What Was Royal Caribbean Like Back in the Day?

[Paulette3028]

My first ship, too!

I think the first was 1979? Sailed along with my mother and 2 sisters.

I recall that Dad brought us on and then left. That cannot happen now!

We went to Nassau and Bermuda.

I seem to recall swimming in the ocean on our sea day off of the back of the ship.

I loved it so much that I did the same cruise a few years later with some girl friends.

 

Once I was married I worked hard to convince my husband that we should try a cruise.....

We now have more than 30 cruises under our belts on RCCL and other lines.

 

Are you kidding me??? .....swimming off the back of the ship.....how incredible...I just can't imagine that happening. How could it happen on a sea day with the ship moving?

[Cinders411]

Just wanted to thank all the posters who shared their "back in the day" memories of RC. I have really enjoyed reading these but, does make me a bit sad I missed out on some of these things!

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

Unless I missed it somewhere, here are two others from days gone by:

 

1. Skeet Shooting off the back of the ship

 

2. Golf Ball Driving off the back of the ship

[mbarnes27]

I remember the Orange dressing, the Butter Brickle ice cream, and tableside Cherries Jubilee - YUM! Lobster was also very good then. Not the washed-out rubber served now.

 

What I miss most is that cruising used to cater to adults, not children. Cruising was about getting to know your crew and fellow cruisers, the ports, and the ship. No cartoon characters, etc. except for the kids club.

 

More guest entertainers, and less 'deluxe' production shows. The shows also seemed to change more often.

 

Back then, we had guest lecturers for short talks on the islands and history, and once we had a naturalist that did a slide show and talk about island critters. I thoroughly enjoyed those. Now, there are shopping talks.

 

I don't miss the formality in the dining room, but I sure do miss the service. Back when, meals were served at the pace of the diners, not at the pace of the kitchen.

 

I like the Windjammer and 'my time' dining, and can't wait for the day RCCL permits shorts in the dining room for dinner. I have to admit that we're cruising Carnival more now for that specific reason.

 

I don't remember the beds being bad back when, but I didn't have a memory foam mattress at home then either. Now, all the beds seem to be made out of lumpy rock.

 

First-ever cruise trip was with my Mom on the Cunard Countess out of Puerto Rico between Xmas and New Years back ~1987, and I was hooked!

 

My first cruise on RCCL was on the Grandeur of the Seas in summer 2000 with my hubby - 7 days out of Miami. To this day, Grandeur is still our favorite ship!

 

Wendy

 

I just took my first cruise back in May on Navigator and while I'm only 27, I was one of the few who wore even a sports coat every night. I was shocked to see a lot of people wearing shorts, flip flops, and t-shirts with print on them. I didn't mind it at all honestly but I was surprised by it. I had forgotten to pack my dress shoes and only had leather sandals with me so I skipped the MDR the first night and rented shoes from the tailor for the rest of the sailing. Seeing flip flops, I could have easily gotten away with it lol.

[seaandsea]

1. You had welcome aboard free drinks handed to you when you walked on the ship.

2. At breakfast you had free fresh squeezed orange juice, apple juice, pineapple juice and several other juices available for you free of charge in tiny little glasses.

3. Chocolates on the pillow at night.

4. The waitstaff at dinner was not slammed and overwhelmed with work. If you asked about their country and family, they would talk your ear off with a smile on their face.

5. You had a welcome back free gift in your room when you first got to your cabin.

6. "Horse racing" and horse race gambling by the pool deck several days a week.

7. Fitness classes were free of charge and you accumulated "ship shape dollars" that you could exchange for a free t-shirt at the end of the week.

8. The ships were smaller but more upscale.

9. People dressed up at dinner multiple nights a week in suits and dresses. Dinners were much formal than these days.

10. Flaming cherry jubilee was made at the table by the head waiter for dessert at least one night each sailing.

11. Drink prices were higher than land, but not nearly as absurd as they are these days.

12. The paper comment card at the end of the week was insanely important to the crew and they would talk about each time you saw them the last few days of the week. You would turn them in as you walked off the ship the last day and one person would win a free cruise for filling it out.

13. There use to be a passenger talent show during the week.

14. Extravagant midnight buffets each night of the sailing. The ice and butter carvings were amazing.

 

 

Those are the ones that popped in my head off the bat. I will share more as I think of them.

I totally agree with all of these, but another big deal was price. They did not have all these crazy sales. 50% off, free friends and family, they are all ridiculous. They take the price, double it, then put it on sale for more than it started at. Very frustrating. Back in the day, the price was not so bad, you could combine any discount you had. We would sale with OBC, balcony discount, and stock holders discount. Wow, back then we could get some great deals. I don't know who RCCL think they are kidding with all the hype.

[jules815]

My mom passed away in 1998, and my dad passed away in 2014. They did a lot of cruising with Royal Caribbean and Holland America. Last year when I was packing up my dad's house in Port Orange, I found a box full of photo albums and videos taken on their cruises. I don't have a VHS recorder anymore and need to have the tapes converted over to dvd. Anyway, here are a few pictures I just took with my phone. Sorry for the glare! I hope this works!

