Your first cruise ship

[Bramcruiser]

Well the Love Boat TV show started it off for me. My first cruise was on the original Pacific Princess on Nov 27, 1980 -

 

Its a good thing I wasn't put off by my first filmed cruise escapade - The Poseidon Adventure........:D

 

I do have to admit The Love Boat did help generate interest in the cruise industry though!

 

David

[Jim Avery]

Queen Mary, (The first one) Transatlantic. 1950. 27 cruises since.

[Copper10-8]

August 1963, ss Matsonia, Matson Lines, Honolulu to Los Angeles. I was 21, on ship alone and had a BALL. I still have pictures of the 12 or so cruisers in our 20's.

 

Monterey (1932-2000) Built as ss Monterey by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Quincy, Mass in 1932 for U.S.-based Matson Line destined for their Pacific Ocean liner service (Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia). She was one of four ships in the Lines' "White Fleet" which included ss Malolo, ss Mariposa and ss Lurline. She was the third of those four ships designed by William Francis Gibbs and was identical to Mariposa and very similar to her sister ship Lurline. Her positioning cruise from the East to the West coast on 12 May 1932, saw her take 83 passengers from New York City. Her subsequent maiden voyage took place on 3 June 1932 from San Francisco after which she made stops in Los Angeles, Honolulu, Auckland, Pago Pago, Suva, Syndney and Melbourne.

During World War II, Monterey served as a fast troop carrier, often operating alone so she wouldn't be slowed by formation navigation in a convoy. In 1941, before U.S. declaration of war, the United States Marine Corps chartered her to carry 150 Chinese, Korean and Japanese missionaries and stranded U.S. citizens from China to San Francisco. Back in the City by the Bay, she was quickly refitted to hold 3,500 troops. On 16 December 1941 she steamed to Hawaii with 3,349 fresh troops, returning with 800 casualties of the Japanese atack on Pearl Harbor.

 

On 22 August 1942, she was briefly acquired by the United States Navy and assigned the name/designation USS Alameda (AP-68). However, she was returned to the WAr Shipping Administration on 25 September 1942 so never served under that name. Her war-time service would see her travel to the South Pacific and Australia, via the Panama Canal and Key West to Scotland (Glasgow), England (Liverpool), North Africa (Casablanca and Oran), Italy (On the way to Naples off the coast of Algeria, she and her convoy were attacked by German bombers) and even one trip to Brasil.

After the war, on 26 September 1946 Monterey arrived at Bethlehem-Alameda Shipyard in Alameda, CA for refitting and return to passenger service with Matson. However, funding for the project ran out after only 30% of the work had been completed so for five years she sat idle in Alameda. She was then purchased by the U.S. Government in August 1952 and towed to the mothball fleet in nearby Suisun Bay.

Meanwhile, her former owners, Matson Line, were enjoying fair post-war success with Lurline and were looking to expand their passenger operation once more. Matson bought the old mothballed s Monterey back from the US Government on 3 February 1956 and, since they had named another vessel Monterry by then, had to come up with a new name for their first Monterey. They therefor rechristened her ss Matsonia, replacing their earlier Matsonia which had been sold to Home Lines. On 22 May 1957, Matsonia teamed up with her sister Lurline on the San Francisco-Los Angeles-Honolulu run providing a 'first class only' service between Hawaii and the American mainland.

Within five years however, profits from passenger service had fallen to the point where Matson decided to anchor Matsonia indefinitely in San Francisco Bay. Sister ship Lurline continued to operate but suffered a major turbine problem in February, 1963; one that would require costly repairs. Instead of repairing Lurline, Matson sold the popular ship to Greek-based Chandris Lines who rechristened her Ellinis. Stung from poor public opinion regarding that sale, Matson rechristened the former Matsonia (ex-Monterey) as the new Lurline on 6 December 1963 and returned her to service.

By 1970, passenger receipts were down so low that Matson chose to cease liner service altogether. On 25 June 1970, Lurline arrived in San Francisco also to be sold to Chandris Lines. Five days later she steamed under new ownership out of the Golden Gate on her way to Piraeus with the new name Britanis.

