One Thing I REALLY Miss

[HesterMofet]

Okay, I'm a cruise newbie -- what were the horse races?

 

Thanks!

[Tucker in Texas]

Really miss the daily "newspaper." Chocolates on the pillows were nice, too, but not that big a deal to me. On trans-Atlantics we could be in WW3 and not know it let along sports scores as the TV loses the satellite out in the Atlantic.

 

However, on Celebrity they still do both! The newspaper is available at 11:00 or so in the racks near the front desk--at least they were on the Constellation last year. People would gather at around that time and snatch them up as soon as they came out.

 

Tucker in Texas

[jlajla]

Free soda at dinner!

 

Back in the day (lol), you needed a soda card to get soda out and about on the ship during the day, but not at dinner. I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that I could not even get a free soda at dinner anymore before my last trip. Hoping I do not have to pay for a glass of milk for my kids on the upcoming trip. ;)

[emeraldcity]

Okay, I'm a cruise newbie -- what were the horse races?

 

Thanks!

 

They laid a "track" on the deck early in the cruise, consisting of 6 rows with a number of squares. Each row was a lane and wooden horses on poles (maybe 2 feet high) were placed on the starting line. They rolled the 3 dice (really big dice) and each numbered horse got to move if their number came up. (3 sixes meant the number six horse got to move three spaces.) There was plenty of betting going on before each race and winnings were distributed after the race. Then the horses were auctioned off for the Owner's Cup. Three days later, the 6 Owners returned with their horses for the big race ... winner take all. Horses generally went for several hundred a piece so there was a sizable pot at stake.

 

The first time I tried betting I won $21 on a $2 bet, which I turned around and lost later that cruise on bingo.

[coordinator23]

I too miss the newspaper summary. I used to go to the library and pick up US, Canadian, and UK versions. We would then share them with other family members (we often cruise in a multi-generational group). I really miss the toiletries in the bathroom. An all purpose soap/conditioner/shampoo container stuck to the shower wall hardly evokes the feeling of a resort experience. Motel 6 probably offers more and they are truly budget. At least sell some nice toiletries in the shops. Same with chocolates on the pillow - that was a nice touch. It left a good feeling, and if you didn't eat them all up right away, a week later you could unwrap one and think about being right back on the cruise again. Finally, charging for soda in the MDR - milk probably cost more (coffee probably does too). As a gesture of good will, (and a help to the bottom line), soda should be offered with meals.

[Happy ks]

Free soda at dinner!

 

Back in the day (lol), you needed a soda card to get soda out and about on the ship during the day, but not at dinner. I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that I could not even get a free soda at dinner anymore before my last trip. Hoping I do not have to pay for a glass of milk for my kids on the upcoming trip. ;)

 

 

You're going back a long way I think. We started cruising in 1998 and have always had to pay for soda, even at dinner.

 

Milk is included, our kids even used to order chocolate milk. I've had juice with dinner, cranberry or apple. My preference is grapes made into wine :), never included on the lines we cruise on.

[DonnaK]

1.) The Crooze Comics. I used to really enjoy the pre-show entertainment and improvisational humor around the ship.

 

2.) Formal Attire. I really used to enjoy seeing the majority of cruisers wearing tuxedos and semi to formal evening wear. I still choose to wear the tux, but I miss the overall atmosphere it created when it was the thing to do. Oh well, times change...:(

 

Eric

 

I miss both of these too!

[Arubamoose]

Caviar - anywhere.

 

I remember going to a "midnight" buffet and passing a whole caviar station. I thought I died and went to heaven.

 

Now you are lucky if you can get a hors doeuvre with a single egg on it.

[alexkrn46]

i miss having ice auotmatically delivered to your room!

[dzmom]

Ditto chocolates on the pillow and the daily paper.

