NCL-A blast from the 80's with pics-just a fun little thread & review

[mitsugirly]

So someone over on the Carnival board had posted a thread about what the difference was cruising back in the 80's compared to now.

 

I thought I would post mine here to share with everyone and see what others might have out there.

 

My very first cruise was with NCL in 1989 on the Seaward. I was 22 and didn't know a thing about cruising. I went on my 2nd anniversary and had no idea what to expect. Back then, people just couldn't afford cruises unless they were "rich". We planned and saved forever for this cruise. Back then, I believe it was a little over $1000 (which was a lot of money, especially for someone only making about $5/hr). It was a cabin with a port hole.

 

We picked up a travel book from our local TA (back then, that's how you booked) and rummaged through the book checking out each and every picture of the various cruise ships NCL had to offer.

 

Notice the date: January-December 1988

 

The pages were full of things to do on board:

 

 

Things I had never done before like slot machines:

 

 

Yes, I flirted with Lady Luck and she flirted back! My husband decided he would take a nap during the day (and those that know me, know I'm on the go non-stop, so that just didn't cut it for me) and I decided I would have to find something to do to entertain myself.

 

Now back in these days, you didn't use a ship card or casino card, you used CASH! I was armed with quarters and away I went. I hit the jackpot. When you hit the jackpot, the quarter came flying out of the machine and you quickly tried to keep up with it by shoveling them into your bucket. When it hit the $500 mark, the attendant would come over and have to "cash" you out the rest of the way. I was handed numerous $100 bills for the rest of my payment. I think I almost broke my arm (I weighed a good 100 pounds soaken wet back then) trying to carry the buckets of quarters back to the room. I had to kick the door to get my husband to wake up and open it up so that I could get in. I poured the money onto the bed and said "this is what happens when you are sleeping". He didn't complain.

 

Now I remember looking at this picture (it was in all of the brochure books...even the updated books) and thought "now who goes on vacation and does handstands on the beach? But I guess NCL had a marketing scheme because to this day, I will always remember that exact picture.

 

 

There were "so many" destinations to choose from. It was a hard choice:

 

 

There was one ship that caught my eye...well not really, there wasn't a picture of it yet. It was still being made and all there was is a picture of a blue print in an ad. But, we knew this was "IT" and booked it with our TA.

 

[mitsugirly]

We did get a listing of the deck plans and what all it had to offer.

 

 

 

Looking back at the ports we visited, I was kinda shocked to see how many we went to and all over the Caribbean like this. Usually it's either western or eastern these days. Well, I mean not like we really visited the eastern side, but that was the way the ship went to get to the western.

 

 

I guess another thing I had forgotten about was that airfare came with the cruise.

 

This is 3 different pictures put together that reflected our situation:

 

 

Within this neat little brochure book, they actually had several recipes (not only for some drinks, but also for some of their food <--they claimed they wanted you to make it at home to prepare your taste buds for what was to come)

 

 

Then I found this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew this was going to be an awesome cruise! Or so I thought.

 

 

I guess what I didn't realize is that in between lunch and dinner, what the feast consisted of was hot dogs. Lots and lots of hot dogs. I had more hot dogs on that cruise than I had probably had my entire life. I came home and never wanted another hot dog again. I have recooperated since then. No worries.

 

Now we all remember that assigned dining times and your assinged seats with table mates right? Well ours didn't particularly care for us I guess. We were young, they weren't. We had nothing in common and it was awkward. By the next night, they had asked to be moved to another table and they were replaced with another young couple our age on their honeymoon. We got along great and hung out with them a lot. I guess because of the dining situation, this is why I cruise with NCL...I prefer to dine when I want with who I want....freestyle!!!

 

One thing I do miss is the grand buffet. It was...well....GRAND. It was not only the best picture opportunity but yummy. The only problem is that you really had no idea what you were eating. The food was displayed in such a beautiful way with tons of ice sculptures. Yes I know we have chocolate buffets now, but it's just not the same.

 

[Stillfloatin']

This is so cool. It's bringing back memories of my first cruise, which was on the Norway. More please!

[mitsugirly]

How did you pay for things while on the ship? Well, mostly CASH. Yikes...I know. While back then, most people did not like to carry cash when traveling, so we opted for the next best thing...travelers checks. Also you could write a check in some places, with proper ID of course.

 

 

Now this is one thing that I wasn't aware of and didn't realize until today when I was reading the brochure book. I had to LOL at it and wondered how many people actually did this? How uncomfortable would you feel? (Thank goodness for the idea of studio cabins now right?)

 

 

Tipping, hmm, now that was different. Remember the little envelopes that was left in your room the last night of the cruise? You could put whatever you wanted in them to leave for various workers on the ship.

