Who Remembers these ships sailing from Oz?

[Gerko]

Possibly the oddest we sailed on was the Cunard Crown Monarch, a small vessel of abour 16000 tonnes that came about when Cunard took over Crown Lines. I think she did only one season here and we had a great cruise up through Cairns to Samarai Is in PNG, probably the last non-expedition cruise ship to visit PNG until P & O recently.

 

Does anyone remember sailing on her or others like Princess Mahsuri, the Minghua, the Big Red Boat or any of the other odd little vessels that have done a season or two out of Australia?

[MicCanberra]

Not me, I am too young. I do remember the Fairstar though.:D

[Gerko]

Ah yes, The lovely old Sitmar, then P & O, Fairstar. She was a pretty old ship when P & O finally replaced her and what did they do, replaced her with an even older ship, the Fair Princess. P & O always gave the aussies the absolute oldest ship in their fleet back then. Come to think of it, they still do!

[MicCanberra]

Ah yes, The lovely old Sitmar, then P & O, Fairstar. She was a pretty old ship when P & O finally replaced her and what did they do, replaced her with an even older ship, the Fair Princess. P & O always gave the aussies the absolute oldest ship in their fleet back then. Come to think of it, they still do!

Almost nothing has changed, P&O still get the hand-me-downs, at least we are attracting several other cruiselines for the crusie season.:D

Edited August 22, 2013 by MicCanberra

[LibbyLee]

I sailed on two ships Monterey and Mariposa, two ships with the Matson Line from US. I was 6 when we sailed from Sydney to Honolulu in 1970 and then 11 years old from Honolulu to Sydney in 1975. My first cruises.....very fond memories especially of the 1975 one. Can't remember much of the earlier one!! Top class ships but the line folded sometime in the late 70's. Anyone else heard of them??

[MicCanberra]

I sailed on two ships Monterey and Mariposa, two ships with the Matson Line from US. I was 6 when we sailed from Sydney to Honolulu in 1970 and then 11 years old from Honolulu to Sydney in 1975. My first cruises.....very fond memories especially of the 1975 one. Can't remember much of the earlier one!! Top class ships but the line folded sometime in the late 70's. Anyone else heard of them??

 

No but I am sure that will not diminish your memory of them, peoples first cruises are always spectacular.:D

[Bella cruiser]

When I was young I sailed on the Tjiwangi - Royal Interocean Lines (RIL) which was a Dutch line.

 

Also on Marco Polo - Dominion Far East Line which did a few years sailing out of Australia and was a joint venture between H C Sleigh & Jardines.

 

But my favourite was the beautiful little purpose built passenger cargo ship Cathay - E&A (a wholly owned P&O subsidiary ). She carried about 300 passengers and she and her sister ship Chitral, made continual Asia return round trips of about 6 weeks duration.

 

I did quite a few on Sitmar too.:)

 

I missed a lot of school but I still managed to turn out ok:cool:

[MicCanberra]

When I was young I sailed on the Tjiwangi - Royal Interocean Lines (RIL) which was a Dutch line.

 

Also on Marco Polo - Dominion Far East Line which did a few years sailing out of Australia and was a joint venture between H C Sleigh & Jardines.

 

But my favourite was the beautiful little purpose built passenger cargo ship Cathay - E&A (a wholly owned P&O subsidiary ). She carried about 300 passengers and she and her sister ship Chitral, made continual Asia return round trips of about 6 weeks duration.

 

I did quite a few on Sitmar too.:)

 

I missed a lot of school but I still managed to turn out ok:cool:

Except for your addiction to cruising.:eek:

[Tomo72]

I did five cruises in the 80's as a teenager with family on the Alexandr Pushkin.

 

That was odd looking back....

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I sailed on two ships Monterey and Mariposa, two ships with the Matson Line from US. I was 6 when we sailed from Sydney to Honolulu in 1970 and then 11 years old from Honolulu to Sydney in 1975. My first cruises.....very fond memories especially of the 1975 one. Can't remember much of the earlier one!! Top class ships but the line folded sometime in the late 70's. Anyone else heard of them??

 

 

 

Matson is still alive and well.

They are based in Hawaii , but theses days they only run cargo ships.

