Tell Me About Your Oldest Carnival Cruise

[48traveler]

My first was the Tropicale , I believe in 1985, From California to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas, which was hardly more than a fishing village.  They actually let us shoot clay targets off the stern 

[TNcruising02]

Thanks for posting the pictures.  I really like reading stories about early cruises.  My first Carnival cruise was in 2014 on the Magic out of Galveston.  It was a lot of fun, but not old enough to offer any good stories of the way cruising used to be.

[48traveler]

2 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

Thanks for posting the pictures.  I really like reading stories about early cruises.  My first Carnival cruise was in 2014 on the Magic out of Galveston.  It was a lot of fun, but not old enough to offer any good stories of the way cruising used to be.

I'm getting old enough to need a shove up the gangplank LOL

[Thebosn1]

Love the pictures, really cool.  First cruise was on the Valor when it was still brand new.  I fell in love with the experience immediately.  My first wife did not.  My current wife loves cruising hahaha. 

[coevan]

Carnivale 1982, love the skeet shooting and hitting golf balls off the stern. The boat was stunning, wood interior, only 600' and everyone dressed up for dinner. 

[48traveler]

11 minutes ago, Thebosn1 said:

Love the pictures, really cool.  First cruise was on the Valor when it was still brand new.  I fell in love with the experience immediately.  My first wife did not.  My current wife loves cruising hahaha. 

Same for me regarding wives LOL

[48traveler]

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

Carnivale 1982, love the skeet shooting and hitting golf balls off the stern. The boat was stunning, wood interior, only 600' and everyone dressed up for dinner. 

It was a lot different back then for sure

[cmukid87]

2014 on Legend.

Hooked on day 1.

[arby70]

First Carnival cruise was in 2007 in the Fantasy out of New Orleans.  We went to Progresso and Cozumel on a 5 day cruise.  It was fun as it was my first time to see Caribbean blue waters.

[Tutontow]

Okay, I can only go back until the late 1990's.  My neighborhood had an improve your yard contest.  My wife is super competitive so we won the contest.  First prize was a three night cruise on the Fantasy.  We weren't expecting much but it turned out to be an absolute blast.  The cabin was inside, way in the back.  The cabin was pitch black when the lights were off and you had the constant drone of the engines.  We slept like babies.  We love blackjack and got ahead the first night and never fell behind the rest of the cruise.  We spent so much time in the casino we never ate in the MDR.  We mostly ate room service and late night pizza.  A free cruise and we came back money ahead from the casino.  When we were in port in Nassau a local guy came up to me when we were waiting to board and mumbled "Ecstasy"  I said no "Fantasy" he asked me three times and then said forget it.  The guy next to me said man you are out of touch.  He didn't want to know what ship you were on, he wanted to sell you drugs.

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Tutontow

[mbglib]

My husband and I taught at a very small school where we were required to help students raise funds for a senior trip from the time they were ninth graders until they were seniors. In 1992, we took this group on their and our first cruise. The flights was even the first flight most of us had ever taken. The Carnival Celebration seemed like a huge ship. I remember the hot dog and hamburger little walk-through area on the Lido (no buffet then), horse racing in the theater, skeet-shooting on the back of the ship (although we didn't participate), bingo, the shows, and the good food in the dining room. We did dress up on formal nights. A server asked us one night how we were all related and I told him that they were all our own children, so he said, “No TV?”

 

One more memory is that the girls in our group were sad that we were on the second deck as the Riveria deck was the one that all the stores would post as having won a prize. I doubted the cabin numbers even existed that were posted, but it was their way to get the passengers to look in the jewelry cases.

 

One final thing, we flew in on the day the cruise began and out the day it ended. I shutter to think of the problems we would have had with all those teenagers if this had gone wrong.

