Most Memorable Cruise Experience....

[Saphire]

Special memories of every cruise, walking the deck in all kinds of seas (especially memorable on our spring-time FLL-Montreal when the ship was rocking and rolling!) we were laughing like little kids as the ship rose up and then down, climbing up and then running down

 

On our last cruise the seas were rough but the sun was strong, and we spent a long time on the promenade deck near the front of the ship, heads peering out those big window openings as the bow crashed into the sea. It then sent a spray so high and great it reached us, and we too stood there laughing like kids.

 

My favorite memories have to do with admiring God's creation. Flying fish, a starry night, the vastness of the ocean. Sunsets at sea are one of the most beautiful and astonishing things. I think I look forward to those most of all. :)

 

What about you, COLLEYBERRY?

[DeepWaterMariner]

Easy choices for me:

 

Meeting my future wife on North German Lloyd's Bremen in 1969.

 

Taking our kids on their first cruise on Sitmar's Fairwind.

 

Taking our grand kids on their first cruises on RCI's Rhapsody and Mariner of the Seas.

[sammygoose]

All of your reflections are beautiful, what a lovely thread! You're all making me cry.......

We did this crazy thing last Fall, we planned a family cruise. We're all grown up now and never in the same place or same country or continent but life put us in a position to do it. So we did, except I am afraid of ships, terrified actually since I was a kid. I wasn't sure how I was actually going to get on the damn thing, maybe a towel over my head? Tendering with that ship hulking over me? Never. I had the same reaction to seeing ships as some have to snakes or spiders but the lure of Europe and family made me put my money down and kick the proverbial can up the road- I'll work it out later oh yeah and my sister packed anti anxiety drugs. I wanted to do it and see everything but the ship was well the least exciting part.

So I stiffened my back and bit my lip and thought of ports of call and plowed onto the ship. Uhhhh it's not a ship it's a hotel! Knees knocking we went up for sailaway and I edged up to the rail and braced myself and shook, then braced, then shook et al. Slowly I got used to it and it became familiar. I like it! My mind was betraying me.....

So my first cruise is under my belt with love, with family and with ship. Everything comes to you. Leaving Venice with a rail side view-priceless. Backing into Dubrovnik, technically perfect, sharing a bottle of wine on the verandah with my Dad listening to him talk about his time living in Europe-priceless. Not to mention that I'd bought a bottle of Sardinian wine that we shared together made it more special- in Sardinia. Dressing up every night for the MDR and having a lovely meal- special.

So my point is in a long winded way is that sharing the experience with all of my loved ones overcame my complete resistance to a cruise and the ship is something I now look forward to not dread. In fact it is no different now than looking at an office building or a bridge except I just love it and cried before I left................

[Mitwif]

Seeing the mythical "green flash" at sunset when leaving Tortola.

 

Watching a wild pod of orcas exuberantly show off their hunting dance as they cased a harbor seal in Juneau.

 

Seeing the coast of South America off the port side for the first time in 33 years since I left as a girl. I cried.

 

Getting land sick in Cozumel after weathering 20 foot seas the night before without a problem. Tequila helped us get our groove back :) .

[Typhoon1]

Our most memorable was seeing one of the wonders of the world. The Panama Canal. It was not a transit, but we did see the canal.

 

On the to do list, is a full transit.

[ozcruizer]

Among my memories....

* Transiting the Panama Canal 40 years ago during a voyage from Australia to Europe

* Sailing up the English Channel that same voyage, knowing we were almost at our destination

* More recently, visiting Alaska and seeing the glaciers up close from the stern of the Zaandam

* Sailing into our home port, Sydney, at dawn on the Volendam - magic

* Arriving in and seeing Halong Bay in Vietnam on our cruise last December

* Just stepping onto a ship at the beginning of a cruise, full of anticipation.

Ozcruizer

[Lotsasmiles]

For me being a 'newbie' definitely the first cruise. Sitting on our balcony I have a photo my DH took of me with the biggest nicest smile I have ever seen in any photos of me - (including wedding ones!!!!:rolleyes:) wow !! Such an unbelievable feeling after all the months of planning and anticipation! I am hooked!

Anne-Marie

[JamesEM]

I enjoy just walking up the gang blank at the start of the cruise and being welcomed onboard by a member of the crew.

[DizzyDallasDi]

My first Alaska cruise from Vancouver will forever remain in a very special place in my heart and memory. I spent 2 days pre-cruise exploring the beautiful city of Vancouver and surrounding sites that had been on my bucket list for years. Beautiful warm days made it a perfect stay.

