Think back to your first cruise..............

[Cruiseoften]

Many of us have cruised for years now - you could call us addicts - but we all made that first cruise. There was no internet in those days -

]how did you get answers to your questions?

Did you have as many questions as first time cruisers today?

Did you read the brochure from cover to cover and go 'by the book'?

Did you plan what you would wear morning, noon and night?

Did you research menus? Was food on board one of your prime concerns?

Did you research every port and what it was best to do there?

Were you perhaps so excited to be going on a cruise that none of the above really mattered?

 

An indication as to when you first cruised and your age range would be of interest and would I think, add interest to your reply.

 

Myself? - DH and I jumped in with both feet; we devoured the brochures; endlessly questioned our TA; shopped for new clothes and looked forward to a trip of a lifetime. We went by the book! Everything was a wonderful experience.

 

We were not kids (both in our mid-40's back then) and we'd earned/saved for the means to cruise. We expected and experienced a wonderful trip. Now, with more than 365 nights on board one ship or another behind us we're totally hooked on cruising. We travel with one suitecase per person - we observe the dress code - gals! there's no need to pack for 3 clothes changes per day!

 

Will you share your story?

[spirithaven]

Great Topic

 

Years ago my friend and I decided to take a cruise. While I had lived on a sailboat and traveled a motorcycle accident made my sea days no more, I thought. We decided that we wanted the best cruise line and the top of the line cabin.

 

We picked a 4 day cruise on Carnival out of Miami. We had the largest suite on the Fantastic. That was my first and last time on Carnival. The size of Category 12 cabin was and still is the largest cabin I have had. There were smoke holes all over the carpet and sofas. The midnight buffet waiting line had people throwing up in the hallways. It seemed that everywhere was a bar and my friend and I do not drink. The service was so poor.

 

After that I decided never to cruise again so it was a few years before I did try that and the good news was I tried Princess. This time I travelled alone but did a roommate match. The ship and cruise was wonderful, however, I was in my 40s then and Princess said that we will match you with someone around your own age who doesn't smoke. While she was nice, she was a 21 year old gal who was on the cruise ship. In those days the show consisted of Ben Vareen and either a Cirque show or Chinese acrobats but they were wonderful. That was my last experience with a roommate. It did teach me that there were good cruiselines that offered opportunities for wonderful vacations.

 

Did cruise further on Princess and enjoyed it until a friend suggested that I try HAL and that is what I have done for years with a little Celebrity and Princess.

 

Brought up memories, great topic. :p

[RevNeal]

I will have to count my Nieuw Amsterdam 1994 cruise as my first cruise since my trips on the United States were made when I was a toddler, at the whim of my parents.

 

how did you get answers to your questions?

 

I asked my parents, who are experienced cruisers with HAL for at least 10 years longer than I.

 

Did you have as many questions as first time cruisers today?

 

I had more questions than many first-timers I meet here. :)

 

Did you read the brochure from cover to cover and go 'by the book'?

 

My dad is a retired USAF Major-General, and I was raised in that kind of a house-hold. Enough said. :)

 

Did you plan what you would wear morning, noon and night?

 

Not quite. Every night, yes. Otherwise, what I wore didn't vary much.

 

Did you research menus? Was food on board one of your prime concerns?

 

I remember my mother handing me a stack of souvenir menus to look at. :)

 

Did you research every port and what it was best to do there?

 

No, not really. I was more interested in the ship.

[ekerr19]

There was no internet and I had no preconceptions at all - mine was the maiden U.S. voyage of the Noordam III and I was still pretty young. I thought the ship was so amazing - back in 1984 it was "state of the art" and it was like a floating palace.

 

We had such a wonderful time - it's so hard to measure that cruise to today's standard - they still had the midnight buffet, there was a menu that was comprised of pages, veggies and such were all served "family style" and a beer was $.75, lol! Also, the shops had some of the most gorgeous items to be seen - they sold Burberry, Lladro, high end cosmetics and fragrances, Dutch chocolates and cheeses, etc.

