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Home Lines employees/memories?


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Wow, so many memories, so many familiar names. I won't confess how many times I sailed on Home Lines...what fun...all for the sake of young love. How many of the females made the trips into the city each week to meet up with their crew members. I still have so many friends from those days, some went on to marry crew members, others of us pursued our careers and met our spouses here. But the memories remain. My very first cruise was in 1976 on the Doric and I sailed the Homeric on the last cruise before the line was forced out of business. Many of the crew transferred to Costa, many are now retired. Captain Marossa's son is now a staff captain for Costa, I often have lunch with him when I travel with Costa. How funny, I remember when he was a young fellow and spending summers in Bermuda with the entire Marossa family.

I'm trying to locate someone named Terri R. from Brooklyn. She was 'involved' with a sailor named Tony. If she reads these boards she'll know who she is and I would love to know what happened to her.

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Hi Marge (waves). Can you believe I loved our Zenith cruise so much in June we went back for another in September (2 weeks ago). It was just as wonderful. Cruising is certainly addictive :D. I asked around my circle of old Home Lines friends and did not get any info on Terri R. I'll keep asking though. Did you enjoy your recent cruise?

 

Dianne...so glad I posted that info for you and I hope you can make it to the next reunion. We certainly plan to be there. I will ask my husband if he knows yours. They were on board at the same time it seems.

 

I took some old Doric pictures on my recent cruise and the waiters there got a kick out of looking at the pictures. They couldn't believe that the busboys wore Tuxes on formal night :). I only regret I didn't take more pictures, especially now that I found out the Doric sank off the coast of South Africa some years ago.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dear Brooklyn girl,

sorry for not getting back to you sooner but the cruise with the hurricane was the first Caribbean cruise from New York for the Atlantic. The ship carried 1300 passengers but we only had 165 when we left NY. Each night we had the band playing requests because there were only 10 people at most in the lounge.

 

I remember Mrs. Home Lines, a blonde lady, who was often on board and the crew were very attentive to her.

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  • 3 months later...

I too loved this line. I sailed with Home Lines starting in 1977 and we did 2 cruises a year until the line was sold in 1986. Especially enjoyed the longer cruises out of NYC.

 

Have done numerous cruises since aboard many other lines, most recently HAL, but nothing can compare with Home Lines. They knew how to treat the passengers. And yes, those Italian waiters!

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Atlantic to Bermuda was my first cruise in 1984. Nothing will ever compare. My cabin Steward was a sweet Italian who tried so hard to please. I was travelling solo, and one night when I returned to my cabin, I invited a fellow passenger in for a drink. Apparently, my cabin steward saw him, but did not see him leave.

The next morning, I was having breakfast in my cabin, and my steward came in with a big grin on his face, and breakfast for TWO!!!! He looked around and saw I was alone, and he got red-faced and could not stop apologizing. It was a great memory.

It just points out what service used to be like.... really looking out for your passengers, or at least trying to!!

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Talk about a blast from the past! My first cruise was on Home Lines Atlantic to Bermuda out of NYC. It was the early 80's and I was in my 20's. I was hooked. A few years later I even went to work for a cruise line (Sitmar). Italian waiters were the best! I still have my photos and love looking at them. I recognize so many familiar names in your posts. I'll have to dig out my scrap book and share some stories. :)

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  • 3 months later...

Well, my whole family traveled on all the ships in the 70's and 80's. We were especially friends with Claudio Germani (Purser), Alberto Carolli (Purser), Franco (purser), Carlo Russo (captain dining), Johnny Caio (Maitre'd), Italo (dining captain), Peter Frau (Wine steward) Dino Boni (wine steward) Carmello Ciro (waiter), Ciro Romano (singer, band), Antonio Loffreddo, (engineer), Captain Maruso and Captain Marriotti was the absolute best. The best bartender was Michael and the best chef was Piero (he loved ET). Whatever happened to those wonderful personalities, did they go to other ships? I know a few have died, Germani and Italo.

 

Well, that was so long ago my memory is reeling. I took my last cruise with Home Lines about '84 as I was marrying in Greece, (not a crew member) and most of the above sent us telegrams wishing us lots of happiness. My husband was a naturalized American and wanted to be in Greece for his parents who were aging since he left when he was young to pursue a singing career.

 

While living in Greece, Claudio Germani and his wife Maria invited us to visit them in Genoa and Sweden and before he died he got to see my daughter Antonia and son Gerald Nicholas. He always watched out for me when I was on the ship and passengers sometimes thought I was his daughter, he really loved my grandmother and Mother. He also was instrumental in my marrying my husband.

 

I also had lunch many, many Saturdays in NYC (roundtrip metroliner $30.00) those were the days. I remember the crespelle Piero used to make for us with his then girlfriend, and the bar across the street run by the Greeks. The fantastic restaurants we used to go to in NYC and the one that used to have singers perform after Broadways shows in the dining room, Ruggerio's?