 

Well, this is what NCL recommended back then:

 

 

Notice the 15% gratuity added on your bar tab...even back then.

 

There have been many threads stressing about the luggage tags. Man how things were simple back then...you simply slapped a tag on your luggage with your name on it and away you went.

 

 

Now remember, this was the mega ship of the day. We thought she was so beautiful and so HUGE. (Little did we know that some day along comes the Epic, Breakaway, Oasis and Allure right?)

 

 

[mitsugirly]

The one thing that I always liked about the ships were the grand atrium. It had to be the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. It was stories tall, boosting with glass elevators and lights everywhere, there were huge fountains and water...it was just beautiful.

 

I have been on several cruises that did not offer this grand atrium. I truly miss it when they don't have one. It's that "wow" factor. It's the center of attention. I hated that about my Epic and Pearl cruise (and I know, I have a Jewel cruise coming up that's the same way). Usually when I book a ship, I always look for that grand atrium in all its glory.

 

Although I could only find 1 picture today of the atrium, it was grand!

 

There was water running down the lights things in the middle:

 

 

 

 

Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private little island. There wasn't much to it back then. It was very rustic-like. It was a beach, it had a volleyball net, it had the water tricycles, it had a place for the BBQ, but it was mostly a play in the water and lay in the sand on the beach kinda day back then. They had reggae music playing and it gave you a true secluded island feeling.

 

 

 

(Sorry about the rubbed off writing on the picture, it was in my scrapbook at one point)

 

 

Do you see any chairs in this picture? No clam shells either and definitely no cabanas. hehe Wait, where's the hippo slide?

 

So next we were on to Ocho Rios...however, a hurricane had came and destroyed a lot of the place prior to our visit and we had to dock in Montego Bay instead. I have to say this is where my hatred for this place started. We did not have a great experience there (no really, I'm not just exaggerating things either) and I vowed never to go back after what happened to us. But, it's over 20 years and last March I did return to Jamaica (Ocho Rios this time) but I played it safe by booking an AI.

 

It looks like they were pushing the Dunns River Falls back then as well as a tourist attraction:

 

 

After our very eventful day at Jamaica, we were headed to Grand Cayman. I honestly do not remember anything about this place other than it was a beautiful beach. Looking at my postcards I acquired that day, I guess I can say I have been to 7 mile beach and didn't even realize it. LOL

 

 

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico was next on the list of stops...and we did :confused: I obviously collected post cards back then and I have nothing from this place.

[boopsahoy]

I started cruising in the 90's and I know I was on the winward but woNder if I was also on the Seaward? I should take out my photo albums.:o Loving this post!

[mitsugirly]

Then we hit Cozumel, Mexico. I guess this is where my Cozumel obsession started and I wouldn't even realize it for many years to come. When we got off the ship, we just started walking....and walking and walking. We walked along the road with the ocean on the other side of the road and we came to this beautiful hotel. We helped ourselves to it (I know, we were young and dumb back then).

 

I remember the pool so well. I had NEVER seen anything like it before in my life. Wow, what had we been missing out on? They didn't have things like this in the US did they? I mean there were bar stools in the water in the pool and you could just sit on them and be served at the bar. There were bridges going over the water. I mean...wow. I wonder who came up with such a thing? How brilliant!

 

 

A few close ups:

 

 

This was the entrance. This stone statue was extremely tall and towered over the area from the entrance to the pool.

 

 

Now if this is what Mexico is like, sign me up! I never did find out the name of the place. We flagged down a taxi and headed back to the city area where we would go into some local shops and "try" to order food to the non-english speaking employees. It was pretty hilarious. I remember finally giving up on trying to get some hot food and grabbed a bag of chips. I had no clue what they said on them...I would later find out they were pure FIRE!!!! No hablo Espanol at the time.

 

I can also remember being here VERY late at night. It was all lit up and we didn't have to be on the ship until around midnight. I miss those days where you were free to wonder around all day long and enjoy the port.

 

Does this look like our beloved Cozumel now?

 

 

It was also a tender port. I can remember getting on the tender and the locals would be on the tender as well with their arms spread out like a hawk and they would be lined with silver necklaces. They would not stop asking you to purchase their jewelry. Very annoying. It didn't even like silver.

 

We had a wonderful 1st cruise and we loved it so much that we said we were going to start cruising every year we could as our family vacation. It never did happen again until we got a wonderful opportunity to do a short 5 day cruise with Royal Caribbean in 2000. Then we took a break for...oh um...about a good 10 years. :(

 

So according to NCL, this is how you knew if you had a good cruise:

 

 

Other things I remember are the skeet shoot and golfing off the back of the ship. I remember "watching, not doing" other do it and gasping every time someone stepped outside "the gate" that was open to the big blue sea down below with no protection. Then I would wonder what the fish thought when a foreign object came flying into their home.

