You Never Forget Your First . . .

[Calgon1]

Guess I can go ahead and post my DW's virgin cruise. The Windjammer Barefoot s/v Yankee Clipper. Built in Germany in 1927, it was one of the few armor-plated private yachts in the world, and was later owned by the Vanderbilt family.

SunFlower laughs whe she describes her "stateroom". I could, literally, stand in the middle of the cabin and touch both walls at the same time.

Well known as a lovely drinking ship with a sailing problem ... The captain sums it up fairly well, "Do not ask me when we're going to get there!" bellowed Captain Julian. "This is the Caribbean! We live in la-la land 90 percent of the time! If there's food and booze, we don't give a damn!"

 

[Calgon1]

Found two Galileo's. One is a 3 masted schooner that only sails the Greek islands. So, I'm guessing you sailed the m/v Galileo Galilei -

Built in in 1963 for Lloyd Triestino's Genoa-Sydney service. In 1976, In 1979, she was transferred to Italia Crociere as a fulltime cruise ship. This was not a success and she was laid up, later to be sold toCosta Crociere respectively. On 21st May 1999, Sun Vista, ex-Galileo Galilei, sank off the Malaysian coast following an engine room fire.

 

Edited October 25, 2014 by Calgon1

[rmack0423]

We had heard that she had sunk. Was a fun trip, really enjoyed it. Appreciate the pictures

[marshhawk]

I was six, and we were moving to France for two and a half years- I remember people REALLY dressing for dinner, live music, tea parties for the kids, and real movies in a theatre-an indoor swimming pool (my brother found an octopus in it)

 

The Queen Mary-

Edited October 26, 2014 by marshhawk

[Laughing Angel]

The Pride -

 

Thanks, Calgon1!

[LoriPhil]

In 1964 I was 11 when my family moved back from England to the States, and we sailed the SS America rather than fly home. Amazing experience, even for a kid. Discovered FREE movies, soda fountain, and that I suffered horribly from motion sickness. The best solution for that was putting a life-jacket on me and flinging me into the big indoor pool where I bobbed around like a cork for hours at a time, but felt just great! I finally discovered Bonine in 2007 and was able to resume cruising, with DH also loving this as our vacationing-of-choice. :D

Edited October 26, 2014 by LoriPhil

[Treven]

Mine was 2005, on the NCL Star, through the Hawaiian Isls, down to Kiribati (Fanning Island) and back up. I remember most vividly coming around a curve on the Main Street in Honolulu, and the cab driver said to me, "well, there's your ship". I looked out and saw that HUGE ship!!

Edited October 26, 2014 by Treven

[geoherb]

Carnival's Carnivale in 1988. It was a couple of months before my ex and I broke up.

 

http://worldshipny.com/images/carnivale.jpg

 

I can't believe I sent back for a second cruise with my current husband the following year. It was on NCL's Seaward.

 

http://worldshipny.com/images/carnivale.jpg

 

We've taken 30 cruises since that first one together.

[dorisis]

The Homeric -

 

Began life in 1931 as the Mariposa (butterfly) for the Matson Lines. In 1953 she was sold to the Home Lines and rechristened the Homeric. She suffered a major galley/dining room fire in 1973 and was scrapped in 1974.

 

 

 

The Carmania -

 

Had an interesting history. Originally named the Saxonia (Cunard) in 1954, she underwent a major refit in 1962 and came out of drydock as the Carmania. In 1974, she was sold to the USSR and renamed the Leonid Sobinov carrying happy party members on Black Sea cruises until 1989, when she became the property of the Ukraine. She was scrapped in 1999.

 

Thanks for the info and pic. Hard to imagine how small ships were back then

and how very different cruising was.One of the crew told us she had carried troops during WW2

Edited October 26, 2014 by dorisis

[dorisis]

Thanks for a wonderful trip down memory lane, we have cruised on many of the ships seen in this post and many other memorable old ships.

