Things long gone

[NMLady]

A little thing but the chocolates on the pillow.

 

Some ships still do chocolates on the pillow. HAL does, and NCL does for some Latitude tiers.

 

I miss being able to get a complimentary cappucino after dinner.

Edited December 2, 2016 by NMLady

[NMLady]

Ice bucket filled each day w/o having to request it. Getting handed a drink when you walked onto the ship (Royal). Getting the ship's newspaper each day on the ship, delivered automatically to your cabin. The Baked Alaska parade with the waiters. Chocolates on my pillow each night. The notepad and ink pens with the Royal logo in your room (that you took home with you, of course). The complimentary feminine supplies in the baskets in the restrooms. Pool attendants that didn't just bring you a towel, but laid it out on the lounger for you and picked them up when you got up. The loyalty gifts you received from Royal left on your bed. Being able to combine offers.

 

We've never had to request that the ice bucket be filled. It has always been filled by cabin steward twice a day. And we cruise in cheapest cabins.

 

By "the ship's newspaper" if you mean the one with ship activities etc I thought every ship had it placed on your bed at turndown. That has been our experience on every cruise line we've sailed: NCL, HAL, Oceania, RCI, Carnival.

 

We still get chocolates on our pillow.

 

But i also miss the Baked Alaska parade.

I don't miss the drink when first boarding since trying to juggle that with purse and carryon was awkward.

Edited December 2, 2016 by NMLady

[NMLady]

Ice bucket filled each day w/o having to request it. Getting handed a drink when you walked onto the ship (Royal). Getting the ship's newspaper each day on the ship, delivered automatically to your cabin. The Baked Alaska parade with the waiters. Chocolates on my pillow each night. The notepad and ink pens with the Royal logo in your room (that you took home with you, of course). The complimentary feminine supplies in the baskets in the restrooms. Pool attendants that didn't just bring you a towel, but laid it out on the lounger for you and picked them up when you got up. The loyalty gifts you received from Royal left on your bed. Being able to combine offers.

 

Things I miss:

 

 

 

- Being able to order the dining room's food in your cabin.

 

'

 

You can still do that on HAL in any category cabin.

[dadatsea]

I have a size 50 waist and as a D+ we always get 2 robes in our cabin. HOWEVER 1 size does NOT fit all and I have NEVER gotten a 2x size Robe to use on my balcony ! but I guess you cannot miss something you have never had and that is a complimentary robe that fits. just saying

[cruzeluvr]

Shipshape dollars

 

Attentive service EVERYWHERE

 

I still have a very old yellow Shipshape T-shirt.

[cruzeluvr]

Cherries Jubilee flambé at tableside.

[leaveitallbehind]

Midnight buffets, singing waiters, MDR theme nights, Flaming Babaloos, very good food in the MDR, sumo wrestling, horse racing, frequent ice carvings, printed colored self adhesive luggage tags, chocolates on the pillows, document books, passenger list guest books, end of week cash tipping without the hard sell, salad dressing selections served by the assistant waiter, Las Vegas and celebrity headliners, sales that were real sales, skeet shooting from the aft deck, hitting golf balls from the aft deck.....

[dee1321]

I miss the midnight buffets, the skeet shooting off the back of the boat, the not having to check out pool towels, while I love Oasis class ships, I miss the days of just showing up for scheduled shows without reservations and knowing you will be able to see the show, I miss the horse races where everyone is cheering for their horse.

 

 

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[sea shepherd]

Poolside LIMBO contests.

 

 

They had the limbo stick out on the Grandeur for dancing under the stars.

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

Dinner chimes, 5-course meals, table-side preparations.

 

Booklet with the names of all passengers on the sailing.

 

Very little upselling, no specialty dining.

[2chiefs]

 

By "the ship's newspaper" if you mean the one with ship activities etc I thought every ship had it placed on your bed at turndown. That has been our experience on every cruise line we've sailed: NCL, HAL, Oceania, RCI, Carnival.

 

Not the same. Back in the day before extensive WIFI, Cell Phones, and satellite TV. they used to print a shipboard "newspaper" with the current headlines from various news sources (AP, Reuters etc..) It was only one or two pages long but it kept you abreast of major happenings. I think we only got them on our first cruise in 1996. We never saw it after that.

Edited December 3, 2016 by 2chiefs

[sloopsailor]

A non crammed dining room with really really good food and minimum 4 course meal. Being able to easily get a pool lounger somewhat near the pool. Not having loud constant announcements or music all the time every where. No specialty dining. Decent buffet that was not a trough. People not wearing shorts to dinner. Last time I experienced this was 2001.

 

I could get this now but I'd have to go to a premium cruise line and spend a lot more $$.

 

What do you expect? A cruise that may have cost you $750 in 1975 with a "non crammed dining room with really really good food and minimum 4 course meal" would now cost $3,369.83 for the exact same cruise today due to inflation. That puts the same cruise into the premium or luxury cruise line pricing level.

 

Today people can often take a cruise, still for $750, where they now can eat in several different dining venues for that price (instead of the one available in 1975), plus can upgrade their dining for a few extra $$$ when they desire - or not, if they don't.

 

I personally do not want to go back to the "good old days" when only the rich could afford to cruise, and on a ship that had few amenities, the staterooms were tiny, where people smoked everywhere, including in the single dining room, and where balcony staterooms were non-existent.

 

High prices and the only advantage was "really good food"? That is not my idea of good "nostalgia".

