Cruising - have the great days gone?

[jimandtoni]

Interesting perspective!!

 

(and at 70 cruises I want to be you :D)

 

We have been very fortunate and, trust me, we appreciate everything we have and everywhere we have gone! Our first cruise was our honeymoon...the "trip of a lifetime." Instead it turned into our lifetime of TRIPS!! We still go on other vacations as well. My job as an underwater photographer takes us to some very very cool places....but cruising always reminds us of who we were and who we still are!

[Lois R]

We didn't cruise when I was a kid:eek:....we did camping trips to

the mountains and I went to day camp and then sleep away camp

in the summertime.

My folks didn't do cruises..not sure they even knew about them when

I was growing up. The good old days?:confused:..they did not include cruising

so I like these days better.:D

 

I started cruising in 2003 and love it 7 years later just as I did at

the beginning:)

[bighairtexan]

Times change. For good or bad. I remember my first trip on a prop airplane. Pan Am, I think. All the male pax had on suits and the women in dressy suits and hats. The flight attendants (then she was a stewardess) also dressed to the 9s being impeccably coifed, often w/ a hat. And it was EXPENSIVE to fly anywhere. Now relative to inflation, both cruising and flying are bargains. The amenities may have declined but not as much as the inflation adjusted price. And I RARELY hear anyone complaining about "the good old days of flying" when you ate off bone china, were catered to royally, and how they wish everyone would wear suits, ties, dresses, hats etc. instead of slacks or heaven forbid... shorts or JEANS!!

PS: This is not an implication to the OP that it was what was being posted on this thread.

PPS: I adhere to the suggested dress codes.

PPPS:...um..... that's all.

[kitty9]

We didn't cruise when I was a kid:eek:....we did camping trips to

the mountains and I went to day camp and then sleep away camp

in the summertime.

My folks didn't do cruises..not sure they even knew about them when

I was growing up. The good old days?:confused:..they did not include cruising

so I like these days better.:D

 

I started cruising in 2003 and love it 7 years later just as I did at

the beginning:)

 

It sounds like we were brought up very similar. My dad would throw my baby sister's small mattress in the back seat of the car and we went on short trips to the lake in Michigan, or to see family in Pennsylvania. No one knew what cruises were back in "those" days. Our biggest trip was to Niagara Falls when I was 9.

[Lois R]

It sounds like we were brought up very similar. My dad would throw my baby sister's small mattress in the back seat of the car and we went on short trips to the lake in Michigan, or to see family in Pennsylvania. No one knew what cruises were back in "those" days. Our biggest trip was to Niagara Falls when I was 9.

 

We did Niagra Falls before we moved to Florida (that was back in 1965:eek:)

 

Down here? We would drive up NC or go to Myrtle Beach.

We had the type of RV back then that hooked up to the back of

car....Slept 4 people and we went to a campgrounds.

[Texed]

My folks didn't do cruiseswhen

I was growing up.

 

Shoot, when I was a kid we were so poor, if they had been selling cruises for a dollar, all I could have done is run down the pier hollering "Ain't that cheap!" :eek:

[bighairtexan]

Shoot, when I was a kid we were so poor, if they had been selling cruises for a dollar, all I could have done is run down the pier hollering "Ain't that cheap!" :eek:

 

 

you made me smile but the real question is... were you so poor you couldn't afford WAFFLES? :eek:

[Texed]

you made me smile but the real question is... were you so poor you couldn't afford WAFFLES? :eek:

 

We didn't own a waffle iron, but mom would whip up pancakes. ;)

[bighairtexan]

We didn't own a waffle iron, but mom would whip up pancakes. ;)

 

 

And you'd punch little squares into them and pretend!!

[Chicago Boy]

We have been cruising since 2003 and have been on 8 cruises, mostly with Celebrity but a few with RCCL. I remember on our early cruises being impressed with the food in the MDR and being 'wowed' by the service. I also remember complimenting Hotel Managers on their operation and mentioning specific staff by name to be recognised for their service standards.

 

Now I realise that both food and service standards are subjective, and a cruise can still be a good experience, but our recent cruises have had both food and service issues and my conversations with Hotel Managers have concerned dealing with issues as opposed to complimented them on their operation. I used to rave about cruising to friends and family and would readily recommend it; now I am more measured in my comments.

