Oceanic was my least favorite. Small cabins and large poles blocking our view. I loved the Doric and Atlantic. We took the first Caribbean cruise from NY and we left with only 165 passengers and would pick up 200 more in Florida. We were hit by a hurrican which sent the crane in front through a stateroom, the glass doors to the main lounge smashed as did the crystal in the shop on board. The dining room was empty and passengers and crew were sick. Activities were cancelled and they decided to show a special movie in the theater "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" but in the middle the electric went in the theater and we were offered free cocktail parties. As if we want to drink in those seas. The band couldn't play and refused to go to their cabins which were below the water level. I kept falling out of my chair and went to the cabin only to come out of my bed and lay on the wall. The ship was really rocking and water flooded the cabin next to us and was starting to come into our cabin. We were all given a proclamation that we survived the storm. We docked a day late in Florida and those new passengers complained even though they were all put up in a hotel and given a full day refund and did not have to endure the hurricane. That was 1 of my best cruises and like being on a private yacht because it was so empty. The cruise ended in Florida- late and flights had to be changed and again came more complaints but I still have fond memories.

 

I too remember the great italian bands and a singer named Lobo. They actually let me record them because at the time they didn't sell tapes but I bought them when they did. I remember Volare, the Chicken Dance and my favorite La Paloma Blanca. Those were the days.

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Wow, Gail, that was some story. Which ship were you on for the hurricane?? My first cruise was on the Doric and we sailed to Bermuda in very stormy waters as well. I remember rocking and rolling on the first night. My girlfriend and I were quite sick after early dinner. The next morning we both dashed to the infirmary for meds and shots...all I remember is a very handsome Italian medic or doctor trying to help me while I was sick into one of those bags :eek: Our room was in the very front of the ship and was rocking so badly the water was sloshing out of the toilet bowl or shower drain...don't know which :confused: . They had to mop up our cabin and the medic told me to stay midship in the lounge which we did. My friend slept most of the day on a couch near the lounge while I decided to go to the movies (just like you) and we saw Superman 2. The doors were roped off and no one could go out on deck (who would want to LOL). You could see the waves splashing up over the railings :eek: .

 

That evening we felt well enough to attend the first formal night although we didn't eat too much. I'm glad we went though since that was the night I met my husband who happened to be my waiter that night :D ;) . He took very good care of me for the rest of the cruise and we had a blast in Bermuda. Doric was a fun ship, the food was great and the crew was just the best (of course I'm not prejudiced).

 

I'm still sad about Home Lines going out of business, although I just loved my recent Celebrity Cruise.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello, I am new to this message board and wanted to let you now that my dad always talks to me about when he used to work for Home lines from 1953 to 1957. He has so many good memories from those years when working on the Homeric, and Queen Fredrica.

I really would like him to come to those meetings you hold but he lives in Italy and I am hoping when he comes to visit maybe someday he may attend! Just wondering if there are others that worked in those same years around.

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Wow, you Dad worked on the original Homeric! I'll bet he has some great stories to tell. And I've never heard of the Queen Federica. Where did she sail?

 

We travel back to Italy often to visit family. Where does your Dad live? My husband is from Piemonte and my cousins live near Amalfi. I'm sure if your Dad could attend the reunions he would have a great time. I don't know of any guys who worked on Home Lines in the 50's. Most of the guys we know worked on the ships in the 70's and early 80's with a few from the late 60's too.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes he worked on the original Homeric when he was very young. He's 71 now and I love to hear his stories. My dad was born in Liguria in a beautiful town along the Rivera Ligure, he then married my mom and now lives in Sicily. My husband is from Piemonte as well. I would love for my dad to to attend the reunions, who knows maybe some day...The Queen Fredrica used to cruise from the West Indies to South America.

 

Here's a link:

http://paginas.terra.com.br/lazer/Navigazione/Atlantic%20I.htm

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Our first cruise was on the Homeric to Bermuda in 87. We loved that ship so much we went in 88. Unfortunately that was when they were sold and we were on the 2nd from the last sailing before HAL took over the ship and changed the entire crew.

 

Well, our daughter had just graduated from HS and we took her and her younger brother with us. She ended up falling in love with one of the crew members and we were going crazy. They had made plans to meet after the next sailing. He was to call her to arrange a meeting after the last sailing. I was out of my mind with worry so When we returned home and I went back to work I unplugged all of our phones. Never knew if he tried to contact her or not but we still laugh about it to this day.

 

We sailed on her again when she was the Westerdam and was stretched. That was another great sailing.:)

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We cruised on Homeric to Bermuda from NYC in the late 80's and got caught in a hurricane which blew us out of port and stranded on a sandbarge. It was our first cruise and all we could hear was the crew speaking in Italian over the loud speaker CAPITANO, CAPITANO....lol

 

It was like a scene from I Love Lucy when the ship would pitch all the cups and plates that were on the deck for morning tea would fall, palm trees on the stairways....

 

Seems being 21 it you don't mind the hassle of being stranded and find it was much more fun than I probably would find it now if it happened.

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If anyone...former passengers or former Home Lines crew want to be invited to the next reunion contact either Jimmy at Mulino Restaurant 914-761-1818 or Antonio at Divino Ristorante in NY at 212-861-1096. They are always searching to contact former crew or frequent passengers of Home Lines and the reunions are always lots of fun.

 

Hope to see you all there.

 

Thanks for the information on the Home Line Reunion. Hubby (Aldo Barbieri) worked for Home Lines from 1981 - 1984. He was on both the Doric and the Oceanic. I had met him when he worked for Princess Lines in 1980. Yes, another passenger happily married to her Italian waiter for 21 years!

 

We will definitely call for information on the next reunion.

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Boy it's so great to see so menny people who remember the Home Lines Our first cruise was on the beloved Oceanic !! Dose anybody remember the pool area with the mats you use to lay on . They were no lido cafe's .meals were had in the main dinning room . And you had to get dress up every night for dinner !! Who remembers waiting on the staircass for the doors to open for dinner ? We cruised on the Oceanic & Doric & Atlandic . And Homeric . The cruise we did on the Homeric was her 5th cruise on juty 4th 1986 liberty weekend with all the tall ships .Who remembers that weekend . The Homeric was part of the peraid of ships going out !! we have never stoped cruising since our first cruise on the Oceanic 60 cruises and booked on the Crown princess for a 9 day cruise out of NYC next july .

 

LONG LIVE THE HOME LINES

 

Mr Veendam

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