Your first cruise ship

[Sparkles94]

My first cruise was in 1949 from NY to Southhampton on the original Queen Mary. I was only 4 years old so don't remember. My father was born and raised in England, so this was the only mode of travel then. We traveled cabin class, which was the middle of the road class. We spent 3 months in England/France and then sailed home on the original Queen Elizabeth. Five years later we made the same trip again to visit relatives and sailed on Cunard's Media and Parthia. These ships were made for ocean travel. They had no stabalizers but well built. We got into a hurricane in the northern Atlantic....really rough. I do remember this cruise!:eek: In 1956 we sailed from SF on the Lurline to Hawaii. After my dad past away, my mom and I did some traveling again to Hawaii and Tahiti on Matson lines. I started traveling again in the early 70's with my mom and some with my first husband. One of my favorite cruises was to the Caribbean on the Sun Viking with the "singing captain", Captain Kasper Skjerve. Anyone know if he is still alive? I understand he retired some years ago. Since the 70's, I have traveled with my second husband on many cruise all over the world. I have probably been on 40 cruises. We are planning a cruise on Princess this June to Norway/Spitzbergen. I have been to the Baltic on a cruise but only been to Bergen, Norway. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this county. Here's to my addiction of traveling which started at age 4!!:)

[HFD 68]

For our 5th anniversary, 1980, flew to Miami and cruised to the Bahamas, Freeport and Nassau. My most vivid memory was the young local kids were on the ship collecting cash to dive off the cruise ship. Aaagh, no way that would be allowed nowadays. And all the younger locals treading water (actually looked like they were just sitting) and people tossing coins and the kids would dive and retrieve the coins and would collect the coins in their mouths.

 

Anyone remember the cruise line and ship that cruised out of Miami in 1980?

[cruisin'tex]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

 

1982 - Royal Caribbean Sun Viking. Round trip Miami to Port Antonio, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

[Staci0615]

The El Caribe by Commodore Cruise Lines I think it was late 80's...it was a memorable cruise for various reasons but it got me hooked....

 

Ship was late leaving Miami...Engine Blew first day out missed 2 of 4 scheduled ports...My boyfriend at the time now my DH were in the tiniest inside cabin-right next to engine room. We were the youngest on the ship. I remember them serving frog legs in the dining room....but it got us hooked and we have been on 20+ cruises since....but never one as memorable as that one.

[iflyjets]

Technically, it would have been the USS Independence in 1954, but I was far too young to remember (although I have seen pictures as evidence:)).

 

As an adult, it was the Song of America in June 1986.

Edited March 18, 2011 by iflyjets

[happyshelly]

My first was in August 1998 onboard the Song of America. It got us so hooked on cruising that we now cruise once a year usually in October.

 

Michele

[DaliCat]

My first cruise was on Home Lines' Oceanic. It was August, 1971. We sailed round-trip NYC to Nassua. It was the time of huge Bon Voyage parties in your cabin (lots of friends came & brought liquor that you could keep in your cabin), dressing up every night (you didn't cruise, if you didn't want to dress formally), and nightly Midnight Buffets (don't really miss those). While on that cruise I never saw a sunset (it was nap time), dancing & talking until sunrise, however, was great fun. I cruised 2 times in the following 3 years before married life took me in another direction, but now that we're retired -- the addiction has returned in all its glory!!! :D

[Bridge Maven]

My first cruise was on SS Leonardo da Vinci, during the middle seventies. This is a photo of Leonardo da Vinci leaving New York Harbor, a few years prior to that cruise, shortly after its hull was painted white.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Bridge Maven

[mbardsley]

What a ship, was pretty young, but remember the night we had to go into a huge storm. My dad was a Naval Officer from WWII on a destroyer, so he woke me up to watch out the port hole the swinging of a sailer from a Navy ship to ours. He had to have emergency surgury and we had a doctor. Every one was sick the next morning, so me and my dad had the whole dinning room to ourselves practilly. It was a bad cruise in post people eyes, but got me hooked on them.

[cruisin'tex]

What was your first cruise ship? What cruise line, the year and the itinerary? (if you remember;) ) Did it get you hooked?

 

Ours was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's m/s Viking Serenade, a converted car ferry, back in NOV 1991, a 3-day L.A. - Catalina Island - Esenada, Mexico - L.A. cruise. Never forget our first impressions - we were hooked from that day on!

 

 

Viking Serenade (still sailing today as Island Escape)

 

 

August, 1982, Royal Caribbean Sun Viking.

[Leibe_]

I don't remember the first line or ship, it was a 3 nighter in the Bahamas. 2nd was Carnival in the mid 80's and I will never step foot on another Carnival ship. 3rd was late 80's on a 10 night to Alaska. Think it was NCL. Great cruise. Then I graduated and went to work. No time for cruising until now.

Next is Celebrity Silhouette in October to Italy, Greece and Israel.

[ryndam]

FLAVIA, summer 1969, 3 nights Miami-Nassau and back. The Flavia was the largest and newest ship sailing from Miami back then. All Italian crew, all Italian meals, a cabin stewardess in a very tight black uniform with white ruffles accentuating her, um...better body parts...

