Cruising 20 Years Ago Compared to Today: What's changed?

[travelinjones]

20 years ago this week I took my first cruise --on the Costa Allegra -- a container ship that was stretched and converted to a cruise ship. I fell in love with cruising, (and 3.5 years later convinced Mr. Jones to love it as well.)

 

It was fun to think back about my first cruise and how different some things are today: http://www.travelingwiththejones.com/2014/02/04/celebrating-20-years-of-cruising-what-has-changed-versus-what-has-stayed-the-same/

 

What are the biggest changes in cruising that you've noticed in the last 20 years?

 

What do you think has stayed the same?

[Rusty Scupper]

On our first cruise, you could shoot skeet or drive golf balls from a platform on the ship's aft.

 

You had assigned seating for all meals. No Lido. Just a cart with sandwiches and snacks between meals or room service.

 

There was a printed directory with the names of your fellow passengers. There also was a printed booklet with all the ports, times, nautical miles traveled and weather for the trip. Complimentary decks of cards with the logo.

[pris993]

A lot has changed, we first cruised on HAl, the Statendam 20 years ago. Prior to that we had cruised since l982.

 

Ships are a lot larger, have more venues today, more passengers, cruises use to include airfare as part of the price, there was no auto tip, wine policy was very relaxed, passengers dressed more formally, no anytime dining, no a lot of balconies, menues more high end ... just a few things that come to mind. Do believe cruise prices have come down as well.

[CowPrincess]

Cruise prices were higher back then, as a %age of most peoples' incomes. Dinner in the MDR was an event, with all sorts of wonderful choices. The key cards are different. VERY different. Back then we had to sign for everything. My first cruise was on the (former) Westerdam, the MDR windows were (IIRC) actually portholes, well above line-of-sight. Again, IIRC, no stabilizers. No auto-tips. The bread pudding on HAL was substantially better than it is now. Baked Alaska parade, with flames ;) People were generally more dressed up, regardless of time of day. Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster were available. Again IIRC formal nights were French banquet service.

[Wakepatrol]

People dressed

[kazu]

My first cruise was in 1988 - I remember being escorted to my cabin - and I do believe a glass of wine was in the offing

 

Our carryons were literally seized from us and they took them to our cabins and/or the Lido

 

I remember being shown how to use the cabin (and we had a verandah) and how things worked.

 

I remember white gloves and other silly things that probably don't matter to some people but they sure made my first cruise on HAL special on the old Niewu Amsterdam. what beautiful lady she was:)

[sppunk]

People smoking everywhere, heavy pollution from the ships, waste going overboard like streamers, not available to the average family due to costs.

 

Oh, wait, this thread is probably meant to make it seem like things are so much worse ... ;)

[cruisetrail]

What are the biggest changes in cruising that you've noticed in the last 20 years?

 

What do you think has stayed the same?

 

I remember my first cruises many years ago.

That was a small charming cruise ship (not converted from a freighter:)).

 

Sadly she had sunk.

 

The same:

The spirit and taste of sea travel. The Romance. The Drive. The Pleasure. The Ambiance.

 

What has changed:

Improved like day vs night - comfort, options (ships & cruise lines), choices (food, service, accommodation, entertainment), well-being at sea, safety, affordability, online communication & services...

 

I remember my first cruise ship with love, but it cannot be even remotely compared to what cruise industry offers nowadays.

[hattack]

My first cruise was 1974..what changed was my fellow cruisers.

[G&G]

My first cruise was in 1978. What changed ? The list is too long to list :D.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We first started to cruise in the 80's.

A lot has changed.

Our ship was only 18,000 tons, no stabilizers, set time for all meals, no snacks unless you ordered a cocktail, tiny cabins, tiny bathrooms, no tubs, we were welcomed on board with a drink, you dressed up every night for dinner. And the list goes on.

[RuthC]

My first cruise was 1974..what changed was my fellow cruisers.

How very true.

[jbhcw]

We first started to cruise in the 80's.

A lot has changed.

Our ship was only 18,000 tons, no stabilizers, set time for all meals, no snacks unless you ordered a cocktail, tiny cabins, tiny bathrooms, no tubs, we were welcomed on board with a drink, you dressed up every night for dinner. And the list goes on.

 

Our first ship was also 18,000 tons….soooo tiny! but a wonderful experience even if I was claustrophobic in my first and only inside cabin:D Cabin was so small the bed was built into the wall!!

[Roz]

The entire world has changed in the past 20 years, and so has cruising.

 

Roz

[cruisemom42]

First cruised in 1972 with my parents on the Emerald Seas, then annually after that on Sitmar's Fairwind and Fairsea.

 

Ships were smaller -- fewer public spaces and small cabins. Very few balconies (for which one paid a big premium). I thought the public spaces were very elegant.

 

Entertainment was pretty amateur, but the live music was very good. Lots more dancing (and I don't mean disco).

 

There was no spa; the exercise room was a couple of treadmills, some weights, and a punching bag.

 

There were no alternative dining venues. All meals were served in the MDR; dress codes were formal, semi-formal, and informal (which still required a jacket for men). Much more table-side preparation of dishes (pastas, crepes, etc.) You ordered your main and waiters would bring around the sides and serve you individually.

 

Occasionally a lunch buffet on deck would be set up. I remember bouillon being served on deck sometimes (was that only in Alaska?), and formal tea in one of the lounges with waiters bringing round trays of tea sandwiches, scones and little cakes, with a pianist playing.