 

I miss it... :)

[lougee1043]

someone gave us a 1 nite cruise from vanc to portland as a wedding gift--the cruise was part of the repositioning from alaska to the carib via the pan canal--

 

didnt know anything and didnt ask anything just showed up and i was hooked

[arzz]

My first cruise could easily have been my last. It was Christmas, 1980. The Love Boat series had just started on TV. Our travel agent at the time was as young as we were and had just discovered cruising. She hooked us up with the old Sun Princess (aka Spirit of London) -- (The ship continuously showed the original pilot "Love Boat" movie that was filmed on the Sun Princess in the theatre -- the TV series, however, was filmed on the Pacific Princess)

 

There was no internet, and we were young and adventurous. I just read the cruise brochure (which I still have) from cover to cover, over and over until it literally fell apart to find out what to expect. I do not remember fretting over clothes though I did borrow a few things to wear. Bottom line, since I was young and timid, if I didn't know the answer to a question, I winged it -- with not always the best result.

 

I had no real expectations, but I did wish for a quiet place to read and our postage stamp inside cabin that was literally twice the size of a double bed was not the place.

 

Every time I settled down in a nice quiet lounge, the "Love Boat" cruise staff tried to get me to "do something fun"! Even when I was reading in the library!

 

I was afraid to ask if there was a charge for room service, so when we came back to the ship too late for lunch, we ate the fruit in the cabin. I do not remember Lido meals on that ship, but there were midnight snacks. Not the large buffets, however, that appeared on the ships a few years later.

 

I do remember the vegetables coming on a large, beautifully arranged platter that the waiter offered, and we chose exactly what we wanted and the waiter served us. I remember being brought two desserts if I expressed even the slightest indecision, and once (to my horror) my entree was doubled because of an expression of the same indecision. We were presented with a set of menus at the end of the cruise. The ship's wonderful staff were mostly from Portuguese Goa.

 

We had late dinner so I attended afternoon tea in the dining room every day.

 

We were very young, but our table mates were well up in years and almost infirm but well travelled and fascinating people.

 

One of our ports was cancelled (Trinidad, I think) so instead, for only the second time ever Princess treated the passengers to a beach picnic on Palm Island in the Grenedines. Palm Island is a small piece of Paradise rescued from scrub vegetation (the story goes) by "Johnnie Coconut" (as he was called) who spent years planting coconut palms on the Island as he travelled the Islands in the merchant marine. Later he settled there and opened a very small resort (that accomodated at most 20-30 people). He was there the day he shared his island paradise with us.

 

What beautiful beaches all around the island which could be circumnavigated by foot in about an hour. Princess treated us to a beach barbeque. Everything we needed (food, chairs, grills, umbrellas etc., and eventually the passengers) was brought from the ship that morning (via the lifeboats -- we had no tenders since the Sun Princess could dock almost anywhere) by the ship's crew who were dutifully costumed in pirate costumes (striped t-shirts and 3/4 pants). Next to HMC, Palm Island is one of the most beautiful places I have been and this beach picnic event set in motion years worth of efforts on our part to seek the perfect beach.

 

Unfortunately, the constant pressure from the cruise staff to "have fun" turned us off of cruising. About 10 years later we rediscovered this incredible type of vacation. We travelled on a ship where we were allowed to spend our time as we wished, and where there was always a quiet lounge in which to read, and a cabin that was pleasant enough to feel like spending time there also. It was that second cruise that really started my current addiction.

[mrsred]

Ten years ago was my first, and only cruise so far.

 

I was in my late 20's, in the Army, hadn't had leave for a bit, so I walked over to the travel agency on post where my friend worked...handed her my credit card and asked her to send me ANYWHERE warm (it was November in Washington, DC).

 

She called me up, asked if I had ever been on a cruise...the rest is nothing but fond memories.

 

Did I have a lot of questions? No...but I did have a lot of people ask me if I was nuts to go on a cruise alone.

 

I didn't read anything, research anything, or even really know what the itinerary was. My friend/TA just told me I'd have a blast, and she was SO right!

 

The people were so much fun, the staff was so nice, the beaches were incredible, the food...oh the food! Dancing until 2am, making my $5 donation to the casino, drinking those frozen fruity thingings while sunning by the pool, and did I mention the food! What's not to love!

 

I only went on one of the ship's excursions...after that I joined some of the people I became friends with from dinner and we would rent taxi's and tour the island, or just walk around on our own.