[KG1924]

I miss being able to purchase liquor (at a higher, similar to land prices) for the cabin. It really helped on the bar bill :o

 

It's silly, but I really miss the "Get out there" promo's and the "Lust for Life" music. I don't know if it's because it was played non-stop during our first cruise or what, but anytime I hear that song I immediately think of RC and cruising in general :)

[EmpressofPurple]

OMG... What I miss:

 

1) Pool towels delivered to your room by your stateroom attendant on port days... (and later, having to get your own towels from the piles available by the pool... anything is better than the current towel checkout system, where we are being treated like children or criminals)...

 

2) Menus listing multiple courses (salads, soups, appetizers, entrees) rather than just "starters" and "mains" or "small plates" and "large plates"

 

3) Going back a bit farther... baked alaska and cherries jubilee and other flaming desserts... I understand the concerns about open flames at sea, but honestly, these were gotten rid of when passengers could still smoke in many places on the ship... if "amateurs" can handle an open flame, surely skilled food servers can do so!

 

4) Stateroom attendants not being so overburdened with multiple cabins that they could "spruce up" the room a bit more... it used to feel like you had a personal attendant, now you're lucky if the basics get done (bed made, towels replaced, garbage emptied, ice provided -- only on request! -- occasional towel animals, etc.)

 

5) Mints outside the dining room.

 

6) Yeah, chocolates on the pillow were nice, and I did enjoy them after the cruise... and I forgot all about the newpaper summary! That was nice, too.

 

7) Did RCI ever have an afternoon tea? I do enjoy that on other lines...

 

8) A fancy midnight buffet (as opposed to the casual poolside buffet)... I remember it would open at 11pm just for photos! Just amazing... True, most of us don't "need" to be eating at midnight... but this was a fun event, and it was great to see the artistry of the food preparers...

 

9) Dress-up nights that were a real event... I love sitting in a public lounge on formal nights and seeing all the fancy outfits... I don't really have an opportunity to dress up at home, or see other people in formal gear -- it's one of the special things about cruising to me...

 

10) MORE FREE FITNESS CLASSES!!! And when they first brought in pay fitness classes, they were AFFORDABLE!!! They have gone up by $2 per year (from $6 to $8 to $10 and now $12 per class) -- and now they have added an AUTO TIP!! Plus, class length has diminished for free classes from 40 to 30 to 25 to 20 minutes... and for paid classes from 60 minutes to 55, to 50, to 45... you are getting less and less for what you pay for!!

 

11) More affordable shore excursion and spa options. It seems that now most of what is on offer is very pricey; very few budget excursions or spa treatments available through the ships any more.

 

I still LOVE cruising, and get SO annoyed with people who say "Oh, I don't let it spoil my cruise," or "if you're so critical you should find another way to travel." Um, you know, one can actually engage the analytical faculty called the brain and still have a GREAT time, enjoy spending time with the wonderful people onboard the cruise and in the ports, visiting new places, and having a great experience. Things only improve when one honestly assesses what works and what doesn't.

 

I love remembering things from the past, and hearing about things from before my cruising days -- I never had an in-cabin party with people who were not coming on the sailing, or threw streamers from the deck -- those sound like wonderful traditions, it would be great to resurrect in some eco-friendly format, like biodegradable skeet shooting or golf balls!! : )

[clean1owner]

Okay, I'm a cruise newbie -- what were the horse races?

 

Thanks!

 

 

They were some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

[clean1owner]

Caviar - anywhere.

 

I remember going to a "midnight" buffet and passing a whole caviar station. I thought I died and went to heaven.

 

Now you are lucky if you can get a hors doeuvre with a single egg on it.

 

 

 

How about Midnight Buffets Every Night!

[critterchick]

In addition to many of the things that Denise mentioned, I miss the Dueling Pianos. I think they only played on Sovereign class, but they were hilarious.

 

I miss the salsa band in Bolero's on Monarch.

 

I miss having an RCI ship sailing out of LA!

[dachshunddoglover]

Oh, I miss all those things everyone has said but I think the Midnight Chocolate Buffet was the greatest! I would set my alarm and get up to go take pictures at 11:30 and then dig in to all that Chocolate heaven at midnight. Yum, Yum!!!!

The teams that would purchase their horse for the final run would decorate them and take them all over the ship with them. To dinner. To the shows. To the pool. It was fun!

