Home Lines employees/memories?

[crusinsue]

Hi Sue Bermuda will always be my favorite too and Home Lines will always be my heart. I dont know if you knew that the original Pacific Princess (the original Love Boat shown on tv) took 2 final cruises out of the Manhattan terminal in the years 2001 and 2002 before they retired her from Princess I took the two cruises which went to Bermuda St George over night Hamilition over night and the Royal Dockyard that is how I started to cruise with Princess yes dining room staff is almost all Italian all the Maditr d's are I will definitely let you know about all this activities I will be attempting to do I will try to upload pictures. Take care and chin up keep the faith. Talk to you soon Sue;)

[CruiseShipLove]

Just wanted to put it out there that I spoke to Jimmy at Mulinos in White Plains, NY this week and he is trying to get a reunion of Home Lines crew and passengers this October/November.

 

Anyone interested should call him at Mulinos to express your interest. He took my number and said he would call me but the more girls that call him the better.

 

Please, please, let's get this reunion off the ground. This is for all the girls that used to go down to the pier on Saturday and then cry our hearts out for the remainder of the week until Saturday came again!!!!

[SueseaQ]

Hi CruiseShipLove, Thanks so much for posting about the upcomming reunion. I hope I will be able to attend. Anybody else out there that would be comming from Central NJ area?

Hi Sue, That must have been fun cruising on the original "Love Boat". I believe that series gave the cruising industry the biggest and best advertisement. I used to love it myself! But I must say the cruises on our dear Home Lines outdid any of the story lines on the show...LOL :eek::p;):rolleyes:

[crusinsue]

Hi Sueseaq how right you are we can probably do a series that would last at least for 5 years on our stories from Home Lines it was a lot of fun cruising the Original Love Boat sang the theme song for at least 3 months after my return. :p Hope all is going well for you. Take care Sue

[NONNIE58]

hello sueseaQ, and marge 106, i haven't been posting on this site for quite a while, but i do log onto it at times. i'm surprised no-one out there ever thought of writing a book or making a movie out of home lines cruises, i wish i had the talent to do that, i remember on my july 1980 cruise,on the doric, our room steward "franco" said he would one day "write a book about home lines" i guess it never took place, hope all is well with you:)

take care

nonnie58

[SueseaQ]

hello sueseaQ, and marge 106, i haven't been posting on this site for quite a while, but i do log onto it at times. i'm surprised no-one out there ever thought of writing a book or making a movie out of home lines cruises, i wish i had the talent to do that, i remember on my july 1980 cruise,on the doric, our room steward "franco" said he would one day "write a book about home lines" i guess it never took place, hope all is well with you:)

take care

nonnie58

 

Hi Nonnie, long time, no hear. Hope all is well with you. Did you see that they are trying to get a reunion together this fall at Mulino's in White Plains? I hope I can attend. I think it would be so much fun to meet all the other Home Lines girls. Oh, the stories!!!! I too am surprised that no one ever wrote a book about it, what a Hoot n' Holler (in Marge106's words) that would be. I'm sure there'd be a movie deal from it in no time. LOL:D Take care.

[NONNIE58]

hi sue and marge, i'm glad you responded, i was talking to one of my cruise ship "girls" about the reunion, and she sounded interested. i'm doing well, and i hope the same goes for you two cruise ship "girls":) I would love to attend that reunion!!;) are they planning on contacting the home lines employee's also? marge is right "a hoot and a holler" the home lines girls were part of a magical time of cruising:D a good theme song for all those handsome and charming home lines men, would be the julio iglasias, and willy nelson song of the early 1980's "TO ALL THE GIRLS I LOVED BEFORE":rolleyes:

 

TAKE CARE AND STAY WELL

NONNIE58

[SueseaQ]

Just wanted to put it out there that I spoke to Jimmy at Mulinos in White Plains, NY this week and he is trying to get a reunion of Home Lines crew and passengers this October/November.

