Your first cruise ship

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was not as spectacular as some of the "historic" first cruises already mentioned. My DH did not want to cruise...I made him try it at least once (after proving to him he could work out on the ship). It was the Carnival Elation, 2/2/02, Mexican Riviera. We had such a great time that it is difficult to get my DH to take any other kind of vacation now! We are still good friends with the tablemates we met on that first cruise and have vacationed with them many times since.

 

Elation (1998-present) Built in 1998 as ms Elation by Kvaerner Masa Shipyard, Helsingfors/Helsinki, Finland for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line for Caribbean cruising. She was handed over to her new owners on 29 February 1998. After a North Atlantic crossing, she was officially named in Miami, FL on 18 March 1998 and two days later, she departed on her inaugural sixteen-day Panama Canal cruise to Los Angeles, CA.

 

Elation belongs to the 'Fantasy-class' of ships and was the seventh vessel built in the class of eight (the others are Fantasy - 1990, Ecstasy - 1991, Elation - 1993, Fascination - 1994, Imagination - 1995, Inspiration - 1996, Elation -1998 and Paradise -1998). The Fantasy class has a so-called 'modern ocean/cruise liner design', with all of its cabins situated within the hull and only a handful of suites on the superstructure, similar to Carnival's Holiday-class ships which were built in the late eighties.

 

 

 

Elation was the first Carnival ship to feature a dedicated conference center, geared toward accommodating small meetings and incentive groups. She and Paradise differ from their sisters in that they have state-of-the art Azipod azimuth thruster propulsion as opposed to two fixed propellors on the first six ships of the class. As a matter of fact, Elation has the distinction of being the first cruise ship equipped with azipods greatly enhancing the ship's maneuverability, and since installed on many of the newest mega-liners. They were also the last cruise ships built with their lifeboats situated on their upper deck.

 

In terms of layout and function, Elation is virtually identical to her sister Fantasy-class ships. The ship consists of ten decks with most of the public rooms concentrated on Atlantic, Promenade and Lido decks (8 - 10), while her passenger cabins are located on Riviera, Main, Upper and Empress decks (4 - 7). Like other Carnival ships, her public areas are designed and decorated in a flamboyant style by Carnival's award winning architect Joe Farcus, who has a penchant for augmenting the interiors with more than a dash of neon and glitz. While passenger opinions of the decor ranged from glamorous and elegant to gaudy and gauche, there is no denying that Farcus' whimsical design style enhances the Elation's "Fun Ship" aura.

 

 

The ship's centerpiece is its six-story Grand Atrium complete with glass-enclosed elevators. A favorite gathering place before dinner is at the semicircular Plaza Bar on the floor of the Atrium where guests can enjoy pre-dinner drinks to the accompaniment of classical music performed by a trio. Elation's public spaces encompass a diversity of styles and design elements celebrating the arts of music, literature and big screen with references to the Muses and other Greek mythological figures added to the mix. Among the venues with an arts theme are the Romeo and Juliet Lounge, Gatsby's Great Bar, the Cole Porter Club, the Jekyll & Hyde Disco and the Mark Twain Library.

 

One of the most expansive public areas is the area known as Elation Way on Promenade Deck, which is decorated with striking columns featuring crafted classical reliefs of the Muses. Promenade Deck gets especially busy at night as it connects the main "evening" lounges, such as the Romeo and Juliet Lounge, Musical Cafe, and the Drama Bar, which is next to the Casablanca Casino (it sports a Moroccan design after the movie of the same name). Other public areas include the Galleria shopping mall, the Virtual World arcade and the ship's photo gallery. There is also an Internet cafe while Wi-Fi is available in most public rooms.

 

 

Elation has sailed four and five-night Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral, Fl as well as Western Caribbean cruises from Galveston, TX. She currently sails on four and five day itineraries to Baja, Mexico from San Diego, CA, becoming the first cruise ship to home-port in San Diego year-round. Since 16 February 2009, she began making stops at Avalon on Catalina Island.