 

The dinners were amazing and the waiters put on a show by singing and dancing. There was the flaming Alaskan desserts with real fire (except for the night we were in the middle of eating and watching the show and we felt a "bump" and the lights went out for awhile...yea, you don't wanna know).

 

Also when you were in port, you found the local bank and you exchanged your US $$ for their currency. I have tons of money from places we went. I'm actually glad we no longer have to do that!

 

The shows were mostly things on stage that were like the rockettes. Every show was like that from what I can remember. While watching it once would be ok, but after that...it just wasn't our thing. I'm so glad there are so many different types of shows now on the ships.

 

One of our big day time past times seemed to be playing ping-pong or bingo. Swimming or the hot tubs were about the only other option I can remember...well other than eating hotdogs.

 

When you booked a shore excursion with the cruiseline...you booked WITH THE CRUISELINE and their employees. When we did snorkeling, they gave us the snorkeling equipment and we headed to the pool to "practice" snorkeling and learn how to snorkel there first. Then when we got off the ship, they took us to the land and we snorkeled out from there with the employees. We snorkeled WAY out...like way out. I remember getting hit in the face with my husbands fin and it knocked my mask off, filled it with water, and knocked my contact out of my eye. It was a LONG swim back to the shore and the employees didn't even realize we were missing. Geesh.

 

Some of the pricing on a cruise ship...

 

Soda was $1.50 a can.

 

Beer was $7.26 for 2 beers WITH your 15% gratuity.

 

Pictures were $9.95 for a 8x10

 

The 5 carton packs of cigarettes were $66.00

 

Bingo was $20 for a package.

[mitsugirly]

So that is my share of our blast from the past.

 

Feel free to share your stories and pictures.

 

It's interesting to see how things have changed. Both the good and the bad. :)

[SandyAtSea]

This post is SO UNIQUE!! Thanks so much for sharing!

[bostongal965]

What a great post! I only recently got into cruising when my DH and I celebrated our 25th (we've since done 3 with another booked, lol), so it's fun to see what it would've been like if we had done one for our honeymoon. :)

[Stephanieandjason]

Wow, I really, really enjoyed that! Thanks for sharing those memories and photos with us.

[Tyskie]

Thanks mitsugirly for sharing your memories & photos, great read !

 

I didn't get into cruising until 1999, still call it my cruise from hell :eek: NY to Bermuda RCCL. Weather was a huge negative factor. Family members that had cruised before was sure I'd never set my feet on a ship again. Never got sick but was miserable. If this was cruising, I wasn't having it. Of course we had many funny stories after the fact :D Alas, we did cruise again (and again........) in 2002. Leaving from FLL this time and had a delightful time. I was hooked ! If I don't have at least one cruise booked a year, I'm having withdrawal. :)

[mom24grammy21]

That was AWESOME!! And very well written. I am very excited about our upcoming cruise next month, but even more so now after reading this. Thank you for taking the time to put it all in perspective, and for showing those of us who are newer to cruising, how much things have changed for the better and how much we shouldn't take for granted (ex: the grand atrium!)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[rabaroo]

Great post, thanks!

[davy jones]

We sailed the Seaward on that itinerary in May 1989. I think we had the same brochure.

[Starry Eyes]

What a fun thread.

Thanks for sharing those memories.

[Maxsam]

Our first cruise was on our honeymoon in 1991. Of course with NCL. We were only 19 and 22....babies.

 

We had no idea there was a murder mystery on our ship. As we board, there is a dead body laying on the ground. Yikes!!

 

Needless to say, we had a blast.

 

I recall many of the points you bring out, using cash, paper brochures we studied every inch of, sitting at a table with strangers that thought we were too young...lol. Also I don't remember as much entertainment onboard as today. It was much more exciting to get off the ship for all your ports. Fast forward to today and I am almost as happy with staying onboard as getting off for an excursion.

 

NCL was our first cruise and has remained our primary line we use.

[mitsugirly]

This post is SO UNIQUE!! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

Thanks, although I wish I could take credit for it, someone on the Carnival board started it (well it wasn't really a "review" it was more of what do you remember and what was the difference). I just took things a little further. :D

 

What a great post! I only recently got into cruising when my DH and I celebrated our 25th (we've since done 3 with another booked, lol), so it's fun to see what it would've been like if we had done one for our honeymoon. :)

 

I have to say I enjoy cruising more today than I did back then. But of course back then, we didn't know things as we do today, so it was so enjoyable back then as well. :)

[mitsugirly]

Wow, I really, really enjoyed that! Thanks for sharing those memories and photos with us.