[jules815]

And here are a few more...

[fenton04]

Really? Are you sure?

 

 

I think that was called walking the plank. I do not recall if the ship returned to pick them up!

[TubbyMrT]

Sometimes, when change occurs little by little, it is less noticeable. But when we look back over 20 years we see how far we have moved from excellent service. It is a huge move.

 

If a cruise line brought back that level of service, they would get my business without a doubt. Come on Royal, are you up for the challenge?

[ryano]

I don't know who RCCL think they are kidding with all the hype.

 

New cruisers. Which seems to be their target now. And it must be working. There has been some sort of gimmick "sale" since early last year :o

[LuCruise]

Yes, I remember getting a passenger list back in 1997 cruise on Grandeur of the Seas. I'm assuming they don't do that anymore.

 

 

 

Also, if I'm remembering correctly, only alcoholic drinks were extra. Poo and stuff was included.

Edited June 29, 2015 by LuCruise

[cincicruisers]

Way back when..Everybody dressed for dinner. For the welcome aboard show you could ask questions. The question was~which of the two formal nights is the most formal? The person (don't remember who) said that both were formal. The ladies asked again and he replied "where the dress that is the loosest because by the second formal night you will have been eating no stop and your dress may be tight! :)

 

Not only did people dress for dinner but most wore "cruise casual" outfits. You used to be able to shop for cruise wear at stores. No tank tops and short shorts.

 

Very different now

[loubetti]

"Those were the days my friends, we thought they'd never end..."

 

Frankly, if the good Lord came to me and said, "Lou, you have a choice of time travel. You can do the maiden voyage on Oasis of the Seas, or Song of Norway, which would you choose?"

 

The smaller ship wins every time.

 

I had the privilege to spend over an hour talking to one of RCCL's ORIGINAL 3 captains in his cabin. His name; Kasper Skjerve, this was not on a RCCL ship, but on the great Regal Empress, where he went to as a relief captain after retirement from RCCL. He signed my John Maxtone Graham book, "Under Crown and Anchor". Kasper was known as the "singing captain".

 

Kasper is around 92 now, and lives not far from me in Florida. I have to contact him.

 

Trust me, whether RCCL, or HAL, or whatever, it ain't what it used to be. It just appeals to a larger audience; one that generally wants to be on a floating land resort.

[skandls]

Nordic Prince -1984 and Song of Norway 1985. Such a different experience. One thing you do not see anymore are Officer hosted tables. If you were lucky - and got seated at an officer's table he would buy wine and drinks for the table when he was there for dinner. This is when they would bring a dessert cart and an after dinner liquor cart.

 

Things have changed - I think for the better. Much less expensive with more options on what to do. Food not so good - but now you can pay up for the specialty restaurants.

 

And you don't have to get blow around outside going to the Viking Crown Lounge.

[Ontario Cruiser]

Our first cruise was in 1985 We lived in Toronto and Regent Holidays chartered ships The first one we were on was the Atlas then the Oceanus We have sailed so many times since then I have lost track of how many. So many memories. My husband is 89 and we are doing 3 cruises this year including the Jewel crossing in April actually our first RCL cruise. Celebrity Princess & Hal are the most recent ones. It was so nice being the only ship in port in the Caribbean Ontario Cruiser

I forgot I crossed the Atlantic in 1958 with my father on the Empress of France and Empress of England

[susancruzs]

Memories, Memories! My first cruise was in 1982 with NCL and I didn't sail with RCI until 1995, Sovereign of the Seas. My favorite ship of RCI was the Song of Norway. I sailed a positioning cruise LA to Alaska. First ship of the season, no other ships in port with us, so no crowds, a special experience. We got a wonderful welcome at each port and it was great being on a small ship.

 

I sailed on ssNorway two transatlantics. John Maxtone Graham was onboard and gave wonderful talks. I got in touch with him about a poster and actually talked to him on the phone. He was interested in the fact I started cruising because my dad talked about his trip to Sweden on Gripsholm in the 1930s. I am fortunate enough to have diaries from those crossings, from my grandfather and my dad, a teenager at the time.

 

I remember getting a shot of aquavit liqueur the last night with desert, no charge plus there was white and red wine served with the final dinner. The presentation and the way food was served was much better. You had a choice of vegetables they actually served to you. Someone ordered pheasant, it came in a pottery crock, with a stuffed pheasant on the lid.

 

My all time best cruise wasn't on RCI but the first Royal Princess in 1986, which had all outside staterooms. It was a big band cruise with Les Brown and his band of renown. I was one of the 10 youngest onboard at 39! :) This was when they gave out more info on passenger demographics. I enjoyed watching people dance before dinner every night, the clothes, everyone dressed up, it was very special.

 

I still enjoy cruising but my early cruises in the 80s and 90s can't be topped.

