Apologies if this topic has been discussed before, but we have been reminiscing about our cruises.
Our first cruise was in 2005, and we flew to Majorca for two seven day cruises around the Mediterranean with TUI. Luckily the second week was a different itinerary.
From that moment on we were hooked, but not wanting to do another fly cruise we sailed from Southampton on Aurora, as we were able to take more cases, which meant more shoes and handbags. So, Southampton became our preferred embarkation port.
We have cruised every year since, and it is sad to think we won’t be going this year. Hopefully next year though.
Anyone else care to tell us what their first cruise was, which ship, and where did they go?
We sailed on Festival Lines ' Azur ' ( think glitzy converted Greek Ferry ) in 1997, it was a Christmas cruise on the Med.
The highlights were a Mafia wedding on Boxing Day, a waiter named Jesus, fabulous food throughout and a force 10> hurricane without any stablisers. We decided to cruise on a proper ship next time round so booked P&O to the Carribbean in 1999, then the old Adonia in 2001 to the Canaries .... it rained most days but we didn't give up. Have booked plenty of cruises since on many different Cruise Lines inc a couple of Worldie segments but we intermingled cruising with high end coaching tours and Riverboat Tours.
Can't get the insurance we would like these days but happy memories and no regrets.
Well MY first cruise was on SS Nevasa to the Baltic in 1968, an Educational Cruise. But OUR first cruise was Carnival Celebration from Tampa to Caribbean to New Orleans round trip in 1997.
Despite the flack Carnival takes, it remains one of the very best for meals, surpassed only by Cunard’s Queen’s Grill, and service was exceptional. The ship however, was old, worn and with extremely poor mattresses. But the itinerary was great.
First cruise was 2000 on the Thomson Topaz ! A weeks cruise in the Carribean from Dom Rep followed by a weeks stay on the Island. This was followed the year after on the Airtours Carousel sailing from Tenerife to Gambia,Cape Verde ,Funchal ,La Palma, Lanzarote,Gran Canaria and back to Tenerife. Excellent cruise. Didn't do another until 2012, Caribeean on Ventura, not stopped since.
Ours was on a brand new ship called the Carnival Elation in 1998 - Mexican Riviera visiting Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.
I was not a happy smurf and was really annoyed that Julie had booked it, when I had told her I did not want to be held prisoner on a floating old age pensioners home. I changed my mind as soon as I stepped onto the ship and saw the atrium ... I stopped with my jaw hitting the ground ... unfortunately the man behind didn't stop as he also looked around and I went flying. I still rate Joseph, our cabin steward as the best steward we have ever had ... some have come close, but none have ever been so good.
That cruise taught me several things
- what a night out a Senor Frogs looks like
- why you shouldn't plug your hair dryer into the mains without checking what voltage it is set to
- why you should not use out of date sun tan lotion
- why I would continue to love cruising
Victoria in 1998 Southampton to Venice and flew back as it was a repositioning cruise. Since then 36 cruises all with P&O. Favourite ships Artemis, Adonia. (recent one) and Aurora.
The Victoria cruise was the first ship into Dubrovnik after the Balkan war and it was deserted with a lot of visible damage.
Our first cruise was in 2001 on Aurora, to the Mediterranean.
It was a special treat for our 20th Wedding anniversary. As soon as we got on board we thought it was great, and enjoyed our first port of Barcelona. But it was one the morning of our arrival in to Monte Carlo, when I stepped out on to our balcony and saw Monte Carlo laid out in front of me, that I realised cruising was what I wanted to do, as often as I could.
Between 2003 and 2019, we’ve cruised each year, mostly 2 times a year. We’ve seen so many wonderful things and have so many special memories. I feel so lucky to have had these experiences.
2020 is the first year since since 2002 when we haven’t cruised. We have cruises booked in 2021 and 2022, and will decide what to do about them nearer the time. At the moment, it’s difficult to imagine things ever being the same again on the ships.
However, even if I never went on a cruise again, I know that I’ve had the best time, and regret none of it.
Our first was in 1999 on Oriana in a standard outside cabin. At the time we felt we could either take it or leave it.
Then we did our second to Norway and Iceland on Aurora in a balcony cabin and we were hooked.
We've sailed on all the current P&O fleet, including Maidens on Azura and Britannia and have also tried Cunard, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and , this year, Saga. The four nights on Spirit of Discovery in February was supposed to be a little bonus but turns out to be our only cruise this year.
First cruise was in 1999 - cruise and stay with Thomson - I think the ship was called Renaissance. It was an old ship - all wood panelling and brass fittings everywhere - huge cabin with full bathroom and a cabin steward who seemed to sense when we were leaving the cabin and came in and did that loo roll folding thing every time we left the room. The second week was spent in Sorrento - we didn’t cruise then until 2001 as my husband had heart surgery. We then sailed on Oriana - we were hooked!!! Most cruises have been with P&O but have also sailed with Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Costa and CMV. Haven’t sailed since August last year and had three booked this year - two of which are cancelled. The Christmas cruise is a wait and see situation - who knows - it’s a guessing game at the moment
Our first cruise was to Norway just for a week with Saga. We were total cruising newbies and reluctant ones at that. For years we had travelled to and fro across the North Sea on ferries which were basic but served a purpose. So the idea of a week aboard some glorified ferry did not especially appeal. We caught the train from up north down to Euston which was our pickup point for Saga. As the train drew into the station we opened the door, a motorised luggage vehicle pulled up and said "Saga?" and we duly dropped our cases onto the trolley and walked off to the rendezvous point. Afterwards we reflected we should not have just turned our cases over as we did; the chap on the trolley could have been anybody and we had just surrendered our luggage to him.