 

At Piraeus, she was greatly modified to hold 1,655 passengers, mainly by subdividing existing cabins and converting cargo holds to new cabin areas. She re-entered service on 21 February 1971, leaving Southampton, England bound for Sydney and back; a regular roundtrip she would make for three years. In 1974 she saw service as a cruise ship in the Caribbean during winter and in Europe during the summer. After another lay-up time in 1980, Britanis cruised between New York and Bermuda in May 1982 with a smaller capacity of 1,200 passengers. In the 1983-1984 winter season, she sailed from Miami to the Caribbean, switching back to New York in the summer of 1984.

 

She received a major overhaul in 1986 which included parts from her sister Ellinis (ex-Lurline), some of which had gone to Ellinis from Homeric (ex-Mariposa) when Homeric was scrapped in 1974. At this point, parts from three sister ships were now bound together in Britanis. This refit gave Britanis eight years of Caribbean cruising until 19 November 1994.

 

 

In 1994, Britanis was chartered by the U.S. Government for use as a floating barracks/accomodation ship for military personnel at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She suffered minor damage from an electrical fire and was repaired, at U.S. Government expense, and then laid up at Tampa, Fl in late 1996.

During that time, her owners, Chandris, opted to sell Britanis as part of a plan to cease cruise line operation. The ship was maintained in anchorage until 24 January 1998 when she was sold to AG Belofin Investments of Liechtenstein and renamed Belofin-1. Her new owners intended to recoup their investment by selling the ship to scrappers, but a downturn in steel prices held them up for more than a year. On 3 July 2000, Belofin-1 was towed by the Ukrainian ocean-going tug Irbis out of Tampa Bay with the CN Marine ferry Bluenose lashed to her port side. The group was bound for the ship breakers at Alang, India. Belofin-1 began taking on water and listing during the voyage but nobody was on board to right the list. The tugboat crew cut her free and Belofin-1 capsized and sank due to progressive flooding some fifty miles off Cape Town, South Africa on 21 October 2000, ending an illustrious 68-year career.

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2009 by Copper10-8

[solocanadian]

My first cruise was on the Crown Odyssey for a 14 day Panama Canal Cruise from San Diego to Barbdos in March 1989 with my late husband. It sure got us hooked on cruising. All shore excursions were complimentary on that cruise which made it even more delightful. Still at it after all those years and a now a HAL fan.:D

[david,Mississauga]

In 1972 we took a Vancouver to Alaska cruise aboard Canadian Pacific's Princess Patricia. This small steamship was originally a ferry boat circa 1948, but quite a luxurious one. CPR ferries of that era had teak decks, much wood panelling, lots of cabins - even deluxe ones - and a gorgeous dining room. When converted in the early 1960s to a cruise ship, the car deck was replaced by more cabins but not much else had to be rebuilt. That year, there were only three cruise ships going to Alaska: in addition to the Princess Patricia, there was Canadian National's Prince George and P&O's Oronsay.

[Copper10-8]

Compared to a lot of you out there we are relatively new to cruising. Our first cruise was in 2003, a coastal from Vancouver to L/A (then to Vegas). We sailed on the Ryndam (pre 2004 refit) and had a great time. :) We have managed to take at least one cruise per year since 2003 and are hoping for many more.

 

Yes, we are hooked. :D

 

If you can count a transatlantic crossing we sailed from Liverpool England to Montreal, Quebec on the Empress of England when we emigrated to Canada in May 1969 with our two boys aged 3 and 5 yrs old in tow.

 

 

RMS Empress of England (1957-1975) Built in 1957 as RMS Empress of England by Vickers-Armstrong Shipbuilders Ltd, at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England for Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd, a branch of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). She was launched by Lady Eden, wife of the British prime minister, on 9 May 1956. One of her distinguishing marks was the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific.

Her maiden voyage started on 18 April 1957, when she left Liverpool for Quebec City and Montreal, both in the province of Quebec. She operated on this trans-Atlantic passenger liner service, also calling at Saint John, New Brunswick, from both Liverpool and Greenock until 14 November 1969 but also made several cruises to the Caribbean from New York City.

