HAPPY TOPIC!! Most memorable cruise moment - let’s hear your funny or just happy stories!!

[Angel57]

One of my favourite cruising moments has to be embarking on the full world cruise on Aurora in 2012. I can clearly recall sitting in the Crow’s Nest (with the obligatory glass of fizz), watching the fireworks as we sailed away from the Mayflower Terminal and thinking that we wouldn’t be back on UK soil for over 3 months.

I still consider myself extremely lucky that I was able to have such an adventure. We had no worries on safety and no worries over pandemics!.

[Mickb]

Passing through the straights of Gibraltar for the first time and seeing the Atlas Mountains and North Africa so clearly 

[Adawn47]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

My wife thinks it was probably the most memorable evening we have ever had on holiday, closely followed by her special birthday meal in the Maldives, when a sudden rain squall ripped the roof off our cabana, and left us soaked!

Now that was a night to remember. I would certainly have seen the funny side of it😄

Avril

[nellydean]

Have had a few memorable moments, happily.

 

The first was on our very first cruise 21 years ago. We arrived in Naples to an absolutely beautiful sunrise coming up in the dip of a mountain. It was only when we thought about it that we realised that mountain was, in fact, Mount Vesuvius. 

 

Running it a close second was arrival into Valletta, with its golden glow. We were so close to the ancient city walls it was almost like we could touch them.

 

A third moment to treasure was throwing flowers into the wake as we passed over the exact spot where the Titanic lay. 

 

 

[janny444]

I know I have already posted our memorable moment but this comes a very very close second....it was when cruise ships were allowed to dock just along from St Mark's square....we docked there during the day....very handy... and in the evening it pootled round to the new docks right past the waterfront and St Mark's square which was all lit up....a wonderful site....I think it was one of the last cruise ships allowed to dock there....think that was in 2011

[Bloodaxe]

I know have mentioned our Antarctic cruise before but another highlight was witnessing a total Luna Eclipse off the coast of Argentina at midnight, unforgettable.

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Bloodaxe

[po go]

 

once shared a table with someone having language barriers he said.:

In the morning I go down to eat breakfast,
I said to the waitress I want to pieces of toast,
She brings me only one piece,
I tell her I want to piece,
She said go to the toilet,
I say you dont understand,
I wanna piece on my plate,
she said you better not p##s on your plate you son of a *****,
Later I go down to eat at the big restaurant,
the waitress brings me a spoon and a knive,
but no fork,
I tell her i wanted a fork,
she telling me everybody want a f##k,
i say you dont understand,
I wanna fork on my table,
she says you better not f##k on the table you son of a *****,
So I go back to my cabin ,
and there are no sheets on the bed,
called the steward and tell him I want a sheet,
he says go to the toilet,
I say you dont understand,
I wanna sheet on my bed,
he says you better not sh#t on my bed you son of a *****,
 

 

[moonstone01]

My wife and I have only done 5 cruises and everyone of them have been incredible for us, waking up in a different country each day will always feel special, but the best moment for us has to be standing outside the Fairmont hotel in Monte Carlo watching the cars go by that must be worth a kings ransom. Looking up the road and imagining the grand prix cars whizzing past us, walking past the yachts that only lottery winners can afford, then going back to our ship and having the most amazing meal, great entertainment and lovely chats with experienced cruisers. 

[Denarius]

Passing through the Panama Canal on Oceana. For the first half of our transit a steady fine drizzel fell. Then the sun came out, and the forrest steamed. If you did not know different, you would probably have thought that it was on fire. Quite spectacular. A lady nearby commented that she was glad that the sun had come out, as she had not expected it to rain in Panama. Perhaps the fact that we were sailing through the rain forrest should have given her a clue!

[janny444]

10 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Passing through the Panama Canal on Oceana. For the first half of our transit a steady fine drizzel fell. Then the sun came out, and the forrest steamed. If you did not know different, you would probably have thought that it was on fire. Quite spectacular. A lady nearby commented that she was glad that the sun had come out, as she had not expected it to rain in Panama. Perhaps the fact that we were sailing through the rain forrest should have given her a clue!