 

In late 2006, Carnival Cruise Line announced a massive multi-million dollar product enhancement initiative to its Fantasy class fleet known as "Evolutions Of Fun" which is expected to be completed in 2009. The refit will consist of new ship names, with all eight ships receiving a repainted name with the "Carnival" prefix (i.e. Carnival Fantasy, etc.) after their final refurbishment to their pools and outside decks. Celebration became 'Carnival Celebration' in December 2007.

A miniature golf course will be added to the forward sun deck. The aft pool deck will be replaced by a 'Carnival WaterWorks aqua park' with multiple slides. The main pool will be completely refurbished and redesigned in a tropical theme with new materials and new spiral staircases to the top deck and their original waterslides will be removed.

 

 

The adults-only area (around the funnel) will be moved to Promenade deck aft and will be known as the 'Serenity adults-only area', replacing the children's wading pool on the back of Promenade deck with the wading pool becoming part of the new waterpark. The restaurant and the majority of the public areas will receive new decors as well as new electronic equipment. Finally, all staterooms will receive new decors, new beds and new flat screen televisions.

 

Carnival Celebration will add balconies to ninety-eight existing cabins transforming them from the current ocean view staterooms. In addition, eight of her suites on the Upper Deck will get larger balconies. Twenty four balconies will 'extend' from the vessel mid-ships and another twelve near her stern. The remaining sixty two will be located at her aft section.

 

In addition, all her staterooms will be completely refurbished, as well as virtually all dining, dancing and entertainment venues. Guest corridors will be renovated and a new “Circle C” facility catering to 12- to 14-year olds will be added, as well.

[birdie16]

Wow! Thanks for all that info on the Elation! I had no idea..That makes me want to cruise again on the Elation.

[Copper10-8]

Matson Lines. 1965.

 

S.S. Mariposa or S.S. Lurline. (sailed on both, not sure which one first)

 

ss Mariposa (1931-1974) Built in 1931 as ss Mariposa by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Mass. for the Matson Navigation Company/Matson Lines. She was launched on 18 July 1931 as a luxurious ocean liner designed by William Francis Gibbs. With increasing passenger traffic to Hawaii, Matson Line had introduced the ss Malolo in 1927. Her success led to the construction of three sister ships between 1930 and 1932: ss Mariposa, was the first, then ss Monterey and last, ss Lurline. These were known as ‘the great Matson liners’ in the line’s ‘White Fleet’.

 

 

She was designed for service in the Pacific Ocean, including regular stops in ports along the west coast of the United States, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Her maiden voyage began on 16 January 1932 when she departed New York City and sailed to Havana, Cuba, transited the Panama Canal and berthed in the Port of Los Angeles, before continuing on to visit ten more countries in the South and West Pacific. Meanwhile, the Malolo and Lurline continued to operate the traditional San Francisco to Hawaii route. In May 1932, Mariposa was joined on her new route by her other sister Monterey. This famous South Pacific route was from San Francisco to Australia via Los Angeles, Honolulu, Pago Pago, Suva (Fiji), Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. This would be the heyday of the great Matson Liners, with passenger trains adopted as "Boat Trains", carrying passengers from New York and Chicago to connect in San Francisco with the liner sailings.

 

The Mariposa and her sisters were attracting Hollywood stars sailing to Hawaii in ever increasing numbers. These stars including famous names such as William Powell, Carole Lombard, Jimmy Durante, Claudette Colbert, Myrna Loy, Joel McCrea, Frances Dee and Shirley Temple. Despite the difficulties of the Depression, the popularity of travel to Hawaii remained high. During this period the Matson Liners became such a popular institution in San Francisco that during the Golden Gate Exposition celebrations on Treasure Island in 1939, the City named August 9th 1939 as Matson Day. Mariposa continued on this service until 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the subsequent entry of the United States into World War II.

