Trip down memory lane

[RuthC]

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

My very first cruise was on Statendam to Bermuda, 1978. Back in those days, you could still have friends on board for bon voyage parties. What a great way for a cruise line to get people interested. Friends who later became our cruising buddies saw us off and she said, "Oh yeah, we're doing this some day!" 

Mine, too! Mine was in June. Wouldn't it be funny if we were on the same cruise!
Sailed on Saturday; Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. Then it got 'bumpy'. About half the passengers didn't make it to dinner that night---our first formal night. 
Margaret Whiting was the entertainer that night. Those were the days when HAL had big-name entertainers on board. It was a great time, and started me on a life of cruise days, for which I am very grateful. 

[highscar]

My first “cruise” was on the Empress of France Liverpool to Montreal. 1953.  Got me cruising.    

[USN59-79]

About the Dam Dollars.  They are actually called Grand Dollars.  I have six 20s and 89 ones.  Any idea what I should do with them?

[Vic The Parrot]

52 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

About the Dam Dollars.  They are actually called Grand Dollars.  I have six 20s and 89 ones.  Any idea what I should do with them?

If you're looking to unload them, I'll take a few. I'm always hunting for cool HAL mementos.

[JeffElizabeth]

We love this thread! We started cruising in 1997 and it has changed so much in that limited of time. Very true that cruises used to be much more expensive.  We miss most the piano bar in the Crows Nest, my wife misses the cold soups at dinner. 

 

We don't miss the Baked Alaska nights, and we don't mind many of the other cutbacks.

 

I do miss the bound book with the vouchers in it. They must have stopped that in the early 2000's. 

[YXU AC*SE]

Ginseng body lotion (pre-Elemis) 

Elemis 'Sharp' body wash that actually was sharp 

Cæsar salads or flambé desserts being prepared and served tableside MDR

Chilled fruit soups 

Waiters de-boning fish tableside MDR

Dutch night dinners 

Deck parties / dinners out-of-doors 

Higher-quality merch --  I don't mind advertising your brand HAL but let's put some design thought into things ? 

Crow's Nests pre-EXC that were a pre-/post-dinner destination (even if I wasn't always fond of every single HAL Cat combo)

Entertainment that wanted me to hurry through late fixed seating dinner to make sure I got a seat.

Ocean bar trio, and watching ppl dance pre-dinner

Being truly disconnected - no / sporadic satellite TV, no onboard internet, only news was NYTimes eight page tabloid, or the Canadian [or insert your country name here] one-pager 

Scott.    

Edited March 16, 2023 by YXU AC*SE

[Quo Vadis?]

On our first cruise on Rotterdam in 1989, the chief engineer joined our table on formal night.  The next day we had an actual tour of the engine room, big pistons, noise and all.  
I remember people skeet shooting on the aft deck.

 

in the 90’s I remember adding liqueur to my ice cream.

[eroller]

Some HAL memorabilia I’ve kept over the years.  I still have all my original tickets as well.  I sure miss paper ticket packets and baggage tags.  How exciting to receive them.  A few cruise lines still do it.  Viking. Disney. Regent come to mind and it’s still wonderful to receive them.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

Ohh, the weather forecast! So useful if you were in an inside cabin, which we were for our first cruise. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

Mine, too! Mine was in June. Wouldn't it be funny if we were on the same cruise!
Sailed on Saturday; Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. Then it got 'bumpy'. About half the passengers didn't make it to dinner that night---our first formal night. 
Margaret Whiting was the entertainer that night. Those were the days when HAL had big-name entertainers on board. It was a great time, and started me on a life of cruise days, for which I am very grateful. 

 

Almost! We went in July. 😀

[RuthC]

Oh, the dinner menus that were a work of art by themselves! They had a Dutch theme on the cover, each one different, and at the end of your cruise you were given your menus to take home. That was such a nice touch. 

I had forgotten about the weather forecast given to you each morning. Yes, it sure was handy in an inside cabin. But it was handy in any case. When I started there was no TV, so no 'view from the bridge'. There were no phones in the cabins, no radio. There was no contact with the outside world very easily! 

It was such a great way to disconnect from all the responsibilities of everyday life. 

[Seacruise]

Lets not forget the free pop/soda.
Jackets were required for Dinner, no shorts for Breakfast or Lunch in Dining room.
The Big one was No Tipping Required ( I mean by that the staff returned tips).
When Officers used to wear White Uniforms for summer.
Amazed that many didn't miss the ship despite no way to track those that went ashore.

[eroller]

1 hour ago, Seacruise said:

Lets not forget the free pop/soda.
Jackets were required for Dinner, no shorts for Breakfast or Lunch in Dining room.
The Big one was No Tipping Required ( I mean by that the staff returned tips).
When Officers used to wear White Uniforms for summer.
Amazed that many didn't miss the ship despite no way to track those that went ashore.

 

The “no tipping required” was always controversial.  I think most people tipped anyway but there was no guideline and the policy was vague.  
 

The Lido of course was rather unique to HAL, and they were the trendsetters for an extensive buffet restaurant that was truly a viable alternative to the dining room.  

[jeh10641]

19 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

And you're only 42 years old?

Sir PMP,

I wish. I am not sure where the 42 came from but I am 81+.

Jim

[jeh10641]

15 hours ago, eroller said:

Some HAL memorabilia I’ve kept over the years.  I still have all my original tickets as well.  I sure miss paper ticket packets and baggage tags.  How exciting to receive them.  A few cruise lines still do it.  Viking. Disney. Regent come to mind and it’s still wonderful to receive them.  