 

Sometimes on board, if just my Mother and myself were cruising we ate dinner with Mr. Germani and Carolli, Sergio the doctor used to love to get me ice cream so I would get cold. He was such a tease. Another time Sergio cooked and served a rabbit dinner in the infirmary. Wow, I guess that would never happen today.

 

I remember the picnics we used to have in Bermuda with all the guys from the dining room and Piero used to bring so much food. Or Johnny Caio would make spaghetti sauce at his cousins.

 

The long winter cruises to the southern caribbean were also fantastic. We always went during President's Birthdays and Valentine's Day as I was sweet on someone. Oh, such memories! It was a lifetime ago, daughter in college and son a military academy senior.

 

I can't remember that crazy Radio guy's name who stayed a lot in Florida. He was a trip, was it Angelo? such a hounddog but lots of fun if you kept him at arms length. I remember he was visiting my family at my grandmother's house in Florida . . . She loved him.

 

Well, I was out of the US until 1991 and lost touch with most friends from the ship but my memories are so sweet . . . I feel so blessed to also have a wonderful husband and we just celebrated our 21st anniversary.

 

That was a tragedy what happened to Home Lines but I remember Mr. Carolli's american wife saying what a luxurious life they were living and I guess that had a little to do with what happened. Mr. Germani would not be involved and retired instead. He was a wonderful man and a great substitute father.

 

Well, going on the Crown Princess this summer but my heart will always be the Doric, Oceanic and Atlantic. Those were the days... Ruth from DE

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I had a dream come true today...at a small auction not far from my house, I purchaced my first ship model. It is the of the Oceanic...I am a mariner who has always looked at these items in "the office" and wished that someday I might have one...alas, I know little about the Oceanic (I spent much of my time on tankers, breakbulk and containerships). Anything, anyone can share with me about the Oceanic or my purchace would be appreciated. The plates call her the "Ship of Tomorrow"...An item like this belongs on display somewhere other than my livingroom!!!

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What memories this thread has brought back. I sailed on the Doric two years in a row 10/78 and 12/79. The captain was Alberto Marossa and Stanley Kahn was the cruise director. We danced in the lounge (ballroom) to the sounds of the Orlando's Orchestra. I think I had a crush on the drummer. I am remembering our waiter as being Pasquale and our cabin stewards on the 79 cruise were Dino (who I absolutely adored and fell in love with) and Gaetano whom my girlfriend hooked up with. We danced at the Forty Thieves in Bermuda. I remember having an assigned lounge chair by the only pool. I thought that ship was huge. Not any more;) . I sailed one more time in '81 on my honeymoon then took a hiatus to have my kids. Since 3/04 we have sailed every March...and are already booked for next March. I guess you could say we've become Cruise Addicts. I loved going down memory lane. I can't wait to see if there are any more memories to come.

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My wife and I took our first cruise on the Oceanic. It was our honeymoon.

We had the time of our life on this wonderful fun filled ship.

The cruise was round trip from NYC to Nausau in the end of June of 70.

We loved the Italian ambience, the Zeli band was just great.

The Pool area was very nice, Service and the food was excellent. They had the best bakery of any ship that I have cruised, those hard rolls!

I do not think that any ship today might be as gracious as the oceanic was to us.

I took three different color dinner jackets and shirts for formal nights, my wife had a weeks worth of beautiful dresses and outfits. More elegance then as routine.

We were the newly weds. Our table had two other couples, one was middle aged, the Friedmans, 25 years married. The other couple, maybe 30's. The names of the other couple escape me, but we did correspond for a while. They taught us to order what challenged the chef, today they are not looking for a challenge.

It was like if was as if it was yesterday, 36 years ago!

Thank you for asking.

Intentionaltourist

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My friend and I were both divorced with young children and we decided we wanted to go to Bermuda. My friend's sister suggested we go on a cruise so we chose the Oceanic. We were to go to Nassau and Bermuda from NYC. I believe it was 1980 or 1979. We had the most wonderful cruise as two single women but there was a tender strike in Bermuda, so the ship only went to Nassau and we stayed there overnight. This cruise was at Easter and before we got off the ship, we knew we wanted to go on a cruise again.

 

We got home, booked a cruise to Bermuda on the Doric. We loved that ship too. The next year the Atlantic came out and we went on the first cruise for regular passengers. We met some crew members who became good friends of our. One in particular was a head waiter named Italo. I think he adopted me as a daughter. My friend and I went on the Atlantic probably 10 times and loved every cruise.

 

I thought that the food was wonderful, meals at your same table ALL the time. I loved having a deck chair that was mine for the week. So many plusses. I got married in 1984 and my husband and I went to Bermuda on the Atlantic and had a wonderful time. I sure do miss Home Lines. No other cruises I have been on have compared to them.