 

What to wear: My friend/TA told me about the formal nights...but I was so thrilled to not be dressing like a tree and combat boots, I had already planned to pack all of my "girly" clothes, so that wasn't an issue.

 

Hoping to get FDH hooked so we can enjoy cruises annually instead of once a decade! :eek:

 

~e

[Vic The Parrot]

I find myself thinking constantly of my 1st cruise.....

 

 

Then go right down the down the line to the most recent!

 

:D

 

 

 

It's fun comparing all the ships I've been on, and seeing the 'subtle changes' that modern-day cruising has wrought.

But I don't bother with clothing issues, or other questions .... I just go with the flow. And since I'm on a ship, who cares anyway? So to me it's the ol adage of "Getting there is half the fun" (with thanks to Cunard!)

 

Don't care where I eat, where I sleep ... As long as I'm on a ship, I'm happy!

 

 

:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

After spending years and years touring all over Europe and Hawaii on buses and cars and living out of 1 suitcase each, I finally talked DH into taking a cruise in the 80's. The rest is history.

 

Have done over 70 cruises - and the last few years several of them have been 21 or 22 day cruises.

 

We had not a clue as to what cruise line to pick, what type of cabin, nothing. We did know that we were going to cruise the Caribbean. Picked up a lot of brochures and studied them for a couple of months.

 

First cruise was on the Cunard Countess - 14 days - loved it.

[Randyk47]

My first cruise was on the Fantasy out of Port Canaveral in the early 90's. I'd expressed an interest in cruising but my wife at the time was deathly afraid of getting seasick. As a surprise at Christmas she bought us a 4 day cruise just to see if we/she liked it and could get past the seasick part. No planning, virtually no idea of what to expect other than we took enough clothing for 3 times the length of our cruise. Obviously we loved the cruise and took a 10 day cruise the next year on HAL. That wife and I have parted ways but I quickly introduced my present wife (last wife according to her :o ) by honeymooning on a cruise. She's been hooked ever since and we're off again next February on the Volendam. :) We now, with maybe the exception of trying to determine the menus for each night, "study" for our cruise. Mostly to check out shore excursions, ports, etc. Oh yeah......we still overpack! :eek:

[Druke I]

My first cruise was a left coast trip, Vancouver to San Francisco Sep 1964, on the late great Oriana, then an Orient Lines ship, prior to the merger with P&O.

 

We had one of those unique Court Cabins forward.

 

Second cruise was also on Oriana, then a P&O liner, RT to Mexico from San Francisco, Christmas, 1970 - three generations of my family.

 

Fell in love with cruising way back then, but did not start crusing regularly until 1985. (Truth be known, I could not have afforded it regularly until '85.)

[ekerr19]

First cruise was on the Cunard Countess - 14 days - loved it.

 

My Mom and Dad loved the Cunard Countess - their second cruise was aboard that ship! Their first was a Princess - 4 days from LA to Mexico and back, they were hooked!

[sail7seas]

Our very first cruise was on Royal Princess.....a very pretty ship but she is hard to find one's way around. You have to go up and over in order to go down rather than a straight walk from bow to stern. It confused me at first but that was part of the adventure.

 

 

We were doing a great deal of European travel at the time. Planes, trains, buses, hired cars. Those trips were fabulous and we loved them but I was seeking more variety.

 

During that same time, we alternated our fall/spring European travel with Resort vacations in the Caribbean during Boston's cold winters. We loved those resorts (and it seems we will be returning to them next summer----HAL having no ships in the Caribbean.)

 

My TA mentioned cruising a few times to me. I brushed her off. She persisted and said she knew we would enjoy it. Finally, she told me of a wonderful offering she had gotten for Royal Princess. Apparently the ship was supposed to have been somewhere else but the itinerary changed (I don't remember why) and would be in the Caribbean for 7 days cruises.

 

We traveled often with dear friends who were older than us. She had some health issues that was making it hard for her to pack, unpack, in the airport, in the taxi, in the hotel, out of the hotel etc (He husband wasn't as helpful as he might have been. :) ) She always wanted to cruise and when my TA persisted with this Royal Princess thing, we agreed to try it.