 

I don't have any pictures of the ship, but the first one I posted is of us in 1992 and the other one on our November 2019 Carnival Breeze cruise. We haven't changed a bit, 🙂 but cruising surely has and no chaperoning high school kids on our last 25 cruises. 🙂

[mpdog42]

1 hour ago, mbglib said:

My husband and I taught at a very small school where we were required to help students raise funds for a senior trip from the time they were ninth graders until they were seniors. In 1992, we took this group on their and our first cruise. The flights was even the first flight most of us had ever taken. The Carnival Celebration seemed like a huge ship. I remember the hot dog and hamburger little walk-through area on the Lido (no buffet then), horse racing in the theater, skeet-shooting on the back of the ship (although we didn't participate), bingo, the shows, and the good food in the dining room. We did dress up on formal nights. A server asked us one night how we were all related and I told him that they were all our own children, so he said, “No TV?”

 

One more memory is that the girls in our group were sad that we were on the second deck as the Riveria deck was the one that all the stores would post as having won a prize. I doubted the cabin numbers even existed that were posted, but it was their way to get the passengers to look in the jewelry cases.

 

One final thing, we flew in on the day the cruise began and out the day it ended. I shutter to think of the problems we would have had with all those teenagers if this had gone wrong.

 

I don't have any pictures of the ship, but the first one I posted is of us in 1992 and the other one on our November 2019 Carnival Breeze cruise. We haven't changed a bit, 🙂 but cruising surely has and no chaperoning high school kids on our last 25 cruises. 🙂

Mine was Fantasy 1993, Different world back then!!

[Georgia_Peaches]

1992, on the Fantasy.  Brand new ship that departed from Ft. Lauderdale and ended in Miami.  It was a honeymoon cruise and at that point in my life, the most grand vacation I had ever taken.  We were in an OV stateroom on deck 5.  I remember the TA at Macy's, where we booked, telling us that nothing says honeymoon like an OV cabin.

 

In 1992 they still had midnight buffets complete with very intricate ice sculptures.  My new husband (we're divorced now) ordered two entrees' at dinner one night...because he could.  Itinerary included Freeport and Nassau and was my first time in the Bahamas.  Who knew at the time that Nassau would become common place as our cruising continued over the years.  I will never forget my introduction to cruising...thanks Carnival!

[5PUPS]

1985 - Festivale out of Miami to San Juan, St. Thomas and Nassau. Wow, that was  along time ago!

[cruiselover**]

My husband and I took our first cruise on the Fantasy in 1993.  We took our 18 year old daughter and 16 year old son.  It was only a three night cruise, but we were so excited!  My husband and son enjoyed the skeet shooting off the stern of the ship.  We all loved the midnight buffet, the horse races, the knobby knees contest, the hairy chest contest, and the lip-sync contest.  All four of us were given a deck of Carnival cards by our cabin steward and of course the chocolate mints on our pillows each night.

 

My daughter made friends with another teenage girl at our dining table.  The two of them went to a couple bars onboard (in 1993, 18 year old passengers could have alcohol).  Anyway, my daughter over-indulged a bit.  She went back to the cabin and climbed into the top bunk to 'sleep it off'.  After a short time, she realized she needed to visit the bathroom in our cabin.  Our cabin steward, Celio (I still remember his name after all these years), came into the cabin and made-up her bed while she was in the bathroom!  She was mad because she had to un-tuck everything to climb back into bed.  We heard all about it when the three of us returned to the cabin later in the evening.

 

I was hooked on cruising from the get-go.  We have now enjoyed 23 Carnival cruises and can't wait for the next one!

[SMSACE6]

my first Carnival cruise was on Sensation, out of Tampa Fl, in October 2000.  It was my second cruise, but the first on Carnival and also my first solo cruise.  Up till then I was quite used to travelling alone due to my work,  and having started solo travelling early in life, but my first solo cruise, I was particularly worried about going to the dining room, and back then there was no anytime dining, so sharing a table was a bit of a concern, and I am not an extrovert, so debated going the first night, but figured if I did not go first night, I would not go for the entire cruise.  It turned out to be the most interesting and enjoyable group of people at my dining table, that dinner became the highlight of the day, both for the good food and service, but for the wonderful group fo dining companions, who somehow knew how to draw everyone into the conversation, and feel accepted and welcome.  Unforgettable experience.