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Who remembers the fabulous bon voyage parties (prior to the Achille Lauro).

Dozens of family members/friends came on board and it was a real farewell party. Streamers from the pier as the ship sailed away. I was seeing a crew member at the time and he made sure that we (my friends and I) had the best parties around. I even had a friend who missed the last all ashore call and had to be brought back in on the pilot boat.

Such a long time ago, thanks for bringing back the memories.

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I remember the going away parties. Friends were always allowed on board to have the farewell parties. Sometimes my friend who worked on the ship had goodies sent to my cabin so that my friends and I would have something before the ship sailed.

 

I also remember the people on the pier with the streamers and yelling Bon Voyage. Those were the good old days. Today it seems like something is missing when we sail.

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Hi,

 

Have been doing some cleaning and came across souvenirs of my Mom & grandma's cruise on Sept. 13, 1975. Have the brochure, daily programs and menus. Capt. was Alberto Marossa and CD was Eddie Dawson. The artwork on the menus is beautiful. They paid $545. for an outside cabin (pp) Port Taxes were $12.26 pp.....

 

The Oceanic was my first cruise in 1971 when I was in HS and I have been on 65 cruises since then. That first cruise hooked me.

 

Bon voyage

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  • 4 weeks later...

My first cruise as an adult was on the Oceanic. Fell in love with my waiter, Carmine Cozzolino. Kept in touch for a few years.

 

I've sailed on the Atlantic too. MargieNJ, I think I know Dino the cabin steward......took me to Forty Thieves for dancing too. Not too tall....curly hair? What the heck was his last name? It will unlock out of this 40+ year old brain of mine sometime. Something Italian that started with an 'M' I believe. I can't believe I don't remember it, as I would go into New York to visit him every few weeks.

 

Anyway, I loved my first cruise experience so much that I came home and quit my job and became a travel agent. Took many cruises.....at a nice reduced rate too. I eventually quit that job to go work on a ship. Had already met my husband by that time and my heart couldn't take the separation, so I came back and we got married. I have turned him on to cruising and my kids love it as well.

 

Gosh, can't believe how many people can remember the names of entertainers, engineers, etc.

 

We were just on the Crown Princess (the sailing involving the infamous tilt) and our tablemates had sailed the Oceanic. We spent time reminiscing about the ship. Recalled the reserved deck chairs and the individual deck steward we were assigned....I believe mine on the first cruise was Pino. All meals in the dining room. Dressy for dinner every night. Midnight buffets. Oh....those were the days.

 

I'm so glad I discovered this thread. Used to read cruise critic years ago and then not sure what happened but I stopped. Forgot it even existed. So glad I rediscovered it this week. Thanks to all for stirring up some of the memories.

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I think I know Dino the cabin steward......took me to Forty Thieves for dancing too. Not too tall....curly hair? What the heck was his last name? It will unlock out of this 40+ year old brain of mine sometime. Something Italian that started with an 'M' I believe.

 

I REMEMBERED! It was Dino Vecchio! That was the name of the cabin steward. Whew! I just KNEW it was in the brain somewhere!

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I was lurking around the boards when I found this thread. The Oceanic was my first cruise in the summer of 1971. It was the first vacation I paid for myself and I was 20 years old. I sailed with a group of 8 and was the youngest in the group. It was actually the first cruise that any of us took. We went to Nassau where it seemed like we were berthed for a couple of days. Although a few in the group have passed on all of us became avid cruise lovers as a result of this first experience.

 

I remember sailing out of NYC and the bon voyage party we had in the cabins. My parents and boyfriend were onboard and joked about stowing away so they could also go. I loved the concept of reserved deck chairs and a designated deck steward. We didn't have to worry about chair hogs. I was introduced to pina coladas, chi-chis and imperials on that trip and at a buck a drink, I had plenty.

 

I enjoyed dressing for dinner every night. Although it isn't a requirement anymore, I still dress for dinner most nights when I am cruising. It's not as fancy as when I was on the Oceanic (and later the Atlantic to Bermuda in 1985) but it's certainly not too casual.

 

The food was outstanding. We had late seating and the waiters always offered samples of all the appetizers and entrees on the menus. I loved the serivce and have seen nothing close to it on any other line I've sailed. The menus were works of art.

 

Since it was my first cruise, I did not want to seem cheap, so I saved all my quarters and half dollars for weeks to give as tips. I didn't know you filled envelopes with bills on the last night :o !!!

 

Although I don't remember the names of the waiters or stewards and didn't date any (although I did flirt a lot) I only have fond memories of the ships. It seems to be that the original Disney Big Red Boat was one of Home Lines' ships. I remember a feeling of deja vu when I sailed her with my children.

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Phillyfilly........was wondering if you could tell me how to do the glittermaker thing? I went and made my name, but i can't figure out how to get it into a post. I go to those url's and copy and paste....but it doesn't show up.