It was a hot day and shortly a coach arrived to take us down to the ship in Dover. The air conditioning was working overtime. That is until an old lady said she was cold and would the driver switch the air con off. He was very patient and said it was such a hot day he didn't know for how long but he did as she asked. It wasn't long before he said he would have to put the air con back on again for his own safety and for the rest of the passengers' comfort. At this she got out one of those little mesh scarves, fastened her anorak up and put up her hood. She muttered and moaned for the rest of the journey to Dover leaving us wondering, as newly qualified Saga personnel, we had maybe made a bad decision to go with Saga.
The ship was Saga Rose, old and traditional and from the moment we stepped aboard we were so well treated. As we stepped aboard we showed our cruise cards and the crew were stood in line to show you to your cabin.Somehow they managed to know and refer to us by name even without our cruise card and it was truly a very personal service. If we went out on deck a steward would arrive with a blanket if you wanted one. If we were disembarking for an excursion there was a line of stewards with umbrellas so you didn't get wet. I shall always remember a disabled lady in a wheelchair who had booked for a helicopter trip in Olden. The helicopter had landed about 200yds from the ship and the stewards pushed her wheelchair to the helicopter and carefully lifted her inside.
The food was wonderful and the service second to none. Safe to say since then we have cruised on a regular basis but that first cruise was truly memorable. And we never set eyes on Moaning Minny again!!!
My first cruise was in 1998 on the SS Rembrandt owned by Premier Cruise Lines and formerly the SS Rotterdam owned by the Holland America Line.
We had both been through busy periods at work and just needed a week away to recharge our batteries.
My husband wasn't at all keen to try a cruise but after this weeks cruise around the Med, starting in Naples, we were both converts.
The Rembrandt has been renamed Rotterdam and is now a hotel ship permanently docked in Rotterdam.
Jan, could this be the ship you took your first cruise on? We actually purchased the trip through Thomsons and I know they did cruise and stay holidays on her,
My first cruise was in 1998 on the SS Rembrandt owned by Premier Cruise Lines and formerly the SS Rotterdam owned by the Holland America Line.
We had both been through busy periods at work and just needed a week away to recharge our batteries.
My husband wasn't at all keen to try a cruise but after this weeks cruise around the Med, starting in Naples, we were both converts.
The Rembrandt has been renamed Rotterdam and is now a hotel ship permanently docked in Rotterdam.
Jan, could this be the ship you took your first cruise on? We actually purchased the trip through Thomsons and I know they did cruise and stay holidays on her,
Do you know I think you may be right - I've just done a search on the Rembrandt and I do seem to remember the ship being sold off - sounds as if it is the one we sailed on. I think we sailed to Majorca to board her and then got off at Naples to travel to Sorrento - if my husband was still alive he would remember in minute detail everything about it as he did with all our cruises
Our first cruise was on Oriana in 1998. Our holiday plans had changed following one on my Sisters dying unexpectedly. We cancelled our Florida holiday and eventually took a late booking on this cruise to the Canaries. I remember dashing to Marks and Spencer's to get a dinner suit for Neil and the only jacket in his size was on the display mannequin. The trip down to Madeira was pretty rough but helped us find our sea legs. We have been hooked ever since.
Our first cruise was a 4 nighter to the Bahamas on Canivals Carnivale in 1992, an old Canadian Pacific liner, which we had booked to cover part of our second week in Florida after spending the first with my wife's sister and family from Canada. Our next cruise was not until 1997 so it was not love at first sight for us, but we still enjoyed the experience, even though, or maybe because, it was full of spring break holidaymakers from America.
Probably my over-riding memory is that the Cruise director, or entertainment manager as he would now be called, used every opportunity to tell us how much gratuities we should pay to our steward, waiters, head waiter and even Maitre D, we would have envelopes left in our cabin on our last sea day, but if we wanted more to tip our wine and bar waiters we only had to ask!
We did two further cruises with Thomson, Emerald in the Med, a liner first built in Newport News USA, and a fly cruise and stay holiday to Phuket on Superstar Gemini, but it was our fourth cruise that really hooked us, a 10 day Caribbean cruise including a partial transit of the Panama Canal on the then fairly new Coral Princess, which was only its second season. She really did have the wow factor for us and, because it was both our 60ths that year, and it was Pauline's whilst we were on board, we pushed the boat out and booked our very first balcony, an expensive long term but very worthwhile mistake.
That was it we were hooked, and although we still did some land holidays as well, it was always our cruises that we looked forward to most.