[jules815]

People really dressed up. My dad would bring a black and a white tux. My mom had so many gowns with matching shoes/bags. They loved it! She would get a new gown for every cruise. :) Song of America and Song of Norway were favorites. They dined with the captain several times. I remember when they got a visit from the Upgrade Fairy on one of their early Holland America cruises. From that one on, they were hooked and sailed exclusively in suites on HAL.

[Snookum]

Oh my everything that everyone said! I hadn't thought about it for so long but "those were the days". Back then RCC cared more for their passengers it seemed. Today I think it's all about profit. They had so many nice things going on that they don't have today!

[JimAOk1945]

This is such an interesting, fun thread. I've enjoyed reading about Royal Caribbean back in the day, as well as the other cruise lines mentioned. How I wish I had discovered cruising at an earlier age. :D Oh well, better late than never.

 

Happy cruising!

[Loyal2RCCL]

Here are some of the things I remember:

 

Small, intimate ships (700 pax) in the 70's and 80's

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner was assigned seating (Early/Late) in the MDR

Jacket and tie required every night after 6pm

Elaborate midnight buffet every night

Soft drinks included with meals

$1.50 cocktails

You paid for everything with cash at the time it was delivered.

Guests were allowed onboard during embarkation day

You were allowed to visit other ships in the ports of call.. even those of other cruise lines

Excellent, personalized service

Excellent meals.. great quality and interesting menus

Flaming desserts, pastas and salads made tableside

VERY small cabins with no TV etc.

Great outside deck parties

Very expensive compared to today's prices.

[mr walker]

Very expensive compared to today's prices.

 

Seems that most of the old cruisers (in terms of having cruised long ago, not in terms of age) remember the good ol' days with minute detail, yet don't seem to recognise this :)

 

We started only recently and enjoy what is offered else we wouldn't go cruising on RC. Some of you would say that's because we don't know better I guess :D

 

Happy cruising.

[shofer]

Our first cruise was on Monarch in May, 1997. As far as dinner goes, we were automatically assigned to a table of 8 and had a fantastic experience. Dinner was long, well organized, and the menu vast. On formal nights, two of the men were in tuxes - lots of tuxes back then. Women were in long gowns, nicely coifed. One thing I remember, and miss, is the nightly shot of the day in Royal Caribbean shot glasses or little metal goblets that you got to keep that waiters would carry around after the meal. Our table did partake in one every night. Don't think Labardee was around back then, but I could be wrong. We went southern route.

 

We were on Grandeur for a family cruise in 2001 and they had those glasses. My cousin ended up with a whole set. I had completely forgotten about those. They were a lot of fun and good too.

 

Sue

[RBAlbany]

Enjoying this thread so much I had to go home last night and research my first cruise. Honeymoon 31 years ago on the Carnival Mardi Gras in 1984. Only about 1000 passengers. The ship looks so small!! I didn't realize it wass their first ship. I remember midnight buffet just about every night. I made them all. My bride wanted to, but never could. One small pool in the back of the ship. Included in my extended tux rental for the wedding was a white dinner jacket.

[susancruzs]

Right about the pricing. People tend to ask me (because I cruise as a single) about pricing. I still cruise because 30+ years ago I was paying $800-900. for a 7 day cruise. Now people are trying to get a balcony cabin for that price. I was staying in a cabin for a single, they had some "back in the day"! :)

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

This thread is great, though really makes me miss cruising back then - the good old days.

 

First cruise was on Grandeur in 1997 - I was 16.

 

The staff was unbelievable back then - there was no disorganization, running around crazy, and waiting for your courses. Everything was very elegant, organized, and well prepared. No matter what you asked for - you got it.

 

You had the same waiter (no female waitresses back then, or if there were there were very few) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and by the end of the week, you had a new family incouding your tablemates, head waiter, waiter, and assistant waiter. It was hard to leave them! We've made lifelong friends (staff) who we still speak with today.

 

Soda was no charge in the dining rooms, and you could get orange juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, etc., with no additional cost at breakfast.

 

Desserts were excellent, grand, and plentiful. I remember flaming cherries jubilee and bananas foster being made tableside. During the midnight/Gala Buffet, there were so many different desserts you couldn't try everything!

 

Labadee was a tendered port, with nothing but beaches and the large garage where the natives sold their goods.

 

People dressed for dinner, and dressed as the rules stated.

 

Your cabin was squeaky clean and the attendants were less overworked, more happy, calm, talkative, and helpful. You never had to ask for anything twice.

 

The Calypso band played on the pool deck, and for the late-night parties as well. No rap music or other kinds being blasted over the intercom as it is now.

 

The Captain made 2 daily announcements and everyone stopped to listen intently to what he was saying.

 

I could go on and on, but I will just say that in a nut shell, EXCELLENT service, and people followed the rules and were respectful.

 

I miss those days!

Edited June 30, 2015 by LuckiStac13*Majesty*