Jump to content

Remember the Italian Line Raphaello and Michaelangelo?


anne13
 Share

Recommended Posts

CdS: I love your screen name. I remember my Dad talking about his first return to Italy to visit his grandparents. I think it was 1937. They went to Italy on the "Rex" and came back on the "Conte Di Savoia. I do have a couple of photographs, but I sure wish I had a lot of memorabilia from either of those sailings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In 1973 we returned from Italy on the Michelangelo and though I was only 11 years old I still remember the cruise director. Her name was Mirta and I'll never forget her because she was petite, kind and absolutely ADORABLE woman who I had a total crush on! Every time I saw her around the ship I always made an attempt to get closer and chat with er. Attended nearly every event on board where she was the MC.

 

Would love to know where she ended up and how she's doing!

 

Anyone remember her?

 

NYCruzr

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could ask my Mom, but I doubt she will remember. We do have old, B & W home movies of their cruise on the Michaelangelo. Boy, did they have a great time. The movies are fun to see with the women with their hair in rollers during the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonderful picture. We sailed on both ships when I was young, but the photos I have are few. I have one of the Raffaello from the decks if the Michaelangelo, in Genoa, but grainy, and didn't scan well- may have posted somewhere on here at one point. I keep meaning to go through my mother's photos when I visit to see what I can find. She did give me some of the folios if menus that she saved...fun to look at them.

 

I still say my favorite was Cristoforo Columbo...loved the forward lounge that had a 180 degree view of the ocean.

 

Andrew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I sailed on Raffaello in 1968. It was a Christmas cruise from NYC to the Caribbean. Unfortunately I remember very little about the ship itself. I do remember the cute Italian crew (I was a teenager). We stopped at St. Maarten and my mother bought me jewelry (which I still have). I think our other stop was St. Thomas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't sail on the Italian Line ships until 1972. The people I remember from our crossings:

 

The Duchess of Windsor on her last ever crossing.

 

The late Carroll O'Connor, his wife Nancy and their late son, Hugh

 

The late Alan Bates.

 

Richardson Meyers, the Broadway producer.(I assume he's also 'late.')

 

It was fun to meet all these folks, but my favorite couple was a couple who owned a chain of department stores. Their last name was something like "Pzitz" and the stores were in the South. Mrs. Pzitz drank martinis, and made sure that the olives were smashed into the drink...what I assume was the predecessor to the "Dirty Martini."

 

Andrew

Edited by Blazerboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't unusual to meet some famous personalities when those sorts eschewed 707's for the liners. I met Buster Keaton on board the Michelangelo in 1965. He spent most of the time playing bridge. On a crossing on the Raffaello I had the opportunity to talk to George Kelly, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who also happened to be the uncle of Princess Grace. He was on his way home to California after having spent the summer in Monte Carlo with his niece. Never mentioning her by name he informed me that "she lives there." And then there was the time when I literally bumped into Leonard Bernstein as he stood outside his suite on the Boat Deck of the Leonardo Da Vinci. Those were the days!! How I miss them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
"Anyone here old enough............lol........to remember the Andrea Doria and Christoforo Columbo? When the Andrea Doria met her disaster we sat together as a family and cried and cried watching the news on our little TV. My parents received calls from many friends that they met on board and all shared in the grief and saddness of the horrific accident. I will never, ever forget that night and the news reports etc."

 

I remember the Andrea Doria. She was the pride of the Italian Line in the mid 50s. I was brought along to a farewell party aboard her in early 1956 with my parents very shortly before she 'met' the MS Stockholm approaching Nantucket. Farewell parties, Ha! Those days are long gone. I remember very well how modern she looked both inside and top side. Beautiful ship. As a punctuation mark, the previous year (1955) I sailed with my parents aboard the MS Stockholm.

Edited by Host Walt
fix the coding for the quote
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I was lucky enough to sail on the Italian line a few times, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michealangelo and Raffaello. I was a teenager at the time, and had great times hanging out with other teens and the crew. Would go to Ny as much as possible whenever the ships were in, they usually stayed overnight back then plus we could get on the ships before they sailed.

I do remember one cruise when a storm hit, they actually stopped serving meals as the dinnerware was sliding off the tables, furniture was also sliding all over...I loved it, the other passengers not so much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 10 months later...

As the “Michelangelo” got scrapped 1991 in Pakistan, the remains of the bombed “Raffaello” are still real today, lying underwater in coastal waters near the iranian city of Bushere

Here a nice website in English, with info´s and vid

http://raffaellomovie.com/demo/home.php?l_id=1

 

and a divervid about the wreck at youtube

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
Anne,

DH worked on the Italian Lines from '68 til '75. He's since been on cruises as a passanger and has yet to find the kind of service he use to provide on the Italian lines.