 

ROTTERDAM, summer 1973. The first of about a dozen trips on the "old" Rotterdam. It was the first year that the Dutch crew had been replaced by the Indonesian crew. I can still remember the hard feelings of the remaining Dutch officers toward the new and untested Indonesian staff.

 

LEONARDO DA VINCI, summer 1974. Eleven nights to the Caribbean r/t NYC with only three ports. My brother and I sharing a bunk-bed cabin below the waterline on C Deck. President Nixon resigned during our return passage home from the Caribbean. Everyone was glued around the lone television set in the main lounge when the ship was close enough to shore to receive a broadcast signal.

 

ANGELINA LAURO, summer 1975. We were booked on the Rafaello, but Italian Line abruptly withdrew all of its liners in early 1975. The Angelina was a last-hour substitute. The Naples-based Italain crew on the Angelina were much wilder and livlier than the serious, Genoa-based crew on Italian Line.

 

And many more adventures and cruises since...

[JHU]

First cruise was on a Carnival (can't remember which one) out of Miami in 1978. Never again. We had roaches running up and down the columns in the DINING ROOM! When I wrote a letter of complaint to Dickinson, his response was "Carnival gets plenty of repeat cruisers." Well, not this lady!

 

As an antedote, no electrical receptacles in the cabins could accomodate hair dryers or curling irons. On one of the lower decks was a unisex room with a row of receptacles in front of mirrors. Imagine the log jam in the mornings and evenings.:eek::eek::eek::eek:

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Super fun question. Our first cruise was in 1973 on Carnival's Celebration. We took our 17 and 15 year old children. I believe the cruise left somewhere in Florida and we went to the Western Caribbean. I remember seeing the ship for the first time from the bus...........we were all amazed by how huge it was!! And to think, that ship was only 46,000 tons!!!! A far car from the ships of today!!!! We all got hooked on that very first cruise. My husband and I just two weeks ago completed our 21st cruise and counting the days until our next one.

[GRANNYOFSIX]

OOPS...........I meant to say "a far CRY" from the ships of today!!! Also, I forgot to mention that we took our first cruise to celebrate our 20th anniversary! HAPPY CRUISING TO ALL!

[pdsgt]

My "first cruise" was on an overnight car ferry between either Seward or Valdez, Alaska and Prince Rupert, BC back in 1966. My parents and I had a cabin with bunks for that trip. My first "Real" cruise was my high school graduation present on the T.S.S. Hamburg (German-Atlantik Line) from Los Angeles to Miami in 1972. I still haven't decided if I really like cruising, but I leave on my 63rd cruise in 3 days. Maybe after that one I'll know for sure <wink>!

[LDandJT]

SS Evangeline 1959, I was 6. We went to the Caribbean. I remember Haiti and Jamaica. Look up the history of that ship.

Edited April 28, 2011 by LDandJT

[Kinkacruiser]

My first was only recent... 2006 and the ship was P&O's "Pacific Star" and we sailed out of Brisbane . Is she still about?

[cruisenfreak]

It was on the NCL Skyward in early 1984 on a "Mayan" itinerary. I was hooked!

[AmericanBanker]

My first cruise ship will be The Sea Princess, of Princess Cruises, next month, from San Francisco to Alaska. I am throughly looking forward to it, and have already booked a second cruise for my vacation next year.

 

:D

[catlynk]

My first cruise was Carnivals "Holiday" June 1985, my friend and I ran to the travel agent when we returned home and booked our next one for December of that year again on the "Holiday". After that I was broke and applied for a croupier job, at the time I think Carnival had 6 or 7 ships that they could have placed me on, what ship was I employed on? The "Holiday" :)

Edited May 19, 2011 by catlynk

[wilfros]

First time at seawas when Dad was transfered to France with the Forces. We sailed across the North Atlantic on the Saxonia.

 

Our first cruise was on Sun Princess (P&O).

 

Should anyone have photos of her in her Princess colours I would love to get a copy. I only have 3 photos of her and none are very good.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Oh!! Second Cruise was on Song of Norway and saw lots of photos of her on this thread. It was great to see her again.

[bellybutton530]

My first cruise was in 1979 on the Amerikanis, operated by Chandris Fantasy Cruises, the precursor of Celebrity Cruises.

 

My first ship was scrapped in India in 2001.

 

Other ships I sailed on that are no longer in service:

Vistafjord

Sagafjord

Marco Polo

Norway

Old Rotterdam

Carla C

Old Westerdam

Nordic Prince

Costa Danae

Old Star Princess

[legion3]

The Song of Norway 1972, I was quite young and this was before the extra length was added. Really was fond of the bar on the smoke stack, the Royal Crown Lounge.

[smwc71alum]

I believe that it was Costa Cruise Line...the ship the Flavia...in August, 1975. One of the things that I remember so clearly was the cabin stewart stacking our change by coins on the dresser, needing cash in the bars and the wonderful Italian food. Cruising had me from "Welcome Aboard".:D