 

[Bowman1]

Our first Carnival Cruise was our Honeymoon on the Inspiration our of San Juan in Mar 1998

 

It was a port heavy itinerary with stops at Grenada (which Carnival is finally returning to in 2021), as well Martinique

 

The dinning room presented us with a copy of Carnival Creations signed by all of our table mates (it was a 10 top), the matre’d, our waiters and the head chef

[pinto18]

7 hours ago, 48traveler said:

My first was the Tropicale , I believe in 1985, From California to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas, which was hardly more than a fishing village.  They actually let us shoot clay targets off the stern 

Ours was also the Tropicale....May of 1984, our honeymoon. I remember you could have friends and family board and check out the ship..then they blew the whistle and all visitors had to leave.

PS I got pregnant with out first son on that sailing!

[Halfmoonfan]

Festivale 1983 out of MIA

·      Assigned table/waiter for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  On port days lunch was open seating buffet in the MDR.

·      Lido was only breakfast, lunch and late-night buffet (1:30 AM)

·      Midnight buffet was every night in the MDR

·      Went to the Radio Room if you needed to place a phone call.  No TVs in the cabins

·      Skeet shooting and golf ball driving on the back.  Topless deck above.

·      Cash for bar purchases.  Beck’s Beer was $1.25.  Matches and ashtrays everywhere

·      Cost 4X today’s fares in real $

·      Very good food

·      Rum Swizzle Party

·      Horse racing for money

·      Very good bands everywhere.  “Show Girls” in the shows.

·      Tips were done with cash in the envelope on the last night. Everyone seemed to tip.  Crew loved their jobs.

[joeyancho]

1996 on the Holiday.  3 day cruise to Ensenada.  I believe it cost around $400.00 , a lot of money back then. It was a rickety old ship.  We were hooked.  We were amazed at everything, especially the midnight buffet.  43 cruises since then, and a lot has changed,  but I still remember it. 

Edited May 15, 2020 by joeyancho

[Bowman1]

4 minutes ago, Halfmoonfan said:

Festivale 1983 out of MIA

 

·      Assigned table/waiter for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  On port days lunch was open seating buffet in the MDR.

 

I really miss lunch in the MDR

[ULCajunCruiser]

1996 on Carnival Celebration out of New Orleans.   We traveled to Tampa, Grand Caymen and Cozumel.   Can't find any of our pics, but was such a fun time!!!   (I remember the topless sun deck!!)  

[DGP1111]

1985 on Holiday, for one of her first US voyages.

Port of Miami for 7 nights.

First impression was how large this ship was, and I remember commenting to my mother and aunt, "Holy crap, there's a bus on the boat".   << and my aunt reminding me to use the term Ship.

 

Had a great time . . . and this stoked my enthusiasm for cruising . . . A LOT. 😀 😀

 

 

[RWolver672]

Our first cruise was in 1999 on the Destiny out of Miami.  At the time, she was the largest cruise ship afloat.  One of the ladies that my wife worked with asked if we wanted to join their group on the cruise.  We had said that for our honeymoon we went to Hawaii and would cruise for our 25th anniversary.  We weren't anywhere near our 25th but decided to do it anyway.

 

Being a group cruise, all of the cabins were booked on the Riviera Deck.  We thought it was odd that if you took the glass elevators, they stopped at Deck 2 and you had to go to the stairs or  the inside elevators to go to Deck 1.

 

Dining was so sophisticated back then.  Waiters pulled the chairs out for the ladies, unfolded your napkins for you and called you either Sir or Madame.  Each place was set up with wine glasses, water glasses, champagne flutes, and a whole array of knives, forks and spoons.  

 

The first thing that amazed me was the size of her.  The second thing that amazed me was when went to the turn basin and she pivoted around to head out to sea.  I couldn't believe how something that big could turn around on a dime.  I knew right then that I was hooked.  We've been on a cruise every other year since then.  

[Butterbean1000]

My first cruise was on the Celebration in 2007.  My oldest sister came into some money so she paid for a cruise for us 3 sisters.  That started my love of cruising.   Fast forward a couple of years.  The hubs asked what I wanted to do for our 30th anniversary.  I told him I wanted to cruise. He agreed,  but was not the least bit excited.  He wanted to go to an all inclusive somewhere.  Long story short, we weren't on the ship 24 hours and he was planning our next cruise!  We've been cruising ever since.

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Butterbean1000