Aren't you glad you started cruising 'back in the day'

[fisherguy]

My first cruise was with my family on the 40,000 ton Fairsky. At the time it was the largest ship I had been on and I loved the novelty of having fine dining, casinos and production shows at sea. It was also the first time visiting the Caribbean so the ports were important as well.

 

For me, the only reason that I would go on one of the smaller ships now would be because of the ports. It would have to be port intensive and ones that I have not visited. I think that a cruise on one of the mega ships is more about the ship itself rather than the ports.

 

Now that I have my own family, we have embraced cruising as our vacation of choice because of the value and entertainment that cruises offer.

[joyride21]

Back in the day really wasn't too very long ago for me. It was on Majesty and I'll never forget the wow factor when I first stepped aboard. No ship has compared since then to that initial moment. We are kicking around the idea of Oasis late next year, and despite her massive size I guarantee I won't be as impressed as I was my first moments on the Majesty. I had done very little research on the ship and had no idea what to expect back then - now I've seen so many pictures of Oasis I feel like I've already sailed her.

 

That being said, the first cruise I took my now husband on was Empress. I specifically picked her because we were considering a cruise for our honeymoon but I didn't want to find out then to determine if he liked cruising or not. So Empress was the trial run, and I wanted to make sure that I didn't take him a ship with all the bells and whistles for fear the next time I'd have to hear "but they don't have [this]" and "where's [that]. And he loved it! I'm glad we started out small, I can see how starting big would make one hesitant to try the smaller ships.

 

So yes, I'm glad I started 'back in the day' on small(er) ship. :D

[Homosassa]

In those days there were no towel animals, but the cabin steward would make amazing designs out of the lady's nightie. I bought special nighties just for cruising.

 

LOL!!! I use to try and hide my nightgowns so I wouldn't see them on display when I came back in the evening. The cabin steward always found them.

 

I started cruising in 1976 when it was common for a cruise ship to only have 400-700 passengers. As the years passed, that number crept up to a 1000 passengers. As that number increased, the service and quality of food went down.

 

I loved the Nordic Empress (Empress of the Seas) and our last cruise on RCI was the last year she was in service. We had tried a Voyager class ship and felt a "Beehive of the Sea" just didn't makeit in the RCI style for service and food (anyone else remember that RCI was known for it's chocolate desserts, now you are lucky if they serve you a brownie after your dinner of fried chicken or chili).

 

Of course, RCI has changed its target demographics and cruising style from the early 90's when it was an upscale cruiseline.

[Daghis]

I'm very thankful that my first Royal Caribbean cruise wasn't my first cruise ever.

 

My first cruise was on the Celebrity Century and that was fantastic. In many ways, it set the tone for our expectation of cruising, some of which we get regularly now and some we don't.

 

My first Royal Caribbean cruise was on the Viking Serenade, and I was terribly disappointed by the much smaller ship and limited itinerary (we chose a 3-day weekend cruise down to Ensenada). My thinking was that any cruise was better than no cruise, but I didn't agree with that afterward.

 

I've grown to love Royal Caribbean's larger ships since then. I think that I may actually like cruising more now than then because of how the industry has changed over time. Our original cruise was great, and I am glad that we sailed on her back then, but I think I'm happier with today's cruises.

[negc]

firstly, this isn't a thread about most people's favourite subject about how 'everything was so good back in the day compared to today because of X,Y and Z.'

 

I see so mamy people on these boards ask questions such as 'been on the Oasis, will i be disappointed with the Freedom/Voyager etc or been on the Voyager will I be disappointed with Radience, Vision, Monarch etc.

 

I have been cruising many years and have been fortunate to be on ships around 30,000 tonnes. I love all RCI ships from the Monarch to the Allure. I don't see bigger ships as being 'better' only 'different'. I understand my cruise on the Oasis is very different to that on the Splendour but either way they are both fantastic! Ive been fortunate in that i started sailing smaller ships back in the day and absolutely love them, just as i love big ships.

