Crossing the International Date Line

[banzaii]

I know that some cruise lines used to give certificates to mark the occasion of crossing the dateline, the equator etc.

 

Does this still happen?  Do you have to ask or does everyone on board get it automatically?  Which lines do or do not issue certificates?

Edited May 25, 2019 by banzaii

[GUT2407]

21 minutes ago, banzaii said:

I know that some cruise lines used to give certificates to mark the occasion of crossing the dateline, the equator etc.

 

Does this still happen?  Do you have to ask or does everyone on board get it automatically?  Which lines do or do not issue certificates?

I’m sure Celebrity and Princess still do it.

[Obilix]

HAL didn't on a relocation cruise a few years ago.

[cruiselover53]

Both Carnival And RCL have ceremonies with the Captain being King Neptune and give certificates to each cabin.

[MicCanberra]

Royal, X, and Princess do the certificates, I cannot answer for other lines.

[Docker123]

 

Cunard gave everyone on QM2 a certificate for crossing the equator. 2017.

 

also had the ceremony on the pool deck.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Docker123

[Mr&MrsCookie]

Got a certificate from Celebrity in March for crossing international date line.

[NSWP]

Same on HAL - Noordam. Now got half a dozen of them.

Edited May 26, 2019 by NSWP

[banzaii]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  So did the certificates just arrive in the state rooms?

[banzaii]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

Same on HAL - Noordam. Now got half a dozen of them.

It's a wonder you know what day it is! 🤔

[possum52]

2 hours ago, banzaii said:

Thanks everyone for the replies.  So did the certificates just arrive in the state rooms?

Yes, ours for crossing the equator just appeared in our cabin, maybe the next day.

 

Leigh

[Docker123]

2 hours ago, banzaii said:

Thanks everyone for the replies.  So did the certificates just arrive in the state rooms?

 

 

Yep, in the letter thingy by the door.

 

[Swissmiss6253]

We had a very slack, in my opinion, cruise director on the only trip I have made with the Solstice over the equator.  I don't think anything happened.  

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, Swissmiss6253 said:

We had a very slack, in my opinion, cruise director on the only trip I have made with the Solstice over the equator.  I don't think anything happened.  

Every time we have crossed the Equator there has been a ceremony, then a certificate is delivered to each passenger. For crossing the International Date Line, there is no ceremony, but from memory, there are certificates delivered.

[Swissmiss6253]

I certainly expected there would be something, and maybe we missed mention of it.

[Swissmiss6253]

His name was Lee.  We had a much better cruise director on my next sailing on her.

 

[Kiwi Kruzer]

11 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Every time we have crossed the Equator there has been a ceremony, then a certificate is delivered to each passenger. For crossing the International Date Line, there is no ceremony, but from memory, there are certificates delivered.

 

Same here ...Crossing the equator  ceremony is like a big day out for the Officers and Staff of the ship as they get to join in the fun with the Entertainment Staff.  Its usually a good show and eagerly anticipated. I found that P&O International put on the best one , but then so they should, they have built up the  tradition over many many years.

[MicCanberra]

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 2:44 PM, banzaii said:

Thanks everyone for the replies.  So did the certificates just arrive in the state rooms?

Yes, delivered to the cabin.

[MicCanberra]

22 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Every time we have crossed the Equator there has been a ceremony, then a certificate is delivered to each passenger. For crossing the International Date Line, there is no ceremony, but from memory, there are certificates delivered.

Correct, it has been the same with our experiences as well. Ceremony and certificate for the Equator crossing, certificate only for the dateline.

[banzaii]

Interesting that the equator is the big one on ship, but the dateline is on the itinerary.  

 

I do understand the old seafaring traditions re crossing the equator, just don't see why screwing with the clocks isn't just as cool!

Edited May 27, 2019 by banzaii

[Hunter69]

The certficates, even had our name on it. Both times... They had one party at Midnight.On a TP.. Strange, but Carnival usually have there deck parties, starting at 10:30 at night..The Singa to Sydney was in The Afternoon...

 

[MicCanberra]

8 hours ago, banzaii said:

Interesting that the equator is the big one on ship, but the dateline is on the itinerary.  

 

I do understand the old seafaring traditions re crossing the equator, just don't see why screwing with the clocks isn't just as cool!

Perhaps it is time to change this.

[Aus Traveller]

The best 'Crossing the International Dateline' commemoration we had was on a P&O ship back in the days when P&O Aust did long cruises. From memory, the CD was Zoltina J. They didn't have a ceremony on the deck like crossing the Equator, but there was a special 'Pacific Daily' (was that the correct name?) for the 'Day that Never Was'. There were special activities: a 'Nude' event (can't remember what) on Deck 13. Later we heard that some people turned up looking for deck 13. There was absailing from the funnel, water-skiing behind the ship. etc. etc. All in good fun.

[Aus Traveller]

10 hours ago, banzaii said:

Interesting that the equator is the big one on ship, but the dateline is on the itinerary.  

 

I do understand the old seafaring traditions re crossing the equator, just don't see why screwing with the clocks isn't just as cool!

The tradition of having a ceremony to mark crossing the Equator, goes back several hundred years. On James Cook's first circumnavigation voyage, they marked the event by putting everyone who hadn't previously crossed the Equator over the side of the ship tied to a chair, then presumably hauled back on board. Joseph Banks paid a 'ransom' of grog to have himself, his staff and his dogs and cats let off from taking part.

[MicCanberra]

22 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The best 'Crossing the International Dateline' commemoration we had was on a P&O ship back in the days when P&O Aust did long cruises. From memory, the CD was Zoltina J. They didn't have a ceremony on the deck like crossing the Equator, but there was a special 'Pacific Daily' (was that the correct name?) for the 'Day that Never Was'. There were special activities: a 'Nude' event (can't remember what) on Deck 13. Later we heard that some people turned up looking for deck 13. There was absailing from the funnel, water-skiing behind the ship. etc. etc. All in good fun.

I find her a good CD as she gets people involved and there is lots of passenger interaction, although I know some find her annoying.