 

 

Yep, it looks like they are tyring to get the crew also.....Can you just imagine it :D:D:rolleyes:

 

 

a good theme song for all those handsome and charming home lines men, would be the julio iglasias, and willy nelson song of the early 1980's "TO ALL THE GIRLS I LOVED BEFORE":rolleyes:

 

How true!!!!! LOL:D

[NONNIE58]

i really can't imagine that, you think they would come all the way from Italy?:confused:i'm in rhode island, and i think it's far, but that's typical ri thinking!! not suggesting, of course that it wouldn't be worth the trip:Di know i've changed in the last 28 years, i'm sure they have too!! but that's part of life, who cares??, i would be so excited i probably would need to take a tranquilizer:o you girls were lucky, you lived near the pier and got to go every saturday, talk about having the time of your life!!! i only went twice to visit my "friend" :cool: and that lasted a lifetime, if there was really a time machine that could take you back to a certain time in your life, mine would be my 1979 and 1980 cruises on the doric, i think i speak for most of the home lines girls:D

 

take care

nonnie58

[SueseaQ]

The time machine would have to take me back to 1982 & 1983, my cruises on the Atlantic!;););)

....and lets not forget my 1982-1983 weight and naturally brunette hair color!!!!:D

[crusinsue]

:p Hi Everyone hope every one is doing well the reunion sounds awesome Im ready keep me updated that would be like a dream come true but the depression afterwards would be really bad:( my best to all. Sue

[NONNIE58]

hello sue, i hear you about our physical attributes at a younger age, and i certainly agree, my time machine would have to be equipped with a board certified plastic surgeon;) but, i'm sure our handsome men of home lines past, have done some changing themselves:p do you know the song "brandy" by the looking glass? that reminds of those home lines cruising days, i remember they played it on the doric, it was almost like those guys were hinting to us, listen carefully to the words, if you already haven't, at the end of the song it states, "my life and my lady is the sea".

 

p.s. who cares? i enjoyed the ride:D while it lasted!!!!

 

take care

nonnie58

[crusinsue]

Hi Nonnie 58 I sure do agree with you That song "Brandy" fit our days to the max:o It was a joy ride that I will never forget I still get goose bumps when I think back to those times the best ever. Sue:)

[SueseaQ]

hello sue, i hear you about our physical attributes at a younger age, and i certainly agree, my time machine would have to be equipped with a board certified plastic surgeon;) but, i'm sure our handsome men of home lines past, have done some changing themselves:p do you know the song "brandy" by the looking glass? that reminds of those home lines cruising days, i remember they played it on the doric, it was almost like those guys were hinting to us, listen carefully to the words, if you already haven't, at the end of the song it states, "my life and my lady is the sea".

 

p.s. who cares? i enjoyed the ride while it lasted!!!! LMAO - me too!!!!

 

take care

nonnie58

 

 

Hi Nonnie 58 I sure do agree with you That song "Brandy" fit our days to the max It was a joy ride that I will never forget I still get goose bumps when I think back to those times the best ever. Sue

 

 

How true!!!!!!!!Funny flashback came to me re: music. I remember on the 1982 cruise being at Disco 40 (What a blast we had there!!:D:rolleyes:) And the song "Everybody's Working for the Weekend" came on, well the guys all got crazy for that song, like it was their theme song, and were dancing and singing it on the dance floor.....My girlfriends and I stood back in amazement and enjoyed the show....:D

[NONNIE58]

hello girls, it does not matter that all us girls live far apart,and really don't know eachother, but, home lines brought us together in it's own magical way:) i was talking to one of my cruise girl pals, and we said we wanted to get all our pictures together, and make a video with choice songs playing in the back ground, i would probably watch that video everyday, too bad back then we could't have video-taped those cruises, of course, not all parts of the cruise;)

 

take care

nonnie58:D

[crusinsue]

Hi everyone hope you all are enjoying your wk end i think a good theme song would be" it's raining men ":d the first time i heard that song was in the club a new one that they had just opend directly across from where the ship docked you had to get the glass elevator outside and it dropped you off right onto the dance floor it was all glass around the dance floor and you could look out onto the harbour and the ship. Sorry but i cant remenber the name i think that was my last cruise with home lines on the homeric. Take care everyone sue

[NONNIE58]

hello, that's an excellent choice for a "home lines" theme song, that's one time i'd leave my umbrella at home, and all the rain gear that goes with it!!! i don't remember that night club that you are speaking about, however, i'm sorry i never got to experience that!!! my last cruise with home lines was on the doric, july 19-26 1980:(unfortunately, i never cruised on the newer ships!! i don't understand how a popular cruise line like home lines, just disappeared off the face of the earth:confused: although, i did read about the "shannanigans" that went on behind the scenes at home lines, too bad, it would have been so nice to still have that option to cruise with them today:)

 

sea:Dyou later

nonnie58

[marcelleg13]

This is the first time I've signed onto the site, and I've enjoyed reading the numerous postings about Home Lines.