 

http://www.matson.com/

 

 

 

 

[Wyuna1]

I sailed on two ships Monterey and Mariposa, two ships with the Matson Line from US. I was 6 when we sailed from Sydney to Honolulu in 1970 and then 11 years old from Honolulu to Sydney in 1975. My first cruises.....very fond memories especially of the 1975 one. Can't remember much of the earlier one!! Top class ships but the line folded sometime in the late 70's. Anyone else heard of them??

 

Back in the mid '60's i was involved in the early days on the duty free industry in Australia and it was certainly very different than today's duty free sales.

We actually delivered purchases to customer onboard in their cabin accompanied by a customs officer who then verified the identity of the person by passport and ticket and the stamped our paperwork to allow us to claim back the duty and sales tax. ( The product was high quality Jewellery and Watches). Both the ships were very lavish from memory and obviously reflected the glamorous style of cruising of the day.

Just a footnote we also delivered to the airport where we actually boarded the aircraft after all passengers were aboard again accompanied by a customs officer and delivered the article in their seat after the customs officer was satisfied that i was the correct person.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Wyuna1
additional information.

[MicCanberra]

Matson is still alive and well.

They are based in Hawaii , but theses days they only run cargo ships.

 

http://www.matson.com/

 

 

I certainly do not want to cruise on their ships now.:p

[VK3DQ]

Hello folks

 

The sweet little Centaur (3)

 

Operated by Blue Funnel Line

 

You can find details of her here

 

http://www.ssmaritime.com/centaur.htm

 

Best Regards

 

John

[Aussie Gal]

Our family did a wonderful cruise from Melbourne to Perth and return on the Kanimbla which was a coastal vessel which operated between Cairns and Perth. It was a 2 class ship that also took cargo and such a beautiful ship. My love of cruising commenced then. http://www.ssmaritime.com/Kanimbla-Oriental-Queen.htm The best part was having friends on board to farewell you and then leaving the port with the streamers. It was such a different way of life back then.

 

My parents also went on the T.S.M.V. Manunda operated by the Adelaide Steamship Co. and then on the old Oriana when it was brand new, the Himalaya and the Arcadia. This was back in the 50's and 60's.

 

My inlaws went on the old Marco Polo and the Chitral. Both ships came to Melbourne and they left from there to do a far east cruise. This was in the 70's/

 

Jennie

Edited August 22, 2013 by Aussie Gal

[ozififer]

Back in the early '80's we cruised on two Russian ships. Did 14 days from Sydney to Hong Kong on the Alexander Pushkin which is now known as the Marco Polo. We also did 14 days on the Karylia out from Adelaide to Sydney and on around the South Pacific islands. We also booked to do a third cruise on another Russian ship, The Belorussya, for a 14 day cruise around New Zealand. However the ship went into dry dock in Singapore to have it's bottom cleaned and when they were flooding the dock after the procedure, the ship capsized in it's cradle. Besides these Russian ships we also cruised on Sitmar's Fairstar to Fiji.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

The best part was having friends on board to farewell you and then leaving the port with the streamers. It was such a different way of life back then.Jennie

 

Those were the days Jennie.

So relaxed , friendly and civilized.:)

 

These days , you don't hear them announce ...

"Last call for all Visitors ashore"

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Those were the days Jennie.

So relaxed , friendly and civilized.:)

 

These days , you don't hear them announce ...

"Last call for all Visitors ashore"

 

 

 

Yes, I remember farewelling my aunty when I was around 6 years old, and investigating the whole ship. (cannot remember which one). Everyone lined the dock and also the balcony/promenade deck on the ship to throw streamers as it sailed away.:D

[Gerko]

I did three sailings on Russian ships and they were pretty wild and wooly. Shared bathrooms. Surly russian staff with virtually no english. Meals could be cafeteria standard at best. But there were pluses. I recall a glass of Coke costing 20c whilst a Bacardi and Coke was only 19c. Drinking and playing the pokies at 16yo and the pokies paid so well you could play for hours and still end up a dollar or two in front. And built solid as a rock, as shown by the fact Alexandr Pushkin, now Marco Polo, still sails regular cruises through the icy waters of Antarctica.

[fanoforion]

Hi, my first ( cruise ), passenger/cargo ship. Feb 1966. was on the beautiful ..to me. Austasia Line .M.V Australasia, from Melbourne to...Sydney, Brisbane, Port Alma Bowen, Port Moresby, Singapore , Malacca..

