The good ole days of cruising. . .or not??

[yoyocruiser]

Some of the discussions on the boards this week really got me thinking about the concept of how cruising has changed in the past decades. There seems to be a true longing for the good ole days of cruising, especially as folks grapple with recent changes/cutbacks of NCL. This got me very curious and so I went to the attic and dug out the album and journal of my first NCL cruise. I was fortuante enough to have been on the NORWAY, a truly beautiful ship that is sometimes discussed here on the boards with much nostalgia. It had previously been the SS France I believe. I cruised on her twenty three years ago, or in 1986. I had saved pretty much everything. Indeed the memories are some of the best of my life. But it was a very interesting experience to look at this alongside the experiences on my cruise last week on the Jewel.

 

Here are some of my observations of my cruise on the Norway:

 

Embarkation actually took hours--no computers in those days--but no one complained as it was part of the excitement and anticipation

Upon boarding the Norway there was no glass of bubbly

There was no lunch--I vaguely remember some snacks being set out

There was no coffee maker in our room

My inside cabin was bunk beds (obviously not everyone was in bunk beds, but the room bore no resemblance in size or quality to my sister's inside cabin on the Jewel)

The mattress on the bunk bed was approximately three inches thick

There were three meals per day in an assigned dining room with an early and late seating--we had the late--to which one HAD to confrom or not eat

There was no alternative to eating in this dining room except for lunch where "complimentary hamburgers and hot dogs will be served poolside"

Room service was almost nonexistent--snacks only, or coffee and danish in the AM

There was no hot buffet for lunch, breakfast, or dinner--there was a cold buffet poolside with the hot dogs and hamburgers

There was a midnight buffet three nights and the chocolate buffet was splendid--no resemblance to what I saw last week

We enjoyed a relationship with our waiters that is not possible when eating in different places every night

The service and the food in the dining room was superb--dinner took approximately 1.5 hours to 2 hours each night--it was not a meal, it was an event

We were seated with a couple who never showed up, an older couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and a surly couple that complained about everything (and we spent I would guess over 24 hours with this odd grouping of people with whom we at age 30 had nothing in common)

There were themed nights for all the meals--there were three formal or semi-formal, one country and western, one with hats (?--go figure) and the infamous flaming baked Alaska and dancing waiters for the finale

There was a complicated and expensive ship to shore communication system--obviously no internet or cellular at sea

There was a small TV that showed ship announcements and an occasional movie--no real TV or choice of movies was available

There was no cappachino or latte to be had for pay or otherwise

The suggested per day tips added up to around $6 per person--one had to put these in envelopes and it included the room steward, head waiter, waiter, sommelier, maitre'd-- whom you had to chase down at the end of the cruise

On the final day we were kicked out of our rooms early and forced to sit in a designated location for what seemed hours--was probably a couple

There was no breakfast on the final day--only continental breakfast

There were great shows and great entertainment

 

Which would I prefer? Well I loved the Norway and I love the fact that I was able to sail on her. I have a lovely memory of the beautiful room with the harp player and sharing a romantic glass of champagne with my husband. But quite frankly, when I honestly look at what the cruise was like, I would by far take the cruise I had last week on the Jewel. First and foremost, all of that eating in the dining room at assigned times was just bizarre. You had to plan everything around your dining times. Remember--it was not just for dinner--it was also for breakfast and lunch (unless you went for that poolside hot dog). Further, the time spent dining was outrageous--several hours per day. The whole day was like getting ready to dine, dining, recovering from dining, and getting ready again to dine. . .it was totally all about the food and yes, the food WAS awesome. But to risk spending half of your cruise with a miserable group of complainers and to have absolutely no choice is whacked and way too much of a gamble. (Until the concept of Freestyle we swore we'd never crusie again.) Then there were the beds--the mattresses were terrible, the inside rooms were little tiny--they simply quit making rooms that small. The smallest inside room is probably twice the size now. You had to pack three times as much stuff because of all those dining clothes and all the costumes (cowboy boots and hats take a lot of space), so you couldn't even MOvE in that room. The rooms were--well ugly. I mean just really dull and ugly. I don't know how else to put it. Drinks were overpriced then as now, they hawked the shore excursions and shopping then as now--there were loud speaker announcements then as now, the spa was overpriced then as now. There was absolutely no 24 hour dining and the room service stunk. Finally, there were no buffalo chicken wings 24/7.