 

During the war, she served the United States Government as a fast troop carrier. When the war first broke out, she rescued numerous individuals who were stranded in foreign countries. In the next three years, she transported supplies as well as support forces to distant shores as the USAT Mariposa. Her war-time service would last from 24 January 1942, when she left San Francisco, until 25 October 1945, when she arrived in Boston, Mass. It would take her to such diversified ports as Melbourne, Perth and Hobart (Tasmania), Australia, Freetown, British Sierra Leone, Cape Town, South Africa, Karachi and Bombay, British India, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the British Crown Colony of Aden, Massawa, British Eritrea, Casablanca, French Morocco, Liverpool, England and Marseilles and Le Havre, France.

 

After the war, USAT Mariposa was decommissioned and both she and Monterey were returned to Matson Line for conversion to passenger service on 26 September 1946. However, financial problems in July 1947 halted the project at United Engineering Works in Alameda, CA. and she was laid up only 30% completed at the Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard where she would remain mothballed for six years.

 

 

 

In 1953, Genoa, Italy-based Home Lines bought her and renamed her ss Homeric, sailing her to Trieste for refitting/reconstruction of her passenger accommodation by the Monfalcone shipyard in order to allow her to carry 1,243 passengers; 147 first class and 1,096 tourist class. Her first voyage for Home Lines after this work was done, saw her departing Venice on 24 January 1955 bound for New York City. Home Lines operated her as an express liner on the Southampton-Le Havre-Montreal-New York (occasionally from Cuxhaven, then West Germany) route and during the winter season for cruises to the Caribbean.

 

 

In October 1963, she was assigned to cruising the Caribbean from New York City and other U.S. ports, eventually replacing Home Lines’ ss Italia on the run to Nassau, Bahamas. Homeric would eventually be replaced by Home Lines’ ss Oceanic. After this occurred, she was reassigned to intra-Caribbean cruises.

 

 

On 1 July 1973, while 90 nautical miles west of Cape May, NJ, a major onboard fire destroyed much of her galley and restaurant. The line wound up sending her to Genoa where she arrived for repairs on 16 July 1973. The damage turned out to be so extensive however, that the idea of repair was given up and she was withdrawn from service. She was ultimately sold for scrap to the Nan Feng Steel Enterprises Company of Taiwan and on 29 January 1974, she arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she was broken up.

[Boatdrill]

Just did some checking (by looking at one of the dinner menus) and my first cruise was on the Mariposa in August 1962, to the South Pacific. I was 6 years old. :)

 

May I ask a favor ? By any chance would you be able to identify the Matson ship in these photos ? They were taken by my grandfather, circa 1910 (or later), in San Francisco, before he and my grandmother sailed for Hawaii (the photos were scanned from his scrapbook).

[coldinreno]

 

Cunard Countess (1974-present) Although delivered in 1974, Cunard Countess did not begin sailing for Cunard until 1976. In 1982/83 she was used as a troop ship during the Falklands conflict. She was sold to Royal Olympic Cruise Line (Greece) in 1997 and became the Olympic Countess and, later, Olympia Countess. Following the collapse of Royal Olympia in January 2004, she was aquired after public auction by Majestic International subsidiary Maximus Navigation and named Ocean Countess. In 2005, she was chartered to TravelPlan/Globalia (Spain) and in 2006 to German tour operator Holiday Kreuzfahrten as Lili Marleen. Holiday Kreuzfahrten failed later that year and she was returned to Majestic International. In 2007 she was chartered Louis Hellenic Cruise Line and renamed Ruby to replace Sea Diamond (lost at Santorini). She is currently on charter to Monarch Classic Cruises, another subsidiary of Majestic International Cruises, once again as Ocean Countess

 

 

My first cruise was on Cunard Countess in the summer of 1976, it was the 2nd or 3rd cruise for the brand new ship. We embarked in San Juan & called at Caracas, St Lucia, Grenada plus a couple of other ports. That was about 47 cruises ago and over 500 cruise days so I guess I was hooked. Oceania is now our cruise line of choice. Great job here with this thread, lots of very interesting history. Thanks.

[nikkin]

Our first cruise was Costa Classica.. out of Venice, Italy.. 14 years ago..

