Share details about your FIRST cruise

[navybankerteacher]

Late Spring of 1953 - Queen of Bermuda - Hudson River pier to Front Street, Hamilton. There were hundreds on the ship seeing people off until ordered ashore, then streamers and confetti, with a band playing as we backed into the river. All meals were at assigned table, quite formal in the evenings. Four days, three nights moored right across from Trimingham's. Even though I was just short of 15, I rode motorbike (a rackety Zundapp - no scooters then) with parents, older sisters and brother to South shore beaches.

 

Followed by more than 40 years of no cruising - not counting several years U S Navy (which no one is going to count as cruising) until I picked up the habit in 1996.

[packedandready]

We're very much late starters from most of you. Didn't take our first till 2004. We knew NOTHING about cruising!!!! Before I knew CC existed :D. Didn't even know anyone closely that even cruised. Our friends decided to try it and so we joined them....Not knowing anything about anything!!!!!

 

The thing I remember the most is the feeling of awe. Like walking into a different world. Just finished cruise #14 and have 4 more booked, so guess you can say we're hooked.

 

Still have the awe feeling every time I walk onboard.:)

[navybankerteacher]

This may be old age, but I seem to remember that on our early Carnival cruises you could sit on the toilet and take a shower at the same time. Is that a real memory?

 

I'm not sure that's the sort of memory I'd want to bring back from a cruise. Of course, that experience can still be had if you ride in an Amtrak bedroom.

[Seago2]

1974, QE2, 11 years old. Boston, St. Maarten, Martinique, St. Thomas. I still have a little diary I kept and it reads like a cruise review! I remember watching "Day of the Jackal" repeatedly in the movie theater. I was pretty much on my own most of the time. We had an oceanview and were in the Brittanic Grill. My little brother spent a lot of time up in the nursery- it was on the top deck, filled with wooden toys, and we really rolled from side to side up there as we passed Cape Hatteras.

[marco]

Lots and lots of bon voyage visitors onboard in NYC. Passed h'ors douvres and pizza served in the lounges, bands playing, bars open, probably 100 tons of food brought onboard by well wishers, sandwich trays, pizzas, coolers full of "whatever", then the "all ashore who's going ashore" followed by the band on deck, streamers and confetti, tugs pushing the ship out, whistles blowing. Jacket and tie (minimum) every evening after 6 PM in EVERY public rooms.....and enforced. Assigned seating ONLY for lunch and dinner, no casinos, "adult beverages" that cost a fraction of what they cost ashore. Meal portions served off of big silver platters, side dishes served individually, table side preparation of many entrees, off the menu ordering encouraged, no TV's in cabins, enclosed promenade decks, no art auctions, no surcharge dining rooms,pay with cash in the bars....no "sign and sail". But what I miss most.....true Ethnic identity of the countries of ship's registry on all ofthe lines we sailed with, officers, staff and crew.

[2ndhoney]

My girlfriend's sister & husband owned a travel agency that handled non-mass market cruises. She needed some liaisons between the passengers & crew for one of the cruises so....

 

My first cruise was on Kristina Cruises (from Finland) boat Regina - the cruise was a 2 week Baltic Sea cruise. I shared my cabin with a friend - we had an ocean view with bunk beds. The ship held approx. 200 people, had one dining room, no casino, no pool (but a sauna in the bottom of the ship), no entertainment (unless we made it ourselves) though they did show a movie in the "Multi-Purpose Room" (you got a folding chair to sit on). The cabin stewards were your bartenders/waiters, etc. An there was a midnight buffet (leftover from lunch). Excursions were included in the cruise price. I'll always remember standing at the Hermitage thinking "I'm really here!":D

 

It was my first time in Europe and had a fantastic time, so much so that we went back 2 years later to the same ports to be liaisons again.:D

[dorisis]

This may be old age, but I seem to remember that on our early Carnival cruises you could sit on the toilet and take a shower at the same time. Is that a real memory?