 

And he never again will find that kind of service again. Italian Line was simply the BEST EVER! I was lucky, the VULCANIA was my first ship, I got to make seven transAtlantc crossings in the CRISTOFORO COLOMBO (my favorite ship ever); the LEONARDO da VINCI, the MICHELANGELO and RAFFAELLO. I also did Carib cruises and Mediterranean interport trips in some of them. Incomparable, all of them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I sailed from NYC to Naples and back many times on the ships you mention when I was in school in Rome 1968-1972.   They were wonderful experiences.   Everytime

I am in NYC I visit the area where the west side piers were and especially the Italian lines and relive those days.   It was the only way to go if you had “trunks” before

air shipment was available.  We always went Cabin class.  The three class distinctions were strictly enforced.   Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/31/2019 at 1:21 PM, bobby3334 said:

I sailed from NYC to Naples and back many times on the ships you mention when I was in school in Rome 1968-1972.   They were wonderful experiences.   Everytime

I am in NYC I visit the area where the west side piers were and especially the Italian lines and relive those days.   It was the only way to go if you had “trunks” before

air shipment was available.  We always went Cabin class.  The three class distinctions were strictly enforced.   Mike

 

Just reading your story brings back so many memories.  It was 43 years ago that we sailed in May from New York, at those same piers, to the Caribbean for ten days. There will never be anything like it again.  The one thing I loved about cruising on those transatlantic liners...no classes...a cruise was all First Class...wonderful.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/1/2019 at 2:35 PM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

 

Just reading your story brings back so many memories.  It was 43 years ago that we sailed in May from New York, at those same piers, to the Caribbean for ten days. There will never be anything like it again.  The one thing I loved about cruising on those transatlantic liners...no classes...a cruise was all First Class...wonderful.

After more than 40 years of cruising, the Italian Line ships are still my favorites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, CruisinS said:

After more than 40 years of cruising, the Italian Line ships are still my favorites.

 

AMEN to that CS!  All the European Transatlantic Liners had a certain vibe.  Each one was an offering of a nation.  Holland America was Dutch, Hapag Lloyd was German, The French Line, Cunard was British, Swedish, Norwegian, Greek, etc. Each one was fabulous and I had the privilege of sailing on most of them.  Each was exquisite for certain reasons but the Italian Line was the best for all three points: service, food and fun. 

 

Although,  I have to say that the Yacht Club on MSC comes into second place.  Excepting the luxury lines, it is the closest thing to the old first First Class out there.  The memories of the Italian Line will live on with those of us who were fortunate enough to experience it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Although,  I have to say that the Yacht Club on MSC comes into second place.  Excepting the luxury lines, it is the closest thing to the old first First Class out ther

 

I simply have to find the time to experience this.  The more I learn from a variety of sources, Yacht Club would be a cruise experience like none that I have had.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I simply have to find the time to experience this.  The more I learn from a variety of sources, Yacht Club would be a cruise experience like none that I have had.  

 

Most people really like the YC concept on MSC.  The level of service is where they really excell.  We felt that it was the closest we had come to the old First Class experience on those transatlantic icons from that golden era of ocean travel.  The YC experience differs from a luxury cruise ship because you are on a much larger ship and the YC is discretely tucked away on the upper decks forward...private and isolated.  You also have access to the rest of the ship and all the music and shows etc.  We thought it was just right for my wife and me.  Yes...there is still the influence of the Italian heritage as MSC is an Italian company.  

 

Edited by CGTNORMANDIE
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember "once upon a time" going to Italy and as we would go for the summer to visit relatives,  we would bring our car.  If you were a passenger, brining your car was not all that expensive.  Did a few cruises on the Italian Line ships and I do have to say, Home Lines was pretty comparable.  We've done MSC YC...very nice, but while officers are mostly Italian, staff and crew, though very accommodation, are not .  It's just not like the "old" Italian Line. And though I liked both of these ships on this thread, my favorite was still the L d'V.

Edited by marco
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/8/2019 at 2:36 PM, marco said:

I remember "once upon a time" going to Italy and as we would go for the summer to visit relatives,  we would bring our car.  If you were a passenger, brining your car was not all that expensive.  Did a few cruises on the Italian Line ships and I do have to say, Home Lines was pretty comparable.  We've done MSC YC...very nice, but while officers are mostly Italian, staff and crew, though very accommodation, are not .  It's just not like the "old" Italian Line. And though I liked both of these ships on this thread, my favorite was still the L d'V.

 

Nothing will ever be like the Italian Line but the traditions of superior service do live on in the MSC Yacht Club...and I could always ask the piano player to play a rendition of Volare and Arrivaderci Roma.  Love, love, loved the Leonardo Da Vinci.  Everyone and everything on that ship worked flawlessly.  There was an atmosphere and rythym on that ship that was wonderful...La Dolce Vita.

Edited by CGTNORMANDIE
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/15/2019 at 11:06 PM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

I just posted a blurb on the food thread, “Quality Food” next to this thread.  It is from a 1955 Andrea Doria menu...July 3, 1955.  In case anyone is interested.

 

I read the menu.  It's from First Class, I assume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...