 

I first sailed on the Oceanic in 1973, and life was never the same after that. I always said I grew up on Home Lines, and after sailing on too many cruises to try to count from 1973 until the end, it was a big part of my life.

 

I dated Dino B (he was a restaurant waiter, then lounge waiter and then wine steward) for many years. He's a bar manager now with Costa though the last time I ran into him was in 2000 so not sure if he still works there.

 

I made many, many friends through Home Lines -- many are my best friends still today. As I said, that cruise changed my life.

 

I've sailed on other lines but they don't compare to Home Lines. In these travels, I have run across some former Home Lines crew. Angelo Balbiani (sorry spelling) is a maitre'd with Princess. Ran into him a few years back on the Caribbean Princess. Also came across a former waiter (Giovanni) at a restaurant here in Florida. Tony, a wine steward with Home Lines was working Princess but understand he passed away a few years ago. He was friends with Dino and me. Roberto Zucca went to Costa also (bar tender) but not sure where he is now. Marcello (also a former bartender) married a friend and owns a restaurant on Long Island.

 

Those were the days! Truly hope I can attend a reunion of former Home Lines passengers and crew some day!

[NONNIE58]

hello, you cruised home lines since 1973, that's the year, to my understanding, that home lines purchased the doric, you must have some stories,:D if you cruised home lines from 1973 until its final demise in the late 1980's?????? lucky you!!! i dated a waiter named vincenzo, who worked on the doric as a waiter:) did you know him?

 

nonnie58

[cruisin'since'75]

I made many, many friends through Home Lines -- many are my best friends still today. As I said, that cruise changed my life.

 

Hi marcelleg13 - of course I recognized your CruiseCritic name immediately, girl! Welcome Aboard from Cruisin'since'75! 'Bout time you landed here. This will become an addiction, my friend, but don't dismay, we're all slightly hooked on Home Lines and so we're our own support group, as it turns out.

 

You are about to embark on quite a little journey of names from the past you would never imagine you'd ever remember, stories you thought long forgotten, places, moments, love stories, even a few baby stories mixed in, not so happy endings, some really awful endings, even better beginnings. We're all a part of that space in time. We all have said at some point or another that unless you were actually there and had the "Home Lines Experience" you don't really "get it".

 

You'll get it already, Ms. marcelleg13. You ARE it, actually.

 

And then we all go back to doing what we do everyday knowing we have the Home Lines Family ready and waiting for us @CruiseCritic.

 

See ya, kiddo. We'll talk. J

Edited June 23, 2009 by cruisin'since'75

[crusinsue]

:o HI NONNIES 58 AND MARCELLEG13 NONNIES 58 SO GLAD YOU AGREED WITH MY THEME SONG FOR HOME LINES IT WAS A SAD DAY WHEN HOME LINES WENT OUT OF BUSINESS WE WOULD PROBABLY STILL BE CRUISING AT OUR AGE. HI MARCELLEG13 I MET ANGELO ON THE CARIBBEAN PRINCESS AND HE WAS REALLY SUPER TO US I DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WORKED FOR HOME LINES.IM GOING ON THE CARIBBEAN PRINCESS AGAIN AUG 13TH BUT I DO REMENBER HIM TELLING US HE WOULD BE ON THE GRAND PRINCESS THIS YEAR. WE SIGNED UP FOR THE CHEFS TABLE AND HE INTERVIEWED US AND WAS THERE THAT NIGHT ALSO HAVE PICTURES WITH HIM AT THE CHAMPAGNE WATERFALL. A FEW YEARS BACK ON THE GRAND PRINCESS I MET A WAITER FROM HOME LINES WHO WAS ALSO OUR WAITER ON THE ATLANTIC HIS NAME WAS FLAVIO AFTER A FEW MINS HE DID REMENBER US A LITTER OLDER BUT STILL VERY HANDSOME;) TAKE CARE ALL AND TALK TO YOU SOON GIVE ME UPDATES ON THE REUNION. SUE