Wow! Awesome collection. Thanks for sharing.

Jim

[trout62]

OK, I have to tell this story.

 

As I mentioned, my first cruise was on NCL Southward in June 1986.  One of the ports was Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. At that port, for my excursion, I signed up to play a round of golf.

 

Well, while waiting at my designated spot for the others who had signed up for this excursion, the cruise director came down to inform me that nobody else had signed up for that excursion.

Figuring that meant the round of golf was canceled, I was a little bummed.  That is until the cruise director asked "would you mind if a few of us join you?"

 

The "few" was the cruise director, the band leader, the nightclub comic and (I am not making this up) the captain.

 

I can't remember what course we played, but it was the first and only time I have had a real caddy carry the clubs, and it was by far the most fun I have had playing a round of golf.  I even picked up a few Norwegian swear words.

 

The next day, because we were in a suite, we were invited to the Captain's Quarters for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.  I felt a little guilty because, although there were a number of guests present, the captain spent most of his time talking to me about golf.

 

True story.

Trout

 

[OlsSalt]

Remember the pre-paid HAL punch cards for wine?

 

You paid upfront about $6 a glass on the pre-paid cards (house red, white and sparkling). After the wine was delivered to the table, the dining steward punched a little hole in the card. Except many times they were busy. so they did not.

 

 When reminded the card was not punched, they said that was okay. We thought that was pretty friendly, but ultimately inefficient and money losing system.  And so it too, is now part of the memory lane.

[cruisingrob21]

I recall (even though I was a child) how gratuities were not expected on HAL - you truly tipped for good service that stood out.  My parents gave me a few dollars on the last night to give to waiter and asst waiter (in addition to the 20 they gave to each of them).  This was the 80s and 90s.

[Gsel]

On of our first cruises was on the Cunard Princess. Since it was DH'S parents fiftieth anniversary we were invited to the Captain's table each evening. Husband's Mother and I got the giggles the first night when the Captain ate his whole meal with his fingers.  Later in the cruise we had all sorts of problems. Air conditioning was out for two days, we were in the south of the Caribbean.  When we reached our final stop and everyone was leaving the ship the gang plank collapsed and sent a number of people in the water. We decided then that Canard was not for us, but husbands Mother and I had the giggles every time we recalled that trip!

[vinonme2]

Wow! So many wonderful memories this brings back!   

 

One of my favorite memories is our first trip to Europe when we sailed the 11-10-03 Oosterdam Med-T/A out of Lisbon.  It was a Big Band Cruise and was absolutely wonderful!!! The band had about 10 members and there was both a male and female vocalist. Every performance the band wore tuxedos as did the male vocalist. The female vocalist wore a different evening gown every night. The music and singing were so wonderful!  The dance floor was packed!

Several times during the day I saw some of the performers around the ship, mingling with the guests, socializing, playing cards, etc.

It was magical and such a class act. 

 

[OlsSalt]

As a young person in the 1950's, my grandparents invited our family for dinner onboard the  old P&O Oriana when it stopped in Long Beach on their own around the world voyage. Not a cruise like we know them today, but a regular passenger ship voyage -  bunk beds and bathrooms down the hall. 

 

Still there were heavy white table cloths, lots of silver and a waiter who told us we could order as much ice cream as we wanted.  I was agog. He then shared an old seafarer secret  was to order a dish of candied ginger in order calm the tummy during rough seas.

 

I thought I had received a state secret when he passed this inside tip on to me with a wink. I now never cruise without also carrying a bag of candied ginger. And old wives tale that today science validated as true.

[mikebsxm]

Bring back the very intimate Piano Bars with a talented musician/vocalist.  Today's Billboard Onboard musicians weren't even born in the era of the music they perform, such as the 60's, 70's and 80's.

[KAKcruiser]

The old Westerdam used to have 7 & 8 day Caribbean "oldies" cruises with great performers from the 50s & 60s.  This was probably around 1999 and 2000.  They were great.

[Seacruise]

@OlsSalt reminded me of the early years 1983 when we got 2 "Guest" passes to have friends onboard for the sail away party who got off 30 minutes before actual sailing.

[Ineke]

Oh, the memories! My first cruise was as a 13 year old, traveling with my family as immigrants to Canada, im 1959. We sailed on De Groote Beer, a former WW II troop ship. It was amazing for us kids, and set us up as cruise-lovers for life. My husband, in the other hand, was sea-sick the entire voyage when he came over, and it took till 1995 to persuade him to give cruising a chance. After our Southern Caribbean cruise on the Ryndam, he too was hooked. And now after 3+ years of no cruising, we’re booked to get back to it in May. Yay!

We’ll miss: croquettes at what was then the Dive-In.

The yum-yum man! Does that mean I have to bring my own ginger for after dinner?
The Crows Nest evening fun - drinks, dancing, live band, great atmosphere.

nightly chocolates

the document wallets - yes, we still use our old ones.

the poolside barbecues

tours of the bridge, kitchen, engine room

live music in the dining room

the evening productions

wine stewards

the rijsttafel lunch

 

i don’t miss the hutspot, I make that myself, but there used to be many dutch items in the Lido, which made it very special.

 

But I wouldn’t give up cruising on HAL, regardless!

Edited March 17, 2023 by Ineke
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