 

I loved it. I think my fondness for smaller ships is probably because of these early experiences on ships that were all less than 25,000 tons. I am fine without all the "bells and whistles" of big ships. What I don't like is impersonal service, lines, and losing the feeling of being at sea.

Edited February 11, 2014 by cruisemom42

[sackman]

Midnight buffet used to be a big deal. I don't know if they even do those anymore.

 

Past passenger cocktail parties used to be a lot more of an event. You'd actually get a chance to mingle with the captain, ask some questions, etc.

 

The attention to detail was a lot greater back then.

[Topsham]

We first started to cruise in the 80's.

 

A lot has changed.

 

Our ship was only 18,000 tons, no stabilizers, set time for all meals, no snacks unless you ordered a cocktail, tiny cabins, tiny bathrooms, no tubs, we were welcomed on board with a drink, you dressed up every night for dinner. And the list goes on.

 

 

 

Hmmmmm.... BRITANIS? Close?

Stephen

[POA1]

My tuxedo is tighter and for some reason the old photos of me make it look like I have darker hair. :)

[caladezi]

Beds are so much better today. I can remember when they consisted of nothing more than a thin mattress on a wooden platform.

[caladezi]

My tuxedo is tighter and for some reason the old photos of me make it look like I have darker hair. :)

 

My hair was not only darker but there seemed to be a lot more of it. I also think that they must use some kind of special material when they make tuxedos because mine has shrunk too!

[Benita]

People behaved more respectfully and dressed for dinner. Food was better and cruising was more expensive.

[Hlitner]

My goodness, what an interesting topic. So I will go back about 35-40 years and post some of the obvious differences:

 

The passengers have changed. Everyone used to dress very nice on formal nights and you would never see a man (or boy) wear any kind of hat in the MDR. Ladies often wore gorgeous long gowns.

 

Midnight buffets - They used to have them every night.

 

Dining Room Service - We still remember when waiters would serve side dishes from silver serving bowls/dishes, they came around with various salad dressings, there was tableside cooking on some lines, etc. The quality of food in the MDR on many lines was similar to the quality you can now find in some alternative restaurants (where you must pay).

 

Cabin Stewards used to have fewer cabins and would often become like family on longer cruises. We could even go back further (to the 50s) when my mother ripped a seam of a long gown and her cabin steward literally sewed her into the gown.

 

These days cruise lines make much of their profit by "maximizing onboard revenue." It used to be that nearly everything sold on ships (drinks, shops, photos, etc) were a real bargain. Now, most of the goods sold in the onboard shops are cheaper on land (except for booze and cigarettes).

 

The Guest Entertainers used to be better and even headliners were found on ships. Friends recall having Tony Bennett on a Princess ship and I recall seeing Petula Clark (direct from a West End Show) on the same line. On board bands were very special....not like the HAL Cats of today (which are essentially pick-up bands).

 

We could go on and on about the changes, and some of the newer changes are pretty good. We do not miss midnight buffets, but do enjoy the 24 hour buffets on some lines (not HAL). Modern cruise ships have many onboard improvements and we do not miss the days of sitting in a aft deck chair and finding ourselves covered with soot. And in real dollars, we think the price of cruising has really gone down.

 

Hank

[Katie333]

I've not been cruising for 20 years so am likely not qualified to comment. I've not seen a lot really change in the 10 years we have sailed, maybe some degradation of food quality and service (do more with less).

 

But I can't resist adding .. in all the photos and publicity I saw for cruising in the 80s and 90s, it was touted as a very luxurious, very formal experience. If you've ever been on a ship that was built during this era (and that I have done), you will immediately notice despite efforts to upgrade, that cabins are smaller, balconies are more scarce and the level of variety in amenities and onboard services (for fee or for free) is lower. It's hard to bring these ships into what most consider the 'modern' cruise ship we know today.

 

We appreciate that we can afford to cruise. I am still enchanted by the sea, and find much enjoyment in the experience of watching the waves from my balcony while sipping a glass of wine. I am also not a formal person, and as I dress up for work, love to dress down when we vacation. While seen as a degradation of the cruise experience by many traditionalists, I love the more casual ambiance of today's ships.

[Rusty Scupper]

People smoking everywhere, heavy pollution from the ships, waste going overboard like streamers, not available to the average family due to costs.

 

Oh, wait, this thread is probably meant to make it seem like things are so much worse ... ;)

 

Oh, no. Please don't take offense. This is just a rememberance of how things were. Obviously, things change for better or for worse. It's fun for some of us to revive the memories, that's all. Hope this makes sense.

[Nor'Eastah]

Cruise prices were higher back then, as a %age of most peoples' incomes. Dinner in the MDR was an event, with all sorts of wonderful choices. The key cards are different. VERY different. Back then we had to sign for everything. My first cruise was on the (former) Westerdam, the MDR windows were (IIRC) actually portholes, well above line-of-sight. Again, IIRC, no stabilizers. No auto-tips. The bread pudding on HAL was substantially better than it is now. Baked Alaska parade, with flames ;) People were generally more dressed up, regardless of time of day. Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster were available. Again IIRC formal nights were French banquet service.

 

You do remember correctly, the former Westerdam ( our third cruise) had portholes for windows in the dining room.

 

I think HAL ships were beautiful then and still are today. I think they have retained their classic, elegant feel from yesterday while keeping current with the ammenities expected today.