[Calgon1]

Thanks for the info and pic. Hard to imagine how small ships were back then

and how very different cruising was.One of the crew told us she had carried troops during WW2

 

Actually, there were two ships named "Carmania".

 

The first Carmania -

 

When launched, the Carmania, and her sister the Caronia, were the largest ships in the Cunard fleet. Following the outbreak of World War I, she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser, equipped with eight 4.7 inch guns. From May 1916, she was used as a troop ship. After the war, she transported Canadian troops back from Europe. By 1919, she returned to passenger liner service, being refitted in 1923. In 1932, she was scrapped.

 

The second Carmania, (your ship) -

 

Did not see service during World War II. She started life as the RMS Saxonia. She was launched on February 17th 1954 by Lady Churchill, wife of the then Prime Minister, and revived a name previously used for the Cunard liner RMS Saxonia, which had been launched in 1899 and scrapped in 1925. Completed early in August 1954, Saxonia arrived in Liverpool on the 23rd of that month and was prepared for her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montreal which began on 2 September 1954.

 

The ship was refitted in 1962 and given another Cunard name from earlier in the century, Carmania. As Carmania, the vessel continued service on the Rotterdam - Le Harve - Southampton - Canada route for several years, and cruised in the Caribbean and Mediterranian in the winters from 1962 through 1973.

[loubetti]

Costa Riviera (former Guglielmo Marconi) in October 1985. Back in thee days when Costa was Costa and not Carnivacosta.

 

[Calgon1]

My appologies for being a slacker. Had to do some major leaf raking up here in Michigan . . .

Treven's first love was the NCL Star -

Norwegian Star was built by the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Construction began on the Star in 2000 and was completed in mid-2001, with the ship put into service later that year. Originally circumnavigating the Hawaiian Islands since its introduction, Norwegian Star was moved to the Pacific Coast of North America in 2004.

 

 

[Calgon1]

LoriPhil, I didn't forget you . . .

SS United States was built in 1952 for the United States Lines ansd was designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record.

Built at a cost of $78 million, the ship is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the US, the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction, and even in her retirement retains the Blue Riband given to the passenger liner, in regular service, crossing the Atlantic with the record highest speed.

 

 

Her construction was partially subsidized by the US government, since she was designed to allow conversion to a troop carrier should the need arise. United States operated uninterrupted in transatlantic passenger service until 1969. Since 1996 she has been docked at Pier 82 on the Deleware River, in Philadelphia.

 

On her maiden voyage on July 3, 1952, United States broke the transatlantic speed record held by Queen Mary for the previous 14 years by over 10 hours, making the maiden crossing from the Ambrose lightship at New York Harbor to Bishop Rock off Cornwall, UK in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots (65.91 km/h; 40.96 mph)

Edited October 26, 2014 by Calgon1

[ondeckatsea]

The Norway! It was about 30 cruises ago and we still remember that elegant ship. The Grand Staircase into both dining rooms, the huge theater, the tiny swimming pools and the great service with the same waiter for all three meals. The midnight buffets, the theme nights...what a way to go!

[Folk Singer]

Ours was the Oasis of the Seas. Been Hooked ever since.

[Calgon1]

The SS France (aka: SS Norway) -

 

SS France was a Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962. At the time of her construction in 1960 she was the longest passenger ship ever built, a record that remained unchallenged until the construction of the 345 meter RMS Queen Mary 2, in 2004.

 

 

The France was later purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in 1979, renamed SS Norway and underwent significant modifications that better suited her for crusing duties.

 

She was sold to be scrapped in 2006, and scrapping was completed in late 2008

[Calgon1]

The Oasis of the Seas -

The world's largest cruise ship! The gross tonnage of Oasis of the Seas is 225,282. Her displacement — the actual mass of the vessel — is estimated at approximately 100,000 metric tons (110,000 short tons), slightly less than that of the USS Nimitz aircraft acrrier.