 

The 'terms' were that if DH and I really hated it (as we expected to do), she should not be offended if we packed and left. If we chose to go to the first airport we could get to and fly home. We fully expected to do that.

 

We were aboard the ship about one day when we shook our heads and wondered how we could have imagined we would not like this 'cruising stuff'. We loved it immediately.

 

That was about 60 + cruises ago.

 

We knew we needed formal clothes and came prepared for that. We certainly knew we'd want shorts, swimsuits etc as we were going to the Caribbean. Planning wardrobe didn't seem to need much 'help' with a ton of questions.

 

We were vague as to was all food aboard included in the fare we paid? Just after we boarded, we found Lido....I guess those wonderfrul aromas found us. :) We watched as everyone took trays and went through the buffet. Wasn't too hard to figure out that it was self-service buffet but we were confused as to where we should pay.

 

Even though we figured out our lunch was included, we were confused as to whether there was a price for selecting from that luscious display of sweets. Didn't matter to us if we had to pay, but we didn't know. Not being particularly timid, I told the rest I'd get us a selection of sweets and bring it back to the table. A moment's observation made it clear it was.....help yourself and enjoy.

 

We had been in the Caribbean so much at Resorts that what to do ashore was no issue for us. Though we had traveled to a number of islands for weekly and longer stays, we knew how to entertain ourselves/amuse and/or tour whatever we wanted.

 

Our friend loved every second of that cruise. She never got to take another as she passed away shortly after we returned. We were so grateful we had gone with her and she had 'taken her cruise' that she enjoyed so much.

 

We were hooked right away.

 

It does strike me a little 'funny' how ignorant we were as to what to expect. Somehow though, without the internet, without a bunch of people of whom to ask questions, we managed to book that first cruise; picked a wonderful Suite; got ourselves to the ship; had the correct clothes; knew what to order for dinner; and figured out who and how much to tip. I'm happy that we have forums now to talk about our great cruises and to share information and assist people new to HAL (or whatever ship/cruiseline) but I think some of that 'mystique' has been lost to newbies who find their way to BB's. That wide eyed wonder of not knowing what to expect was so very special.

 

The first is sooo special to people who love cruising.

[ekerr19]

That wide eyed wonder of not knowing what to expect was so very special.

 

The first is sooo special to people who love cruising.

 

Sail - What a wonderful post! I also agree with your observation about the wide eyed wonder of not knowing exactly what to expect - it was like that for me on my first cruise too.

 

I waited many years to take my second cruise - we had small kids and periods where work was exceptionally busy - but when I finally got DH on the Veendam in 1999, it almost felt like "coming home" so to speak. :)

[Cruisin Kay D]

(1) The BAD: Back in 80's took the little old ugly (daycruise) ship to Freeport one morning -- stayed at Freeport 2 nights -- took ship back to FLA in afternoon -- all of it pretty awful!! Upon boarding about 7 AM we were handed some pink fancy drinks that went down real easy -- by the time we got out to open sea I was seasick and hubby having a wonderful time dancing with all the older ladies!!! Stayed in old Princess hotel for 2 nights & won a little $$ at casino & bought some jewelry -- expensive food shocked us, so we couldn't wait to get out of there! I don't even count that trip as a real "cruise"!!!

 

(1) The GOOD: To me this was our FIRST CRUISE!!! My 50th birthday present in 1991 -- my parents took hubby & me on Crown Princess Eastern Carib cruise in a balcony cabin!! Since we were so excited about the cruise, I had NO reason to dread that big 5-0!! Mom & Dad went along and also brought my younger sister & her husband. The 6 of us had adjoining balcony cabins and Dad led us through all the etiquette of tipping, dining attire, etc. The cruise itinerary included the new private island, Prin Cays, plus San Juan, St. Thomas and Nassau. Just before our cruise, Prin Cays was damaged by a hurricane, so Prin substituted Freeport as our 1st stop!!! (After the BAD experience above, I don't think we even got off the ship!) Mom & Dad had been on many cruises and again in the 80s Mike & I drove them to the ship (Fairwind or another) & got to go on board to see their cabin, dining room, buffet, etc.!!! WOW we were impressed!!