 

Yes and the floor was slatted with wood lathes for drainage. Oh yes, I remermber it well.

[TMLAalum]

Our first cruise was on the Great Lakes freighter/ore boat the William Clay Ford as guests- thanks to my DH's fellow USMMA alumni who was then president of the Lakes Carriers Association. There were only 6 pax total and our cabin was bigger than the SkySuite1 we sailed in last year on Celebrity. No veranda though. We left from Duluth MN and the first night aboard I was awakened by the fog horn bellowing every 2 minutes. Scared to death because all I could think of was Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald":eek:. We had an exclusive lounge overlooking the bow where we played cards and watch videotapes. Our meals were quite hearty and we were served in a small dining room just for us 6. the crew led us on expeditions around the ship including traversing the low-ceiling underground passage just above the keel! We sailed through the Soo Locks and down Lake Huron to Rouge River Detroit MI.

 

Needless to say, this was a fantastic voyage. But then again, all our subsequent cruises have been fantastic as well!!

Edited August 5, 2014 by TMLAalum

[Sailor_Sally]

My first cruise was in 1986 aboard a Costa Ship . You sat at the same table for breakfast , lunch & dinner . I remember the shipboard races with the cardboard horses that people bought and decorated .I also remember lavish midnight buffets . The last night was toga night & what fun . I have cruised a lot since then & frankly I prefer today's cruising style .

[TARRA]

My first cruise was in 1969, ss Homeric out of New York City. This was an "Operation Match" cruise, where all singles were matched up with others on the cruise. (That is computer- matching at it's earliest.) We went to Nassau and Paradise Island. What a blast!

 

We had an inside room with bunks. It was very tiny. Made lots of friends!:)

[GrannyJ]

My first cruise was on the Queen Elizabeth in 1967. My sister and I were on the next to last westbound journey returning from three months of backpacking around Europe. The ship was getting very shabby but it had such an air of glamour about it you didn't notice the frayed carpet or the threadbare drapes. The wide staircases, the ballrooms, the dining rooms were regal compared to the grubby youth hostels and ratty pensiones we had been making our homes. There were three "classes" of decks back then: First Class, Cabin Class and Tourist Class (read: steerage.....guess which one WE were in.) Those of us down with the "great unwashed" were not allowed to mix with the higher classes.....

 

We had a cabin that was exactly twice as wide as the bunks (you could just open the door without hitting the bunk. Then there was just enough room for two people to get around at the end of the bunks; I think there was one chair. Everything was metal - walls, bunks, lockers (not a closet, definitely). We were lucky that we had a tiny head with a shower, most everyone else on our corridor had to go down the hall to shower. We usually had the room in a complete mess and our lovely Welsh stewardess, a motherly type, asked us one day, "Dearies, do you have a mother living?" We answered to the affirmative and she said "Please give her my sympathy."

 

Except for a quick and surreptitious tour of "the upper classes" provided by a nice young steward who had an eye for American teenage girls on their own, we had to stay in our class. There wasn't a lot to do during the day except for "horse racing", bridge, etc. so we banded together with a bunch of other young'uns in their late teens and early 20's, hung out in the bars and drank. Mixed drinks were .35, beer was .05. I had the first, second and third cocktails of my life, followed the next morning by the first hangover of my life.

 

Food was "weird", at least to teenagers. Pickled herring on a bed of chopped onions for breakfast? Grilled kippers? Broiled tomatoes? The menu selection was somewhat limited and what you saw was what you got. Maybe first class got to get custom meals but not in "steerage". No buffets. And no room service in our class. Get hungry at 2:00 a.m.? Well, those pickled herrings are going to look pretty good come 7:00 a.m......