[NSBFloridaRetiree]

Mine was a three day cruise to the Bahamas in 1982 on the NCL Sunward.

[Goldryder]

My first ship experience was at less than a year old on Queen Mary in 1965 :o

 

Things have changed a little bit since then ;)

[Copper10-8]

Just did some checking (by looking at one of the dinner menus) and my first cruise was on the Mariposa in August 1962, to the South Pacific. I was 6 years old. :)

 

May I ask a favor ? By any chance would you be able to identify the Matson ship in these photos ? They were taken by my grandfather, circa 1910 (or later), in San Francisco, before he and my grandmother sailed for Hawaii (the photos were scanned from his scrapbook).

 

 

 

 

 

Boatdrill, if taken around 1910, I'm thinking that is either the second ss Lurline, built in 1908 or the ss Wilhelmina, built in 1909

 

ss Lurline (2)

 

 

SS Wilhelmina

 

If a bit later, it could be their ss Matsonia, built in 1913

[Nasmas]

1994 Ms. New Amsterdam, Eastern Caribbean. Beautiful ship, wonderful trip

[Sue from Canada]

Westerdam, October 29, 1994; Mother-daughter cruise. We never thought of hurricane season when we booked this cruise. As soon as we left Fort Lauderdale we were rocking and rolling. My mother stayed in her cabin for three days with only crackers and gingerale. I on the other hand love rough seas. Once we returned home she told me that she felt so sick while on board those first three days that she didn't care if the ship sank! Two years later though she asked me if I'd like to go to Alaska. I replied "with who?" "Me" was her answer. "But you told me you'd never get on a ship again." Well, we sailed to Alaska, had the calmest waters and she was hooked. We booked a cruise to the Mediterranean the following week and the rest is history (P.S. She does wear sea bands though).

[bethaniesmom]

NCL Starward, summer 1974, Nassau, Ocho Rios, Port-a-Prince.....last I knew the Starward was a gambling/brothel off the coast of China.

 

Beverly

[willy paul]

The "old" Pacific Princess in 1978 and we thought it was a really big ship !!!

[Sharon in AZ]

We sailed the old Noordam, February of 1987. It was a Caribbean cruise. We were young and (in our 30's) and loved it even though most people (even still to this day) think of HAL as an older person's cruise line. This August I'm going on my 13th cruise, 11th HAL cruise, and can't wait. I'm just aggravated that it will be my 98th sea day on HAL and won't get my 100 sea day medallion until my next cruise!

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was on Cunard Countess in the summer of 1976, it was the 2nd or 3rd cruise for the brand new ship. We embarked in San Juan & called at Caracas, St Lucia, Grenada plus a couple of other ports. That was about 47 cruises ago and over 500 cruise days so I guess I was hooked. Oceania is now our cruise line of choice. Great job here with this thread, lots of very interesting history. Thanks.

 

Cunard Countess (1974-present) was launched on 20 September 1974 as ms Cunard Countess at Burmeister & Wain Skibsbyggeri, Köpenhamn/Copenhagen, Denmark for Great Britain's Cunard Line. Although delivered on 21 May 1975, Cunard Countess did not begin sailing for Cunard until 1976. Upon leaving the Cpenhagen shipyard, she was towed to La Spezia, Italy where she arrived on 28 May 1975 to be fitted out at the Industrie Navali Meccaniche Affini Shipyard. She was christened in August 1976 by Janet Armstrong, wife of astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.

Cunard Countess began service for Cunard with British officers and an international crew and would soon become a staple at Miami, Fl, San Juan, Puerto Rico (her home port), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and several other Caribbean ports. Countess was well-known for her amenities which were of a very high standard and even included an onboard hospital. She had a sister ship, Cunard Princess (1976), which was almost a carbon copy, but would not be as famous.