I think we need to have a come to Jesus revival about these fuel prices!! I think they have to make such cutbacks because the fuel is costing them soooooo much! Expect to see more cutbacks if it keeps going up. Do they make a hybrid cruise ship???? (lol) We need one.

E-Beth

[lakelorain]

Some of the "missed" things mentioned happen occasionally on some ships. We had caviar on the Jewel recently at Meet and Mingle and Upper tier event. Chocolates were on our pillow on our fall cruise. We had a chocolate buffet breakfast on the Explorer. And there were salsa bands on several recent cruises and always strings in the dining room at dinner.

Each ship seems to have it's own ideas about how things should be run.

While I miss some things there are always new things to enjoy on each cruise.

[Tucker in Texas]

Not to put a damper on this forum because I have enjoyed reading all the posts and "remembering when." But, let's look at the flip side and instead of thinking about all the things we veteran cruisers miss, let's think about the things that we are getting now that we didn't get when we first started cruising starting with:

 

1) More affordable cruise fares meaning more cruises. I am getting balcony cabins for what I used to pay for an inside.

 

Other things:

 

2) Food availability around the clock vs. fixed seatings for all three meals with a few snacks in between. If you had early seating, breakfast was at 7:00 or 7:30 (can't remember which) and if you weren't there within 15 minutes of that time, the doors shut and you had to make do with pastries on the deck. Same for other meals and, if you were late for dinner, there was only room service which was pretty pitiful in comparison to what is available today until the midnight buffet. Add to that, the men were expected to wear a jacket and tie and the ladies a church dress to dinner every night.

 

3) Wider choice of itineraries because there are more ships out there. They are bigger and can hold more fuel, faster, so they have a much wider range than in the past.

 

4) Smoother sailing with the new technology.

 

5) Better production shows

 

6) Bells and whistles like rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, mini-golf, spas, etc.

 

I do agree with the OP who stated that new cruisers, which the lines desperately need to fill up the mammoth ships, don't miss what they have never had while veteran cruisers do miss things they had in the past and pine for them.

 

But, we can't have our cake and eat it, too. I'm getting more bang for my buck than I did back in 1982 even factoring in paying for things that used to be free/cheaper like better food and pricier drinks. If the cruise lines kept all the things they have been cutting, I probably couldn't afford to cruise very often (lol). I look at what the all inclusive ships charge and know I couldn't afford it more than once every year, if that. Plus, I would be paying for things I am just as happy to live without and may not be interested in like included excursions, free soda, wine at meals, etc.

 

On the plus side, I don't remember past passenger perks like we are getting now--the Diamond lounges and the coupon books giving out free or reduce priced things, special receptions and tours on the ship. So, I don't think that Royal (and other lines) have completely flushed us down the toilet in their quest to attract new passengers with cheap prices. Personally, I'd rather have free drinks every evening than chocolates on my pillow and a room steward that comes into my cabin to tidy up every time I leave.

 

So, let's look at the glass half full rather than half empty. It's nice to reminiscence about the good old days but, as the song says, "a fool will lose tomorrow looking back to yesterday" (lol)

 

Tucker in Texas

[EmpressofPurple]

Not to put a damper on this forum because I have enjoyed reading all the posts and "remembering when." But, let's look at the flip side and instead of thinking about all the things we veteran cruisers miss, let's think about the things that we are getting now that we didn't get when we first started cruising starting with:

 

1) More affordable cruise fares meaning more cruises. I am getting balcony cabins for what I used to pay for an inside.

 

Other things:

 

2) Food availability around the clock vs. fixed seatings for all three meals with a few snacks in between. If you had early seating, breakfast was at 7:00 or 7:30 (can't remember which) and if you weren't there within 15 minutes of that time, the doors shut and you had to make do with pastries on the deck. Same for other meals and, if you were late for dinner, there was only room service which was pretty pitiful in comparison to what is available today until the midnight buffet. Add to that, the men were expected to wear a jacket and tie and the ladies a church dress to dinner every night.