 

I do worry though for todays new generation of cruisers who've only been on a 140,000 ton ship and are scared to try anything smaller, 'back in the day' I didnt have a choice but i got to see that side of cruising. On the plus side, if all these new cruisers won't go on anything other than Oasis or Allure there'll be plenty of room on the smaller ships for me :D

 

BigKeith

 

I agree with you and when we started cruise ships were more likely to be 20,000 GRT or slightly larger. Each new generation of ships has added more features which, as you say, didn't necessarily make them "better", just "different". We have enjoyed them all regardless of size and I feel a bit sorry for those who won't go on anything smaller than Oasis or Allure and those who won't go on anything that large. Both are missing some great cruise experiences since IMO, it isn't the size of the ship that makes a cruise such a great vacation, but the places that they go and the people you meet (including the ships officers and crew).

[Smokeyham]

My first cruise was in the early 90's on board the Rotterdam V. Built in the 1950's she could accommodate 1,499 passengers and 575 crew. She was exquisite, and I remember the formal evenings, and even the informal nights had some degree of dressiness to them.

 

However, I wonder if we went back to an experience like that if we would actually enjoy it. I've come to enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere on board, and all of the amenities which are currently offered.

 

However, Rotterdam V is now a hotel in the City of Rotterdam, and I intend to go back one day and hopefully sleep in my old cabin. :)

 

If any of you sailed on her, here is a fun YouTube video of what she looks like now, which may bring back memories! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vijcNSxWSB4

[QTBabyNurse]

My first cruise was on the Dolphin IV...which was about 13,000 gross tons. My latest cruise on the Allure at over 225,000 gross tons....and many in between. What a vast change! :)

I have the fondest memories of sailing on that first ship....thought it was so classy! You sure felt every swell of the ocean and the horizon would rise and fall as you looked out the window on those small ships!

Never got seasick on any of my cruises except for the 2nd time I sailed on the Dolphin IV and had the most forward cabin (which you actually had to walk up a sloped hallway to get to!)....we had 40 mph winds and 12 foot seas (per the captain) and you could feel the front of the ship slam down as it rode the waves...the whole ship was ill until we arrived in Nassau the following day. It was the only time I ever considered ditching the ship and flying home! :eek:

[rubrrick]

Great reading!! I'm fairly new to cruising, starting in 1995 on the old Pacific Princess, which I recall was under 25,000 tons.

 

Our first Royal Caribbean cruise was on the Legend of the Seas, in 2003.

 

We have enjoyed many different cruise lines, but when all was said and done........we keep coming back to Royal Caribbean......enough to today, to be Pinnacle Club members. And of all of the ships that we have sailed on, belonging to Royal Caribbean, we enjoy the Radiance Class more than any other class (interesting, that class is mentioned many times in this thread) and our all time favorite.........is the Jewel of the Seas. We shall be on her again in August of this year!:)

 

Rick

[ryano]

My "back in the day" cruise was only 4 years ago lol but I sailed on Carnivals oldest ship, the 45,000 GRT 1500 passenger Holiday.

 

I loved that trip! The ship was old and way outdated but I didn't know that. I remember seeing her for he first time that morning and being blown away with her size LOL! If nothing else that trip hooked me on cruising.

 

Then I sailed on Monarch and was like WOW! My first ship with a centrum! LOL. That area amazed me then just like the Royal Promenade amazed me on Freedom a few weeks ago :)

 

I'm hooked now. I continue to be amazed and in awe with cruise ships and cruising. I have GOT to get another one booked!

 

I hope one day to experience the Oasis class. I can't even imagine it as amazed as I was with Freedom.

[LisaGoeke]

Loved the Oasis, looking forward to the Allure, but I also loved our cruise on the smallest ship we sailed on, Sun Viking. I don't think it even held 1000 passengers!