 

She was then operated solely for cruising for four months until March 1970, when she was purchased by British-based Shaw Savill & Albion Line who renamed her Ocean Monarch. On 11 April 1970, she started a single round-trip voyage from Southampton, England to Australia. Shaw Savill had ambitious plans to increase their cruising market so intended to convert Ocean Monrach for full-time cruising. Unfortunately, the project was doomed almost from the start, as the conversion work at Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders, Ltd, Birkenhead, England stretched to over a year. She did finally emerge as a cruise ship in October 1971 and on 5 November of that year. sailed to Auckland, New Zealand via Barbados, Curacao, the Panama Canal, Acapulco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Honolulu, Tokelau (a territory of New Zealand)and Fiji. She was based at Auckland until 1973 when she commenced Pacific cruising out of Sydney, Australia. Withdrawn and sold in June 1975, she sailed from Southampton for Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she was scrapped that same year.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Well, we are relatively new to cruising but are now hooked. Our first cruise was this past May (2008) on the Disney Magic Western Caribbean itinerary. It was an amazing cruise and we rebooked on board right away.

 

Just yesterday we pushed back the Disney cruise to another year and booked a RCCL to MR in April 2009 and just today booked a HAL Zuiderdam to Alaska for Aug 2009. I can't believe we just booked 2 cruises in 2 days. :eek::D We just couldn't pass up the HAL cruise since we live near Seattle and they were offering a special on 3rd and 4th passengers for only $99.

 

 

Disney Magic (1998-present) Built in 1998 as Disney Magic by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. (The bow constructed in Ancona; the stern built 100 miles from there, in Marghera/Venice. The two sections were then welded together), for Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Her design is distinctively Disney. The ship's stern features a 15-foot statue of Goofy hanging and painting from a boatswain's chair and Sorcerer Mickey stands at her bow. In addition, like her sister Disney Wonder, when Disney Magic sails out of a port, the first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon a Star" are played on the ships whistle.

 

She currently sails on 7-day itineraries from Cape Canaveral, Fl which may or may not include Disney's private island, Castaway Cay (Bahamas), St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles), St. Thomas (U.S.V.I.), St. Croix (U.S.V.I.), Tortola (B.V.I.), Key West, Fl, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico (depending on the specific cruise itinerary).

In June 2005, she was dispatched to the U.S. West Coast in honor of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. She entered a scheduled 10-day drydock refurbishment on 1 October 2005 at the Norshipco shipyard in Norfolk, Va. Several enhancements took place during this time. The Vista Spa and Salon received a 1,700-square-foot expansion including three new spa treatment suites. Three conference rooms on deck 2 were transformed into an additional children's area called Ocean Quest. A 24-by-14 foot LED screen was affixed to the forward funnel in the family swimming pool area where movies and major sporting and broadcast events are shown.

 

Disney Magic made a transatlantic crossing in May 2007 to sail around the Mediterranean, visiting ports including Villefranche-sur-Mer, Barcelona, Cadiz and Gibraltar. Beginning on 25 May 2008, she sailed 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. She returned to her home base of Port Canaveral, Fl in August, 2008. As of July 2008, Disney Magic has the distinction of holding the record for the highest regular toll paid for passage through the Panama Canal, at $331,200.:eek:

Edited January 24, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was with my late husband, Fred in 1989 on the brand new Crown Odyessy from San Diego through the Panama Canal to Barbados. It sure got us hooked and I'm still at it since Fred passed away in 1998. Gail:D

 

Crown Odyssey (1988-present) Built in 1988 as Crown Odyssey by the Joseph L. Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, (then) West Germany for Greece-based Royal Cruise Line for world-wide cruising. In 1989, Royal Cruise Line was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which continued to operate the company, along with the Crown Odyssey until 1996. A reorganization of all of the companies owned by Knut Kloster (Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Cruise Line and Royal Viking Cruise Line) that year saw Crown Odyssey reassigned to NCL's main fleet, for which she received the new name of Norwegian Crown.

 

Four years later, following the purchase of Orient Lines by NCL in April, 2000, Norwegian Crown received an internal transfer to Orient, regaining her original name of Crown Odyssey in the process. In September 2003, her 'identity crisis' continued when, after refurbishing, she once again returned to the NCL fleet, reverting back to the name Norwegian Crown.

 

On 25 May 2006, NCL Corporation announced that its parent company, Malaysian-based Star Cruises, had agreed to sell Norwegian Crown to British-based Fred Olsen Cruise Lines effective August 2006. Star Cruises immediately chartered the vessel back from Fred. Olsen for fifteen months and NCL continued to operate her until November 2007. Her last NCL cruise was on 28 October, 2007.