 

3) Wider choice of itineraries because there are more ships out there. They are bigger and can hold more fuel, faster, so they have a much wider range than in the past.

 

4) Smoother sailing with the new technology.

 

5) Better production shows

 

6) Bells and whistles like rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, mini-golf, spas, etc.

 

I do agree with the OP who stated that new cruisers, which the lines desperately need to fill up the mammoth ships, don't miss what they have never had while veteran cruisers do miss things they had in the past and pine for them.

 

But, we can't have our cake and eat it, too. I'm getting more bang for my buck than I did back in 1982 even factoring in paying for things that used to be free/cheaper like better food and pricier drinks. If the cruise lines kept all the things they have been cutting, I probably couldn't afford to cruise very often (lol). I look at what the all inclusive ships charge and know I couldn't afford it more than once every year, if that. Plus, I would be paying for things I am just as happy to live without and may not be interested in like included excursions, free soda, wine at meals, etc.

 

On the plus side, I don't remember past passenger perks like we are getting now--the Diamond lounges and the coupon books giving out free or reduce priced things, special receptions and tours on the ship. So, I don't think that Royal (and other lines) have completely flushed us down the toilet in their quest to attract new passengers with cheap prices. Personally, I'd rather have free drinks every evening than chocolates on my pillow and a room steward that comes into my cabin to tidy up every time I leave.

 

So, let's look at the glass half full rather than half empty. It's nice to reminiscence about the good old days but, as the song says, "a fool will lose tomorrow looking back to yesterday" (lol)

 

Tucker in Texas

 

All great points, and I often state them all (and am grateful for the improvements)... although as I stated in my original post, engaging the critical faculty and/or strolling down memory lane in no way diminishes my enjoyment of cruising today, and my appreciations for those things which have, indeed, improved!

 

I remember 3 fixed mealtimes, too -- and that I usually missed that early breakfast! And having to dress up for every meal, too... I may enjoy "formal night", but I like that the definition of "formal" is fairly flexible...

 

How I wish we could just add all the good new stuff without having to lose the old! I never did horse racing because I couldn't imagine what it was... it's so fun to read about it here.

 

Cruising has come a long way from plain vanilla transatlantics, playing shuffleboard, drinking hot cocoa in deck chairs covered with a blanket and reading a book, talking with the fairly restricted cruising populace... I love that cruising today is so diverse, with people enjoying dozens of different vacations in the shared space of the cruise ship... I get to meet and learn from a wide range of people! It's so much fun.:D

 

Still, it would be nice to have a baked alaska parade once more...

[teddie]

I did a lot of childhood cruising in the 60's. When you wanted a deck chair, a staff member would set up a wooden deck chair in your desired location--and bring you a plaid woolen blanket if the weather was cool!

 

There were horse races, afternoon tea, "First Class" and "Tourist Class", Baked Alaska, Cherries Jubilee, streamers, Bon Voyage parties with your friends and relatives permitted on board to attend, and many other memories I have from back then. Oh, and our cabin beds were truly "bunks", with curtains you could draw closed. My berth had its own porthole.

 

Teddie

[davekathy]

The free wine tasting that use to be offered to platinum members and up.

[Cruzin RN]

Since I quit hanging in the gym, I dont know...do they still do "ship shape dollars"....that was fun redeeming them for tees, hats etc!!!!

[emeraldcity]

Since I quit hanging in the gym, I dont know...do they still do "ship shape dollars"....that was fun redeeming them for tees, hats etc!!!!

 

Sorry ... Ship Shape dollars are gone.

[pspercy]

I wish you could still shoot skeet off the stern like I'm told was available on some ships :)

 

As for music in the MDR, on the Mariner last October/November we had "The Three Seasons" both there and on the Promenade during the day.

 

[storm1of4]

oooh! My husband and I really enjoyed listening to the trio on the Soverign! Rosario Strings, was it?

 

 

OMG!!!! Those guys......They were Asian right?! They were fantastic... They touched every table during the cruise and asked each table to make a request!!! They could play almost everything! We requested they play "Sweet Home Alabama" They had the whole dining room rockin!