Our first cruise  in 2010 was on Oceana which went through the Panama Canal....you have reignited a wonderful memory 

[Rupert2251]

This makes me smile everytime I think about it. Going back a few years we were cruising on Norwegian Gem, our daughter was with us, she was a teenager at the time. On Gem they have got a viewing gallery on the Bridge where you can go and look at all the equipment etc. After leaving the gallery our daughter had gone very quiet and was deep in thought when I asked her if everything was OK she said yes but where was the wheel for the Captain to steer the ship? I had to think about this then realised that she was expecting to see an enormous wheel with Johnny Depp standing there like Pirates of the Caribbean! Needless to say to this day we have never let her forget it.

 

On another cruise on Arcadia we were just arriving in Valletta, Malta in the early hours. We were on the balcony and the American couple in the cabin next door were also out. We could hear them chatting away then he says to her "well its very Mediterranean isn't it"  ? Sorry but not sure where he thought he was.

[Bloodaxe]

The comment about the American in the balcony reminded me of this.

 

We were transiting the Kiel Canal in Germany passing through a wooded area.

I was on the balcony and could hear Cockoos calling all around us, something we rarely hear at home anymore.

I said to the America next door can you hear the Cookoos, he replied I thought they were just in clocks, not sure if he was serious.

Edited October 11, 2020 by Bloodaxe

[Denarius]

3 hours ago, janny444 said:

Our first cruise  in 2010 was on Oceana which went through the Panama Canal....you have reignited a wonderful memory 

My cruise was in December 2010. Possibly the same cruise. The weather in the UK was very bad on the day we were due to fly home from Acapulco and many flights were delayed by 12 hours or more. Ours (to Manchester) was delayed to the following morning and P&O arranged overnight accomodation for us in the Crowne Plaza hotel on the strip, with a 4am wake up call. So we all had an early night - NOT!!! The bar was packed with P&O passengers not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth. But we were a subdued lot the morning after!

Edited October 11, 2020 by Denarius

[Tapi]

Wouldn’t necessarily call it happy, but it definitely qualifies as most memorable. 
 

We were sailing on Allure of the Seas between Cozumel and Ft. Lauderdale, and word quickly spread that we were slowing down. I noticed people standing along the railing on the port side of the ship so I did the same. I saw a dot in the distance, and as we got closer to it, I realized that it was a rickety small boat packed with about 20 people. 
 

They were Cuban rafters and their boat’s engine had stopped working. We learned that they had been adrift at sea for 2-3 days and they were in bad health with no provisions or shade. It was surreal to watch our huge cruise ship get closer and closer to the boat. The rafters were waving frantically. There were women and small children on the small boat. 
 

A zodiac was dispatched which then tugged the boat towards our ship. The rafters were then transferred over to our ship and the boat was abandoned empty. The Captain made an announcement later explaining what had transpired and to let us know that the people on the boat were all safe. 
 

We were so happy to learn that they had been rescued and that they were receiving medical care and nourishment after what must’ve been quite an ordeal. We never learned what happened to them after we docked back in Ft Lauderdale the following day, but to this day, this experience qualifies as one of the most memorable things that I’ve witnessed at sea. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Tapi

[alsa]

On 10/6/2020 at 5:23 PM, Dermotsgirl said:

I’ve got lots of good memories, but the one that sticks in my mind most is from our first cruise.

 

We were on Aurora, and we spent the first sea days getting used to on board life, then had our first port stop of Barcelona. It was all great and we were really enjoying it. 

 

Our next stop was Monte Carlo. We were at anchor, and I went out on to the balcony first thing in the morning, and saw the whole of Monte Carlo spread out in front of me. I was completely thrilled, and the realisation hit in a flash - cruising was the life for me! 

Monte Carlo is also one of my favourite places to stop - stunning from the ship as you sail in!

[Josy1953]

On 10/11/2020 at 3:58 PM, Bloodaxe said:

The comment about the American in the balcony reminded me of this.

 

We were transiting the Kiel Canal in Germany passing through a wooded area.

I was on the balcony and could hear Cockoos calling all around us, something we rarely hear at home anymore.

I said to the America next door can you hear the Cookoos, he replied I thought they were just in clocks, not sure if he was serious.