[cruisinjudy]

My first cruise was in my forties with my first husband. We had been going to Hawaii for a couple of years and I wanted to cruise, he didn't, so we compromised and took American Hawaii Independence. We took our then seven year old daughter in an inside cabin down at the bottom of the ship. We were hooked.

 

We read the brochure many times over and canceled with the travel agent when we found out we didn't have to pay brochure rate!

 

I really obsessed about clothes and shoes. I looked for as many pictures as I could find of people cruising to see what they wore.

 

Since we had been to Hawaii before we didn't have to obsess about the ports. We already knew what to do and rented a car.

 

The second cruise was about nine months later on Royal Caribbean Song of America to the Caribbean.

 

It is now 26 cruises later and a different husband. We still take my daughter on cruises. My son only went on one. He was not hooked like my daughter was.

[jhannah]

Being much more of a newcomer than most of you guys, we had the Internet to do some research. But it wasn't extensive. I read through the brochures, read most every page on the cruise line's website, and was captivated about the thought of taking a cruise. I signed up and went onboard in a fairly green state. Enjoyed it to the max. Been hooked ever since.

[Sweetdreams]

My first cruise was nearly thirty years ago! Best friend, who was also my co-worker had traveled together often decided on HAL's Rotterdam. I'm not sure we even had a brochure rather alone a computer! We took the first itenarary from NYC to Bermuda that suited our work schedule. We had a blast!

We ended up sharing our room with two other girlfriends who wanted to try cruising. We shared closets, clothes & $1 Heineken's! Glad I had the experience without all the inside information beforehand.

 

The expereince was unforgetable at such an impressionable age. I can still close my eyes and see those pristine, uncrowded Bermuda beaches. Savor the wonderful elegant dining expereinces. Can even remember many of the wonderful friends we made during those days aboard.

[Sequim88]

First and only (so far) was three years ago for our 25th anniv. Veendam to Alaska then a week of driving around (and flight to Barrow). We researched and research and researched that trip. Internet, Books, Videos, friends, etc... Most of all this board right here. We printed everything we could and assembled a large three ring binder. Spent many summer evenings on our deck reading and digesting. Finally as cruise date approached we moved all the relevant stuff (reservations, documents, etc...) into a smaller zippered 3-ring folio case with daily itineraries and cost estimates and palces to record notes and purchases.

 

Food was no paticular concern other than I had been low-carb dieting for a year (and lost 45 lbs). Found CC via the "lose before you cruise" board while searching for Atkins info. Went off plan and gains 20 on the extend cruise/drive trip but have re-lost most of the gain and will lose more before next cruise.

 

#1 concern.....the dreaded lifeboat drill and not scewing up. ;)

 

Thing was the trip went like absolute clockwork. Very few diversions from plan. Sure the glacier helicopter tour in Juneau was canceled by low ceilings but we got refund and switched to whale watching (having prepared a backup plan) and took a city bus to Glacier Gardens. Flight to Barrow was an hour late due to fog and snow in Barrow (on June 26th no less) but that worked out OK in the end too.

 

Most memorable recollection is sitting in Crow's Nest at 1am on June 21 watching the sun set while sedately cruising across the mirror smooth Gulf of Alaska toward Prince William Sound - mountans in the distance glowing pink. This peaceful and hypnotic "cruising" sensation will forever define "cruising" for me.

 

NOW, we are preparing for 30th in June 2007 by planning Baltic trip - yes, with a week of driving around Sweden/Norway. And yes, the new 3-ring binder is being built and definitely we have LOTS more questions about the new ships (like Westerdam) and changes at HAL. This time sis-in-law is a cruise specialist TA so, unfortunately, if she gets a super deal on a balcony cabin or mini-suite on another line we may have to sail someone else. :(

[caribbean girl]

We did a little of each...read a little, asked friends who had cruised what we thought were important questions a little, shopped a little. What we did most was look forward to the day of sailing!! And we all had a tremendous time!!

[RuthC]

It was 1978; I was youngandsingleandgorgeous; all I knew about cruising I had learned on TV's Love Boat.

The morning man on my radio station was leading a cruise on the ss Statendam from NYC to Bermuda. Not knowing many people, and having nothing better to do, I signed on for the cruise.

