How old were you when you took your first cruise?

[Solo Cruiser]

Sorry about that gang... I just realized that my first cruise was in 1953 when my mother and I sailed the SS Bremerhaven to Germany. I was a crawler at the time so I have no recollection of the trip to join Daddy overseas. My mother told me that we both spent the entire trip seasick.

 

The first cruise I counted was in September, 2003 on the Star Princess from Seattle to Alaska round trip. I sailed alone and the trip was so magical that even though I count my cruising experience beginning at 51, I have spent 31 days at sea since then. Not a bad year huh??

[PINEVIEW01]

34 - Jubilee, but got DH and I hooked, late on starting but trying to make up for it!!!

Looks like we are average, not late:). 36 on the CCL Holiday. Boy, did she look big! Now she is their smallest.

[SHayesShip]

6 - The Queen Mary in 1961.

 

Steve Hayes

 

 

Thought it would be fun to poll you gals & guys on how old you were when you took your first cruise.

 

So how old or young where you?:rolleyes:

 

Feel free to describe your first cruising experience! :D

[MiamiNicole]

I was 9 years old. i went on the Carnival Holiday with my parents and 6 year old sister. We had a blast, but haven't been on Carnival since. We sailed RCL and Celebrity throughout my teens and now we do Princess.

[PhillyCruiser]

I was 11, the year was 1966, and I went on Home Lines' Oceanic from New York to Nassau. Great ship! Next cruise will be number 26, on Sun Princess.

 

Joan

[scampi]

I was 16 and one of 24 U.S. AFS exchange students on our way from San Francisco to New Zealand, a 15 day trip. We were booked in what we called the h__ll deck, the lowest deck without windows or air. Our cabins slept 4-6 of us in bunk beds. It was so hot passing through the equator that our group started sleeping up on deck in lounge chairs where it was cooler. So the captain had the lounge chairs stacked and put away at night. But, we devised a plan & during the day took the chairs down to our cabins. Then at nighttime we brought them back up and slept under the stars. :) Scampi

[DotR71]

I was 18 when I went on my first cruise. It was my high school graduation present from my parents. My mom and I went to Alaska on the "old" Star Princess in June of 1989. :)

[cjar855]

I was 50 Years old .I can't believe I waited that long. It was the best decision I ever made about a vacation..Love planning every year. Twice a year if possible.

[Druke I]

Scampi

 

Orcades was one of the wonderful Orient Line ships (later part of P&O) . They had some beauties.

 

I was on her younger sister, Oriana, once as Orient Lines, and once after the merger with P&O. Only noticeable change was the change of hull color from

Orient's corn (yellowish) to P&O's white.

[bottledweller]

16 years old on the Britanis 1977. I read somewhere that the Britanis sank on its way to the ship graveyard.

[Pam in CA]

Like CactusRose, my first "cruise" was on a Norwegian freighter in 1956 when I was 15 years old. We sailed 10 days between Newport News and Rotterdam at the beginning of the summer and returned on the same ship six weeks later. We had basic Norwegian food and ate with the Captain and officers and I had the run of the ship. They let me "help" take the noon sightings and I had a very up close and personal tour of not just the engine room but all the way back the shaft to the aft. We saw the Northern Lights several nights running -- it was awesome.

 

I shared my cabin with my sister. The cabin was HUGE -- as large as one of today's full suites. We had full-sized twin beds and a living room area with a counch, table and two big chairs. The bathroom was down the hall, though. The stairways were nothing like today's cruise ships but more like military ships -- narrow, open steel steps.

 

I had another transatlantic crossing in 1960 when I was 19 after spending a year in France, coming back for my senior year in college. My first "real" cruise was in 1980. I think it was on the Song of Norway but I honestly don't remember.