 

I was up bright and early for the first "sea day" between Vancouver Island and British Columbia only to discover we were surrounded by nonstop scenery that would last all day (not anywhere near the same "sea days" in my previous Caribbean cruises.) Except for a few "very happy" ;) 20-somethings I ran across, everyone was quiet and almost reverent as we slowly and silently slid through this glorious 360 degree awe-inspiring beauty that surrounded us. It was a spiritual feeling I never expected to have and it brought me to tears.

 

The next day we were in Alaska and cruising Tracy Arm....all the way to the Sawyer Glaciers. Well, what can I say? Two days in a row of picture perfect blue skies and warm weather, I was awestruck by the nonstop beauty that surrounded me. Watching the giant ship maneuver through the tiny twists and tuns while surrounded by waterfalls and glacier ice was amazing.

 

Alaska grabbed my heart and soul in a way I never expected. I went there on a whim to escape the horrid summer heat and find out why everyone was raving about Alaska. I am now a believer....I am one of those who will return over and over because I can't get enough of our 49th state.

 

I have many land based trips that rank right up there in the "most memorable" category, but those don't belong on this thread. :D

[ol3]

what I think is great about cruising is that you travel with all kind of ages and nationalities/cultures; Once I was with friends on a cruise during lowseason around England and the majority of clients were 60+ and our group was 30+

 

we went to the disco one evening and expected nobody there but what a suprise; we met a group of women from Washington DC, all around 60+ and we had a great time with our new friends, dancing all night long :-)

[sparky-elpaso]

Watching the glacier calve in Alaska - and getting some good photos of it.

 

Sailing in and out of the fjords in New Zealand. Weather changed constantly - windy, foggy, rainy, etc. But as our pilot said, without the rain we wouldn't have had all those waterfalls.

 

Sailing in to San Juan with the views of the fort - incredible.

 

We're headed off to the Panama Canal in April and I'm sure I'll be adding that to my list.

[COLLEYBERRY]

I am really enjoying this thread. You have all been so generous sharing your cruise memories. :)

 

I guess it's my turn.:)

 

My husband wears, what I lovingly call his "sea grin", every time we cruise.Usually appears when he first sees the ship.;)

Breathtaking Alaska and all her wonders.

The wake at dawn, or sunset ,or frankly any time in between.

The Tamarind,gosh I love that venue.

The promenade at night

Returning to the cabin in the evening,opening the door to the quiet glow and order of the turn down service.

Sea Air.

But most of all....being on the ocean where our busy life can't find us.

[eh2zed]

Dining on the Statendam in the MDR at stern window in Sydney Harbour Circular Quay with the Sydney Opera House to our right and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to our left both all lit up in the night.

Seeing Cape Horn in glorious sunlight from the deck of Rotterdam VI. We were very privileged to have such a sunny and relatively calm day.

Making great friends from Australia on our SA cruise. We have since visited them and them us.

The magnificence of Iguazu Falls. Awe inspiring!!

And on and on...

[Assateague Island Princes]

That magical night in June of 2010, sailing up Cook Inlet toward Anchorage having just boarded the pilots near Homer. There we were sitting on the secret aft deck of the Navigation deck with six others from our CC Roll Call - by this time all great friends (you know who you are;)).

 

It was 10 til midnight, but the skies were still alive with color, pink bathed the mountains all around us and the active volcano, Mt. St. Augustine was puffing away backlit by streaks of orange. Suddenly, the seas were filled with whales - blows, humps and tails literally as far as the eye could see. All of us, prepared with binoculars glued to our eyes, were stunned and in awe of it. Truly a magical moment.

 

Gosh I miss Alaska:(.....only 4 1/2 months to go. Hope I can hold on.

[Chmielel]

Walk on the promenade dock during 1st sitting of dinner on the Voldendam while crusing off the coast of New Zealand a humpback whale was swimming along side. not more than 20 yards from the ship. The Whale broke the surface and then slid beneath the waves.

 

Cruising along the Mexican coast watch the sunset from Oosterdam sport deck I witness the "green flash".

[lvz2cruz]

My happiest memories are when the kids were younger and the 5 of us shared a cabin on Celebrity. At night we would lay in our beds and talk about our day. We did this thing of what was their favorite thing, their thoughtful thing, and their thankful thing. They had been in the kids' clubs so we were all experincing different things and it was fun to have a quiet time together.

My other favorite is waking up in Panama very early and seeing all the ships waiting to transit the canal in the predawn darkness. You could only see the lights of each ship. It was almost eerie.

My funny memory is in many Alaskan ports last year whatever transportation we were in was playing John Denver music. It was a flashback to I guess the 70s and amusing when it happened day after day after day.

