The good old days, or a brave new world. Was cruising better in the old days?

[Denarius]

I started cruising in the mid 1990s. In those days a typical cruise ship displaced 25K to 30K tonnes and carried between 600 and 800 passengers. Facilities were limited. The focal point was the ballroom, a multi use venue during the day and a venue for dancing (to the ship's band) and socialising in the evening. There was also usually a pub or coctail/piano bar and an alternative music bar, and a cinema. And that was it. But there was a camaraderie onboard. People socialised with their fellow passengers and got to know many of them quite well.
Then cruise ships got bigger and bigger.
Nowadays, a 1990s ship would be classed as small or even "boutique". A typical ship carries in excess of 3000 passengers, some carry twice that number. They have atria, theatres, show lounges and in some cases even ice rinks etc all of which were virtually unknown 30 years ago. But something has imo been lost. The camaraderie and the ability or even willingness to socialise. Instead of lingering over dinner then going to a social venue passengers eat watching their watches, afraid that they will miss their chosen show. Only a small proportion socialise with their fellow passengers. Being entertained rather than socialising is now the order of the day for most.
Which do I prefer? Without doubt, the old ways. All I want from a cruise are interesting ports, good food, drink and service, and good company. I prefer to socialise rather than be entertained and find much less opportunity to do so on large ships with several thousand passengers. The phrase "alone in a city" comes to mind. Are there others who feel the same way, or am I one of a dying breed?

[Aulanis]

I preferred the old ways  for another reason  IIRC   ( that is getting more difficult)

We used to book a cruise  more often then not on the phone direct or via a TA.

Main problem after that was what to pack, the TA or cruiseline used to do the necessary and send us  boarding documents and Airline tickets  and we just strolled up  and presented these together with the passports.

Now  with all the benefits of electronic gadgetry  I spend hours  getting our

documentation ready , praying the printer doesnt packup before its all done.

  I appreciate many will just  save it all on their phone   but what happens when

some glitch makes it disappear.  

Getting an answer to a question  is a nightmare - by the time it sometimes takes  to get a reply I have forgotten  what or why I asked.

     Our cruising has mainly been based on destination  and we liked what was on board that was a bonus.  Service levels also appear to have dropped  lots of little things  - no bed turndown,  no chocolates,  cabin staff servicing more cabins,

No bar service ,  waiters desperate to get orders and  manage the electronic

ordering,  ice  no ice  whats the difference, can you send a drink back if you

really didnt want ice?   Salad with cheese comes with no cheese  at least

3 staff must have moved the order and no-one noticed.  Vegetarian mains

the size of a starter.  Wine on the menu  not available.  Many drinks not available.

They ask what type of meal service you prefer   relaxed  (slow)  normal  or fast.

We normally eat early and try and get to the first show (  if its something we want to see) so we opt for fast. Go to eat and end  up on a table for 8  with 3  couples who  cant decide what to drink  then when they do its not available .

  Oh and another thing  all the cruise lines seem to have cut back on

extras that they used to provide in loyalty schemes.

   Perhaps I am just not cut out for todays "big sell" cruising environment.

Problem of course is what do we do instead.  🙂

 

 

 

 

 These days with 

 

[RedgeToo]

I'm a long time cruiser too but as I travel solo, I have to socialise.

I talk to the people net to me at dinner (always the same table), in bars and even just passing by.

Hopefully, I'm not too overbearing, but I have made friends that I'm still in touch with.

I think overall I prefer a mid-size ship - small enough to meet people, but large enough that people can avoid me without appearing rude.

 

JHMO

[Thejuggler]

The market has expanded and there is a wider offer, but as 600-800 passenger ships still exist I'm not sure there has been much of a change since the mid 90s if that is what is preferred.

[Denarius]

5 hours ago, Thejuggler said:

The market has expanded and there is a wider offer, but as 600-800 passenger ships still exist I'm not sure there has been much of a change since the mid 90s if that is what is preferred.

I'm reasonably comfortable on ships with up to 2000 or so passengers but even ships of this size seem to be a dying breed as far as the mass market companies are concerned. Saga's 1000 passenger ships are more to my taste.

[Britboys]

On 11/16/2022 at 12:03 PM, Denarius said:

I started cruising in the mid 1990s. In those days a typical cruise ship displaced 25K to 30K tonnes and carried between 600 and 800 passengers. Facilities were limited. The focal point was the ballroom, a multi use venue during the day and a venue for dancing (to the ship's band) and socialising in the evening. There was also usually a pub or coctail/piano bar and an alternative music bar, and a cinema. And that was it. But there was a camaraderie onboard. People socialised with their fellow passengers and got to know many of them quite well.
Then cruise ships got bigger and bigger.
Nowadays, a 1990s ship would be classed as small or even "boutique". A typical ship carries in excess of 3000 passengers, some carry twice that number. They have atria, theatres, show lounges and in some cases even ice rinks etc all of which were virtually unknown 30 years ago. But something has imo been lost. The camaraderie and the ability or even willingness to socialise. Instead of lingering over dinner then going to a social venue passengers eat watching their watches, afraid that they will miss their chosen show. Only a small proportion socialise with their fellow passengers. Being entertained rather than socialising is now the order of the day for most.
Which do I prefer? Without doubt, the old ways. All I want from a cruise are interesting ports, good food, drink and service, and good company. I prefer to socialise rather than be entertained and find much less opportunity to do so on large ships with several thousand passengers. The phrase "alone in a city" comes to mind. Are there others who feel the same way, or am I one of a dying breed?