 

I see you are going on the Crown Princess soon......beautiful ship!! We loved her. It was our first Princess sailing.......will definitely sail them again. Even would sail the Crown again........despite the problems we experienced with the list.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Happened, by pure blind luck, to chance upon this thread. Who would have guessed so many people remembered Home Lines?

 

I sailed on a Home Lines ship (HOMERIC and OCEANIC) every year 1958-1968 and one again in 1975 - always on the longer NY to Caribbean winter cruises, 14-16 days. Years later, I took my kids on the re-flagged Big Red Boat (OCEANIC).

 

There was nothing like the high-class sailings on Home Lines ships. Service, Food, Entertainment was number one. My dad spoke Italian so we got really special attention.

 

In 1972, on my Honeymoon in Nassau, Oceanic made a port call and we were invited aboard for a 2nd day anniversary dinner by several of the senior dining room staff. What a group!

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  • 4 weeks later...
I REMEMBERED! It was Dino Vecchio! That was the name of the cabin steward. Whew! I just KNEW it was in the brain somewhere!

 

OMG I can't believe it. That's him. I wanted to marry Dino Vecchio. I have pictures of him still to this day. Dare I say he was my "first". That coming from a now 50 year old "Lady". But boy could he dance. And what a charmer. This is just too funny. I thought I was special:rolleyes:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Fabrizio Azzolini and I worked for Homes Lines Cruises from 1984 til the bitter end in 1988. I started out as a deck steward on the Atlantic. It was my first cruise and I was a wide eyed 20 year old kid. I had the upperdeck, it only had about 50 total deck chairs and I had to climb those stairs back and forth getting drinks for passengers. I later moved down to the "big area" by the pool. I raced up the ranks and ended up being a third purser. I loved being an officer. I served on both the Atlantic and the Homeric. I was on the Homeric until the day we handed her over to HAL. I am still in touch with some of the old crew members. One of them is a very close friend and he lives here in NJ. If you read the first few posts about Dominic Furfaro, it is his brother Giuseppe Furfaro, we were both in the purser's office, but he was a crew purser. He is a fountain of knowledge about the crew and the names. So ask away and I will get whatever information you need.

 

I have been coming to these boards for a long time. In fact I was even a moderator on the Princess Boards for a while. I have seen only a few posts here about Home Lines. I am so happy I found this. I hope we can keep the discussion going. I talk to many cruise travel agents who have never heard of Home Lines and it is sad.

 

I hope you all write soon

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Well, Fab.........I would sure like to know if your friend knows what happened to Dino Vecchio. MargieNJ....how about you? Aren't you curious too? He was a cabin steward. My last Home Lines cruise was probably in 1982 or so. Not sure if he was still sailing by the time you joined.

 

Also curious about Carmine Cozzolino. A waiter from the dining room. Last I knew he was married, had at least one child and was living in Brooklyn I believe. Not sure what he was doing for work.

 

Thanks for any info you can find out.

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Hi Fabrizio...my name is Margie and I was a very close friend to a sailor by the name of Michele Minutillo from Molfetta, Bari. We have remained friends over the years, I just spoke to him 2 weeks ago. I am also in touch with

Antonio Marullo (crew waiter) who is married to one of my very good friends and lives in Conneticut.

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Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Fabrizio Azzolini and I worked for Homes Lines Cruises from 1984 til the bitter end in 1988. I started out as a deck steward on the Atlantic. It was my first cruise and I was a wide eyed 20 year old kid. I had the upperdeck, it only had about 50 total deck chairs and I had to climb those stairs back and forth getting drinks for passengers. I later moved down to the "big area" by the pool. I raced up the ranks and ended up being a third purser. I loved being an officer. I served on both the Atlantic and the Homeric. I was on the Homeric until the day we handed her over to HAL. I am still in touch with some of the old crew members. One of them is a very close friend and he lives here in NJ. If you read the first few posts about Dominic Furfaro, it is his brother Giuseppe Furfaro, we were both in the purser's office, but he was a crew purser. He is a fountain of knowledge about the crew and the names. So ask away and I will get whatever information you need.

 

I have been coming to these boards for a long time. In fact I was even a moderator on the Princess Boards for a while. I have seen only a few posts here about Home Lines. I am so happy I found this. I hope we can keep the discussion going. I talk to many cruise travel agents who have never heard of Home Lines and it is sad.

 

I hope you all write soon

 

 

Fabrizio ,

 

come stai ? ti ho beccato anche qui, Furfaro mi ha dato il link

di questo forum , anche io cercavo qualcosa di questo genere

ma non ero mai riuscito a trovare niente,,,che tempi erano quelli

che ricordi belli.....ma le riunioni della Homelines li fanno ancora ?

 

ti saluto Boccuzzi....

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