 

So let's look at price. We paid for that TINY inside room with bunk beds a similar price to one of the lower priced ocean view rooms (probably twice the size and double the comfort) on the Jewel last week. Twenty three years later.

 

Food for thought.

 

yoyocruiser

[sassycruiser]

I found a receipt for an obstructed ocean view cabin on a cruise 10 years ago on NCL. We are paying less this year to be in an AB category.

 

Yes, somethings were better - but I think overall things are better now - and cheaper.

 

Sometimes the "good old days" weren't as good as we think!

[CTCruisers]

Thanks for the memories. The Norway was our first cruise. We never realize how good we had it.

[FanofFlorida]

It reminds me of how we spent HUNDREDS of dollars for a bottom of the line VCR in 1986 :o

[newmexicoNita]

Some of the discussions on the boards this week really got me thinking about the concept of how cruising has changed in the past decades. There seems to be a true longing for the good ole days of cruising, especially as folks grapple with recent changes/cutbacks of NCL. This got me very curious and so I went to the attic and dug out the album and journal of my first NCL cruise. I was fortuante enough to have been on the NORWAY, a truly beautiful ship that is sometimes discussed here on the boards with much nostalgia. It had previously been the SS France I believe. I cruised on her twenty three years ago, or in 1986. I had saved pretty much everything. Indeed the memories are some of the best of my life. But it was a very interesting experience to look at this alongside the experiences on my cruise last week on the Jewel.

 

Here are some of my observations of my cruise on the Norway:

 

Embarkation actually took hours--no computers in those days--but no one complained as it was part of the excitement and anticipation

Upon boarding the Norway there was no glass of bubbly

There was no lunch--I vaguely remember some snacks being set out

There was no coffee maker in our room

My inside cabin was bunk beds (obviously not everyone was in bunk beds, but the room bore no resemblance in size or quality to my sister's inside cabin on the Jewel)

The mattress on the bunk bed was approximately three inches thick

There were three meals per day in an assigned dining room with an early and late seating--we had the late--to which one HAD to confrom or not eat

There was no alternative to eating in this dining room except for lunch where "complimentary hamburgers and hot dogs will be served poolside"

Room service was almost nonexistent--snacks only, or coffee and danish in the AM

There was no hot buffet for lunch, breakfast, or dinner--there was a cold buffet poolside with the hot dogs and hamburgers

There was a midnight buffet three nights and the chocolate buffet was splendid--no resemblance to what I saw last week

We enjoyed a relationship with our waiters that is not possible when eating in different places every night

The service and the food in the dining room was superb--dinner took approximately 1.5 hours to 2 hours each night--it was not a meal, it was an event

We were seated with a couple who never showed up, an older couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and a surly couple that complained about everything (and we spent I would guess over 24 hours with this odd grouping of people with whom we at age 30 had nothing in common)

There were themed nights for all the meals--there were three formal or semi-formal, one country and western, one with hats (?--go figure) and the infamous flaming baked Alaska and dancing waiters for the finale

There was a complicated and expensive ship to shore communication system--obviously no internet or cellular at sea

There was a small TV that showed ship announcements and an occasional movie--no real TV or choice of movies was available

There was no cappachino or latte to be had for pay or otherwise

The suggested per day tips added up to around $6 per person--one had to put these in envelopes and it included the room steward, head waiter, waiter, sommelier, maitre'd-- whom you had to chase down at the end of the cruise

On the final day we were kicked out of our rooms early and forced to sit in a designated location for what seemed hours--was probably a couple

There was no breakfast on the final day--only continental breakfast

There were great shows and great entertainment

 

