Cruising in the 70s and 80s - how it used to be?

[Honolulu Blue]

I found a video on YouTube that entertained and maybe informed me about cruising in the decades when I was a lot younger.  It's about 25 minutes long.  Here it is:

 

The video mostly consisted of promo films from Carnival, P&O (UK), and Cunard, with some nods to lines that no longer exist.  Oh, and a little bit of Princess/Love Boat footage.  If you're a RCL or NCL fan, you probably didn't like this video much.  Perhaps their promo videos of this era were too boring? 🙂

 

Anyway, I guess this is what cruising was like when I was little and wanted to be bigger?  Despite the obvious signs of change from past decades, I found the experience overstuffed and probably wouldn't have liked cruising very much then had I been a kid or a young adult.  I don't want to go back to these days and am quite happy with what we have now.  The future may be worse, but I'm willing to let it happen.

 

I'm sure there are a few of you who are convinced that the cruising of 40+ years ago is much better than what's available today.  Convince me, if you dare. 😈

 

Thanks for stopping by.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

My first experience dates back to 1965. The YouTube video above just barely touches upon what it was really like.  The difference was that transatlantic liners were transforming into cruise ships.  True that those ships lacked the bells and whistles that we see on cruise ships today.  What they did have was an incredible level of service and high quality food and drink.  The word intimacy comes to mind.  It was a certain atmosphere that was created.  The French called it “l’atmosphere transat” and the Italians called it “la dolce vida”…”The sweet life”.  The difference was live bands and a lot of dancing with convivial small groups of new friends made onboard.  Deck chairs were nominally paid for and reserved…no chair hogs allowed and Heaven help you if you tried to sit in someone’s reserved chair.  The deck steward would instantly evict you.  Again…the service on deck and in the lounges was superb.  Drinks were very affordable…the champagne flowed as did the wine during meals.  The meals were fantastic and leisurely affairs that were shared with new found friends.  Thankfully the feeling of being on a moving ship never gets old.  Cruising in the 60’s 70’s was different from today and my memories are still vivid.  I enjoyed those times immensely.  Whether they were better is debatable depending on your perspective.  If I had to sum those times up up in one word I would say they were more…friendly.  

[Catnip]

I've been cruising since 1981, on many lines and many ships.  Very different experience than nowdays.  I have to admit I prefer the "old days"........I prefer the older ships because of the smaller crowds and most of the "bells & whistles" the newer, mega-ships have.  I don't care about having a walk-climbing wall, or a bowling alley or a water slide....I just want a comfy lounge chair on deck and to gaze at the ocean all day and relax. 
The food was definitely better back then.  Midnight buffets with ice carvings, lobster and filet on "formal" nights, and on & on.  Big, Las Vegas style productions shows twice a week.
Those were the days!

[George C]

I did a cruise to nowhere in 1975 as a single, in 1977 I cruised the Rotterdam out of my then hometown of New York and I was hooked have cruised at least  once every year since and for last few decades twice.

  Everyone dressed for dinner suit and tie in 70’s , by mid 80’s dress code changed but lots of tux’s on formal night , 35 ton ship was big , drinks were cheap , no specialty restaurants and no balconies on the ships . I remember Costa giving us caviar and vodka at no cost . 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 7/9/2024 at 5:13 PM, George C said:

I did a cruise to nowhere in 1975 as a single, in 1977 I cruised the Rotterdam out of my then hometown of New York and I was hooked have cruised at least  once every year since and for last few decades twice.

  Everyone dressed for dinner suit and tie in 70’s , by mid 80’s dress code changed but lots of tux’s on formal night , 35 ton ship was big , drinks were cheap , no specialty restaurants and no balconies on the ships . I remember Costa giving us caviar and vodka at no cost . 

Caviar and champagne were normal.  I remember cruising onboard the Bremen in 1971 and we had bottles of German bubbly on our table…twice in 7 days.  They had a gala buffet, one night per week, that had everything you could imagine including lobster and caviar.  The food was definitely better in the “old days”.  I remember over 100 items offered each evening on menus onboard the Greek ship Amerikanis.  Food onboard the SS France was legendary.  The Italian food onboard the Italian Line was some of the best in the world.  The menus on the famous Cunard Caronia offered incredible meals with some of the finest food from both sides of the Atlantic.  The menus from the original Cunard Queens were written about extensively.  The Dutch ships from HAL were also great culinary adventures. The food was definitely better back than.

[lenquixote66]

My first cruise was in 1973.No shore excursions.All cabins had portholes.The only ship activities were skeet shooting and shuffleboard.

Entertainment was class A .Only one dining room with great food.