You may be one of a dying breed but there are still quite a few of us around. My first cruise was aboard QE2, a mid-size ship and the second on P&O's Victoria, a small ship. Even on that there was the International Lounge & Bar, the Starlight Lounge and the Regency Bar. Plus another bar possibly called the Yacht Club. Plenty for me. Only one restaurant, the Coral and a semi-alfresco lido buffet open in fine weather.

Like most of you on this thread, I too am sociable and often sail solo. I don't want to sit alone on a cabin balcony, nor do I want to sit on a different table every night in the mdr with a different set of people.

Older-style cruising is still available on smaller ships but they tend to be luxury lines and sadly outwith my cruise budget. The other drawback to these smaller, luxury vessels is that the itineraries tend to be designed with Americans in mind and so are usually very port-intensive and so often no more than one day at sea per week.

The around 2000 pax- mark suits me these days too. P&O's Aurora is my current favourite and I am soon to sail on Ambassador Cruises Ambience for the first time. I cruised on Aurora this summer and despite obvious cutbacks, it still resembled something like a traditional cruise. I have tried a ship that carries over 3000 and hated it on both occasions. I certainly will not be booking a ship that carries 5000 or more...

Once the smaller options have disappeared, my cruising days will be over.

[Host Sharon]

I am another of the dying breed. My first cruise was on Vistaford (26,000grt) and then I progressed to Oriana and Aurora. My favourite P&O ship was Artemis with 1200 pax. Two show lounges and one restaurant plus a couple of bars. She was perfect with so much deck space. It was easy to meet people and befriend them. I choose cruises by itinerary but ship comes a close second. I have tried the big ships on the basis I couldn't say I hated them unless I tried them, but 2 days was enough. They don't feel like ships, just shopping malls and hotels - floating resorts. If I want a resort then that is what I would book. I want to feel I am at sea. But it isn't only the cruise lines fault. Society has changed and there is the rise of the 'me' generation as in ' I've paid for my holiday, I'll do what I like'. I am fortunate to be able to afford some Saga cruises, by cutting down the number of times I cruise and by booking as early as possible. I can't answer for Fred Olsen as it is a long time since I cruised with them, but Saga is pretty close to how cruising used to be and I love them. With P&O I will only consider Aurora and possibly Arcadia. When they go, my time with P&O ends. I may try Ambassador but Tilbury is a complete pain to get to, and am waiting for them to start cruises from Bristol.

[john watson]

I started with Cunard in 1964, Queen Elizabeth. The differences were The Boat Train steaming down to the docks. The people assembling in the passenger shed. The number of different classes. The crewmember operating the lift - they knew the decks just like Grace Brothers.  Stepping through bulkheads on the really low decks. The portholes higher up actually opened.  The steward securing them on mid decks during high seas. Attractive girls were allowed through the gate line to First Class. Deck chairs were actually deck chairs. The day the funnel decided to shower everyone in soot lumps. Decks made of genuine wood. Girls sunbathing on the deck sometime right on the area painted for games. By 1968 we had moved on to P&O and my brother took a bit of convincing that it was not a tiny ship. The casino on that was two one arm bandits as far as I recall. Weird games like horse racing and themed evenings.  Generally formal dress happened every night for first class passengers and on special nights for others. This was a 28,000 ton ship.  I tried a small ship on a Transatlantic more recently Star Clipper 2,000 tons.  34 passengers for 18 sea days no theatre just entertaining themselves in multi-languages, deck golf, darts, quizzes. Like a holiday camp from the 1960's. I think the modern cruise has got too much like living in a shopping mall and "Hotel Manager" running the hotel?

 

Regards John

[Ray66]

Cunard still has some of that tradition left - wooden decks on QM2 and steamer chairs on all three ships. Thank goodness there are no things such as rock-climbing walls or dodgems or water slides etc on Cunard. And they still have formal evenings.

[Reina del Mar]

I started cruising in 1969..Union Castle’s TSS Reina del Mar. The big difference for me is they stated a dress code and enforced it….no one saying, “I can get away with this , that or the other.”

 

I am not desperate for ships to be formal but would appreciate it if they stated a dress code and enforced it !!!!!!!!!

[ballroom-cruisers]

My first venture on a cruise ship was also on a Union Castle line vessel when I was three years old many decades ago!  We only book voyages where the more traditional cruise atmosphere is largely still present, where the ballroom is used for ballroom dancing (mainly) in the evenings, and a mix of recorded music and a live orchestra allows that unbeatable classic atmosphere to be enjoyed, along with dining room etiquette with politeness, waiters that care for the passenger they wish to have a happy meal as a fabulous event, even on non-Gala nights. Yes it is nice to go ashore and enjoy pleasant ports (usually the smaller ones but not too small), or take trips out whilst the ship is in port. We love the formal evenings and having like-minded people around you enjoying the same thing makes for a holiday with a difference.  Most of the lines now cater for a different kind of passenger, who wants non-stop entertainment, instead of calm timelessness, but hopefully we will be able to enjoy the traditional relaxed but classic on-board life a while longer. With Cunard being really the last line to keep a ballroom for ballroom and Latin dancing, that is where we spend our time aboard. There are still some P&O ships that have a ballroom - though we haven't booked on P&O since about 5 years ago when the Britannia ballroom was used for quizzes and jazz Duo's playing non-dancing music in the Crystal Room that broke our evenings so we did not feel inclined to spend our money with them and no longer have nightly dancing to enjoy to the full.  I do hope that Cunard does not wreck the ballroom dancing, though they too have started to put non-ballroom events into the Queens Rooms in the evenings..