 

Fred. Olsen took delivery of the ship on 7 November, 2007 and renamed her Balmoral after the Balmoral estate, the British Royal family's residence located in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland. The company initiated a major refit on the ship at the Blohm + Voss repair shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, before her inaugural cruise on 13 February, 2008 which was to take her to Miami, Fl, her winter base for Caribbean cruising. The work included the insertion of a 30 meter (99 ft.) midsection, built in conjunction with Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven and floated into Hamburg at the end of October 2007. The reconstruction added a further 186 passenger and 53 crew cabins, making the ship currently the company's largest. It also introduced 60 new balconies, along with new and modified public areas, all designed to appeal particularly to the British cruise market.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

Ours was the Zuiderdam on Holland America in 2004. We are young and look forward to many more.

 

 

m/s Zuiderdam (2002-present) Built in 2002 as ms Zuiderdam (II) by Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., Marghera (Venice), Italy for Holland America Line. The first of a class of four 'Vista' ships (Oosterdam, Westerdam and Noordam are her sisters), she was the largest-ever passenger ship to join the dam fleet at the time. After christening by her godmother, broadcaster and TV anchor Joan Lunden, she commenced her inaugural cruise on 14 December 2002.

[hoopman]

Copper, do you have the story and pictures of the SS Vera Cruz? That was my first Cruz from Montreal to New York. Compared with HAL it was a Volkswagen:D

[Copper10-8]

Copper, do you have the story and pictures of the SS Vera Cruz? That was my first Cruz from Montreal to New York. Compared with HAL it was a Volkswagen:D

 

Was that on Companhia Colonial (Portugal), on Bermuda Star Lines or on Bahama Cruise Line, Hoopman, and what year was it?

[Copper10-8]

Copper, do you have the story and pictures of the SS Vera Cruz? That was my first Cruz from Montreal to New York. Compared with HAL it was a Volkswagen:D

 

 

Theodor Herzl (1957-1991) Built 1957 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany as Theodor Herzl, she was part of a special reparations pact between what was then West Germany and the state of Israel. She operated for Zim Israel Navigation Company/Zim Israel Lines on routes from Marseilles, Naples and Venice to Haifa, carrying both immigrants and budget tourists. In the winter season, she could be found on Mediterranean cruises. She also had at least one season to the Mexican Riviera as well as a celebratory maiden voyage to New York and, in later years, made several immigrant crossings to South America, to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

 

During the 1958-1959 winter season, Zim entered the international cruise market from the United States to the Caribbean Islands with three cruises per season. In 1964, she was converted into a one-class cruise ship, which saw all cabins converted to two bedded/two berth cabins, all having private facilities, She completed her final voyage for Zim on in November, 1969 and was sold to the American International Service Travel Services (AIST) - Yes, there is a Ted Arison/Carnival Cruise Line connection here - who renamed her Carnivale (not to be confused with the later Carnivale, ex-Empress of Britain) and employed her in the Caribbean as a floating luxury hotel. Nothing else came to pass for her and she did not sail again until as late as 1975, when she was sold to the New Horizons Shipping Ltd. who renamed her Freeport, rebuilt her, and used her on the Miami-Nassau-Freeport run.

 

In 1976, she was renamed Veracruz I and was largely responsible for making New York via Eastern Canada to the St. Lawrence River cruises popular. In 1978, New Horizons Shipping Ltd became Freeport Cruises Lines and she became Veracruz Primero and in 1985, under Bahama Cruises Inc./Bahama Cruise Line management, just plain Veracruz. In 1987, Bahama Cruise Line became the Bermuda Star Line and in 1990 was bought out by Commodore Cruise line. That same year, Veracruz was sold to Festival Shipping & Tourist Enterprises and was renamed Sun Ambassador however this did not last long and she was laid up in Florida.

 

Then in 1991, newly-formed Greek-based Fiesta Cruise Lines came calling. She was brought over to Greece as "Fiesta" and, once moored in Perama Bay near Piraeus, her resurrection began. She was to emerge as yet another "new" cruiseship, taking travelers around the Eastern Mediterranean in summers and in Caribbean waters in wintertime. But it all went astray when, on October 24, 1991, she caught fire, burned out and then, overloaded with firefighters' water, capsized.