 

You are very, very welcome. :)

 

Thanks mitsugirly for sharing your memories & photos, great read !

 

I didn't get into cruising until 1999, still call it my cruise from hell :eek: NY to Bermuda RCCL. Weather was a huge negative factor. Family members that had cruised before was sure I'd never set my feet on a ship again. Never got sick but was miserable. If this was cruising, I wasn't having it. Of course we had many funny stories after the fact :D Alas, we did cruise again (and again........) in 2002. Leaving from FLL this time and had a delightful time. I was hooked ! If I don't have at least one cruise booked a year, I'm having withdrawal. :)

 

Aww so sorry to hear your first cruise didn't go so well. I know our second cruise with RCL, the weather didn't cooperate on the last day and the ship was rocking. We were not even able to dock at the private island and we sat out in the ocean just starring at the small little island. You could see the huge waves crashing onto it. :( That was the day we spent inside playing bingo and winning not a thing! But it passed the time away.

[mitsugirly]

That was AWESOME!! And very well written. I am very excited about our upcoming cruise next month, but even more so now after reading this. Thank you for taking the time to put it all in perspective, and for showing those of us who are newer to cruising, how much things have changed for the better and how much we shouldn't take for granted (ex: the grand atrium!)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I definitely don't take the grand atrium for granted. It's one of the main things I look for when I am searching for a cruise. If it doesn't have it, I'm usually torn between finding another one that does. I have just always considered it to be the "center of attention". When you walked on the ship into the grand atrium, you knew you were on a cruise.

 

I remember when I got back in to cruising, we went on the brand new Epic. I was expecting the same thing. I was shocked to see that there wasn't one and very disappointed. So the following cruise, I did a little more research and found one with that grand entrance (Spirit) and felt like...ahhhh, now this is (was) cruising and what I was looking for. :D

 

Great post, thanks!

 

You're welcome. :)

[mitsugirly]

We sailed the Seaward on that itinerary in May 1989. I think we had the same brochure.

 

I actually have 2 of them. They have the exact same content in them, but different covers. I'm not sure why they have a different cover on them. I know that I received the 2nd brochure because I was hoping they had updated it with a picture of the new ship prior to us going, but it was still the "blue print" picture in it. :confused:

 

What a fun thread.

Thanks for sharing those memories.

 

You're welcome.

[mitsugirly]

Our first cruise was on our honeymoon in 1991. Of course with NCL. We were only 19 and 22....babies.

 

We had no idea there was a murder mystery on our ship. As we board, there is a dead body laying on the ground. Yikes!!

 

Needless to say, we had a blast.

 

I recall many of the points you bring out, using cash, paper brochures we studied every inch of, sitting at a table with strangers that thought we were too young...lol. Also I don't remember as much entertainment onboard as today. It was much more exciting to get off the ship for all your ports. Fast forward to today and I am almost as happy with staying onboard as getting off for an excursion.

 

NCL was our first cruise and has remained our primary line we use.

 

A dead body! Yikes! Maybe that's what gave them the idea of the "Murder Mystery" lunch they do now. :p

 

So obviously you can relate on being young and having people treat you a little different because of it (on a cruise). Back then, you really didn't see a lot of "young" people unless it was a family with young children. Now days, every age is cruising and no one thinks twice about it.

 

I also don't remember them having a "kids club" or anything like that. When we cruised again in 2000 on RCI, I remember (since I had 3 kids with me at that time) that they had a place for the teens to hang out at during the evening hours (it was like a club and they could go and dance or just hang out with their friends onbaord), but I also had a 6 year old with me on that cruise and he didn't have any place to go. That is definitely another BIG change....and a welcomed changed! :D

[gambee's_mom]

Thank you, it is a very interesting thread. I had a lot of fun reading it. :)

[DMH15]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My first cruise was the NCL Norway in 1986. I was in my 20's. Loved the grandness of cruising, loved dressing up for an elegant dinner every night. I went with a church group so I ate with friends not strangers. That helped!

 

My roomie and I had an inside that must have been a converted broom closet. But we were so young and active we only used it to shower, dress and sleep. Oh, have times chaned for me.

 

I recognized some of the materials you posted. I have my VOYAGES and a book on NORWAY (the ship). I will never het rid of them.

 

Cruising has changed in do many ways and I am ok with that. But fundamentally, the thing Iove the most is sailaway and looking out in the vast blue ocean and I get that tingly feeling. That has not changed and probably never will.

 

Thanks for the memories.

[mpk218]

Boy does that bring back some memories. Thanks for dusting off the cobwebs in my attic ..:D

 

P.S I still have the T-shirt they gave you if you hit all the clay targets off the back of the ship... ( it was a 16 gauge pump shot gun ) what memories.. ;)

 

 

Thanks