 

Thinking about this I believe this is due to cost-cutting and there are many examples where this is evident. Cruising has also become much more popular over the last few years and (most) new cruisers think cruising is great so there is no incentive for the cruise lines to improve; however the new cruisers don't realise how much better it was in the past.

 

I still think cruising offers a good holiday/vacation experience, it's just not the great one it once was...

 

 

Times have changed and cruising is becoming more accessible to people. I for one do not believe in looking back and comparing what the world of cruising was like 10, 15 or 20 years ago to what it is today. In some ways it may have been better then and in other ways not as good as today. While we are not fans of the largest ships we do enjoy cruising on the Solstice and Millennium class ships. We have always been very well treated by Celebrity and consider it to be a great value. They are our cruise line of choice

Edited October 27, 2010 by Chicago Boy
change word

[trekwriter54]

My first cruise in the 80's was wonderful. All adults, totally relaxing. Now it seems like some ships are turned into floating day care centers, with kids running wild throughout the ship. Parents seem to feel that since the kids can't get off the ship they can turn them loose... and there are plenty of adult passengers to take care of them. Your children may be the center of your universe, but they're not my responsibility. If you bring them on a cruise, keep them in line.

 

I'm so tired of children infiltrating everything on a ship, from adult comedy shows to the dance floor in the disco at midnight. We've reached a point where we've told our travel agent to find a cruise with as few kids as possible. I wish some cruise line would dedicate a few sailings as "adults only" because I know a lot of people who would jump at the chance.

[BroncosFan2010]

My first cruise in the 80's was wonderful. All adults, totally relaxing. Now it seems like some ships are turned into floating day care centers, with kids running wild throughout the ship. Parents seem to feel that since the kids can't get off the ship they can turn them loose... and there are plenty of adult passengers to take care of them. Your children may be the center of your universe, but they're not my responsibility. If you bring them on a cruise, keep them in line.

 

I'm so tired of children infiltrating everything on a ship, from adult comedy shows to the dance floor in the disco at midnight. We've reached a point where we've told our travel agent to find a cruise with as few kids as possible. I wish some cruise line would dedicate a few sailings as "adults only" because I know a lot of people who would jump at the chance.

 

 

I feel exactly the same way!! It should not have to be a luxury cruise line to have an adult feel, but unfortunately, that seems to be the only way to avoid, unless you cruise the very long itineraries and are lucky enough to find a week or two where all schools are in session.

[PT 109]

I blame NCL. Freestyle translates into half-a**ed in my book, and many of their so called innovations are being copied by other lines. Rack 'em, pack 'em and stack 'em is the new norm.

 

Also, once the great tradition of formal nights started to bite the dust, I knew that cruising would never be the same. *sigh*

 

 

Have to agree with that. NCL seems to be more like a self serve cruise.

Even though you can see lots of the staff work really hard to please.

We have been on 20 crusies NCL twice, probably won't try them again, unless it's an incredable trip, as with our second was with them to the Baltic capitols last summer. Origanly booked one ship and then changed to another, was going to cancel but NCL kept making the offer sweeter to stay. I must say it turned out to be an incredable deal on a great cabin/with shipboard credit too.

Started crusing in 1998 and have been on several lines and find most to be what you make of the cruise yourself. If you go thinking it's not as good as the old days then it will not be.

We just enjoy being there and relaxing,dining and generaly being away for a few days.

Cruising in general is pretty good deal for what you have to pay, thinking about all that is included in the price.

 

But you say AH yes for the good old days, remember today is tomorrows good old days.

 

We are not interested in the MEGA ships, and will probably have to stop crusing when that is all that is left. I sometimes wonder, are the cruise lines all going to go to that type of ship only?

[rsisson]

I think the "Good old days" probably are gone, but in some ways they never were. The costs were higher, the facilities less delux, and fewer could enjoy cruising. Today, as in many things, one has to be a smarter consumer. Some operators do much better than others; you have to get the right fit.

 

I was recently pleasantly surprised on Carnival with the food and relative calmness; I was bothered greatly on a couple of cruises on RCI with the maintenance of the ship; I was on an end of service cruise on the NCL Majesty when it was apparent all the best staff had jumped to other ships. In short, there are disappointments but there is also great cruising out there.:)

[Bridge Maven]

I feel exactly the same way!! It should not have to be a luxury cruise line to have an adult feel, but unfortunately, that seems to be the only way to avoid, unless you cruise the very long itineraries and are lucky enough to find a week or two where all schools are in session.

