Confetti and Streamers at Sail Away

On my very first cruise, passengers were provided with confetti and streamers for sail-away. Do any cruise lines still follow this old tradition?

Streamers and confetti are a thing of the past, unfortunately.

They are considered pollutants! I suppose they are, but it sure was fun!!

On my very first cruise, passengers were provided with confetti and streamers for sail-away. Do any cruise lines still follow this old tradition?

If you want streamers try DCL. :)

It sure was fun!! I recall the band on deck played Anchors Away then California Here I Come as the ship pulled away from the LA dock. Nearly everyone had confetti or streamers to toss. The dock was literally covered with the stuff.

Last time I saw streamers for guests to throw was on Rotterdam VI for Millenium New Year's Eve. What a blast! They gave out rolls and rolls of streamers to all of us and at the stroke of midnight with many bottles of champagne already generously poured again and again, we all threw the streamers throughout the ship. You cannot believe the piles of streamers everywhere in all the public areas and out on some weather deck areas. It was breathtaking the mess we made!!! :)

When we woke the next (LATE) morning, the wonderful crew had the whole mess cleaned up and no one could believe there was nary a trace of it left.

We have never been given streamers to throw on sailaway. A thing of the past, unfortunately.

It has been a LONG time since we've been given streamers etc for sailaway. For the E'dam's Inaugural departure from Rotterdam there was a 'confetti canon' that brought back a lot of memories.

It sure was fun!! I recall the band on deck played Anchors Away then California Here I Come as the ship pulled away from the LA dock. Nearly everyone had confetti or streamers to toss. The dock was literally covered with the stuff.

There have not been any streamers or confetti thrown from ships in San Pedro (LA Harbor) for at least 10 years. Pollution laws.

I remember being on the Viking Serenade, Song of America both Rccl ships, and Princess and Carnival ships that left LA every week to Mexico.

All the ships would have a band, partying with streamers and confetti for the passengers on sail a way. As the ship passed Ports O' CAll we would all throw our streamers and confetti and yell loudly. On shore the people at the restaurant would release balloons and use there loud speaker system to say hello to us as we passed.

This would be considered the good old days of cruising.:D:D

My Mother lost a bracelet throwing streamers. As we pulled away from the pier, everyone was "in the spirit" and the streamers were flying. A few minutes later, Mother noticed that her bracelet was gone. It must have come loose as she was throwing a streamer and ended up in the water. We checked the deck area where we had been standing, but the bracelet was not there. Fortunately, it was not an expensive piece of jewelery.

On my very first cruise, passengers were provided with confetti and streamers for sail-away. Do any cruise lines still follow this old tradition?

While we couldn't have confetti at our sail away party we did the next best thing by including it on our CC Sail Away Party Invitation on the Oosterdam last October. What fun we had. Thankgoodness champagne isn't on the "No, no list".

I know what a BYOB is but

What is a BYOG?

Is it an 'across the pond thing'?

We never use the initials BYOB, always BYOG.

(Grog)= Booze.

:)

Many years ago, as a kid in the late 60s? (I was very young) we went to NYC to see my Nana off on a trans-Atlantic sailing. This was SO far back in the day that sailing passengers could have guests aboard prior to departure. My mom, brother & I went about the ship w/Nana - I remember the adults having cocktails. It was all very exciting & glamorous to a 5 or 6 year old. :)

At the designated time, announcements told guests to disembark. We then waited for the ship to leave, watching the passengers toss streamers onto the pier. I'm sure quite a lot wound up in the Hudson. :eek:

I've had fun using (supposedly more ecologically correct) bubbles at sail away. You know, the little bottles with the wand inside? It's not streamers and confetti, but it's fun.

It's more fun the more people are using them, so I often bring along extra bottles and watch people's eyes light up when you give a bottle to someone you don't know. :)

Now the fine print -- it's soap, so I try hard to not get it on people, or blow them "upwind" of people. But 10 or 20 people across the aft balcony blowing bubbles into the wake makes for a fine sail away! Or maybe it was all those festive beverages that made it seem so fun... :D

:D

Many years ago, as a kid in the late 60s? (I was very young) we went to NYC to see my Nana off on a trans-Atlantic sailing. This was SO far back in the day that sailing passengers could have guests aboard prior to departure. My mom, brother & I went about the ship w/Nana - I remember the adults having cocktails. It was all very exciting & glamorous to a 5 or 6 year old. :)