 

 

Cunard Countess was one of the few ships to regularly visit the Caribbean island of Grenada during the revolutionary period of that island between 1979 and 1983 playing a major role in supporting the local tourist industry during those years. From 1982 until 1983 she was chartered by the British Ministry of Defense and sent to the South Atlantic as a troop ship during the Falklands conflict between Great Britain and Argentina. She was back cruising the Caribbean for Cunard in July 1983. In 1990, she was re-registered in Nassau, the Bahamas.

 

 

On 26 October 1996, before Carnival's buy-out of Cunard Line in 1998, Cunard Countess was sold to an Indonesian company by the name of Awani Cruises, and renamed Awani Dream II. Unfortunately, the Awani cruise company ran into financial trouble and in 1997, she was sold to Greece-based Royal Olympic Cruise Line who renamed her Olympic Countess. The International Olympic Committe had a problem with that name and filed a protest. It wasn't until 2002 however, when she was renamed Olympia Countess.

 

 

In Royal Olympic/Olympia operation, the ship alternated between three and four-day cruises from Piraeus, visiting the Greek ports of Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos, Santorini and Kusadasi in Turkey interspersed with longer cruises including some crossings.

 

 

Following the financial collapse of Royal Olympia in January 2004, the ship was arrested on 8 January in Durban, South Africa due to outstanding bills. On 29 January 2004, she was aquired at public auction by Majestic International Cruises' subsidiary Maximus Navigation and named Ocean Countess on 8 March 2004. For the 2005 summer season, she was chartered to Spanish tour operator TravelPlan/Globalia for Mediterranean cruising.

 

 

On 12 November 2005 her next operator would be German-based Holiday Kreuzfahrten for which she would sail on long-term charter as Lili Marleen. Mr. Murphy had other plans however, and decided to pay yet another visit when Holiday Kreuzfahrten failed on 21 September 2006, declaring bankrupcy. The ship arrived back at Piraeus in October 2006, was returned to Majestic International, once again renamed Ocean Countess one month later and laid up in Eleusis Bay.

 

 

On 28 May 2007 she was chartered by Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Line (operated by their Greek arm, Louis Hellenic Cruises) who renamed her Ruby and used to replace their Sea Diamond which had sunk at Santorini after striking a reef.

[Copper10-8]

In November 2007, she was renamed Ocean Countess for a third time and was to be placed on charter to Monarch Classic Cruises, another subsidiary of Majestic International Cruises. Her itinerary was supposed to have her depart from her home port of Piraeus and making port calls at Greek isles Mykonos, Patmos, Crete and Satorini as well as Kusadasi in Turkey. Instead, she spent the 2008/2009 winter months on charter to Spain-based Quail Cruises cruising to South America. At the end of this charter, she spent some time in lay-up at Elefsina (Piraeus)

 

 

 

 

The latest news on the former Ocean Countess is that she has recently been chartered again by Quail Cruises for a series of seven-day cruises from Valencia, Spain using the name of New Venus. In Quail Cruises livery, she is once again replacing their mv Pacific, the former Pacific Princess and original TV 'Love Boat'. She left Piraeus on 15 June 2008, arrived in Valencia on 19 June and departed on her first cruise for Quail on Monday evening, 22 June 2009.

[ger_77]

Copper, what are you doing on CC, don't you have a ship to board ? ? ? Bon Voyage - let us know all about it when you get back!

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

Gerry

[Lurker1]

I can't believe this thread is still going almost 10 months after it started. You obviously struck a nerve with this one. I had replied with the 245th post on the thread, but that was in the first week.

We'll have to celebrate the thread's 1 year anniversary when it comes. ;)

[DFD1]

I spent the worst night I have ever spent at sea on board Cunard Countess, going out to Bermuda many years ago. We were rocking and rolling, anything not fastened down was moving around. Awful night.

 

Arrived at Hamilton the next morning in glorious sunshine and smooth seas. Had a great time with a return voyage as smooth as silk.

 

She was a very nice ship, almost new then.

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise was Costa Classica.. out of Venice, Italy.. 14 years ago..