Which would I prefer? Well I loved the Norway and I love the fact that I was able to sail on her. I have a lovely memory of the beautiful room with the harp player and sharing a romantic glass of champagne with my husband. But quite frankly, when I honestly look at what the cruise was like, I would by far take the cruise I had last week on the Jewel. First and foremost, all of that eating in the dining room at assigned times was just bizarre. You had to plan everything around your dining times. Remember--it was not just for dinner--it was also for breakfast and lunch (unless you went for that poolside hot dog). Further, the time spent dining was outrageous--several hours per day. The whole day was like getting ready to dine, dining, recovering from dining, and getting ready again to dine. . .it was totally all about the food and yes, the food WAS awesome. But to risk spending half of your cruise with a miserable group of complainers and to have absolutely no choice is whacked and way too much of a gamble. (Until the concept of Freestyle we swore we'd never crusie again.) Then there were the beds--the mattresses were terrible, the inside rooms were little tiny--they simply quit making rooms that small. The smallest inside room is probably twice the size now. You had to pack three times as much stuff because of all those dining clothes and all the costumes (cowboy boots and hats take a lot of space), so you couldn't even MOvE in that room. The rooms were--well ugly. I mean just really dull and ugly. I don't know how else to put it. Drinks were overpriced then as now, they hawked the shore excursions and shopping then as now--there were loud speaker announcements then as now, the spa was overpriced then as now. There was absolutely no 24 hour dining and the room service stunk. Finally, there were no buffalo chicken wings 24/7.

 

So let's look at price. We paid for that TINY inside room with bunk beds a similar price to one of the lower priced ocean view rooms (probably twice the size and double the comfort) on the Jewel last week. Twenty three years later.

 

Food for thought.

 

yoyocruiser

 

Hi, I laid in bed this morning thinking about the same thoughts. I started remember our first cruise in the early 80s on a budget line and many that followed. Everything you menitoned including the horrible check in came to mind..We loved it cause we didn't know any better and now, I love what we get cause I do know better. Cruising is more fun today than ever, not as formal or upscale but more fun...

 

Nita

[Leesie6351]

We love cruising but do long for some of the days of old. Our first cruise in the late 80's was on a ship called Boheme- it was the old Commodore line. The service was at a level we have never experienced since. The comments made by the OP are correct in that it was the luck of the draw who your dining companions were and yes you were pretty much stuck with them 3 meals a day. We lucked out and had some great tablemates. The theme nights were hokey but actually fun and we spent sea days making costumes for costume night. People actually dressed in their gowns and tuxes for formal night-- I learned to buy long gowns at great markdowns at labor day sales and rarely spent more thant $50 for a decent looking gown. I compiled my "formal wardrobe" and added something for each succeeding cruise. Yes it was a pain to have to plan everything around dining times but most ship activities took that into account and dining times were changed on port days. I still firmly believe that fixed dining times and tables are the reason the service was so excellent. By the 2nd day, they learned your preferences--- my ice tea was waiting by my plate each meal. There were more activities onboard ship like crafts, sculpturing, there were singing classes, cooking, baking etc. They entertained you----now you pretty much either endure classes that are really sales pitches or entertain yourself.

 

I completely agree the modern conveniences are much better and boarding in 15 minutes is far better than 3 hours but is it possible that once again we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater? I know our society likes to be casual but isn't it nice to have an opportunity to dress up occasionally? To be more formal? When I read many of the reviews, they all seem to have a comon theme and common complaints--- most of the service complaints can be traced to the new trend in anytime dining and seating. Now it is no different than eating out at your neighborhood restaurant. Perhaps the answer is to have a few more designated seatings-- the Rotterdam had 4 (each level of the dining room had alternate dining times) so we can have the benefits of wait staff that get to know us but still have flexibility? For those wanting to be informal or more flexible, there is always the buffet and some of the ships are now offering assigned seating in the buffet.

 

Anyway, thanks for letting me wax nostalgic.

[LOWTYD]

Thanks for your nostalgic report on the good old days. My DH's Aunt used to cruise and when she passed, I took her cruise memoribila from her SS United States cruise. It was mostly menus (which I am not even sure what some of the stuff they were serving back then was!) and she also had a passanger list which I thought as quite funny since everyone is all about privacy now. She had one picture of herself on wooden deck chairs and everyone dresses day and night. It was big deal back then. Oh, and they had afternoon tea! I was lucky enough to experience that once a QE2 cruise. It was quite nice.