 

At the designated time, announcements told guests to disembark. We then waited for the ship to leave, watching the passengers toss streamers onto the pier. I'm sure quite a lot wound up in the Hudson. :eek:

You just brought back the exact memory to me! Mine was in the late 40's or early 50's. My aunt and uncle were going to Panama and my Mom took me to see them off. We went on the ship for a big party and then the man with the chimes walked up and down the hallway with his chimes, calling out, "all ashore who's going ashore"! I panicked because I thought they would leave with me on the ship. My aunt laughed at me and told me I was silly to be afraid and the best thing would be to be left on! But, she said, if I was accidently left onboard, they could take me off on something she called a pilot boat! All very mysterious and frightening to a 6 year old. (we did get off in time). But the party was great, with lots of cocktails and laughter.

And, once we finally got off the ship, I remember sitting on my cousin's shoulders as the ship pulled out and watching the streamers and confetti as they rained down on the pier in New York City, and the ship's horn blasted it's farewell. I knew then that I wanted to sail on a ship someday.

I remember the streamers! But a while back I tried to remember when was the last cruise that I saw them and I just couldn't remember. It seemed like all of a sudden they were gone. It was some time in the nineties.

At the designated time, announcements told guests to disembark. We then waited for the ship to leave, watching the passengers toss streamers onto the pier. I'm sure quite a lot wound up in the Hudson. :eek:

Some of those streamers might still be in the Hudson! :eek:

Which reminds me of another old tradition:

Passengers could bring guests on board before sail away and have huge parties in their tiny staterooms. With today's tight security, it's difficult enough for the passengers to get on board.

My Mother lost a bracelet throwing streamers. As we pulled away from the pier, everyone was "in the spirit" and the streamers were flying. A few minutes later, Mother noticed that her bracelet was gone. It must have come loose as she was throwing a streamer and ended up in the water. We checked the deck area where we had been standing, but the bracelet was not there. Fortunately, it was not an expensive piece of jewelery.

So thats the reason they stopped the streamers and confetti.

I thought it was for ecological reasons, silly me.:eek::D:cool:

Which reminds me of another old tradition:

Passengers could bring guests on board before sail away and have huge parties in their tiny staterooms. With today's tight security, it's difficult enough for the passengers to get on board.

That was before my cruising time which started in the mid eighties. I only saw that in the movies.

I know what a BYOB is but

 

What is a BYOG?

Is it an 'across the pond thing'?

 

We never use the initials BYOB, always BYOG.

(Grog)= Booze.

 

:)

Having thrown a sailaway party, I'm going to guess BYOG (in this case) means "bring your own glass".

On the main topic....I started to cruise too late to every have streamers/confetti....*sigh* I wish they could find an ecological alternative. Throwing birdseed or rice at weddings is still usually acceptable. Unfortunately wildlife groups (correctly) suggest throwing any kind of food brings about bad feeding habits/dependence on humans.

Besides, no one wants seagulls "bombing" pax at sailaway!

(With apologies to Pipedreams, for poaching on your territory!)

We started cruising in 1991 and there were No Streamers at sailaway.

I know what a BYOB is but

 

What is a BYOG?

BYOG= Bring your own glass.

Last time I saw streamers for guests to throw was on Rotterdam VI for Millenium New Year's Eve. What a blast! They gave out rolls and rolls of streamers to all of us and at the stroke of midnight with many bottles of champagne already generously poured again and again, we all threw the streamers throughout the ship. You cannot believe the piles of streamers everywhere in all the public areas and out on some weather deck areas. It was breathtaking the mess we made!!! :)

 

When we woke the next (LATE) morning, the wonderful crew had the whole mess cleaned up and no one could believe there was nary a trace of it left.

 

We have never been given streamers to throw on sailaway. A thing of the past, unfortunately.

 

We have had the fun of throwing streamers on all of our Princess cruises. We throw the streamers at the beginnig of the Island Night ondeck party. It has always been outside over one of the pools. A very wide-meshed netting was strung over the pool beforehand so that the streamers were caught and left up until the crew cleaned up after the party. It's very fun!

Some of those streamers might still be in the Hudson! :eek:

With the proliferation of cruise ships, I suspect some ports, like FLL, would be landfill, by now, if streamers/confetti had been allowed allowed.