 

ms Costa Classica (1991-present) Built in 1991 as ms Costa Classica by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Monfalcone, Italy for Genoa-based Costa Crociere aka Costa Cruise Line. She was the first of a two-ship class, her sister being the near identical Costa Romantica (1993).

 

In the mid to late 1980s, Costa Cruise Line announced a billion dollar expansion plan. This included major refurbishments to two of her older ships, Enrico C and Eugenio C, the conversion of two former Swedish containers ships into cruise ships, Costa Marina and Costa Allegra, and an order for two new ships.

On 28 July 1987, a contract was signed with Trieste-based Fincantieri for the construction of the first, a 50,000 ton vessel. On 2 February 1991, Costa Classica was floated out of the drydock where she was built. After succesful building/sea trials, she was christened on 7 June 1991 in Venice by her godmother, Emilia Costa. Her maiden voyage was the 1991 Christmas cruise to the western Mediterranean that departed Genoa on 17 December 1991. She would later cross the Atlantic on her way to Miami, Florida. Upon her arrival there on 25 January 1992, she began a series of seven-night Caribbean cruises establishing what would be a familiar pattern. From April to November she would cruise in the Mediterranean, mainly from Venice to the Greek Isles, and in winter season she sailed the Caribbean, but mainly with Europeans passengers.

 

With the Costa Classica and Costa Romantica, Costa Cruises got the highly innovative and prestigious ships it wanted. The design of the two ships was a compromise between Italian design and North American market requirements, which accounts for half of the company's business. Somewhat contraversional, Classica's and Romantica's external appearances are reminiscent of a traditional ocean liner and include features such as circular cabin portholes which give the hull an original look, and a line of public area deck windows that separate the cabin decks from the upper decks, reminiscent of the sheltered promenades of the great liners.

Another original feature is the set of three yellow painted (incl. Costa's "C") elliptical funnels whose height and form make the two sisters immediately recognizable. Romantica's modern look interior was designed with passenger flow in mind with marble, glass, chrome, brass and steel standing backdrop to the expected Euro elegance. The ship's profile include a circular observation lounge, the "Galileo Disco", with floor to ceiling windows. A central feature of the ship is the glass-roofed entrance atrium which covers five decks. It incorporates a suspended staircase, linking the two uppermost decks, and looks down to the centerpiece, a spherical bronze sculpture by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro. Her 700 seat (all covered in red velvet) "Colosseo" show lounge takes on a terrestrial aspect and is based on a XVI century Italian theater.

Called "Piazza Navona" after the famous Roman square, the Grand Bar extends the full width of the ship and has three main attractions: a long and semi-circular bar, the stand for the piano with its dance floor, and the central staircase linking the area with the Patisserie, Pizzeria and shopping areas on the deck above. The Casino and Ball Room are located aft, forming a large and characteristic setting with a high glass wall, for social events, music and entertainment.

Deck 11 is devoted to Costa's concept of "Mens sano in corpore sano". Forward is the Caracalla Spa offering a wide range of beauty treatments at costs ranging from a $20 haircut to a $299 full body makeover. Costa Classica has two outdoor swimming pools with the smaller of the two located mid-ships, dominated by a triangular fountain-sculpture in blue marble. The other can be found aft of the funnels in an ampitheater lined in teak. Costa Cruises is famous for their "Toga Party" - a Roman-style event where a dress sheet is the preferred clothing item. Another Costa trademark is the 'Notte Romantica' where every female passenger is presented with a red rose at dessert.

"Tivoli" is the name of Classica's main 700-seat formal restaurant. Casual dining, breakfast and lunch can be had in the "La Trattoria" buffet-style restaurant. Classica is one of the few ships to offer enough tables to cater to those who enjoy al fresco dining. Finally, there is the "Tavernetta", an Italian bistro for freshly baked pizza, pasta and caesar salads and "Il Dolce Amore" (Sweet Love), the ship's Viennese Cafe offering pastries and an espresso or cappuccino coffees.