[CRUISEWITHH]

In 1958 my parents took me and my little sister on a cruise to Hawaii. It was on the Leilani and it was the last crossing for this little beauty. Few people are familiar with this ship, most remember the Lurelie another small ship that cruised from Los Angeles to Oahu back in the day....

 

I discovered that I loved cruising but didn't get a chance to cruise again until 1977. That was on the Amerikanas.

[babyher]

Royal Caribbean Song Of America in 1986. Honeymoon with my 1st wife .

[jocap]

Not a cruise as we know them today, but out of my first year salary as a teacher in the '60s, I took my mother on a "cruise" on MacBrayne's ferry "Columba", sailing round the Scottish Hebridean Islands from Oban. The ferry did her normal passage from island to island, and coaches were waiting for the cruisers at each place, to see inland. It was bunk beds, shared shower/ toilet areas, and much too much salmon, haggis and whisky.... We did this two years running, with a different itinerary.

Now Columba sails under the name Hebridean Princess, and is one of the most luxurious and expensive cruise ships afloat. The Queen has chartered her twice for family cruises.

(Sorry, I can't post any pictures of her)

[MtnBikerFallDown]

This has been a GREAT thread. I've enjoyed the pictures and history so much!

 

My first cruise was with my Dad in 1995. I got married that year, but this was a Father/Daughter cruise just before I got married. We were on the Carnival Ecstasy. We thought we were the cat's meow, because we had a balcony AND a bathtub!! We brought all the people from our table in the dining room down to see it. They'd been complaining about their tiny showers and I mentioned the bathtub. We practically had a party in our room that night. So fun!

 

I really remember the last night. Dad and I were walking the deck and you could hardly stand up. We looked over the railing and the ship was absolutely flying! So much faster than it had before. An hour or so later, the Captain announced we were picking up speed, as Carnival had another ship that was stranded without electricity. They were getting us to port early, and then going to rescue the folks stranded. We were off the ship, luggage in hand and on the bus to the airport by 7am! We spent a lot of time chilling out in the Miami airport waiting on our 2pm flight.

 

I actually found an old news article on it!

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/20/us/vessel-sent-to-assist-stranded-cruise-ship.html

 

The ship they rescued was the Celebration.

[Calgon1]

In 1958 my parents took me and my little sister on a cruise to Hawaii. It was on the Leilani and it was the last crossing for this little beauty. Few people are familiar with this ship, most remember the Lurelie another small ship that cruised from Los Angeles to Oahu back in the day....

 

I discovered that I loved cruising but didn't get a chance to cruise again until 1977. That was on the Amerikanas.

 

 

S.S. Leilani Hawaiian Textron -

 

Wow. You hit it with the Leilani. What a history . . .

 

 

SS General W. P. Richardson was built as a P2 type General transport ship for the US Navy. She was constructed by the Federal Ship Building & Dry Dock Company at Kearney in New Jersey. She was one of eleven 17,000-ton, steam, D.R. Geared Turbines and having twin screw, sister ships all built towards the end of WWII. Each having a capacity for around 5,000 troops. She was launched on August 6, 1944. Originally she was to be named General R.M. Blatchford, but her name was changed just prior her being launched. She was delivered on October 31 and commissioned as number AP118 on November 2. She departed on her maiden voyage from Boston to Southampton on December 10, 1944.

 

In February 1946, she was handed over to the US Army for a brief military operation, then on March 10, 1948, she was laid up, but was soon chartered by American Export Lines for a trial conversion as a passenger liner. She was refitted at Pascagoula and renamed LaGuardia. She had accommodations for 157 First class and 452 tourist class passengers. Her first voyage departed on May 27 1949, from New York to Genoa, then from October she sailed from the US to Haifa Israel.