[Suzieb]

Well I was 19 when I first heard "Underway Shift Colors". Yes I was in the Navy and spent the next 6 years sailing the Pacfic, sailing up and down the Asia Coastlines. I thought that I would never do that again, since at times it was really boring! :( I think it had something to do with working and stuff like that! But anyway my first real cruise I was 45 on the SS Norway. She hooked me and we are glad

 

 

Enjoy

 

Suzieb

[PINEVIEW01]

So the captain had the lounge chairs stacked and put away at night. But, we devised a plan & during the day took the chairs down to our cabins. Then at nighttime we brought them back up and slept under the stars. :) Scampi

Scampi you are so baaaaaaaaad:)

[scampi]

DrukeI - On the way back from NZ December 1957 we sailed on the Oronsay. Yes those ships had wonderful meals and great service. There was no elaborate entertainment but I remember the dances, costume parties, "horse races," initiation in the pool going over the International date line & more....

 

Pineview01- You had me laughing with your comment :) How are you Melody? Hope to cruise with you again. Santa

[TWA4Ever]

51 - on the MS Patriot of US Lines in Hawaii. Got back to DC the day before the attack.

[Druke I]

Scampi

Bill Miller of World Ocean and Cruise Liner Society reports that there is a new book out, titled Orient Lines, by Peter Newall, all about the wonderful Orient Line ships.

I'm trying to locate a copy.

[Tess2mommies]

My first cruise is in 27 days. But somehow I've gotten hooked on planning, although I've yet to complete the first one.

While on board, I plan to book a 12 day rome-venice Med cruise Aug 6, 2005 and a 14 day southern caribbean cruise Dec 17, 2005.

If anyone has done either of these cruises I'd love to hear about them

Malaisha (Malaysia)

[Ship Dude]

I was just 10, it was 1969. The Labor Day 4 day cruise on the Princess Carla. Just like the "Love Boat". My parents had a huge suite and my brother and I had an inside cabin across the hall with bunk beds and just enought room to slide into the bathroom. I guess Princess let kids sleep in their own cabins then. We all had a great time.

[Aquarian]

My first cruise was on the SS Norway to celebrate my 50th birthday with friends. My second cruise was on the Sun Princess with my husband and we've been sailing with Princess ever since.

[DoreenD]

First cruise was on Royal Caribbean in 2001. . .which would make me 36. My daughter was 13. We just did a 4 day cruise from Miami to Bahamas because I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy it. . .Glad to say that I LOVE cruising. . .we are going to be spending Christmas in the Southern Caribbean on the Golden Princess and while on board plan to book next year's Christmas Cruise to Panama onboard the Coral Princess. . .

[cruiseco]

For me -- 6 years old. On the SS South American of the old Georgian Bay Line through the Great Lakes from Buffalo to Duluth.

My Mom comes in at six weeks.. My Grandfather was a mining engineer at a tin mine in the Bolivian Andes in 1929. Mom was born at the camp but her mother died in chiild birth (you can imagine the medical facilities at a tin mining camp at 15,000 feet in the Andes back then). So they found a nurse and took her down to Cartagena where she and the nurse cruised to NYC on the SS Santa Barbara to live with relatives. Gramps stayed in Bolivia for several more years (not many good jobs in the US in the early 30's). The Santa Barbara eventually was converted to a troop/cargo ship and was sunk off Okinawa. My sister still has a clipping from the front page of the New York times with the story and a picture showing her being carried down the gangplank. Before she died she probably went on 40+ cruises and Gramps did three around-the-worlds (mostly with P&O) before he died. We figured it was in her blood.

[crisp1]

My first cruise/ real vacation consisted of one week in Club Med/ martinique, and one week on a NCL cruise 'singles' group. The Love Boat show and the the Club Med rep got me... the reality was a nice week in Martinique and a interesting cruise. I'm still cruising. I haven't been back to Club Med yet.

[Host Caroline]

[color=navy]...too old.. 40! I wanted to take my son on a cruise about 5-6 years prior and everyone said "oh, why would you do that? go to Disney World or something.".. so I've made up for lost time since 19___ and am going on 33-36 this year! [/color]
[color=navy][/color]
[color=navy]and no, I'm not retired but you won't get my age that easily :p [/color]

[TOPLE55]

[color=purple]I will be 26 when I take my first cruise in Feb. 2005. Can't wait!!!:p [/color]

[johno95]

45.

if anyone does this, or a similar poll, i wish they would make the time intervals consistently spaced (ie. ten years). the bar graph threw me off. i thought a lot of people were first cruising in their thirties.

not really.

John