[sppunk]

My favorite memory involved a girlfriend, a promenade chair, a lot of wine and a late night rendezvous. :)

 

I also saw a man on Caribbean Princess that was walking through the lido topless, however he was so hairy it looked like he was wearing a pea coat.

[George C]

After 50 something cruises I have many, seeing dolphins from our balcony on last cruise was really nice, but I think the best was on a Hawaii cruise seeing a river of lava pour into the ocean and seeing the steam rise from it was something I never will forget, this was after dinner and captain had ship do a 360 degree turn so everyone could see it , we also got engaged on a cruise and of course did honeymoon on a cruise ( could not talk my wife into getting married on one)

[callmedeb]

There is a feeling of utter calm that envelopes me the moment I step abord a ship. It's a feeling of relaxation, of knowing that everything is being taken care of, and (most importantly) of being home again.

 

The places I've travelled with HAL were amazing and unforgetable, but it's the people I have met and travelled with that make the experience to me. From the staff (and with my family it's mainly the bar staff) to your chosen trip companion to the wonderful people I have met, just by loving to travel and having a happy heart - The people make the cruise for me, every time.

 

Pub Crawl with my Dad.

Re-Connecting with my sister.

Trivia teams that kicked butt, even when we didn't win.

Happy Hour.

Bingo.

Speaking French only (and my French is Canadian and not fluent) to a lovely woman at the bar and finally understanding what we were talking about.

Cruising solo, but never being alone thanks to the wonderful people from CC who allowed me to share some of their time and an occasional place at their table.

 

I can go on and on, but I think you get it.

 

I cruise hopefully, fully believing that if you travel with a happy heart and a sense of adventure amazing things will happen. You're never alone when you're surrounded by family.

 

Cheers,

 

Deb

[travlin]

When my daughter was about 12, we did a cruise with a stop that allowed for a Normandy Beach excursion. We didn't do that, but one of our tablemates did. He had been one of the first on the beach; it was his first (and last) visit there since. He told my daughter about that day with tears streaming down his face. She never forgot that evening, and we still talk about it. Her love of history began there and fueled her through college with Political Science/Public Relations major and history minor to working in DC at the Capitol. Meeting the people on our cruises had become one of our favorite parts of cruising.

[RonJoan]

On a past Hawaii cruise with many consecutive sea days I broke the monotony by approaching an impressive looking ship's officer and asked him if when they change the elevator carpets whether they are all done exactly at Midnight. He replied he would check. Next day when he said "no" I expressed my disappointment that HAL being the classy line that it is would sail part of the day with the wrong day on the elevator floor. This caught on and lasted almost a week with me confronting him with a new question each day, such as,

 

"When they do change the carpets is there any kind of ceremony such as a reading with bagpipes, etc.?" Or, "If I buy the ship's DVD in the store will I see a carpet changing ceremony?" My absolutely best question which had everyone laughing was, "When you change the carpet in a given elevator do you change it for all 8 decks at the same time?"

 

The Officer who turned out to be Miklos Puskas, the Beverage Manager was a good sport and during the rest of the cruise we became friends and sometime he and some fellow Officers actually made a humorous DVD of a carpet changing ceremony involving Spiderman. I still have that video and cherish it!!!

 

Ron aka RonJoan

[Lady Chew]

All of the sunsets at sea ...

Sailing in & out of new harbors ... Sydney & Singapore & Barcelona in particular, and Miami (!) ... but the best was the first - on our first Med cruise (our first "real" cruise), sailing into our first port, Mykonos, I'll never forget our excitement, and fortunately our cruisemates took pictures of us

Favorite cruise, taking our recent college graduate sons to the Med. The day we spent together in Athens was one of the best of my life, and our time pre-cruise in Rome ...and Kusadasi (Ephesus) ... what a wonderful memory ...

[matondo]

I love this thread!

 

It is so difficult to come up with a single memory so I will share my top ones.

 

1. The knock on the door to let you know that your hot breakfast is being delivered.

 

2. Not having to cook, clean or plan a meal.

 

3. Coming back to your cabin and it is clean, you bed is turned down and there is a chocolate on your pillow.

 

4. Watching the thrusters push the ship away from the dock on that very first sailaway.

 

5. Sea days and spending quality time with loved ones.

 

SIGH......

[Lady Chew]

When I was posting on this thread earlier, it made me so nostalgic for my cruises ... so I'm sitting here getting depressed at this cold, dank, dreary weather, feeling blue because I'm not cruising for another month ... I put on some Beach Boys ... went on a Surfin' Safari and feel much better! Tomorrow ... Jimmy Buffett ...