On 19 July 1997, while at Kythira, Greece with 1,500 passengers onboard, Costa Classica was grounded due to strong winds that broke her anchors. With tug assistance, she was refloated on 20 July and, after an inspection of the hull, she continued her cruise.

A planned and radical $84.15 million transformation for Classica in late 2000 which would have included both a lengthening by inserting a new midship section, and the addition of an extra deck did not take place due to contractual problems between Costa and the chosen shipyard, Cammel Laird at Birkenhead, England.

 

 

After operating in Dubai for the 2008-2009 winter season, offering 7-night cruises in the Arabian Gulf, Costa Classica transitted to the Far East. Upon arrival in Singapore, she departed on 27 March 2009 on a 14-night itinerary that included calls in Thailand, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong. For the remainder of 2009, Costa Classica will set sail from Singapore and from the Chinese ports of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tianjin, with alternating extended and short cruises. The longer 14- and 15-night itineraries will include calls to Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, China and Vietnam. The shorter 4- to 6-night cruises will call on some of the most popular destinations in those markets, such as Okinawa (Japan), Kagoshima (Japan), Nagasaki (Japan), Fukuoka (Japan) and Cheju (South Korea). Among the cruises offered by Costa Classica in China there were three between China and Taiwan in the months of April and May, the first cruises of their kind to link the two countries.

[canehdn]

I know Sitmar has been mentioned several times, but Fairwind in 1974 and Fairsea in 1975. What a class act .....

 

Copper you have done a fantastic job pulling data and photos of some of these "older" ships. In those days it was all about class and service. One of the things I loved about Sitmar and probably other lines in those days was paying a small fee to have your deck chair reserved with your name on it ... no chair hogs back then. I remember we paid $8 for each deck chair for a 7-day cruise. Ahhh, fond memories.

 

Thanks for this thread and all the work that has gone into it.

 

Enjoy your cruise ........

[Copper10-8]

Mine was a three day cruise to the Bahamas in 1982 on the NCL Sunward.

 

ms Sunward (1966-2004) Built in 1966 as ms Sunward by A/S Bergens Mekaniske Verksted (Shipyard), Bergen, Norway for Oslo, Norway-based Klosters Rederi A/S. She was delivered on 20 June 1966 and five days later, she departed Bergen for Southampton, England. Sunward was the vessel that started it all, Caribbean cruising that is.

 

A little background: in Norway at the turn of the 20th century, Lauritz Kloster purchased a used steamship and founded a company, Klosters Rederi A/S based in Oslo, shipping ice from Norway to the United Kingdom. Kloster filled his ship with coal for the return trip, and from this beginning built his company into a major shipping company. He later added ferry services as well.

By the early 1960s, the company had come under the leadership of Kloster's son, Knut Kloster, who saw an opportunity to expand the group's ferry operations. In June 1966, Kloster took delivery of the new Sunward which, at 8,600 grt (gross registered tons) was capable of carrying up to 600 passengers and 500 cars. Kloster's idea was to use Sunward with a subsidiary, Sunward Ferries, in order to provide ferry service to British vacationers from Southampton to Vigo (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal) and Gibraltar. Due mainly to political reasons involving Spain, England and Gibraltar, this venture turned into a financial disaster for Kloster and Sunward was taken off the route after only a couple of months and laid up at Oslo.

In the fall of 1966, representatives from Finland-based Silja Line came looking at the ship for a possible purchase, but pulled out when they discovered that the ship did not have the classification they required to operate under ice conditions.

 

Israeli entrepreneur Ted Arison saw potential in Caribbean Cruises but was in need of a ship so he contacted Kloster, who shifted his out-of-work vessel in a repositioning from Europe to the then somewhat obscure Port of Miami, Florida where she arrived in December 1966. With the formation of a new cruise line, called Norwegian Caribbean Lines, the travel industry was revolutionized overnight. Sunward sailed roundtrips between Miami and Nassau in the Bahamas and on other runs between Miami - Kingston, Jamaica - Port Antonio, Dominican Republic - Nassau, the Bahamas and Miami.