I think that the Kiel canal transit was one of my favourite days of all the days that we have spent on ships.  On Adonia 2 of the crew members cycled the whole distance to raise money for Macmillan, we stood on our balcony most of the day even though it was December and freezing cold.  The odd times that they had to change sides to have better  dispatch conditions we had to stand on the promenade deck.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Josy1953

[Bloodaxe]

9 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I think that the Kiel canal transit was one of my favourite days of all the days that we have spent on ships.  On Adonia 2 of the crew members cycled the whole distance to raise money for Macmillan, we stood on our balcony most of the day even though it was December and freezing cold.  The odd times that they had to change sides to have better  dispatch conditions we had to stand on the promenade deck.

 

It is a lovely passage, we did it on Azamara Journey, sister ship to Adonia (now Azamara Pursuit).

It was a lovely Summers day in June, one village we passed though must have been having a festival and the band serenaded us has we  passed bye.

The ship joined in hooting the horn in time to the music.

[Angel57]

44 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

I think that the Kiel canal transit was one of my favourite days of all the days that we have spent on ships.  On Adonia 2 of the crew members cycled the whole distance to raise money for Macmillan, we stood on our balcony most of the day even though it was December and freezing cold.  The odd times that they had to change sides to have better  dispatch conditions we had to stand on the promenade deck.

I agree about the Kiel Canal being a wonderful transit.
We did it on the old Sea Princess/Victoria which managed to squeeze through.

Even now with it being over 25 years ago, I can clearly see all the home-owners on the banks of the canal who came out into their gardens to wave and say hello. 

[Bloodaxe]

This is a review I did of a very eventful cruise on Celebroty Century 1n 2007.

 

We left Barcelona and travelled overnight to Villefranche a port between Monaco and Nice on the Riviera & took a scenic coach ride around the sights

The next stop was Malaga in Spain were we took a trip to a mountain village which was much nicer than staying in the city, while in port ambulances met the ship and several people who were either ill or injured were taken away. 

 

That night we sailed through the straights of Gibraltar on route to Madeira, at about 3am we were woken by a loud noise,

a helicopter had been dispatched from Spain to take off yet another seriously ill passenger.

Our day in Madeira was met with torrential rain and flooded roads but that was the only real bad weather the whole trip.

 

The next evening during dinner several announcements were made asking for a gentleman to contact any member of the crew urgently, this was repeated several times.

Later on after midnight some people in adjacent cabins were awakened shown a picture and asked has anyone seen this man, it appeared that someone was missing and a search of the ship had not found him.

The next day we were told that he had not been seen since the first day on board, he had not left the ship at all(everyone is logged on and off electronically with a sea pass) and his cabin had not been used, he was never found.

I have read somewhere that about 50 people a year go missing from cruise ships, this man had apparently insisted on a cabin with a balcony so maybe he had decided to end it all in style.

 

Two days out into the Atlantic I was sitting on our balcony at the stern of the ship watching a beautiful sunset. 

I suddenly realised that I should not be watching the sun setting has we were sailing westwards and the sun should be setting over the bow of the ship.

I turned on the TV and tuned to the map showing our progress and sure enough we were sailing in the wrong direction away from the USA back towards Europe.

 

Then the Captain announced that we were making for the Azores to off load a seriously injured passenger who needed urgent hospitalisation(I suppose given the age profile on board this is pretty common..

Later on it was announced that we were to be met the next morning by a US Navy warship who would take off the passenger in mid ocean.

In the event three people, one injured and another two seriously ill were taken off along with their families and tendered over to the other ship which was a helicopter carrier USS Wasp on the way home after three months at sea.

It was quite a sight as they were leaving the ships company lined up on deck to give us a farewell salute, some of the Americans on board said that a least their tax dollars are occasionally put to good use. .

 

The rest of the trip went smoothly and we were only 3 hours late docking in Miami which was pretty good considering all that had gone before.

We met our American friends and spent a very enjoyable couple of days together, .

 

 

 

[Adawn47]

That was a very eventful cruise you had Bloodaxe. One not easily forgotten.

Avril

[Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

That was a very eventful cruise you had Bloodaxe. One not easily forgotten.

Avril

 

 

It certainly was, I met one of the ships officers on a later cruise and he told me that the captain said that it was his cruise from hell.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Bloodaxe