 

[Airbear232]

On 7/9/2024 at 10:15 AM, Catnip said:

...I just want a comfy lounge chair on deck and to gaze at the ocean all day and relax. 
The food was definitely better back then.  
Those were the days!

One thing you pointed out, really got me thinking.  The new ships have so much “noise” about them that most people miss one of the best aspects of cruising which is being at sea.  It’s great to just get comfy in a chair and enjoy the beauty of the sea.  I have to say I love Royal Caribbean’s 270 lounge on Quantum ships as one of the best places to just relax and watch the ocean. 

[Airbear232]

On 7/11/2024 at 8:28 AM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Caviar and champagne were normal.  I remember cruising onboard the Bremen in 1971 and we had bottles of German bubbly on our table…twice in 7 days.  They had a gala buffet, one night per week, that had everything you could imagine including lobster and caviar.  The food was definitely better in the “old days”.  I remember over 100 items offered each evening on menus onboard the Greek ship Amerikanis.  Food onboard the SS France was legendary.  The Italian food onboard the Italian Line was some of the best in the world.  The menus on the famous Cunard Caronia offered incredible meals with some of the finest food from both sides of the Atlantic.  The menus from the original Cunard Queens were written about extensively.  The Dutch ships from HAL were also great culinary adventures. The food was definitely better back than.

Question to ask, was the food better because of the preparation, the availability or both?  
 

I’ve only cruised for the past 15 years, but even in that time have seen a change. My own belief is that there has been a decline in both quality of preparation and availability of quality (affordable) ingredients.  I think in the past, ships had classically trained chefs as opposed to many now who are trained in house and not to a high level of standard.  I also think quality ingredients are getting more difficult to source as the food industry is focused on producing the cheapest product with a good profit ratio.  The quality of things like eggs, vegetables and meat has gone down in North America.  We have them in abundance but they are not of the same quality.  It’s very difficult to find many types of cheese now as they are either no longer produced or their production has gone way down.  When you combine this with “chefs” who are little more than institutional cooks, I think the end product suffers.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

5 minutes ago, Airbear232 said:

Question to ask, was the food better because of the preparation, the availability or both?  
 

I’ve only cruised for the past 15 years, but even in that time have seen a change. My own belief is that there has been a decline in both quality of preparation and availability of quality (affordable) ingredients.  I think in the past, ships had classically trained chefs as opposed to many now who are trained in house and not to a high level of standard.  I also think quality ingredients are getting more difficult to source as the food industry is focused on producing the cheapest product with a good profit ratio.  The quality of things like eggs, vegetables and meat has gone down in North America.  We have them in abundance but they are not of the same quality.  It’s very difficult to find many types of cheese now as they are either no longer produced or their production has gone way down.  When you combine this with “chefs” who are little more than institutional cooks, I think the end product suffers.

It was the quality that made the difference.  When the menu read prime beef…it was really prime beef!  The list of quality ingredients was endless…all the way from Beluga Caviar to ripened Georgia peaches.  Back in the day the lines were not stateless corporate entities…they were operating according to nationality.  Each line had their own specialties when it came to food.  The Italian Line boasted that they had over 1,000 recipes for pasta and rice.  The French Line had the best French food and chefs and featured such in their ads.  Cunard had recipes that dated back to the 1850’s!  Google the “Caronia Time Line” and learn about the extent and quality of the menus that Cunard insisted upon for their millionaire’s cruise ship…absolutely astounding.  
 

You can still get high quality great food at sea today prepared by highly trained chefs…but it will cost you.  I guess that’s the way it has always been.  A First Class transatlantic ticket started at around $400 per person back in the 1950’s…for a five day crossing. That would translate to more than $5,000 per person today.  No wonder the lines could afford the very best.

[Airbear232]

55 minutes ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

  A First Class transatlantic ticket started at around $400 per person back in the 1950’s…for a five day crossing. That would translate to more than $5,000 per person today.  No wonder the lines could afford the very best.

I agree that the cost is a big part of it.  Lines have kept costs largely inflation proof, so something has to give.

 

I remember on Celebrity a few years ago we did an Eastern Med cruise that went to Istanbul.  One of the big highlights for me was towards the end of the cruise they had a brunch.  And the highlight for me was they made puff pastry swans.  My grandmother used to make these, so it was a great treat for me.  

Edited August 13 by Airbear232

[CGTNORMANDIE]

4 minutes ago, Airbear232 said:

I agree that the cost is a big part of it.  Lines have kept costs largely inflation proof, so something has to give.

 

I remember on Celebrity a few years ago we did an Eastern Med cruise that went to Istanbul.  One of the big highlights for me was towards the end of the cruise they had a brunch.  And the highlight for me was they made puff pastry swans.  My grandmother used to make these, so it was a great treat for me.  