In my 20's, had a great time...returned to Melbourne on same ship later in the year....started my love of Ships. still cruising

 

kind regards, Lorraine :):)

[By The Bay]

Hi, my first ( cruise ), passenger/cargo ship. Feb 1966. was on the beautiful ..to me. Austasia Line .M.V Australasia, from Melbourne to...Sydney, Brisbane, Port Alma Bowen, Port Moresby, Singapore , Malacca..

In my 20's, had a great time...returned to Melbourne on same ship later in the year....started my love of Ships. still cruising

 

kind regards, Lorraine :):)

My first cruise was on the Austasia lines SS Malaysia, http://www.ssmaritime.com/Malaysia.htm. I boarded the ship in Singapore and sailed to Sydney via Port Moresby and Townsville in August 1966. A temporary swimming pool was set up over the holds between the First Class and Tourist cabins. I recall that the bar didn't open until around 1600. :mad:

 

It would be 10 years later, whilst on our Honeymoon, before my next cruise on the Rasa Sayang from Bali to Singapore. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Bergensfjord.html#anchor82633. Great days.

[bvm49]

Our cruising history is not as early as some here but it was on some very old and very modified ships:

 

1. Sitmar Fairstar in 1983 - 26 years old - built as a troop carrier for the British!

 

2. P&O Oriana in 1984 - 25 years old - one of its stabilizers wouldn't work on our rough crossing to NZ!

 

3. CTC Kareliya in 1996 - 20 years old - built as a car ferry in Russia (the ship was arrested a few months later in Sydney!

 

Interestingly, the ships were getting younger but not better. Also interestingly P&O Australia's latest cruise ship, Pacific Pearl was built in 1988 making it now 25 years old!!!

[Pacificdaze]

We sailed on another Russian ship, CTCs Fedor Shalyapin, Dec 1979 - Jan 1980 to Noumea, Suva, Apia, Pago Pago, and Port Vila. There were 800 passengers, and all cabins had ensuite bathrooms. We still remember the magnificent midnight buffet on New Year's Eve, under the stars on the top deck. Another night, many crew performed in the spectacular Russian show, most memorable being the gymnasts and the Cossack dancers.

 

This 2 week cruise was a great introduction to the South Pacific, and we have since enjoyed longer holidays in Fiji, Western Samoa, Cook Islands, Norfolk Island, and we are returning to Vanuatu in 3 weeks time. Very excited to be cruising Sydney to Hawaii via French Polynesia in April 2014 on Celebrity Solstice...ships have certainly increased in size and facilities over the past 30+ years.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[pacificlover]

My first cruise was on Strathmore.......in 1959. Cruising the South Pacific. I was hooked. I have also cruised on the Mingua in 1983. That was a fantastic cruise.......small ship, but it was themed a Jazz cruise. We had 3 or 4 jazz bands on board, plus a couple of top line jazz singers. I am still friends with women I met on board.

[awesome girl]

My love of cruising started way back in 1954 at 7 with my parents when we came from England on P&O Strathaird, in 1966 I went back to England

on Iberia back in 1967 on Orsova, In 1978 we took 3 children on Arcadia

round Pacific and 1981 on Fairstar to Tahiti. We started cruising again in

2008 with Princess and have been twice on Sun, twice on Sea, once on

Dawn and about to travel on Dawn again, just love the sea but not

flying.

[FIELDSURVEYOR]

My first cruise was on the Austasia lines SS Malaysia, http://www.ssmaritime.com/Malaysia.htm. I boarded the ship in Singapore and sailed to Sydney via Port Moresby and Townsville in August 1966. A temporary swimming pool was set up over the holds between the First Class and Tourist cabins. I recall that the bar didn't open until around 1600. :mad:

 

It would be 10 years later, whilst on our Honeymoon, before my next cruise on the Rasa Sayang from Bali to Singapore. http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Bergensfjord.html#anchor82633. Great days.

 

By the Bay, I remember the pool, and the diving for spoons. Our family of nine commandeered the captain's cabins. I have since explored the Indies in a similar style with 1st class Pelni, dining with the captain on balmy nights passing fiery volcanic cones.