 

At night after dinner, there was more drinking, followed by an evening of dancing to a live band on a floor that had the surface of an ice rink. When they would cut back the stabilizers for the evening to make better time, the ship started a gentle rolling which made dancing VERY interesting. They have been talking for years about making ballroom dancing an Olympic sport. I can see why. I had bought a sexy little black dress in London and a pair of very high heels....high heels, slippery floors and rolling ships do not make for comfortable dancing. The band mostly played foxtrots and the like, but we would occasionally bribe them to play something a little more lively for us young whippersnappers.

 

The pool was a cold small tank somewhere in the bowels of the ship..... I took one look and knew I wouldn't be hanging out there. No hairy chest contests, no belly flop contests, no showing off my French bikini. I had entertained visions of draping myself artistically across a deck chair in a flowing dress, reading Sartre in the original French (yeah, right....) and waving languidly at the passers-by. Reality was that you could get wrapped in a blanket by a deck steward while freezing gale-force winds threatened to blow you off the deck and handed a cup of hot consommé that you could either drink or soak your frozen toes in. It wasn't until the last day before hitting New York that it was warm enough to do much strolling.

 

It seemed that the whole ship's crew was English, Irish, Welsh, or Scottish. They were kind and efficient.

 

We had a ball and I'll never forget that experience, but in retrospect I think I definitely enjoy the modern-day cruises more. These old bones love their comfort.

[julie3fan]

I don't remember the exact year, 2000 maybe. On the Carnival Ecstasy with my sister, her husband and 2 little kids, and our dad. Not exactly sure how we were booked, but my dad got a cabin alone, my sister and BIL got a room alone, and I got to share with the little kids. I remember starting the days with room service breakfast to tide the kids over until "real" breakfast in the MDR. It was a short "starter cruise" to Baja Mexico from LA, and I LOVED it. I am now working on cruise number 12, I think, and got lucky that the DH I got after I got hooked loves cruising as well.

 

I have to amend my previous post, a little. I remember my Dad telling me I cruised TA in my Mother's belly...I was conceived just before they cruised to Europe for their honeymoon in 1961. I don't have many memories of that trip.....

[spunkyhungry]

It was 2002, and I was 17. I went on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Grand Princess with my mom and my cousin. We had a balcony room with bunk beds. Before this cruise, I had never been to the Caribbean, and it had been my dream to visit the Caribbean and swim in the beautiful blue ocean there. This cruise made my dream come true! And it introduced me to cruising. I never realized how fun cruises are. Since then I've been on 6 more cruises.

[buggins0402]

 

We had a ball and I'll never forget that experience, but in retrospect I think I definitely enjoy the modern-day cruises more. These old bones love their comfort.

 

What a wonderful story....thank you for taking the time to share it!

[Midwestern Cruiser]

We were a "love at first sight that lasted" couple. Met in August; married in January. Didn't have much money, but we scraped together enough for a cruise on Costa's Flavia & drove like maniacs from Illinois to Florida after our Saturday night reception to catch a Monday afternoon sailing.

Our wedding day was cold (15 degrees was the high), but clear & bright. We were sailing to the Bahamas & couldn't wait to reach the warm Caribbean weather -- which was wonderful while we were there, but all the islanders wanted to talk about was the snow they'd had recently (almost two weeks before we arrived & they were still quite taken with it).

We traveled cheap on that cruise. Inside cabin below the water (could hear it lapping the sides of the ship constantly) with a bathroom commode that was basically inside the shower stall. Side bunks pulled down, but we had room to put the mattresses on the floor for a bed.

Cruise advertising said "Sail with Italian flavor" & they meant it. We met one other couple on board who spoke English (not a bad thing on a honeymoon, plus we were still getting to know each other) & the food was to die for.

We had a bottle of wine in our room & tried to get ice for it. After multiple attempts, we accepted the iced tea our cabin steward provided & made the best of it. Couldn't let a little language glitch ruin an otherwise great time, & the effort made by all was enjoyable.

We were hooked on cruising & sailed many times over the years, but my sweetheart passed away this June. Miss him terribly.