Inflation is the key factor affecting food quality.  When all the basics are costing 30% more on average it is bound to lessen the food quality.  Take a look at Royal Caribbean and their new menus…ughhh.  

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

It was the quality that made the difference.  When the menu read prime beef…it was really prime beef!  The list of quality ingredients was endless…all the way from Beluga Caviar to ripened Georgia peaches.  Back in the day the lines were not stateless corporate entities…they were operating according to nationality.  Each line had their own specialties when it came to food.  The Italian Line boasted that they had over 1,000 recipes for pasta and rice.  The French Line had the best French food and chefs and featured such in their ads.  Cunard had recipes that dated back to the 1850’s!  Google the “Caronia Time Line” and learn about the extent and quality of the menus that Cunard insisted upon for their millionaire’s cruise ship…absolutely astounding.  
 

You can still get high quality great food at sea today prepared by highly trained chefs…but it will cost you.  I guess that’s the way it has always been.  A First Class transatlantic ticket started at around $400 per person back in the 1950’s…for a five day crossing. That would translate to more than $5,000 per person today.  No wonder the lines could afford the very best.

 

Another factor that impacts the quality of the victuals, is that we used to load more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, etc. in many of the ports we visited. These were often delivered by small businesses, directly to the ship.

 

Mass market ships now have most victuals supplied by a Corporate warehouse, arriving by container loads, usually at the home port and on longer cruises, additional major ports enroute.

 

Agree, many of the premium/luxury brands still purchase victuals locally, with the Executive Chef heading ashore to purchase.

[Donald]

You can thank the US Government for many of the quality problems.

The United States Public Health Service, where I work part of the year, claims jurisdiction over any cruise ship that: 1) Sells tickets in America, 2) Carries American Passengers, 3) Calls at any American Port, or 4) Has a sister ship that calls at any American Port. This jurisdiction allows them to control most foods on nearly every cruise ship in the world - no matter where that ship is operating.

They require that:

1) All protein items served onboard must come only from American Certified Vendors in America.

2) All protein items served onboard must be frozen for at least one week, at a maximum temperature of -21 Celsius. 

Those 2 requirements result in lower quality and far higher cost for most of the food you eat on a cruise ship nearly anywhere in the world.

 

Violating these rules results in less expensive and higher quality food, but the ship and cruise line face failing USPH Health Inspection Scores if and when they call at a US Port. Those of us lucky enough to permanently avoid US Ports do not worry about that, and can afford to serve higher quality, lower cost, fresh foods on our ships. 

Edited August 14 by Donald

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Thank you Donald…most informative.

[Hlitner]

We started cruising in the 70s, and in those days RCCL (now RCI), NCL and Carnival ruled the waves on Caribbean cruises out of Florida.  I would not say cruising in the 70s-80s was better, but it was somewhat different.  Consider that one of my first cruises was on NCL's Sunward II, which was a 14,000 ton vessel that carried about 800 passengers.  Compare that to our upcoming cruise on the Seabourn Encore which is 42,000 tons and only carries 600 passengers.  So the space ratio on the Sunward II was about 18 (tons per person) compared to Seabourns 70 tons per person.  In simple terms, on Seabourn we have 4 times the space (per person).  Most mass market lines, these days, have space ratios in the 30-45 ton per person range.

 

One thing that was different on almost all those old cruises was that midnight buffets were a nightly event with an even crazier gala midnight buffet about once per cruise.  We used to finish dinner about 10:30, and by 11:30 it was time to check-out the midnight buffet!  

 

In those days. nearly all the ships had only 2 dinner sittings and there were no alternative restaurants other than the usual Lido.  Even on lines like RCCL, service was "white glove" with all the sides being served by waiters from large silver service.  I still remember our favorite waiter on the old Sun Viking (his name is Gary Branch) who would come around with baked potatoes.  If you wanted one, he would put in on your place, open it up, and than spoon toppings (he had a serving bowl with lots of different toppings) to your specifications.  When we had "lobster night" Gary would also bring a large platter with at least a dozen large tails (these were extras in additon to what was already on our plate) and put it down on the table.

 

The best part of cruising in those days was that it was never crowded at ports.  The largest ships generally had no more than 1200 passengers and most had fewer than 1000.   These days, if one wants a ship with only a few passengers they generally need to book one of the ultra-luxury lines where there are ships with even fewer than 300.

 

By the way, for those cruisers who love and only cruise on huge mega ships, here is a tidbit.  Why are there NO luxury mega ships?  All the luxury ships are relatively small (generally fewer than 1000 passengers).   Cruising on one of those small ultra-luxury vessels is a completely different experience/vibe than being on an Oasis Class or other monster vessel.

 

Hank