I guess cruising has come a long way since then (I think this had to be in the late 60's but I am not sure) I wonder what she wouldl think of it today?:o

[gemsm]

Thanks for your nostalgic report on the good old days. My DH's Aunt used to cruise and when she passed, I took her cruise memoribila from her SS United States cruise. It was mostly menus (which I am not even sure what some of the stuff they were serving back then was!) and she also had a passanger list which I thought as quite funny since everyone is all about privacy now. She had one picture of herself on wooden deck chairs and everyone dresses day and night. It was big deal back then. Oh, and they had afternoon tea! I was lucky enough to experience that once a QE2 cruise. It was quite nice.

I guess cruising has come a long way since then (I think this had to be in the late 60's but I am not sure) I wonder what she wouldl think of it today?:o

 

Gotta agree with you guys. My first cruise wasn't until 1990 but it was on the REALLY tiny Sunward II. My first "big cruise" in 1995 cost a little less for bunkbed inside cabin then what I just paid for the Mini-suite.

 

I will admit to missing the level of service in the dining room with "set" dinner times and the same waiter/assistant every night but to tell you the truth I much prefer getting to eat when I want to.

[Quench]

My first cruise was in 1986 and it was not fun although they use to call it the "Fun Ship" Started enjoying cruising in 2007. This ships are so much better now.

[pieshops]

i think they should go back to the days of first class, second class and steerage

[yoyocruiser]

Hands down I like Freestyle the best. But I think the nostalgia factor does kick in and yes, the dressing up and preparations were indeed a lot of fun. But there simply was NO CHOICE. And all the amenities that everyone is so concerned about--coffee pots, free bubbly, free cappichino after dinner, 24 hour room service--simply didn't exist then.

 

For people who love the dining and all that it entails, then another line would probably be better suited. There are lines that still provide that type of dining. It is kind of like you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you have flexible choices--then that means specialty restaurants, less structure, more informality, not having relationships with your servers etc. You really can't have it both ways. R12268 is exactly right when they say that the service complaints can most often be traced to the anytime dining and seating. It is much more work to prepare 10 different menus/dining experiences than when you are processing everyone through the same place on the same schedule. There were so many options on the Jewel, and there was food available all the time.

 

I did try one more cruise in the 80's and my girlfriend and I were seated with a honeymoon couple who made out through breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day while acting like we weren't even there. I don't know. That did it for me. Good for you guys that got fantastic dining mates. It's not that I'm against dining with others. Soemtimes at NCL we ask to be seated with others. That is for one meal--not 21.

[gemsm]

Actually Yoyocruised we found a waiter on our last cruise on the Sun that was trained on RCI shops and we got to have our cake and eat it too...He put the napkins in our lap and held our chairs for us...We waited for nothing, he recommended meals and he even had that little crumb scraper :)

 

I am "obviously" headed on the Jewel next month...What restaurants did you enjoy the most on her?

[martinchem]

Things have changed.

[Arwenmark]

My first cruise was 22 years ago. To me the biggest changes have been to the caliber of the experience and the Class or lack thereof of the passengers. People pretty generally followed what rules there were and there was a sense of decorum and respect that is TOTALLY lacking today, not just on cruiselines but everywhere. It is however, just like Norovirus, more concentrated and noticible on a ship since you can't get away.

[yoyocruiser]

gemsm: We made little use of the pay restaurants. We ate dinner 1 night in Tsar's and 2 nights in Azure's (the MDRs); two nights in the "comfort food" zone (as previously mentioned our family is addicted to buffalo wings); and at the Italian restaurant "Mama's". The food in the MDRs actually excelled. With seven of us we have vast differences in eating--and the MDR best accounted for those--they always had steak, always had a vegetarian, and always had an asian type of dish, and always had something really strange. Between those options, our 7 folks were most happy. We also loved the soups, appetizers, and the deserts. (Just avoid the weird custardy ones). It's kind of challenging when your group includes a total meat and potatoes person, a vegetarian, and a person who jsut wants to eat weird stuff. "Mama's" was good in that it was different, smaller, and the calimari and the taramisu are really superb here--totally worth the trip. We kept ordering extra calimari as it was exceptional. Then for those nights when you have jsut had enough of the rich food and multi course dining, it is great jsut to go have some wings, burgers, and fries. The only place we really never ate (except breakfast) was the buffet.

