Transatlantic Crossings Remembered..."the Only Way To Cross".

[cal516]

I just stumbled on this thread and what great memories it stirred up! I can remember making Caribbean cruises on Home Lines' Homeric and Oceanic in the hey-day of "big" liners - there is nothing to compare to that now.

 

Watching the flick on the United States was great ... so accurate ... I remember arriving on sailing day dressed in a suit because a sport coat would be too informal ... I think Homeric & Oceanic used a pier on 59th street in NY? Oh, and those great bon voyage parties ... and streamers ... and crowds of guests on the pier.

 

I can also remember being in various ports of call (announced the day before with a sign in a life preserver just as shown in the flick) with most of the great ships mentioned in this thread.

 

Those were the days ...

[sullaRaffaello]

HI "SullaRaffaello",

 

I have fond memories of that statement having heard it many times. My sister and I used to chuckle at the English translation, particularly at the end when he said "the sheep is about to sail"!

 

Do you remember the chimes before an announcement? I heard something like that a few years ago and I had this flashback to being on the ship hearing the announcement that dinner is served.

 

How I miss those days! :(

 

I do remember the chimes, and after that you'd hear: "La seconda colazione per i signori passegeri di classe turistica è servita, Lunch for tourist class passengers is now being served!"

 

How about the noon time signal: "Fra pochi secondi sara dato il segnale radio di mezzo giorno, in a few moments, noontime signal will be given, mancano cinque secondi, quattro, tre, due, uno, Mezzo Giorno, Noon!" At the moment the announcer said mezzo giorno, the ship's horn would blast.

Wow, you were so lucky to have been on all those Italian Line ships. I would have loved to go on the Colombo and Da Vinci, as well as the Michelangelo, but by the time I would have had the money and time, they were gone. Incidentally the name I use, I got from the song a quartet called the Glee Club used to sing on the ship at the beginning of their act. The first line was "Sulla Raffaello, vacanze colla felicita". On the Raffaello, vacations with happiness; and they truly were.

[NYCruzr]

Yes, I remember those messages too, which were the same for lunch and dinner of course. One thing that also brings back memories for me is the smell of fresh fruit because I remember that when we used to return to the cabin after dinner and entertainment, the steward had turned the beds down and placed a bowl of fresh fruit in the cabin. I will never forget that aroma. When I smell fresh fruit now, I feel like I stepped back in time to walking into our cabin.

 

The next day my father always had us up early and we would have breakfast and be out on deck for the day. Ugh....all this talk about those trips is reminding me how badly I need a vacation! Hope I can manage one soon!

 

Take care

NYCruzr

[TDM99]

See & Imagine ...

 

 

" BON VOYAGE " :)

 

Noel

[DeepWaterMariner]

Terrific pictures. What a beautiful ship. I sailed on her after she became the Norway after she was converted to a cruise ship. The theater looked the same but not much else.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I'M BACK!!! Would you believe it has taken me more than a month to get back to this thread??? LOL. Thanks so much for more comments along the way.

 

Thanks to TDM 99 for those wonderful pictures of the SS FRANCE!!! What great memories!!! Don't we all wish we had taken more pictures years ago. The truth is...that no matter how many pictures you did take...it could not even come close to capturing the actual experience.

 

Our recent transatlantic voyage was really wonderful...probably the best trip I have had in a long time. There is still nothing that quite equals the old transatlantic crossings when most people went by ship. Times have changes but thank Heavens that we can still sail across the Atlantic on great ships.

 

ROSS