 

[solocanadian]

 

Crown Odyssey (1988-present) Built in 1988 as Crown Odyssey by the Joseph L. Meyer Werft GmbH, Papenburg, (then) West Germany for Greece-based Royal Cruise Line for world-wide cruising. In 1989, Royal Cruise Line was purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which continued to operate the company, along with the Crown Odyssey until 1996. A reorganization of all of the companies owned by Knut Kloster (Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Cruise Line and Royal Viking Cruise Line) that year saw Crown Odyssey reassigned to NCL's main fleet, for which she received the new name of Norwegian Crown.

 

Four years later, following the purchase of Orient Lines by NCL in April, 2000, Norwegian Crown received an internal transfer to Orient, regaining her original name of Crown Odyssey in the process. In September 2003, her 'identity crisis' continued when, after refurbishing, she once again returned to the NCL fleet, reverting back to the name Norwegian Crown.

 

On 25 May 2006, NCL Corporation announced that its parent company, Malaysian-based Star Cruises, had agreed to sell Norwegian Crown to British-based Fred Olsen Cruise Lines effective August 2006. Star Cruises immediately chartered the vessel back from Fred. Olsen for fifteen months and NCL continued to operate her until November 2007. Her last NCL cruise was on 28 October, 2007.

 

Fred. Olsen took delivery of the ship on 7 November, 2007 and renamed her Balmoral after the Balmoral estate, the British Royal family's residence located in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland. The company initiated a major refit on the ship at the Blohm + Voss repair shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, before her inaugural cruise on 13 February, 2008 which was to take her to Miami, Fl, her winter base for Caribbean cruising. The work included the insertion of a 30 meter (99 ft.) midsection, built in conjunction with Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven and floated into Hamburg at the end of October 2007. The reconstruction added a further 186 passenger and 53 crew cabins, making the ship currently the company's largest. It also introduced 60 new balconies, along with new and modified public areas, all designed to appeal particularly to the British cruise market.

 

John: Thanks for the old photo and updates. She sure has lived a varied life. Long ay she sail as the Balmoral. Gail:D

[Copper10-8]

My first ship to visit was RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH during her brief stay as

an attraction in Port Everglades around 1969.

 

My first to actually cruise aboard was a 3 night cruise to Nassau from

P.E. in 1978 on LEONARDO DA VINCI while operated by Italian Cruises

International (a joint venture with Costa).

 

I was quickly hooked and sailed both a 10 night Caribbean on GUGLIELMO

MARCONI and a r/t transatlantic on QE2 in 1979.

 

Took my future wife on a 2 night to nowhere on VERACRUZ in '81,

followed by honeymoon on CARNIVALE from Norfolk in May '81.

 

Have not stopped since except to work to save up for more cruises........:)

 

 

 

ss Leonardo da Vinci (1960-1982) Built in 1960 by Gio. Ansaldo & C. S.A.S Shipyards, Genoa, Italy as ocean liner ss Leonardo da Vinci for the Società di navigazione Italia, aka the Italian Line. She was a replacement for their ss Andrea Doria which had been lost after just three years of service on 25 July 1956 when she collided with the Swedish American Line ship ms Stockholm.

The ship featured numerous technological innovations, including provisions for conversion to run on nuclear power, an option discussed but never taken up. The other new innovations and safety features introduced on Leonardo da Vinci, all after the Andrea Doria tragedy, included extended watertight bulkheads, lifeboat davits capable of launching lifeboats against a 25 degree list, motorized lifeboats, and two completely separated engine rooms, each powering their own propeller and capable of powering the ship independently from the other. In addition, the ship had infrared-heated swimming pools (though only in first class), retractable stabilizer wings, full air-conditioning, and private bathrooms in all cabins in first and cabin class, as well as in 80% of tourist-class cabins.

However, like the Andrea Doria and Cristoforo Colombo, Leonardo da Vinci proved to be an unstable ship in rough weather. The problem was accentuated by her larger size, and as a result, 3000 metric tons of iron had to fitted along her bottom to improve stability. This in turn made the ship too heavy for her engines and led to extremely high fuel expenses

On 30 June 1960, she set out on her maiden voyage from Genoa to New York City where she received the traditional festive welcome of a liner arriving in the city for the first time. Soon after she entered service, the Italian Line announced that by 1965 at latest the ship would be refit to run on nuclear power. This, however, did not come to pass, and at the time it was already known to executives of the company that by 1965 the Leonardo da Vinci would be supplanted on the North Atlantic service by the new ss Michelangelo and ss Raffaello, the planning for which had already started in 1958.