[SueseaQ]

Hi there girls, Welcome abourd Marcelleg13, cruisinsince75, summed it up perfectly. This thread is really addictive and we have become our own little family here. Did you always live in Florida or were you living in the NY area at that time? Did you too, spend many a Saturday in NYC at the ship terminal? Ahhhhhhh, the days of the Home Lines, they truly were the best. If they were still around I probably never would have cruised any other line. (on the other hand if they were still around, I don't know if I would want my now 20 yr old daughter to sail.....:eek:;))

Cruisinsue, I love your choice for our Home Lines theme song....girls, in those days I think we did leave those umbrellas at home.....LOL.

Nonnie I didn't know the club Sue was talking about either, sound like it must have been a lot of fun...

Arubagal, are you out there, how was your vacation?

[marcelleg13]

Home Lines Ladies -- thanks for the warm reception. I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you.

 

Cruisin'since'75 -- Home Lines brought us together as friends. That was one big perk of sailing that line.

 

Nonnie58 -- I sailed the Doric and have a vague recollection of a Vincenzo. I'll have to check my pictures one of these days. I have never gotten rid of them.

 

SueseaQ -- love your nickname! Lived in NY for most of my life and spent many, many Saturdays in NYC with Dino. Towards the end, we ate at the Italian Seaman's house each week (steak, french fries and red wine). Great memories! I too would probably still only be cruising HL if they didn't go out of business. Was truly, truly sad.

 

CruisinSue -- yes, Angelo worked on both the Oceanic and the Doric. He was quite a character and always a nice guy. Glad he's still around. Oh, and I remember Flavio went to Princess.

 

Oh and last year, I went on a Royal Princess cruise and the chef had previously worked on the Doric but can't recall his name right now. The maitre'd brought him over to our table -- I was so excited to find someone from Home Lines! I'll never grow up!

 

Ciao for now!:)

[TheCruisingSisters]

I have not been on in a while, but trying to catch up with all of you now. I was going through some old Oceanic things lately and actually found the last name of one of the waiters that we were friends with. I am sure you all would remember him. He was on the Oceanic in 1984 and 1985, his name is Gianni Brancaccio and his bus boy was Lorenzo. They had their station at the rear of the dining room.

My sister and I still want to go to this reunion, we called up the restaurant but have not heard anything more.

This is an idea, we have a "Cruise to Nowhere" booked for January on the NCL Gem out of Manhattan with a reunion of school friends, maybe all of you would like to get together with this overnight cruise and bring back old memories of our Home Lines days. If you need info I can give you the girl who is handing the group reservations for our school and you can all receive the same discount as our group with her.

Nancy

[cruisin'since'75]

 

This is an idea, we have a "Cruise to Nowhere" booked for January on the NCL Gem out of Manhattan with a reunion of school friends, maybe all of you would like to get together with this overnight cruise and bring back old memories of our Home Lines days. If you need info I can give you the girl who is handing the group reservations for our school and you can all receive the same discount as our group with her.

 

Nancy

 

Oh my, an overnight in January w/a bunch of broads from the old Home Lines Days! Helluva way to start the new year and one of the most generous offers you two ladies could possibly make! I was going to say a generous offer made to strangers, but my guess is that as soon as we get in the same place at the same time, we'll absolutely all know each other. Some of us may have had our "moments", and some of us may have shared our boys, but ya know, none of that matters. Well, maybe it matters a little bit...

You can feel all the good that this particular board exudes; it practically pulsates w/the emotion, the memories, the honest and knowing respect we have for each other as "Home Lines Girls".

Certainly the reunion at the restaurant in Westchester sounds amazing, but frankly, we all know that ANYTHING on a cruise ship at sea is better than any other thing on land! I haven't been in the best frame of mind for the last several weeks which is odd for me in the spring and summer, but honestly Nancy, my interest has been awakened and I'd like to talk to you, or email, about this cruise idea. Contact me. All my info is listed.

And Ms. Florida, you join the little group and this wondrous "simpatico" begins to blossom almost immediately. Thanks Nancy and her sister. I can't wait until we are in touch. Marge106, whadyathink from your end?

J ;)