50 Years of Cruising on Royal -- Share Your Memories!

[Sancho_proudfoot]

She was an AM from a different ship. Apparently RCL offered some staff the chance to "try out" the new ship, at discounted rates. She was using her vacation time to take up the discount offer, and had brought her mother too.

[Paulette3028]

5 minutes ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

She was an AM from a different ship. Apparently RCL offered some staff the chance to "try out" the new ship, at discounted rates. She was using her vacation time to take up the discount offer, and had brought her mother too.

How cool.   I know quite a few of the AM's and CD's after cruising now on 27 sailings.  We have known some AM's and CD's that vacationed on a ship (they found out what it was like from the 'other side').   If they are a well known AM or CD, it must be difficult to be 'incognito' though.  The conversations you must have had should have been so interesting.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Paulette3028 said:

I am intrigued by what I have highlighted in your post.  When "AM" is used in a post it generally refers to the Activity Manager onboard.....so are you saying  that the AM on your sailing was with you for dinner? One night or all sailing long....that would be very different....since staff has their own schedule and dining room in crew quarters.   

 

16 years ago on Holland,  we had a staff member assigned to our table about halfway through the cruise. The daughter of our table mates had slipped on pool deck and it was done to appease them.😉

 

He bought wine every night as I recall

[Sancho_proudfoot]

5 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

.  The conversations you must have had should have been so interesting

 

By and large, she behaved like any other passenger, although she knew Ken Rush quite well, and so, come "The Quest" we ended up as team leaders.........

[Paulette3028]

3 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

 

By and large, she behaved like any other passenger, although she knew Ken Rush quite well, and so, come "The Quest" we ended up as team leaders.........

I would have expected that, it was her vacation.  Yet, it gives her a different perspective of things that happen on the ship.....and that can only be good overall.  Good sport that she was, since she knows how the Quest game goes.

Edited May 22, 2019 by Paulette3028

[cruiserone]

On 3/23/2019 at 4:27 AM, Germancruiser said:

Jersey- Girl - are you the one shaking hands with the Captain? Behind you is DH i presume! Great picture of the two of you!

Yes. That’s me 30 years ago! And DH in the dinner jacket. Those were great cruising times!

[Germancruiser]

What a stunning, handsome couple you make! Yea I agree- I started crusing with RCI in 1996- and have the fondest memories of those first cruises! I fear RCI has changed almost beyong recognition- well so has the reflection when I look in the mirror- lol!

[george35]

Our 1st cruise was on the Song Of Norway & it was for my wifes 30th birthday in1969. As we were pulling into P.R. & going by the 2 sides that use to guard San Juan I was up on one of the decks having a smoke & enjoying my 1st glimpse of San Juan a guy came up and stood next to me, I took a quick look at him & turned back to the view. But something came over me & I looked at him again and again then I caught him looking at me also. I excused myself for starring at him told him he looked familer to me. He said I did also. After questions about where we lived it dawned on he was in the bunk bed above me on the troop ship The Alexander Patch as we were on our way overseas in 1952 & we spent a week together in really bad weather & how when we got off of the troop ship we both said  we would never get a ship any bigger then a fishing boat.  We now keep in touch & even whent on a couple of cruises with our wives.

 

george35

[John&LaLa]

8 hours ago, george35 said:

Our 1st cruise was on the Song Of Norway & it was for my wifes 30th birthday in1969. As we were pulling into P.R. & going by the 2 sides that use to guard San Juan I was up on one of the decks having a smoke & enjoying my 1st glimpse of San Juan a guy came up and stood next to me, I took a quick look at him & turned back to the view. But something came over me & I looked at him again and again then I caught him looking at me also. I excused myself for starring at him told him he looked familer to me. He said I did also. After questions about where we lived it dawned on he was in the bunk bed above me on the troop ship The Alexander Patch as we were on our way overseas in 1952 & we spent a week together in really bad weather & how when we got off of the troop ship we both said  we would never get a ship any bigger then a fishing boat.  We now keep in touch & even whent on a couple of cruises with our wives.