 

Arwenmark: Well, my experiences with the people seem to really differ. As noted, our dining mates were not so great--between the complainers and the people who sat at the table practically engaged in sexual activity--I have to say that I was not impressed with the clientele. I do agree that in such small space you are going to get some rude behavior, but on this last cruise I was fairly taken with how nice everyone was. But then again, with Freestyle you aren't forced be be with anyone, so perhaps there is a lot from which I chose to walk away that I could not when I was assigned to a table. Incidentally, while few people did choose to really dress up, the overall dress codes were for the most part adhered to and we observed many people being sent back to their rooms.

[halos]

Some of the discussions on the boards this week really got me thinking about the concept of how cruising has changed in the past decades. There seems to be a true longing for the good ole days of cruising, especially as folks grapple with recent changes/cutbacks of NCL. This got me very curious and so I went to the attic and dug out the album and journal of my first NCL cruise. I was fortuante enough to have been on the NORWAY, a truly beautiful ship that is sometimes discussed here on the boards with much nostalgia. It had previously been the SS France I believe. I cruised on her twenty three years ago, or in 1986. I had saved pretty much everything. Indeed the memories are some of the best of my life. But it was a very interesting experience to look at this alongside the experiences on my cruise last week on the Jewel.

 

Here are some of my observations of my cruise on the Norway:

......

 

Food for thought.

 

yoyocruiser

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

 

I'm tired of hearing people whine about the good old days myself. This was perfect!! :D

[warriorking]

My last cruise was aboard the Norway so its been quite a long time for me, My upcoming Jan 24th cruise aboard the Jade should be a real treat in comparison...I still have very fond memories from the Norway...They did serve lunch for those arriving early when I sailed, and although you had assigned seating during early and late dinners, a midnight buffet was still available should you desire more eats, the specialty restaurants were $5.00 per person in extra charges if I remember correctly.....

[yoyocruiser]

Warrior

I don't think they had the specialty restaurant when I sailed--but then again it is possible. It was fairly overwhelming for me as it was my first cruise. The Norway was beautiful, and there is no denying that we had a wonderful cruise.

 

Yes, I do remember those midnight buffets--they were quite elaborate really. I have some pictures that are amazing--they look like something out of a travel magazine. But we had the late sitting for dinner, and we never finished before 10PM--it was pretty impossible to eat the midnight buffet after finishing a five course meal!! LOL:D the chocolate buffet was a sight to behold. That will be one disappointment for you for sure--the one on the Jewel last week was in the outdoor buffet place (very not special); it was just several lines of the same really weird custard things and odd cakes--totally not representative of the deserts that we had had all week. Maybe one ice sculpture. But then again--after dinner--how can anyone eat a chocolate buffet. but there were surely those that were--and yes, I gave it a whirl.;)

 

yoyocruiser

[warriorking]

I believe it was the Le Bestro on the Norway, it required a reservation 24 hours in advance, It was the only extra dining choice if I remember correctly.....

[warriorking]

Ahhhhhh yes, I remember the chocolate buffet quite well on the Norway, it seemed to extend from one end of the ship to the other... :eek: And the Ice sculpters were amazing as well....What a grand Lady she was....But I really look forward to the Jade.......Hard to believe I fly out in less than 7 days....

[bssc]

Actually, I take the opposite view (kind of like the Four Yorkshiremen skit). On the President Wilson, there was only one dining room with only one sitting. We had to be there or miss our meal. And we had to dress every dinner. I don't remember there being any room service either. There were no in room announcements for dinner, only a steward with a xylophone. And there were no balconies either.

 

Cruisers these days don't know how good they have it. Lux-ury.

[halos]

couple who made out through breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day .

 

Now THOSE were the good old days!!! :D

[uneamie]

Actually, I take the opposite view (kind of like the Four Yorkshiremen skit). On the President Wilson, there was only one dining room with only one sitting. We had to be there or miss our meal. And we had to dress every dinner. I don't remember there being any room service either. There were no in room announcements for dinner, only a steward with a xylophone. And there were no balconies either.

 

Cruisers these days don't know how good they have it. Lux-ury.

