Then … and now!

[sunviking90]

11 hours ago, eroller said:

 

If you’re interested attached is a link to photos I took of my stay onboard.  
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72157630328681440

Beautiful photos. She looks great! 

[sunviking90]

12 hours ago, eroller said:

 

That seems to be the one I’m missing.   I think I only sailed on one HAL cruise in the 90’s, the WESTERDAM.  I have very little from that cruise for some reason.  It was a lovely ship, originally Home Lines HOMERIC.  

You brought back a nice memory for me as Westerdam was my first HAL “cruise” in the early 90’s. I met my mother on the ship for the last night in Seattle. We marvelled at how big the ship was! I think she had been stretched. I remember the entertainment in the theatre that night was Don McLean singing “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie” among other  things. They truly missed the demographic as the audience was made up of mostly seniors, mum, and me in my 20’s. Not a boomer in the bunch. I don’t think most had heard of him at all.

Edited March 22, 2023 by sunviking90

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

21 hours ago, eroller said:

The inside of the farewell dinner menu, onboard STATENDAM in 1979.  Signed by our waiters.  This was another cruise I took with my grandmom at a young age.  She had a preference for HAL but also loved Home Lines, especially the OCEANIC.  Fantastic ship I was also lucky enough to sail on a few times.  
 

 

 

I've never seen an actual flaming Baked Alaska !

 

Tom

[eroller]

10 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I've never seen an actual flaming Baked Alaska !

 

Tom

Some lines used sparklers and some were actually flaming.  I think a half egg shell was used on top of the cake, filled with something flammable and set on fire for the parade.  Very dramatic.  

[eroller]

31 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

You brought back a nice memory for me as Westerdam was my first HAL “cruise” in the early 90’s. I met my mother on the ship for the last night in Seattle. We marvelled at how big the ship was! I think she had been stretched. I remember the entertainment in the theatre that night was Don McLean singing “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie” among other  things. They truly missed the demographic as the audience was made up of mostly seniors, mum, and me in my 20’s. Not a boomer in the bunch. I don’t think most had heard of him at all.

 

Great memory.  She was a lovely ship and yes stretched (by HAL).  One very traditional feature even for a modern ship was her dining room was low in the ship and only had portholes.  Of course this was typical back in the day, as low and midship offered the best ride in rough seas.  Most of the ship went “down” for dinner.  
 

Attached is the final brochure for Home Lines, where she is featured on the cover.  She had beautiful lines, especially pre-stretch.  
 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by eroller

[3Shelaghs]

wow.... thanks for the pics

[sunviking90]

Beautiful! I agree, nicer lines pre stretch.

[koolforkatz]

23 hours ago, 3Shelaghs said:

This is what I miss... the satin envelopes for our tickets

 

I still have mine and use it for documents when travelling. It is held up perfectly over the years.

[OlsSalt]

14 hours ago, eroller said:

 

If you’re interested attached is a link to photos I took of my stay onboard.  
 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72157630328681440

 

We did an overnight stay once on the Queen Mary, docked in the Long Beach Harbor as a hotel now.

 

They learned after the fact there was inadequate sound proofing between ship's cabins, since the sound and vibrations of the ship during travel were sufficient to muffle adjoining noise, now missing when it became a fixed floating hotel.

 

A curious feature in the Queen Mary's also very roomy cabins was the tub had separate faucets for plain water, or for sea water baths. Plus a call light for when you wanted to appropriate cabin steward to come towel you off after your bath - one light for men and one for women.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

..Plus a call light for when you wanted to appropriate cabin steward to come towel you off after your bath - one light for men and one for women.

 

wow

[eroller]

26 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

We did an overnight stay once on the Queen Mary, docked in the Long Beach Harbor as a hotel now.

 

They learned after the fact there was inadequate sound proofing between ship's cabins, since the sound and vibrations of the ship during travel were sufficient to muffle adjoining noise, now missing when it became a fixed floating hotel.

 

A curious feature in the Queen Mary's also very roomy cabins was the tub had separate faucets for plain water, or for sea water baths. Plus a call light for when you wanted to appropriate cabin steward to come towel you off after your bath - one light for men and one for women.

 

QM is also a gem and I’ve stayed on her, but she is greatly altered and gutted below which is causing all sorts or problems.  Her indoor pool can’t even be filled anymore due to structural issues.  Still she is a wonderful time capsule of a time long gone.  
 