 

george35

 

Perfect, I think this is what Laura S was looking for.  

Edited May 29, 2019 by John&LaLa

[peanutbutterjelly]

I've been Royal Loyal for over 15 years now.  Royal Caribbean was born the same year as myself so this year marks a big year for both of us, 50!  Fifty comes once in a lifetime.  I have so many favorite memories but if I had to choose just one it would be most recently on the Ovation of the Seas.  There were three people that went ABOVE and beyond to make our cruise fabulous!  Carleen our room steward fulfilled our request for nightly towel animals and honestly she is "the best" "most creative" towel creator I've ever seen!  The head waiter Clavian found us whether we were in the Windjammer or Main Dining Room and greeted us warmly.  He and my server Lala knew it was my "50th birthday" and made sure to have an extra special treat every single night just for me!  Lala made me a rose and a bird that flies out of paper and made sure I was taken care of for anything my heart desired.  On the last night "what a celebration it was" I came to dinner in the main dining room and was greeted by singing waiters/waitresses Lala/Clavian both sung not once but three times!!  I even got serenaded by Lala with the guitar.  It was so fun all the guests joined in.  What a special cruise this was.  What a fantastic year to be 50  Congratulations Royal Caribbean!  See you at your party!

[Tom47]

2 hours ago, peanutbutterjelly said:

I've been Royal Loyal for over 15 years now.  Royal Caribbean was born the same year as myself so this year marks a big year for both of us, 50!  Fifty comes once in a lifetime.  I have so many favorite memories but if I had to choose just one it would be most recently on the Ovation of the Seas.  There were three people that went ABOVE and beyond to make our cruise fabulous!  Carleen our room steward fulfilled our request for nightly towel animals and honestly she is "the best" "most creative" towel creator I've ever seen!  The head waiter Clavian found us whether we were in the Windjammer or Main Dining Room and greeted us warmly.  He and my server Lala knew it was my "50th birthday" and made sure to have an extra special treat every single night just for me!  Lala made me a rose and a bird that flies out of paper and made sure I was taken care of for anything my heart desired.  On the last night "what a celebration it was" I came to dinner in the main dining room and was greeted by singing waiters/waitresses Lala/Clavian both sung not once but three times!!  I even got serenaded by Lala with the guitar.  It was so fun all the guests joined in.  What a special cruise this was.  What a fantastic year to be 50  Congratulations Royal Caribbean!  See you at your party!

Congrats

[jramsey757]

Our 1 st Cruise was 1970 on the Nordic Prince then Song of Norway and Song of America. So small but great.

Edited June 6, 2019 by jramsey757

[reeb4]

Great to see all the Song of Norway references!  Our first cruise, in 1988!  Over the years, going on to Song of America, and then Rhapsody, Majesty, Adventure, Radiance..I know I'm missing some others...man have they changed.

 

Jumping on Enchantment for a last minute trip next week, and already looking to go back to Alaska next summer!

[Tinkerdevil]

My first cruise was on Royal on Viking Serenade! I was 9 and now I'm a Royalist!

Edited June 6, 2019 by Tinkerdevil

[Aquahound]

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 7:54 AM, LauraS said:

  What made sailing on Royal Caribbean special for you?

 

 

I'll never forget my first RCI cruise. It was on Monarch. For some reason, my most fond memory is sitting in the upstairs area of the Windjammer at night, which was open air at the time.   There were also 2 waterfalls in there at the time.  I also remember dancing the night away in the aft disco, which was later turned in to the kids club on that ship class.  I remember being able to walk out to aft balconies from that disco.  I wish I could go back and repeat that cruise.

 

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention Adventure of the Seas.  In October 2004, DW and I were married on that ship, so she'll always hold a special place in our hearts. 