We know what you mean about having a balcony. On our first cruise we literally had a porthole. Then for our second cruise it was an inside, but whilst the cabin was okay we wanted a view. Next cabin was an outside cabin and for a number of cruises this suited us. However, we booked a balcony cabin which we loved, and haven’t reverted back to outside cabins.
Enjoying reading about how everyone started cruising.
My first cruise was in 2001 and was a 14 night cruise to the Mediterranean on the old Arcadia.
I loved it. Have loved cruising since then.
Mostly in an inside cabin due to single supplement but occasionally have had a balcony. Went on the current Arcadia in her maiden season and was on last September and hopefully this October.
Our first cruise was on Fred Olsen's Braemar, 2003 to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. It was a fly cruise to the Caribbean. I was very concerned lest John be bored as he'd done a lot of Ocean big boat racing as well as dinghy racing and at that time he and his sailing buddies used to look at the huge liners and scoff - That's not sailing! However, we had a fantastic time, didn't know what to expect and felt that the Braemar - Fred's smallest ship - was huge, which of course it wasn't compared to all the other ships sailing. We had thought of a cruise on an African Line, can't remember what it was called but John dithered around so much by the time he made his mind up it had sold out so when it came to booking Braemar he was feeling guilty and I managed to book what Fred calls a Balcony Suite - in fact it's probably no larger than say a balcony cabin on Aurora. It did have two large glass decanters, one of sherry, one of whisky. As novice cruisers we didn't know if we had to pay for this - we didn't, in fact we hardly drank any of it but were impressed that it was there! The food was excellent, the service was impeccable and friendly. We were on a table of 8 and had the Hotel Manager on our table for the formal evenings and of course he paid for all the drinks on those evenings and that was lovely. We loved the Caribbean and have been back several times since.
After that cruise it's been mostly with P&O once or sometimes twice a year. We also did one Cunard short trip - 5 nights - which was rather disappointing. We were in a balcony cabin and what disappointed us was the service but I think we were very unlucky. The waiter in the dining room seemed not to care less and one evening we were the last to arrive - not late and he failed to give us a menu, then came round to ask for our order. When he brought the food he sort of slammed it down in front of everyone, no polite chat. After the first night he was replaced and then we had a different waiter each evening. We didn't see our cabin steward apart from the final morning when he came in to ask if we'd had a good cruise. As I say I think we were very unfortunate, we have friends who cruise regularly with Cunard and love it so maybe we'll give it another chance - if the opportunity arises! We should have been on Saga's Spirit of Discovery now. In July we would have been going on Aurora to Norway and Iceland. Now it looks as if we won't be cruising at all this year. I would be very sad if we weren't able to cruise again.
All this talk about cabins reminded me about our Caribbean cruise in 1999. It was on P&O’s old Arcadia, we had a very modest unobstructed outside on the lifeboat deck. At some stage we walked around the ship and peered enviously into one of the mid-ship suites. Maybe one day I thought to myself, maybe. Well, that day came in August 2008 after the ship had become Ocean Village but we had our suite for a two week back-to-back cruise of the Greek Islands. Not only that a young James Martin cooked our special sugar spun pud for us in La Luna on our Wedding Anniversary, he even sat with us chatting away for a while clutching his infamous chopper. The signed Menu, now framed in black, still has pride of place in our kitchen.
Memories, they flood back when you stir them a little, eh !
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Last edited by Manoverboard on 13 Apr 2020, 12:35, edited 1 time in total.
NCL's Norwegian Sun in 2004. We flew to Calgary, had a few days in the Rockies then took the Rocky Mountaineer down to Vancouver for a week's Alaskan cruise. If I were to recommend a holiday to anyone then I would have no hesitation in suggesting exactly this itinerary.
Since then, we have cruised several times with P&O, alternating between Arcadia and Oceana and enjoyed them all, especially the Baltic, but that first experience was magical and sticks in the mind all these years later.
The memory will have to last a little longer, I'm afraid. We should have been boarding Arcadia next weekend for J003 to the Med and have a fly-cruise on Oceana booked for September. No chance!
After sailing on the Cruise ferry Pride of Bilbao many times, on our holidays touring Spain, we made it to a 'proper' cruise ship on a 5 day cruise out of Genoa. It was about 1992 and the Star Lauro crociere line, now MSC. The ship was a classic design cruise ship the Monterey at under 15,000ton it held about 375 pasengers and about140 crew. It was such an experience to actually be on a cruise ship, beyond my dreams just a few years earlier.
I remember one night it being a bit choppy, and we had a cabin over looking the pool, through our Port hole we could see the pool water going back and forth, and as we went to dinner, stepping out of the door we were met be the pool water coming through the outside door and running down the corridor. It was a lovely cruise and we felt like a lord and lady
Happy days
Started with P and O in 1999 on the good ship Arcadia down to the Canary Isles, been cruising almost every year since, we have been blessed to be able to continue our cruises.
Will the insurance companies finally stop us. hope not.
Last edited by Ray B on 14 Apr 2020, 12:27, edited 1 time in total.
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