ROTTERDAM V is much better preserved and her owners took painstaking measures to retain her original fittings and overall look/feel. 

[OlsSalt]

Deja vu on the Queen Mary - the forward deck spooky "quarantine" bunks - true isolation chambers for the various pandemics of the day at that time.

 

Maintaining the Queen Mary, let alone refurbishing her, has become overly burdensome for Long Beach.  Not sure what her current fate now is. Certainly removing her First Class bar lounge to a more permanent land location, would be one way to save her former Art Deco grandeur.

Edited March 22, 2023 by OlsSalt

[eroller]

50 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Deja vu on the Queen Mary - the forward deck spooky "quarantine" bunks - true isolation chambers for the various pandemics of the day at that time.

 

Maintaining the Queen Mary, let alone refurbishing her, has become overly burdensome for Long Beach.  Not sure what her current fate now is. Certainly removing her First Class bar lounge to a more permanent land location, would be one way to save her former Art Deco grandeur.

 

After much deliberation, the City of Long Beach decided the QM is worth preserving, so they are pouring some $$ into her (not enough probably) to make her structurally sound.  Limited tours of the ship have resumed and the goal is to get her back up and running as a hotel and convention/events host.   I wish them the best and only want the best for this magnificent ship.  She is a gem.  

[HS2BS]

Our first cruise was on the Westerdam(Homeric), and never thought to save the conglomeration of menus, but do remember the table settings had more “silverware” then including silver creamer & sugar pieces. Butter was served as was bread or a roll. Uniformed doorman between buffet and outer deck - no chair hogs as you choose a lounger(with a little flag for service) for the cruise. 
 

Hal

[eroller]

18 minutes ago, HS2BS said:

Our first cruise was on the Westerdam(Homeric), and never thought to save the conglomeration of menus, but do remember the table settings had more “silverware” then including silver creamer & sugar pieces. Butter was served as was bread or a roll. Uniformed doorman between buffet and outer deck - no chair hogs as you choose a lounger(with a little flag for service) for the cruise. 
 

Hal

 

There was less choice back then (in terms of dining venues), but what was offered was done to a very high standard and of course included in the fare (which granted were higher).  
 

Now we have more choice, much of it at an extra cost, but the standard is very mediocre all around.  It’s all passable and sometimes even good, but the exceptional days seem to be behind us.  

[OlsSalt]

I am reminded of my first long cruise in the 1970's - the low cost, round the world Italian ship - the Galileo - Lloyd-Triestino.

 

We were handed a huge menu on day one from which to make choices. Only to learn each day's menu just changed the names of the items offered, but did not fundamentally change the actual item.  How many ways can you say cream of chicken soup in various modern European languages? I learned quiickly, as many ways as their are days in the week.

 

Then we also learned if we ordered anything other than what the "chef was recommending" that day, we would be served last while everyone else was finishing the "chefs recommendations" which had already been prepared. We again quickly learned to take what was put in front of us.

 

But since this was an Italian ship in its bones, the chef did the right thing and we ate well. Once we learned to not fight their well-honed  system.

 

 

 

 

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, eroller said:

 

After much deliberation, the City of Long Beach decided the QM is worth preserving, so they are pouring some $$ into her (not enough probably) to make her structurally sound.  Limited tours of the ship have resumed and the goal is to get her back up and running as a hotel and convention/events host.   I wish them the best and only want the best for this magnificent ship.  She is a gem.  

This is good to hear. We last toured her about 5 years ago and I left feeling very sad at her condition. 
This is a really cute video with Emma Stone that was filmed on her:

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by sunviking90

[DevilinaBluDress]

Thank you for sharing the pictures and memories! Here's mine (no pics unfortunately):

 

My first cruise was on the Rotterdam V back in 1980.  My father had just gotten back from his first cruise solo on the Rotterdam V when I was on a summer visit.  He kept saying how much fun it was and that he wanted to go on it again.  Imagine my surprise when the next morning, he surprised me saying, "Let's go! I just booked us an inside cabin and it leaves tomorrow from NYC.  We lived about 100 miles away from the port in NYC. I was almost 17 years old and had just gotten my driver's license.  He threw me the keys to his 1958 Thunderbird and asked me to drive to the port! We arrived without incident (thankfully), parked the car and went onboard.  