Enjoyable discussion idea, MamaTene. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to re-visit the memory.

[dramirez]

It was February 1966 aboard the SS United States. I was 9 years old. My family, consisting of 4 children and 2 parents, was moving to Paris France and we were sailing from NYC to Le Havre. We had (2) adjoining cabins in "Cabin Class".

 

We had a big Bon Voyage party and were dressed in our finest clothes. At dinner the waiter addressed us as, boy, girl, sir and madam. We (the kids - ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 12) adored the fact that we were allowed to choose our own food. We also thought it was great that we were out of school for more than 5 days! My brothers used to sneak into all the theatres to see "Thunderball", but I only saw it once.

 

I remember Horse Racing, Bingo, and walking around the deck. We crossed the Atlantic 3 times by ship - twice on the United States, and once on the France. A glorious time on all occasions.

[medic7876]

Our first was on Commodore Isle of Capri out of NOLA in 2000. The line went bankrupt a few years later. In fact, on another cruise out of NO we saw the empty ship floating across the Mississippi from where we were boarding.

I still remember how good the food and the service was in the dining room. The entertainment was two young kids, but they could really sing

We also saw probably the funniest Newly and not so Newlywed Game ever.

 

Oh hello!! The only reason I looked at this thread was to find another Commodore cruiser! I took my first one in 1994 on Enchanted Seas. It was sold as a classroom ship, so the next 5 were on Enchanted Isle.

I almost cried when they went out of business. As far as I'm concerned these were the best cruises ever & if still operating I would still be on that ship. I've been on 30 cruises now, & none of them will ever compare to Commodore. I still have my T-shirts & a few other memorabilia that I can't part with.

[medic7876]

The only reason I looked at this thread was to find another Commodore cruiser! I took my first one in 1994 on Enchanted Seas. It was sold as a classroom ship, so the next 5 were on Enchanted Isle.

I almost cried when they went out of business. As far as I'm concerned these were the best cruises ever & if still operating I would still be on that ship. I've been on 30 cruises now, & none of them will ever compare to Commodore. I still have my T-shirts & a few other memorabilia that I can't part with.

[thehappycruiserchick]

My first cruise was in 1997 on the Carnival Inspiration and I was in my early twenties, (now thirty something). It was a great experience walking on that ship for the first time, then exploring it. It was nine of us and it took us 10 years before our next cruise. But we knew then to plan them no more than two years apart.

[Pernilla]

In 1969, I was a brand new just out of school travel agent. The American Society of Travel Agents offered a course called "School at Sea" -- teaching new agents about cruises, ship travel, ports, etc. The course was held on Grace Line's Santa Paula (I think it was the Santa Paula -- they had three identical ships, all Santa somethings). The cruise line didn't last long after that; it was sold to Prudential cruises late in 1969. Unfortunately, I didn't learn what a 'normal' cruise was like. Grace Line was a combination cruise/freight line. It called at ports that the regular cruise lines rarely saw. The cabins were huge -- I seem to remember there were 2 double beds in our cabin. Dining was very elegant -- more silverware than any 18 year old was able to deal with. I ordered whatever the person sitting next to me ordered so that I could watch which spoon to use! It definitely spoiled me for any other cruise line -- even the QEII didn't come close to the elegance of the old Grace Line.

[CruiseMGM]

We're very much late starters from most of you. Didn't take our first till 2004. <snip>

.:)

 

You've got us beat! Our first cruise was in 2007 and we didn't discover CC until 2010........and then didn't post anything here until very recently!