After Michelangelo and Raffaello were delivered in May and July 1965, respectively, Leonardo da Vinci was used almost exclusively for cruising, mostly around the Mediterranean, but also sometimes to the Caribbean and to South America. The majority of her tourist-class cabins were considered too spartan for cruise service, and hence were unused while the ship was used for cruising, further cutting the profitability of the ship. In 1966 she was re-painted in the new livery of the Italian Line, a white hull with a thin green decorative ribbon, instead of her original black hull with a white decorative ribbon.

 

In February 1970 she departed on her most exquisite cruise, a 41-day journey from the Mediterranean to Hawaii via the Panama Canal and back again. During the 1970's, competition from jet-powered passenger aircraft became more and more pressing on the North Atlantic service. In 1975 the Italian Line decided to withdraw both Michelangelo and Raffaello from service. However, despite the withdrawal of state subsidiaries, the Italian Line did not withdraw from the North Atlantic service just yet, and Leonardo da Vinci returned to her original route for a short period until June 1976, when she too was withdrawn from service and laid up. Doing this earned her the distinction of being the last Italian Line passenger liner to be used in service across the North Atlantic.

In 1977 she was brought back into service, this time for cruising under the banner of Italia Crociere (also known as Italian Line Cruises International), a newly formed subsidiary of Società di navigazione Italia. The ship was used for cruising from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, but proved too large and expensive to operate on this service. In 1978, she returned to La Spezia, Italy and was laid up again.

 

Despite numerous rumors the ship never saw service again. After being laid up for two years, a fire started onboard on 4 July 1980. The ship burned for four days and eventually capsized. The burnt-out hulk was later righted and towed to the scrapyard at La Spezia where she was broken up in 1982.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2009 by Copper10-8

[hoopman]

 

Theodor Herzl (1957-1991) Built 1957 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany as Theodor Herzl, she was part of a special reparations pact between what was then West Germany and the state of Israel. She operated for Zim Israel Navigation Company/Zim Israel Lines on routes from Marseilles, Naples and Venice to Haifa, carrying both immigrants and budget tourists. In the winter season, she could be found on Mediterranean cruises. She also had at least one season to the Mexican Riviera as well as a celebratory maiden voyage to New York and, in later years, made several immigrant crossings to South America, to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

 

During the 1958-1959 winter season, Zim entered the international cruise market from the United States to the Caribbean Islands with three cruises per season. In 1964, she was converted into a one-class cruise ship, which saw all cabins converted to two bedded/two berth cabins, all having private facilities, She completed her final voyage for Zim on in November, 1969 and was sold to the American International Service Travel Services (AIST) - Yes, there is a Ted Arison/Carnival Cruise Line connection here - who renamed her Carnivale (not to be confused with the later Carnivale, ex-Empress of Britain) and employed her in the Caribbean as a floating luxury hotel. Nothing else came to pass for her and she did not sail again until as late as 1975, when she was sold to the New Horizons Shipping Ltd. who renamed her Freeport, rebuilt her, and used her on the Miami-Nassau-Freeport run.

 

In 1976, she was renamed Veracruz I and was largely responsible for making New York via Eastern Canada to the St. Lawrence River cruises popular. In 1978, New Horizons Shipping Ltd became Freeport Cruises Lines and she became Veracruz Primero and in 1985, under Bahama Cruises Inc./Bahama Cruise Line management, just plain Veracruz. In 1987, Bahama Cruise Line became the Bermuda Star Line and in 1990 was bought out by Commodore Cruise line. That same year, Veracruz was sold to Festival Shipping & Tourist Enterprises and was renamed Sun Ambassador however this did not last long and she was laid up in Florida.

 

Then in 1991, newly-formed Greek-based Fiesta Cruise Lines came calling. She was brought over to Greece as "Fiesta" and, once moored in Perama Bay near Piraeus, her resurrection began. She was to emerge as yet another "new" cruiseship, taking travelers around the Eastern Mediterranean in summers and in Caribbean waters in wintertime. But it all went astray when, on October 24, 1991, she caught fire, burned out and then, overloaded with firefighters' water, capsized.