 

I vividly remember this trip - how I spent most nights in the disco dancing until the wee hours, how I could just sign a slip of paper and was served any alcoholic drink I wanted to try and I tried many - believe me! Neither my father nor any of the staff seemed to care.  Our inside cabin with bunk beds, meeting lots of new people, having to buy a formal dress on board for formal nights, waterskiing in Nassau, moped riding in Bermuda, etc.  Learning to call it a "ship"and not a "boat."  

 

It was so much fun and I dreamed of going on a cruise again for 30 years before I went on my second cruise in 2010 on Princess. It took until last year to sail on another HAL ship (Koningsdam to Alaska). 

 

Again thanks for sharing and for those who went down memory lane with me!

 

-Molly

[eroller]

57 minutes ago, DevilinaBluDress said:

Thank you for sharing the pictures and memories! Here's mine (no pics unfortunately):

 

My first cruise was on the Rotterdam V back in 1980.  My father had just gotten back from his first cruise solo on the Rotterdam V when I was on a summer visit.  He kept saying how much fun it was and that he wanted to go on it again.  Imagine my surprise when the next morning, he surprised me saying, "Let's go! I just booked us an inside cabin and it leaves tomorrow from NYC.  We lived about 100 miles away from the port in NYC. I was almost 17 years old and had just gotten my driver's license.  He threw me the keys to his 1958 Thunderbird and asked me to drive to the port! We arrived without incident (thankfully), parked the car and went onboard.  

 

I vividly remember this trip - how I spent most nights in the disco dancing until the wee hours, how I could just sign a slip of paper and was served any alcoholic drink I wanted to try and I tried many - believe me! Neither my father nor any of the staff seemed to care.  Our inside cabin with bunk beds, meeting lots of new people, having to buy a formal dress on board for formal nights, waterskiing in Nassau, moped riding in Bermuda, etc.  Learning to call it a "ship"and not a "boat."  

 

It was so much fun and I dreamed of going on a cruise again for 30 years before I went on my second cruise in 2010 on Princess. It took until last year to sail on another HAL ship (Koningsdam to Alaska). 

 

Again thanks for sharing and for those who went down memory lane with me!

 

-Molly

 

Great memory and what a great first ship!   

[LouChamp]

11 hours ago, eroller said:

 

Great memory and what a great first ship!   

Aloha.  Always enjoy your posts and pictures for years and thank you for taking time to bring back great memories!

[eroller]

5 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha.  Always enjoy your posts and pictures for years and thank you for taking time to bring back great memories!

That’s so nice of you.  Thank you! 

[tunafish]

what was the price of the inside back than?

[Homelines]

Loved the Home Lines Homeric!

[OlsSalt]

51 minutes ago, tunafish said:

what was the price of the inside back than?

 

60 days, around the world - Genoa to Genoa - inside cabin - sink, but no bathroom - Lloyd Triestino Galileo - $900.  (1970's)

 

Subsidized by the Italian government, since it was still the last Italian flagged ship on the high seas - Italian officers, staff, crew and food. Mainly served an immigrant ship between Italy and Australia

 

Genoa - Naples - Port Said - Suez Canal - Djibouti - Mombasa - Durban - Perth - Melbourne- Sydney - Auckland - Papeete - Acapulco - Panama - Curacao - Genoa.

 

Long at sea days between some ports - Trans-Indian Ocean Africa to Australia - TransPacific Tahiti to Acapulco - Transatlantic West Indies to Italy.

 

No frills - bunk beds, bathrooms down the hall - 8 person dorm rooms were even cheaper.

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by OlsSalt

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, tunafish said:

what was the price of the inside back than?

My first cruise was on the smaller Statendam (of 1957) in 1978, in an inside cabin, NYC to Bermuda, and return. I was a solo, paying $700, when the rate was $350 per person. Funny how I remember that figure to this day, when I can't recall the exact price of any other cruise I have taken. 
The cabin was small, with bunk beds. I did have my own bathroom, however; my third cruise ship (Carnival, Mardi Gras) had bathrooms w/showers down the call for some insides. Statendam was a great little ship, however, and set me on a path that has enhanced my life. 

Eventually I returned to HAL and took many cruises on my beloved Rotterdam V. She was much larger than the Statendam, at 38,000 tons, and is my favorite ship to this day. 
The Prinsendam, had she remained with the fleet a little longer, might have taken over that 'favorite' spot, but since I had only four cruises on her, she never had a chance to grab the title.