Sitmar Cruise Lines/Florence & Howard Gellman

[Heikar]

Hi Heikki, If it was my post referring to transferring Sitmar cruise days, I did say it was Princess, not HAL.

 

Hi Tony,

No it wasn't your post. They were right at the beginning of the thread going back to 2006. One specifically said Sitmar to HAL and then another said HAL would even honour Princess days. Although they are all owned by Carnival they tell me that the trips are independent and associated with the specific line.

Enjoy,

Heikki

[cyte]

does anyone have pictures of the Fairwind circa 1984?

[chasetf]

does anyone have pictures of the Fairwind circa 1984?

I found these on the net. We sailed her in the early 90's when she was the Dawn Princess.

 

 

[luckycruzer]

with SITMAR..especially the TSS Fairwind..have many souv-ies and memries..thanx for posting the cards!

[pegasus47]

Hello! I will give Mark your fondest regards! He now lives in the Las Vegas area and no longer works on ships. He is doing very well and is the same "Mark" that you would remember - always smiling, always SO wonderful to be around!

[pegasus47]

To Tony - That was Anne McAlpin on HGTV as well as several other shows. Anne lived in Seattle for a few years after leaving ship life and now lives in Oregon, her home state. She has been very successful in her books and appearances on packing. I'm sure you could google her name and see her publications and other products - some are featured in the Magellan travel magazine/catalogue. You'll see from her photo that she still looks the same - pretty and with a beautiful smile!

[saltandpepper02476]

I traveled on Sitmars Fairwind and Fairsky in the mid to late eighties. THere was nothing like their Italian dining rooms and their pasta was the best ever. No cruise line has come up to them in my opinion. HAL is close but the food and service on Sitmar was the best. I was so sad when Princess bought them.

[luckycruzer]

Here,here

[carolegz]

Jean Kerr didn't write this poem- John Masefield did:

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over

[wfgm]

I cannot believe I have stumbled over this site, I thought it was only Australians who were excited about Sitmar cruises. Nothing compares to the old Fairstar that sailed from Sydney until mid 1990s. It was one o the best rust buckets of a ship continually breaking down but so much fun and memories. Many dining room staff are still working for P&O on The Pacific Dawn from Brisbane and even they have fond memories of the ship.:D The ships may be bigger the amenities better but the service is not the same, and desert is not served rom a trolley pushed around or you to choose from.

Wendy

[wfgm]

I cannot believe I have found this site. I thought Australians were the only people passonate about Sitmar. We had the Fairstar from Sydney up until early 1990. It was the biggest rust bucket of a ship brokedown many times but was so much fun and created memories too numerous to print. Many of the dining room staff still work on the P&O ships out of Sydney and Brisbane and still have fond mermories of the ships. Ships are bigger amenities better but at the expense of personalised service and security. Gone are the days of desert trolleys being wheeled through the dining room for you to make a selection from. There are several things I enjoy now on the newer ships balconies being top of my list.:D

Wendy

[scotts8826]

My wife and I did a 10 day honeymoon cruise on Sitmar back in 1986. I can't remember which Fair... it was off hand. To this day she still remarks about how good the ceazar salad was on that cruise. That was back when attention to detail was important. Chocolates on the pillows, her gown laid out every night. The only down side was that we could not push our twin beds together to form a double. Did I mention it was our honeymoon?

[pegasus47]

to scotts8826 - if you tell us your itinerary, we can probably figure out which ship you were on in 1986. It could have been the Fairwind, Fairsea, or Fairsky. The Wind and Sea were both around 25,000 tons. The Sky was large for that time - at 42,000 tons!

[jerrycat]

does anyone have pictures of the Fairwind circa 1984?

I finally got around to digging these out and scanning. This would be the Fairwind in 1981.

 

Time was not good to some of the slides, but I think they're interesting. Even though the quality isn't great, I like this picture. That's St. Thomas and you can really see the difference in size from today's ships.

 

Most of the ports at that time required a tender so there are quite a few images taken from the tender boat.