 

As for shorts in the dining room, that applies to a couple of budget lines. Most do not allow it. And the constant announcements everywhere? Again, the low budget lines are the worst. Princess, HAL and Celebrity don't do that.

 

You need to cruise on a different cruise line. :D

Edited December 3, 2016 by sloopsailor

[pullen0]

Booklet with the names of all passengers on the sailing.

 

 

I think this is the second time I've seen this mentioned. Just how much information was in these booklets about the passengers?

 

 

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[Kartgv]

I think this is the second time I've seen this mentioned. Just how much information was in these booklets about the passengers?

 

As I recall, it listed names, cabin number, and at least home towns - can't remember if it gave full addresses or not, but think maybe it did. I know we were able to communicate with some of our fellow passengers (way back in the '80's!) by looking them up in the directory after we got home.

[pullen0]

As I recall, it listed names, cabin number, and at least home towns - can't remember if it gave full addresses or not, but think maybe it did. I know we were able to communicate with some of our fellow passengers (way back in the '80's!) by looking them up in the directory after we got home.

 

 

Am I the only one that finds that creepy? I'd be livid if that happened on my cruise.

 

 

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[Kartgv]

Which is probably why they no longer publish the directories. Though, at the time, it didn't seem unusual at all - almost every organization, even churches and schools, often published directories. Now, unless you are very careful with what you do/post online, anyone can just Google you and find out pretty much anything.

[tip]

... Back in the day before extensive WIFI, Cell Phones, and satellite TV. they used to print a shipboard "newspaper" with the current headlines from various news sources (AP, Reuters etc..) It was only one or two pages long but it kept you abreast of major happenings. I think we only got them on our first cruise in 1996. We never saw it after that.

 

I believe that you may be referring to The New York Times Fax at Sea.

It was actually about eight pages on 8 1/2 X 11 inch paper. I too enjoyed reading it each day, sometimes on our balcony and sometimes when me darling wife was browsing through the shops. It was also printed in multiple languages depending upon the demographics of the passengers.

[NMLady]

Not the same. Back in the day before extensive WIFI, Cell Phones, and satellite TV. they used to print a shipboard "newspaper" with the current headlines from various news sources (AP, Reuters etc..) It was only one or two pages long but it kept you abreast of major happenings. I think we only got them on our first cruise in 1996. We never saw it after that.

 

We started cruising in 1998 and never saw that kind of ship's newspaper so I think it must have ended before then. Too bad. I guess they figured the tv news channels were sufficient.

[tip]

I miss real formal nights where EVERYONE dressed ladies in their gowns and men in their tuxes AND the left them on throughout the evening. They didn't rush back to the cabin to change out of them.

 

While I appreciate that some folks may miss the above, I don't!

[SuiteTraveler]

I have the directory from a 1957 cruise on the SS Constitution. It lists names only and is segregated by which class the passengers were traveling. It also lists the name of the ship's officers and ALL of the crew in the first section divided by titles.

 

The format for passengers is like this:

 

First Class:

 

Mr. John Smith

 

Mrs. Smith

 

Col. Smythe

 

Lord Horace Tisdale

 

Lady Tisdale

 

 

 

There is no information about exactly which cabin anyone is in, only what class they are traveling in.

 

Among things I miss: How dinner was a real EVENT to be anticipated, not just an opportunity to eat some stuff like it is today on most mass market cruises. I recall how second seating would gather outside the MDR in the cocktail lounge and the doors would be closed and then the Maitre'D would announce dinner each night over the loudspeaker and all the doors to the dining room would open at once. It just made it so much more special. Each night's dinner was more spectacular than the last. At minimum, you would have appetizer, salad, soup, entree and dessert and the food was amazingly good. I miss table side caviar service at dinner, table side flamed steaks, table side flamed desserts (Cherries Jubiliee, Bananas Foster), fine china and silver and crystal on the tables. How, if you had to leave the table briefly at dinner, the second waiter would come and refold your napkin for you. I miss sitting on a deck chair in a sheltered area with a wool blanket reading on a cold cruise and being served boullion or hot chocolate.

 

Someone mentioned smoking in the dining room but on cruises I was on as a child (my dad's ships) you didn't have to be told you could not smoke at the table during dinner, it simply was NOT done at all and everyone knew that. At most, people would only smoke at the table after dinner during coffee service, if at all. However, people did smoke in the cocktail lounge and in other locations onboard.

[MicCanberra]

I don't miss anything from previous cruises, I enjoy each one as a new experience.

[proudauntie]

I miss the beautiful artwork on Matson's passenger ships' dinner menus. Stunning renderings of Matson's South Pacific ports of call.

I was lucky to be young enough to get my sea legs quickly because choppy waters :( were the rule between Long Beach and Honolulu And that was especially difficult for some because LB to H was five uninterrupted at sea!

[proudauntie]

We looked forward to the newsletter slipped under our cabin doors each morning on Matson cruises. No puters, cells, etc. then. We felt in touch with the rest of the world!

[MicCanberra]

While I appreciate that some folks may miss the above, I don't!

 

Some lines still have that formality.

[proudauntie]

The exquisite renderings of Matson's South Seas ports of call on their dinner menus. Collectable quality lithoed water colors on very fine paper. Doubt I'll see anything like them elsewhere in this day and age.

 

Not a fond memory, but five days of choppy waters from Long Beach to Honolulu were difficult for many passengers. I was lucky to be young and I got my sea legs quickly. I intend my next cruise to be from SF to Alaska - no longer anywhere near young, we shall see whether I still have those all important sea legs!;)