Kloster managed the fleet, while Arison did marketing & sales. By 1971, Sunward was joined by three other vessels, Starward (1968), Skyward (1969) and Southward (1971).

 

 

Sunward left the NCL fleet in November 1972 after being sold to French state-owned ferry operator CGTM (Compagnie GeneraleTransmediterraneenne - Transmed), entering service as the Ile de Beaute out of Marseille in April 1973. In 1976, she was registered for the Societe Nationale Corse-Mediterranee.

In 1977 she was purchased by the Eastern Gulf, Inc. to become the hotel ship Grand Flotel in Sharjah, Saudi Aradia. In 1978, she was sold to the Saudi Maritime Transport Company of Jeddah, as the Saudi Moon I to begin a Suez (Egypt) Aqaba (Jordan) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) service. In 1984, she was purchased by Sabah Maritime Services Co., Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

 

In 1988, she was sold to New Orleans, LA-based Ocean Quest International, and renamed Ocean Spirit. After a

conversion/rebuild period at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore in March 1989, she began operating dive!! cruises on New Orleans-Cozumel-Belize-Cancun and on St. Petersburg, Fl-Belize-Cozumel-Roatan-Guanaja routes.

In 1990, she was purchased by Ferry Charter Ltd, Nassau, Bahamas who chartered her to SeaEscape Cruises. and renamed Scandinavian Song and operated her on day-cruises from St. Petersburg and later, Miami.

 

Between November 1991 and February 1992 she was chartered to the Danish Cruise Line/Nordisk Færgefart A/S for cruising between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI with some trips to Tortola, BVI. When the charter ended she was laid up.

The ship returned briefly to SeaEscape in 1993 on their Pt. Canaveral-Freeport (Bahamas) service. In November 1993, she was placed on a charter to Ach Shipping (Fratelli Cosulich) who renamed her Santiago de Cuba. In January 1994, she began cruising the Caribbean with Havana, Cuba as her homeport. This endeavour ended in a financial fiasco and she was once again laid up in February 1994.

In 1994, she was chartered to Singapore-registered Empress Cruises Ltd, and renamed The Empress. They operated her as a casino ship from Port Klang and Penang, Malaysia.

On 13 March 2002, that company developed financial problems and The Empress was laid up in Singapore. Later on in 2002, she was used on a six-month charter as hotel ship "Empress" in East Timor.

Her time was running out though and in September 2003, she was sold to Jaisu Shipping, Mumbai, India. Still at Sembawang, Singapore in April 2004, she was once again sold,this time to Bangladesh breakers. In April 2004, she left Singapore for Chittagong, Bangladesh where scrapping began shortly after.

 

 

[woodofpine]

An overnight ro/ro ferry with cabins from Chicoutimi QE to Quebec City in the summer of '64? (I wish I could remember the name 'Lady of the Saguanay' or something like that... I remember seeing pilot whales - very cool).

 

But the first slightly more 'real' cruise was Epirotiki Semiramis 1968 in the Aegean for 2 nights (I think) Pireaus - Hydra - Delos - Mikinos - Pireaus. I was 10 years old.

 

I always loved big ships but never had much exposure, then I was family reunioned in '01 on Ocean Princess. That hooked me.

[Copper10-8]

NCL Starward, summer 1974, Nassau, Ocho Rios, Port-a-Prince.....last I knew the Starward was a gambling/brothel off the coast of China.

 

Beverly

 

See post #1172

[Copper10-8]

I know Sitmar has been mentioned several times, but Fairwind in 1974 and Fairsea in 1975. What a class act .....

 

Copper you have done a fantastic job pulling data and photos of some of these "older" ships. In those days it was all about class and service. One of the things I loved about Sitmar and probably other lines in those days was paying a small fee to have your deck chair reserved with your name on it ... no chair hogs back then. I remember we paid $8 for each deck chair for a 7-day cruise. Ahhh, fond memories.

 

Thanks for this thread and all the work that has gone into it.

 

Enjoy your cruise ........

 

Thanks for the kind words!