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Canberra Recollections


sail1658
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One of our first cruises was on board Canberra in 1991 which we loved, despite having bunk beds and a bathroom down the corridor!!!

 

In the recently enforced absence of cruising I decided to resurrect my videos, edit them and post on YouTube to avoid the need to search out DVDs, and so that I could relive the memories. 

 

Part 1 of a Canberra Mediterranean cruise from Southampton, with a rough crossing of the Bay of Biscay before the first port of Gibraltar is now posted -

 

 

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1 hour ago, sail1658 said:

One of our first cruises was on board Canberra in 1991 which we loved, despite having bunk beds and a bathroom down the corridor!!!

 

In the recently enforced absence of cruising I decided to resurrect my videos, edit them and post on YouTube to avoid the need to search out DVDs, and so that I could relive the memories. 

 

Part 1 of a Canberra Mediterranean cruise from Southampton, with a rough crossing of the Bay of Biscay before the first port of Gibraltar is now posted -

 

 

Thank you so much. I love your videos of Ventura, but this one is particularly interesting. I look forward to seeing many more.

Avril

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1 hour ago, sail1658 said:

One of our first cruises was on board Canberra in 1991 which we loved, despite having bunk beds and a bathroom down the corridor!!!

 

In the recently enforced absence of cruising I decided to resurrect my videos, edit them and post on YouTube to avoid the need to search out DVDs, and so that I could relive the memories. 

 

Part 1 of a Canberra Mediterranean cruise from Southampton, with a rough crossing of the Bay of Biscay before the first port of Gibraltar is now posted -

 

 

Canberra was our second cruise and despite the age of the ship we loved the cruise which was to the Canaries.  We had an outside cabin which was absolutely huge with 2 single beds,  the window looked out to the front of the ship.  We had an ensuite bathroom so never had to share a bathroom.  The room was at the bottom of a spiral staircase that came down from the Crow's Nest which was where we ended up every evening.  Our cabin steward used to ask each night what time we would like our wake up cup of tea for the next morning.  I  remember that we shared a table with a lovely couple who told us that they were really low down in the ship and had to climb a very steep, narrow staircase that was like a ladder to get from their cabin.

 

I wonder what people would think of a cruise like we did in the early days.  I am sure thatv 28 year olds today would want a lot more luxury.

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Enjoyed watching that. Thank you.

I never sailed on Canberra but after seeing her in Rhodes harbour @1990 it encouraged us book our very first cruise (on P&Os old Sea Princess for the following year). Times have certainly changed on board tho!

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My first cruise as an adult (having done a school cruise on SS Uganda when I was 14) was on Canberra in 1994. It was a 25-night to the Caribbean and Fort Lauderdale - my first ever visit to USA. I was so excited. I met a lovely Welshman called Clive at the dinner table and we became partners for 13 years until his death. We were both sharing cabins in the "friendly fours" - Clive with 3 guys on A deck, and me with 3 other Scottish ladies on what we referred to as "F-ing deck". We were all total strangers on the first day but got on great and kept in touch for many years. Happy days. I've now done 36 P&O cruises but I only ever remember one of my 36 cabin numbers - F347 on Canberra.

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That's an amazing experience and memory, Valfan.  It's funny what you can put up with when you're young and just excited to be on a cruise like we were in those good old days. But don't think we could manage bunk beds now!!! 

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Yes it's certainly changed days now. The good thing about sharing 4-berth cabins on Canberra was that there were lots of toilets, showers and baths just opposite your cabin or just along the corridor - rows and rows of them. Just a year after my first Canberra cruise in 1994, Oriana arrived in April 1995 and I shared with 3 strangers on it. What a difference - it was a nightmare!  One tiny bathroom for 4 women, all shapes and sizes, all from different walks of life. There was always somebody in it. Whether you wanted to have a shower, have a wash, use the toilet, brush your teeth, even just to get something out of your little shelf in the bathroom cabinet, you had to wait or go without. And, although the decor was obviously modern compared to Canberra, the Oriana cabin was a lot smaller than F347 on Canberra and we still had bunk beds.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Canberra was also our first cruise.  We didn't have the lowest grade cabin but we had the next up which gave us own own loo.  I remember having to book a slot to use the bathroom.

 

Our cabin was so small that one of us had to lie on the lower bunk in order for the other to get dressed.  We had friends is a much larger cabin who jokingly suggested we should consider hosting a cabin party. My response was that they should bring a bottle, preferably containing oxygen.

 

i should add that once outside the cabin, the quality of food and service was vastly superior to what you get today.  If you take into account inflation, we paid the daily equivalent of what Seabourn is charging today.

 

The price of cruising has tumbled in price since those days so it is hardly surprising that P and O have made cutbacks.

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On 6/19/2021 at 8:47 AM, Charleyben said:

The price of cruising has tumbled in price

 

We totally agree that prices have tumbled. After our early P&O cruises we tried Royal Caribbean Cruise Line where they offered free flights to Miami on a brand new ship , Sovereign of the Seas with private facilities. It seemed bizarre at the time that it was cheaper than a cruise from Southampton,  but they were just trying to break into the British market then. So we ended up with free BA flights to Miami,  pre-cruise hotel and transfers and post cruise day-room for less than P&O prices for a very basic cabin.

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This was one of the best arrivals in port that we have ever experienced as we sailed into Palma, Majorca for a lunchtime arrival. The ship's orchestra and band combined with a fantastic concert of Glenn Miller era music in perfect weather. Certainly a day of outstanding memories! 


 

 

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