[flczr]

It was fifteen years my late wife and I took our first cruise. She had said for years she would never cruise because she knew she would get sea sick. As we stepped aboard the Sovereign of the Seas her eyes lit up at the splendor of the ship and she was hooked on cruising. We would cruise Royal Caribbean several more times . Our last being a back to back on Sovereign one cruise before it’s leaving the fleet. 

[Paulette3028]

13 hours ago, flczr said:

It was fifteen years my late wife and I took our first cruise. She had said for years she would never cruise because she knew she would get sea sick. As we stepped aboard the Sovereign of the Seas her eyes lit up at the splendor of the ship and she was hooked on cruising. We would cruise Royal Caribbean several more times . Our last being a back to back on Sovereign one cruise before it’s leaving the fleet. 

Interesting you say that your late wife said she would never cruise because she knew she would get sea sick.  Our first cruise back in 2004 was on Navigator and I never even thought of sea sickness as a possibility to happen....it just never crossed my mind.  It has never happened over the years either.

[flczr]

1 hour ago, Paulette3028 said:

Interesting you say that your late wife said she would never cruise because she knew she would get sea sick.  Our first cruise back in 2004 was on Navigator and I never even thought of sea sickness as a possibility to happen....it just never crossed my mind.  It has never happened over the years either.

She was told she would get seasick by her mother. Because her mother got “seasick” on a ship that was on dry land. SMH 

[Eddie Wilson]

Our first cruise was when Empress of the Seas was recently christened Nordic Empress. A 1990 faux pas by RCCL as the name was not consistent.  But other things were not consistent with today’s cruising. Such as....I shot skeet off the side of the ship. Could you imagine them handing a patron a gun?

Another was “flaming babalu” served as a desert, with dozens of waiters parading into the main dinning room.  One could feel the heat. I guess that may be deemed a fire hazard today. 

 

In the vein of safety, I don’t miss either of those items.

 

I also remember the farewell show“If I were not upon the sea, what me?”  Seen it several times and laughed at it each time.

 

For something that has not changed in my 29 year tenure with RCCL, is the friendly, professional, and well trained wait staff and room stewards.  On our last cruise, I mentioned to the main dinning room head,  “How is it that RCCL knows that in each of our cruises, they assign to our table the number 1 wait staff and room stewards on ship?”

 

Looking forward to putting that last quote to the test on many more RCCL cruises in the years to come.

 

 

 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Eddie Wilson said:

Our first cruise was when Empress of the Seas was recently christened Nordic Empress. A 1990 faux pas by RCCL as the name was not consistent.  But other things were not consistent with today’s cruising. 

 

 

Really not a faux pas, the majority of the fleet was not "of the seas" back then.

[zoomerica]

During Inaugural Season of Majesty, I remember leaving at full speed due to Andrew hitting shore a few hours after departure. Was eerie seeing the difference to Miami just a week later when we returned.

 

Captain even made mention of the added vibration as he was going all out to get away...I remember going to the front on the promenade and was amazed at the speed....

 

Also remember pulling up to Cozumel next to an old Celebrity ship and cheersing folks on that ship from Viking Crown. What they must have thought of this behemoth...

 

[Tobyhilda]

When I see my favorite Cruise Director,,,Ken Rush,,I am going to squeeze him,,take a photo with him,and keep it for eternity,,Please God,,let me live,for this 50th Extravaganza,,  The Godmother. AKA Tobyhilda

[John&LaLa]

9 minutes ago, Tobyhilda said:

When I see my favorite Cruise Director,,,Ken Rush,,I am going to squeeze him,,take a photo with him,and keep it for eternity,,Please God,,let me live,for this 50th Extravaganza,,  The Godmother. AKA Tobyhilda

 

Last year with Lala and Helen Cooper

 

 

[Tobyhilda]

10 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Last year with Lala and Helen Cooper

 

 

Thanks for photo,,I have cruised many times with Helen,,also with Helen’s daughter

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, Tobyhilda said:

Thanks for photo,,I have cruised many times with Helen,,also with Helen’s daughter

 

Well, now you get to cruise with Laura