 

We'd always said that we wanted to try out a cruise, taking maybe one of the little 3 or 4 day cruises to see if we liked it before we ventured further. Well, that didn't work out so well! Or maybe it worked out too well! Our first cruise ended up being a trans-Atlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton. Seven or eight glorious days at sea, then a whirlwind of ports with Cork, Dublin, Cornwall and Le Havre before disembarking in Southampton. Absolutely and totally hooked from the very first time. We sailed the Celebrity Constellation on that trip, in Concierge Class, had an utterly FABULOUS room steward (Rodica), and great waiter and assistant waiter (Sanela and Oscar). None of our stewards or waiters since then have come close, we were totally spoiled. Haven't sailed in less than a balcony since, don't think we could go to an OV or Inside.

 

Fun topic, thanks to whomever started it! Best wishes!

[CruiseMGM]

<snip>

We were hooked on cruising & sailed many times over the years, but my sweetheart passed away this June. Miss him terribly.

Enjoyable discussion idea, MamaTene. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to re-visit the memory.

 

Sending my sincere sympathy for your loss. What a wonderful memory, though, loved reading your story despite the tears at the end.

 

Yes, a very enjoyable discussion idea, thank you Mama Tene!

[lady_cruiser]

It was a stormy day in the year 2005. The month was mid to late August. We were looking forward to our very first cruise out of New Orleans on the Carnival Conquest the following month. We even kept watch on the Port of New Orleans webcam every Sunday just to watch her come in. But one Sunday she wasn't there. We kept checking the webcam but no Conquest was docked there. Later on we found our that a mean old lady by the name of Katrina destroyed that port and the Conquest was now docking in Galveston.

 

A month later we boarded one of about five tour buses coming from Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia and Crowley and headed for Galveston. My first look at her was amazing. I felt like a child at Christmas who just saw dozens of presents under the Christmas tree and they all had my name on it.

 

We were soon aboard the ship and started exploring her and were amazed at what we saw. For our first cruise we were totally hooked and she didn't even leave port yet.

 

Every port we visited turned out to be better than the one we just visited. Then we head home. Our last day at sea we hear the Captain tell us that the Port of Galveston was closed due to another mean old lady called Rita. We were going to stay at sea two extra days with a stop in Costa Maya. If the Port of Galveston would still be closed then we were headed to Miami where Carnival would make arrangement for us to all fly home.

 

Thankfully we were able to dock in Galveston where we boarded our tour buses to head back to Louisiana. The devastation we saw was unreal but living in hurricane country you get use to it. We were worried about our home back in South Louisiana but thankfully it was still standing and had minimal damage.

 

That was nine years and we knew before we even left the ship that we were hooked on cruising.

[SewMuch]

Our first cruise was in 1994 on the Carnival Inspiration, which was brand new. We knew absolutely nothing about cruising and there was no one to ask. I based my packing on what the people were wearing in the Carnival brochure. I even bought some exercise clothing so I could look like lady in the picture! We booked a southern cruise out of San Juan because it stopped at so many islands - I figured that was the biggest bang for the buck. It was exhausting! But it was also wonderful. I'll never forget that feeling when we stepped on board the first time and were totally wowed by our surroundings.

[skandls]

First cruise (1982) - expected tiny cabin and nothing to do on the ship. We had 2 cruises cancelled by Cunard and then we were offered an 8 night cruise to 3 islands (OH NO we would be so bored) but the price was so cheap (3/4 person rate of $499pp but we pay to get to NY). Back then the per person cost for a 7 night cruise was about $2400 pp - that might have included air to Miami but I am not sure. So we flew to New York and when we boarded the ship we had been upgraded to Grill class (First class on a 3 class ship). When I saw our cabin - I told my DH this is bigger than our bedroom at home, there we had 2 closets, marble bathtub and bidet. DH did not want to leave the ship. Who cared about the ports.

 

This was an experience never to be duplicated. And even then we knew the service and class system was eroding. Next cruise Carnival (food was awful - our table asked for horseradish at breakfast). Third cruise Royal Caribbean - tiny cabins but great vacation.

 

I have not been back on Cunard I am not willing to pay for Grill class. We have been on Crystal and Seabourn but nothing can live up to that very first cruise.