 

BroncosFan, I can think of two mass market cruise lines that don't have many children - Holland America and Celebrity.

[PT 109]

Like others kids are great but make sure you take care of you own, I don't want to be the one looking after them.

 

Maybe a cruise isn't the best option for your kids if they need constant attention to be entertained.

 

Teach them to enjoy the simple things in life too.

[BroncosFan2010]

BroncosFan, I can think of two mass market cruise lines that don't have many children - Holland America and Celebrity.

 

Exactly why our next cruise is a 14 night on Celebrity.

[thedelman]

My absolute worse cruise was on Celebrity, you know the upgrade from RCCL. It was at the time the Solstice debuted so I understood why the service was bad; I didn't like it, but I understood why they had moved all the experience staff to the Solstice. It's business!

As consumers we're always looking for more for less, but rarely think about the cost of producing the goods or services we desire. Oasis cost $1.4 billion dollars to build, and although the number of passengers it's able to carry reduces the operating cost per passenger, it still costs an awful lot to provide that service. The cruise line can't possibly provide the same quality food and service we all remember without pricing themselves right out of the market. So they choose places to cutback that are less noticeable (the dining rooms are still full) and less impacting on the vacation.

I'll bet we all remember the steak dinners and ice cream sundaes we got when we traveled by air. Well, that's not possible when the average cost of a ticket is $139 and Wall Street is breathing on you to increase those profits.

I still enjoy cruising because I just like being out there away from the daily grind with the option of doing something or absolutely nothing, and when I get ready to eat, there will be something I can enjoy.

[Chicago Boy]

Exactly why our next cruise is a 14 night on Celebrity.

 

 

We are retired so we can cruise when we want. That being said, we do not cruise when schools are out,we look for 14 plus nights and we cruise on Celebrity. This way we pretty much avoid the kids. :)

[LRGidget]

We are going for a week on an island this year just to see how it is. We have cruised on Carnival (2), Norwegian (1), Celebrity (1) and Royal 8 times. We fear that with the mega ships that cruises that stops at the islands that we have grown to love will become a thing of the past just like formal nights, early and late dining and some of the other things that we loved about cruise ships. The floating resorts will just go to the middle of the Caribbean and cirlcle like a wagon train for 7 days and nights. Last year suit jackets weren't required on formal night ... only restriction seemed to be no nudity in the dining rooms and no swim wear. Sad to me because I really love cruising and am almost in need of therapy with the thought of "leaving our ship at home in 2011 and going directly to an island for a week" ... I hope they don't dry dock some of the "smaller ships"

[Bridge Maven]

When my parents took cruises during the fifties and sixties they wouldn't have thought of taking us (the children) with them because cruises were not child oriented at that time. Our family vacations were usually at a land based family oriented resort.

 

My husband and I took our first cruise during the middle seventies, before we had children, and didn't take our second cruise until the nineties when our daughter was in college. We only took land based vacations while we were raising a family.

 

One of the biggest differences in cruising now vs then is that cruising has become a popular family vacation. Our three year old granddaughter has already been on three cruises while her one year old brother took his first cruise a few months ago. I realize that some people don't like children on a cruise under any circumstances, but our grandchildren are well behaved on a cruise and constantly supervised by an adult.

 

Our granddaughter's first cruise was on a Holland America ship during Thanksgiving when she was an infant. To my surprise my daughter met a nice young mother at the ship's pool, with a baby that was similar in age. that turned out to be the Captain's wife and child.

[glutenhab]

First Cruise.......Honeymoon in 1986.

Last Cruise.......August/2009

 

I think you can still cruise like "the good old days" with HAL, Celebrity etc., or better than "the good old days" with Azamara, Oceania etc., at a better price (adjusted for inflation) than then. If you really want "the good old days" just go Seabourn, Regent etc. I am sure that if you adjusted the price for inflation for what was being charged on just about all cruise lines back then, even the 6 star, but certainly the 5.5 star, would be cheaper now.

 

The biggest thing that has changed is the number of people who can now afford to go. I remember on my first trip to places like Vegas, Europe etc. I felt like I owned the place. A trip from here in Newfoundland to San Francisco in 1977 was exotic....now it's ho hum. That is the part of the "good old days" that I miss. Coming home to bragg about your trip to all your friends was great. Now they've all been there too.