 

That is kind of how I remember our first cruise on the Atlantic of Homelines back in 1988. We had an inside room at the bottom of the ship...very small. Had to be dressed somewhat formally for all dinners. Had to make sure you made all your dining times or you were out of luck. We had to pay for a "deck chair" that got put where they wanted it to be put and it stayed there the entire cruise. You could not choose your lounging spot. They put us on a sun deck at the back of the ship and that is where we had to stay....my guess is the suite and upper level cabins got the the pool area. You could go to the pool but you could not sit there....what a bummer that was.

 

There were not a lot of daily activities either but there were evening shows that were pretty good. No TV what so ever in our room.

 

That was our first cruise so we had nothing to compare it to. We had a good time non the less but were not at all impressed with cruising so we did not cruise again for many years till Disney built their first ship. What a difference a few years makes. Things are very different now.

 

The only thing I miss about the old days....is the quality of the food. It was beyond superior to what they serve you now. The MDR food was about on the same level as the specialty restaurants serve now...maybe even better. Surprisingly we were able to get a table for two...told them it was our honeymoon. Then there was the Grand Buffet, which was held once per cruise, was awesome back then....huge bowels over flowing with huge shrimp, small lobster tails, and clams. Meat carving tables of Turkey, Beef, Ham, Pork...you name it, it was there. The entire pool deck was full of buffet tables that were filled with anything you could think of. It was totally awesome. It's true, you could not get food in between meals but with the 3 meals they had and the midnight buffet you hardly starved. They did have ice cream and pizza by the pool for a few hours a day but that was it.

 

So in conclusion....I do not miss the good old days, except for the "food".

[CanadianTwosome]

Some of the discussions on the boards this week really got me thinking about the concept of how cruising has changed in the past decades. There seems to be a true longing for the good ole days of cruising, especially as folks grapple with recent changes/cutbacks of NCL. This got me very curious and so I went to the attic and dug out the album and journal of my first NCL cruise. I was fortuante enough to have been on the NORWAY, a truly beautiful ship that is sometimes discussed here on the boards with much nostalgia. It had previously been the SS France I believe. I cruised on her twenty three years ago, or in 1986. I had saved pretty much everything. Indeed the memories are some of the best of my life. But it was a very interesting experience to look at this alongside the experiences on my cruise last week on the Jewel.

 

Here are some of my observations of my cruise on the Norway:

 

Embarkation actually took hours--no computers in those days--but no one complained as it was part of the excitement and anticipation

Upon boarding the Norway there was no glass of bubbly

There was no lunch--I vaguely remember some snacks being set out

There was no coffee maker in our room

My inside cabin was bunk beds (obviously not everyone was in bunk beds, but the room bore no resemblance in size or quality to my sister's inside cabin on the Jewel)

The mattress on the bunk bed was approximately three inches thick

There were three meals per day in an assigned dining room with an early and late seating--we had the late--to which one HAD to confrom or not eat

There was no alternative to eating in this dining room except for lunch where "complimentary hamburgers and hot dogs will be served poolside"

Room service was almost nonexistent--snacks only, or coffee and danish in the AM

There was no hot buffet for lunch, breakfast, or dinner--there was a cold buffet poolside with the hot dogs and hamburgers

There was a midnight buffet three nights and the chocolate buffet was splendid--no resemblance to what I saw last week

We enjoyed a relationship with our waiters that is not possible when eating in different places every night

The service and the food in the dining room was superb--dinner took approximately 1.5 hours to 2 hours each night--it was not a meal, it was an event

We were seated with a couple who never showed up, an older couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and a surly couple that complained about everything (and we spent I would guess over 24 hours with this odd grouping of people with whom we at age 30 had nothing in common)

There were themed nights for all the meals--there were three formal or semi-formal, one country and western, one with hats (?--go figure) and the infamous flaming baked Alaska and dancing waiters for the finale

There was a complicated and expensive ship to shore communication system--obviously no internet or cellular at sea

There was a small TV that showed ship announcements and an occasional movie--no real TV or choice of movies was available

There was no cappachino or latte to be had for pay or otherwise

The suggested per day tips added up to around $6 per person--one had to put these in envelopes and it included the room steward, head waiter, waiter, sommelier, maitre'd-- whom you had to chase down at the end of the cruise