 

On December 13, 1951, she was handed over to the US Maritime Commission and was laid up for four years on the James River. In 1955 she was sold to the Hawaiian Steam Ship Company, Textron Inc, New York and she received another refit and was renamed Leilani. After her refit, her tonnage was listed as 18,298 GRT. She was placed on the California to Hawaii service in July 1956. However, this service was not successful and in 1959, and Textron Inc went bankrupt.

 

She was again laid up until being auctioned off in 1960 by the US Maritime Administration. She was purchased by American President Lines, San Francisco. In March 1961 the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company in Seattle commenced a US$10 million extensive rebuild program of her into a luxury passenger liner. She was renamed President Roosevelt.

 

Having been completed, she was delivered on April 16, 1962 and was now registered as being 18,920 GRT. She now had 186 staterooms all having private facilities, accommodating 456 first class passengers. She became most famous in this guise as many movie stars and celebrities sailed on her. There were even a number of movies made onboard. President Roosevelt commenced her new service from the US West Coast to Japan in May 1962.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Calgon1

[Calgon1]

With the Japanese trade declining in the late sixties, she was sold in 1970 to Chandris Lines, registered for Solon Nav SA, in Piraeus. In Perama, she received a radical rebuild, after which her exterior had no resemblance of the ship in her previous guise. She was renamed Atlantis. She was completed in June 1071 at 20,458 GRT, accommodating 962 passengers in a one-class configuration.

 

She headed for the US and commenced as a Caribbean cruise ship. However, her Chandris days was brief, as she was again sold in October 1972 to Ares Shipping, later Eastern Steamship Lines. Having had five rebuilds and refits, she became the Emerald Seas. Under the management of Admiral Cruises Inc, she commenced overnight cruise service between Florida and the Bahamas. She remained in service for twenty years until 1992, being the most successful service to date.

 

Having been a successful cruise ship, Festival Cruises purchased her in 1992, and was renamed Sapphire Seas. She crossed the Atlantic and headed for Europe where she commenced cruising around Egypt and Israel. In October 1994, she was laid up at Piraeus.

 

Mid 1998, she was renamed Ocean Explorer I and was used in Lisbon being one of three Hotel ships for Expo 98, after which, she returned for lay up at Eleusis Greece. Then from November 20, 1999 to March 25, 2000, Ocean Explorer I was chartered by the World Cruise Company of Ontario Canada and she operated a four month world cruise. The late Captain Graikos boarded her in Eleusis Bay on January 05 2004 and reported, “This vessel is a living treasure! Her interiors are like new. Everything is in the proper order, right down to forks and knives neatly stored in her galley. Her carpets, furniture, lounges and cabins are like new!”

 

Thereafter, she had been mostly laid up, but she was retained in pristine condition. However, in April 2004 Ocean Explorer I was sold to Indian breakers and soon she headed for the breakers beach and was duly broken up. Obviously, being an old steam ship with a rather deep draught, she became uneconomical for the modern cruise industry therefore her decline. It was a sad loss indeed, but she did have a good run and many people had a wonderful time on her and countless memories will remain of this rather special ands unique ship!

Edited October 27, 2014 by Calgon1

[Calgon1]

Royal Caribbean Song Of America in 1986. Honeymoon with my 1st wife .

 

RCCI Song of America -

 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines had operated throughout the 1970s with three ships that had been built at the Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland. Two of these had been lengthened towards the end of the decade, but due to increased demand RCCL decided to order a larger new ship, again from the Wärtsilä Helsinki shipyard.

 

For the interior layout of their new ship RCCL decided to adapt a system with cabins to the fore of the ship, furthest from engine noise, and public spaces to aft. This layout was widely used on ferries built by the Wärtsilä shipyard, but has been rarely used for cruise ships. The public spaces on decks five and seven were built with 1½ times the standard deck height, leading to deck 6 only existing in the forward part of the ship.

 

The Song of America was launched from drydock on 26 November 1981. Following fitting out she was delivered to her owners on 11 November 1982.

 

Edited October 27, 2014 by Calgon1