[luckycruzer]

I sailed many times on Wind...and relish every moment. I cruze with some CCL officers (and Miami home office peeps) these days, that started their career with them..and we have many chats and memories to reflect upon. What a way to start my day, along with my cuppa TEA...Thattza My Boat!

[Bella cruiser]

Hi, just found this very long thread, I also love Sitmar, they were the best and are missed by all who experienced them.

 

I don't know whether this has been pointed out or not but at the end of this year P & O Australia are introducing a new ship for Australia / NewZealand.

 

She is to be called Pacific Pearl ex (Fair Majesty, Star Princess, Arcadia, Ocean Village (I)). So we have ended up with Sitmar's last ship, can't wait to see her. I would like to travel on her at least once for old times sake.:cool:

 

Jenny

[Xcelnt1]

I went on that cruise line April 11 1985 what ever happened to that ship?

[Bella cruiser]

Hi, Xcelnt1, Sitmar's Fairwind (Sylvania 1957-1968, Fairwind 1968-1988, Dawn Princess 1988-1993, Albatros 1993-2004).

 

She suffered an engine room fire in 1995 and a serious grounding in 1997 and was repaired after both incidents. She was eventually retired in November 2003 after her serious ongoing mechanical problems were considered uneconomical to repair.

 

Sadly she was broken up at Alang, India in January 2004.:(

 

Regards Jenny.

[luckycruzer]

still beats loudly, evey time I read upon Sitmar. I have a Hotel manager pal on CCL, that worked in Aussie for them. We have many martinis reminisced over old times

[The Gators]

Just came accross this Thread. Oh my but reading about Sitmar rekindled all sorts of wonderful memories. Our first Sitmar cruise was on the Fairwind, August 1977. The first cruise for our daughter Kathy and son Leo. 14 days in the Caribbean. Both were in their teens at the time. Does anyone remember the singer Dax Xenos, fantastic voice but never heard of him again! We cruised on Sitmar several times. We were the last ship through the Panama canal before it was turned over to Panama. Enjoyed Alaska on the Fairsea accompanied by our daughter Kathy and my mom Kathryn Kelly. This was special for Kathy as the young Italian crew payed special attention to the few young women aboard. Gianni, Jo Jo and Fernando made our cruise. Gianni said he would meet and marry an American girl and open a resturant in the US. He did just that we heard that he had married and opened a resturant in San Diego. :cool:

 

The Service and ambiance of the Sitmar ships were special and probably will never be seen again. Our first cruise was NCL Starward in 1974 but Sitmar was cruising to us and kindled our love for cruising. 78 cruises later and many cruise lines we know that Sitmar was very special. Look forward to the Oasis in October, no doubt bigger and grander but our first love was Sitmar. Thanks for the memories! Joan & Neil :D

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

My wife and I did a 10 day honeymoon cruise on Sitmar back in 1986. I can't remember which Fair... it was off hand. To this day she still remarks about how good the ceazar salad was on that cruise. That was back when attention to detail was important. Chocolates on the pillows, her gown laid out every night. The only down side was that we could not push our twin beds together to form a double. Did I mention it was our honeymoon?

 

We had to put the mattresses on the floor so we could sleep together on our honeymoon! lol

[msinlow]

My first cruise at 24 was Sitmar's Fairsea. It was a two week SF round trip. Our first stop after 3 or 4 days was a place called Alert Bay which thank heaven no one stops there anymore. After that I cruise the Caribbean with the Fairwind, then the Panama Canal on the Fairsea and eventually back to Alaska on the Fairsky. As far as I'm concerned they still had the best food of most cruise lines except Celebrity. But what I miss the most was going to the little Pizzeria with 3 choices of a one person pizza and a coke. They had the best Pizza to this day. I was heartbroken when they were taken over by Princess but knew it was there main competition.

[luckycruzer]

and a "Lampadina" drink latenight..yep, best food and service EV-ver

[Rotterdam]

Harry's Bar...

 

LOVED IT!!!!!!!

 

SITMAR....Sex Is Too Much After Ravioli

[luckycruzer]

loved that little place too. The Mistral Lounge...the aft midnight cook outs. We never sailed till later in the day....Got to go to Casinos in P Rico til midnight!..my heart hurts:(