On the final day we were kicked out of our rooms early and forced to sit in a designated location for what seemed hours--was probably a couple

There was no breakfast on the final day--only continental breakfast

There were great shows and great entertainment

 

Which would I prefer? Well I loved the Norway and I love the fact that I was able to sail on her. I have a lovely memory of the beautiful room with the harp player and sharing a romantic glass of champagne with my husband. But quite frankly, when I honestly look at what the cruise was like, I would by far take the cruise I had last week on the Jewel. First and foremost, all of that eating in the dining room at assigned times was just bizarre. You had to plan everything around your dining times. Remember--it was not just for dinner--it was also for breakfast and lunch (unless you went for that poolside hot dog). Further, the time spent dining was outrageous--several hours per day. The whole day was like getting ready to dine, dining, recovering from dining, and getting ready again to dine. . .it was totally all about the food and yes, the food WAS awesome. But to risk spending half of your cruise with a miserable group of complainers and to have absolutely no choice is whacked and way too much of a gamble. (Until the concept of Freestyle we swore we'd never crusie again.) Then there were the beds--the mattresses were terrible, the inside rooms were little tiny--they simply quit making rooms that small. The smallest inside room is probably twice the size now. You had to pack three times as much stuff because of all those dining clothes and all the costumes (cowboy boots and hats take a lot of space), so you couldn't even MOvE in that room. The rooms were--well ugly. I mean just really dull and ugly. I don't know how else to put it. Drinks were overpriced then as now, they hawked the shore excursions and shopping then as now--there were loud speaker announcements then as now, the spa was overpriced then as now. There was absolutely no 24 hour dining and the room service stunk. Finally, there were no buffalo chicken wings 24/7.

 

So let's look at price. We paid for that TINY inside room with bunk beds a similar price to one of the lower priced ocean view rooms (probably twice the size and double the comfort) on the Jewel last week. Twenty three years later.

 

Food for thought.

 

yoyocruiser

 

THANK YOU!! I was beginning to think I was the only one who actually remembered what cruising was like back then - or earlier. On my first couple of cruises in the 70s, there was even less available than you describe - and it was wonderful! I'd forgotten how bare and drab the cabins were, though - not to mention the thin mattresses on the berths that were bolted to the walls! ha ha ha As a child I had no problem with them, but if I tried to sleep on one of those now, I'm not sure I'd be able to get up again!

 

I loved every second of those cruises, but I am definitely quite happy to enjoy all of the amenities available today. I think if more people actually experienced 'the good old days of cruising', there wouldn't be so many posts referring to how things today aren't 'as good' as then - or how 'so much' was included that isn't anymore. :)

[DMH15]

Yoyo-

 

I could have written your original post! Wow, my first cruise was on the Norway too. It was also 1986 (July for me, the last night being my birthday). And that sounded like my room exactly.

 

Like you, I recently looked through my photos. I was all dressed up to the nines. I remember that I wore my hair to the MDR each night in a different hairstyle. Each night I wore a dress to dinner, but we had two formal nights, so one night I wore a teal blue chiffon ball gown and the other night I wore a short beaded dress that weighed a ton. I also packed a costume for the masquerade party. I went with a large group, so my tablemates were all group members, but I was fairly new to the group so I was just getting to know some of them.

 

Obviously, although I had fun, I had not been so enthralled with cruising on the Norway to make me book another cruise for several years. In fact, I travelled to a lot of all-inclucive resorts and spas. I guess I preferred "freestyle" land vacations. Haha. It wasn't until several years later when my cousin (also my TA) suggested a cruise. I found it quite different and to my preference. On X, I spent the early morning in the gym and luckily I found a spa cafe where I could enjoy breakfast and lunch at the time of my choosing. We still had a set time for dinner, but that was only a few hours of real structure out of the day. Next I sailed carnival and RCCL, and I enjoyed the cruises, but not as much as X. Next I sailed NCL and discovered Freestyle. It is the defining thing for me. Freestyle = vacation. I love variety. I like different waiters and different ambience. When I sailed in a suite on NCL, it just kicked it up a notch. I'd rather cruise once a year in a suite than 2-3 times a year in a non-suite.

 

I am nostalgic about my first cruise, but I do not long for "the good old days".