 

Oh well, back to the Azamara site to browse.

[The Flying Pirate]

We started cruising in the 90's...and things are TOTALLY different nowadays! Yes...it's cost-cutting...and while it's still a great way to vacation, it's not the same experience that it once was. Folks who are just beginning to cruise have no idea of how it used to be!

 

I also started cruising in the 1990s, 1991 to be exact and there is a noticeable difference in the experience today. I agree it is still a great way to vacation but it is by no means the way it used to be. Back in the "old" days the sail away was a much bigger deal, those of you that have been around for a while will remember the old confetti like you saw on the old Love Boat TV shows, those were eliminated for environmental concerns. (I can't say I blame them they were pretty wasteful!)

[slp123]

My first cruise was actually not a cruise but a crossing on the QE2 in 1969 with my grandmother. I was 15. And we were in Grill Class. That kind of experience is quite a heady one for any one on their first cruise, but for a 15 year old it was overwhelming. My Grandfather, who was an attorney, had a case come up for trial that he could not postpone and I got to be the lucky kid who went in his place. On a crossing in those days, as was true of my crossing on the same ship in 2001, every night except the first and last is formal. But we even "dressed" for breakfast and lunch on that first crossing--sport jackets at every meal (I don't miss not having to dress for breakfast!). Beyond the food, the level of service in the grill dining rooms cannot be found anywhere today simply because no ship could afford that kind of staffing. There were Captains, head waiters, back waiters, waiters who cooked table side at breakfast there was even a young chap whose only job was to wheel a jam cart around with a selection of something like 25 jams including 3 different types of orange marmalade! Ever hear of rough cut marmalade? In the dining room and elsewhere you never had to make an effort to get someone's attention, they learned your preferences and names on the first day and anticipated your likes and desires throughout the trip. But it was frightfully expensive.

 

And despite the high price I will also say that even though we had a large grill class cabin, we only had three small porthole windows and the bathroom I remembered was good sized but nothing fancy. And sound proofing was not always the best between cabins.

 

Since then I have been on over 30 cruises. Yes you pay less. Yes things are not as fancy and the food is good but it's not gourmet nor could it be when a ship has more than 2000 passengers to serve at each meal. But whether I have been on Cunard (Grill Class), Regent, Azamara, Celebrity, or Holland America, I have always had a wonderful time and I don't look to make comparisons to the past because what was is not now possible and if it were, I won't want to pay that much in order to have it. The only thing that I miss from the "good old days" is that most people had "good manners" and understood what it meant to be courteous not only to fellow passengers but to staff. Nowadays there seem to be more people who have no idea how to comport themselves in public spaces. But I don't let it bother me, by not focusing on it and looking right through them as if they were not there.

 

I did leave off two very so-so experiences. One was on Costa and one was with a wedding (not mine) cruise for a couple who had their ceremony and reception on board Carnival. Both ships had very average food, too much hustle and bustle for me, and I can't say inadequate staff because that was what that cruise line thought adequate for the price. Thank you but I am happy to pay a bit more--you get a lot more relaxation with better food and service for only 10-20% more.

 

Finally when I am on a more democratic ship, I find it can be more sociable and I like and there are things I do to luxe it up--such as arrange private tours, have a better cabin, take a spa package etc AND AVOID holiday weeks when kids are off. BTW I do find Holland America has the fewest kids for those of you who have commented on that.

 

Anyway great discussion!

[vagues]

My first cruise was in 1973 with Holland America. The overall feeling of both being at sea and enjoying superb food and service was such that I thought it was the best way to vacation. Today I have been around the world and on 15 more cruises since, and I still continue to think that to be gently carried throughout the world on a beautiful ship is pure happiness.

It is true that cruising at low prices has had an effect on the overall experience, but it has opened this unique vacation opportunity to many more people. For the sophisticated effect, when this is what we look for, there is always the Six Stars companies (Seabourn, Regent, etc.) that make you feel privileged and pampered. But generally and all considered, the mid-category companies such as Celebrity, HA and Princess have remained reliable and much appreciated in terms of quality/price ratio.

I know I will remain a cruise adept, hopefully for a long time to come.