 

Never had many questions that I recall. A woman at work had sailed the ss Rotterdam on the NYC-Bahamas-Bermuda run the year before and gave me a few tips on what to expect.

 

Back in those days there was no such thing as "casual" evenings---even on the first and last nights. There were two formal and five informal evenings. I did have the "dress" issue covered---and with one suitcase!

 

So off I went knowing nothing about cruising or Bermuda. Just knowing that love was waiting.

 

But I was hooked and continued to cruise anyway!

[Sweetdreams]

Ruth,

I was hooked too, like you after cruising young & carefree. Only it took a long time before I sailed again.

 

You reminded me of the formal wear from the 70's when I read your post it just came back to me. The platform shoes! Yes, two formals & the rest informals cruising to Bermuda. I knew so little about cruising then and we traveled light too-one small carry-on and one large suitcase! Wish I could post pictures-I scrapbooked everything-cocktail napkins, stirrers, luggage tags, and a picture of my three friends (self included) playing the instruments with one of the singers before we closed the bar! Whoa! Can barely dance now after a single glass of wine!

 

Thanks for bringing back those wonderful memories.

[Peggy Sue]

1993 - dolphin cruise line .. ss oceanbreeze .. cruise departed from Aruba. We traveled with friends and had a fantastic time. Tiny, tiny, tiny inside cabin ...the twin beds were more like twin cots ... you could sit on the john and shower if you wanted.... But, we loved every minute. We read the cruise info from cover to cover many, many times .. but that was the extent of our knowlege of how things worked ... we packed formal and casual clothing .. everything worked out perfectly ... picture perfect weather ... the ship was glided on dead calm seas for 7 glorious nights ... full moon, wonderful strolls on the deck late at night .. lots of fruity cocktails, miles of smiles and laughs .. we loved the crew...they were so energetic, danced along beside us and knew our names immediately .. The ship was old ... but in great condition .. wonderful teak decks and railings

 

sadly, the husband of the couple we cruised with (their first too) passed away this year ...but we have wonderful memories and pictures of a great week spent in paradise..

 

Sometimes I think that we should leave some things a mystery ... allow ourselves to enjoy something we didn't anticipate ... at times I think we travel today looking for what we anticiapte being there .. instead of just enjoying the moment for what it is ... I didn't do extensive reserach for our Alaska cruise .. and I think some of the thrill we experienced when we saw the glaciers for the first time is because it was new and fresh .. not something that we had seen pictures of a dozen times before we got there ..

 

Enjoyed reading about everones "first"

 

Peggy

[kelelmel]

My first cruise was not all that long ago, about 7 years ago, and unforgettable. It was in late September on the Nordic Empress sailing from NYC to Bermuda. We were four adults sharing an inside cabin (@ 115 sq. ft.), don't know how we did it. We followed a hurricane into Bermuda and experienced very bad seas. There was vomit all over the ship (sorry to be so gross); so much so that the staff couldn't get it cleaned quickly enough and were throwing tablecloths over it to cover it up until they could clean it. The dining room and all the other public areas were dead, most pax barely left their cabins. Our cabin steward told us that our neighbor never left her cabin and was vomiting all over it. One day we saw her attempt to leave her cabin, she opened her door and vomited right there in the hallway. They never filled the pool and the deck chairs were tied down. Just ambulating around the ship was a task. We never had a drink because we felt drunk the whole time. We spent an extra day at sea due to the storm and upon our arrival to Bermuda we discovered that the storm had caused quite a bit of damage to the island. Most of the beaches were closed for cleaning and the few that were open were a mess.

 

Even with all the drama, the experience was a great one. I was fortunate that I never truly got seasick, just felt a little uneasy. I had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed crusing. Bermuda's beauty and appeal was apparent even with the storm damage. I have cruised every year since and returned to Bermuda three more times.

 

~Kelly

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sail7seas

 

The first time we sailed on the Royal Princess was in 1991 in the Baltic. We didn't think it was very hard to get from the bow to the stern. The second time we sailed on her was in 1996 - full Panama Canal - and after she had the Lido restaurant completely done over.

The QE 2 was really something to try and manuver around from one deck to another.