 

Your wealth of knowledge on all things cruise is amazing. We are on the Oosterdam in July for a Mediterranean cruise. I hope that one day we cross paths on a cruise.

 

Bruce

[Copper10-8]

..............We are on the Oosterdam in July for a Mediterranean cruise. I hope that one day we cross paths on a cruise.

 

Bruce

 

Missing you by three months!;) We'll be on Oosterdam in the Med in OCT. Have a great cruise!

[nchank]

Song of Norway in the 70s. San Juan, Virgin Islands, Puerto Plata, and maybe another port but I forget. :confused:

[Cruzin is me]

Summer, 1973 Italian Line, SS Raffaello -- New York to St. Thomas and St. Maarten (and back in 7 days!!) Hated it! :( Only a yearning to visit Alaska got me on another ship (Regent Sea, former Gripsholm and numerous other iterations that John will undoubtedly produce a history of!!! :D) years later. After that, an unbroken string of 17 additional voyages, each with its own memorable moments.

[Copper10-8]

Mine was Majesty of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 1995. Hubby had cruised before including a ship that actually sank. The ship's name was Oceanos.

 

 

ms Majesty of the Seas (1992-present) Built in 1992 as ms Majesty of the Seas by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France for Norwegian-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL). She is one of three Sovereign-class vessels, Sovereign of the Seas being the lead ship of the class, followed by Monarch of the Seas and then Majesty of the Seas. Those three vessels became RCCL's third generation of cruise ships and their first modern megaships to be built. They were also the first series of cruise ships to include a multi-story atrium with glass elevators. They have a single deck consisting entirely of cabins with private balconies as opposed to ocean-view only cabins. At the time, the three sisters were the among the largest modern cruise ships ever to sail during the late eighties and early nineties. During that time, other major cruise lines followed RCCL's lead in building their ships to include many of the same features and dimensions that the Sovereign Class debuted.

After being christened by HRH Queen Sonja of Norway, Majesty of the Seas departed on her maiden voyage on 26 April 1992. Royal Caribbean International (RCI) routinely operates her on a seven-day cycle that includes two weekly voyages. Four-night cruises operate every Monday through Friday from the Port of Miami, Fl. with ports of call at Nassau, the Bahamas, RCI's private island in the Bahamas, Coco Cay, and Key West, Fl. A three-night cruise follows from Friday through Monday, stopping at Nassau and Coco Cay.

Majesty OTS' features include the line's trademark Viking Crown Lounge overlooking the pool and sun decks. She has an onboard casino and eleven passenger elevators, two of which are glass-walled. Onboard bars include the Schooner Bar, the 'A Touch of Class' Champagne Bar, the Blue Skies Lounge, the Boleros Latin Bar/Night club, the 'On Your Toes' Night Club, the Windjammer Café, and the Pool Bar. Majesty of the Seas also has two outdoor swimming pools, two hot tubs, a basketball court, and the famous RCI rock climbing wall.

 

On 12 January 2007, Majesty of the Seas entered a four-week dry-dock period where she underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment of her pool decks, all public areas, restaurants, shops, centrums, and cabins. Additions include Johnny Rockets, The Compass Deli, Seattle's Best Coffee, Freeze Ice Cream Parlor and the previously mentioned Boleros Latin Bar/Night Club).

 

Edited January 25, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

My first was from Rotterdam to New York on the (Nieuw?) Amsterdam in 1970. I loved it. My next was in 1999 on the Endeavor (Cruise West) in Alaska.

 

 

ss Nieuw Amsterdam (1938-1974) Built in 1938 as ss Nieuw Amsterdam (II) by the NV Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij/Rotterdam Dry Dock Company, Rotterdam, the Netherlands for the Holland Amerika Lijn/Holland America Line. At the time, she was the second largest passenger liner ever constructed in Holland and she received the distinction of Holland's "Ship of State". Dutch Government loans and pay cuts offered by the Rotterdam shipyard workers facilitated her construction during the Great Depression. Her original proposed name was Prinsendam but that was changed during construction to Nieuw Amsterdam. She would be the second HAL ship to carry that name after the first Nieuw Amsterdam (1906-1932).

After being christened on 10 April 1937 by HRH Queen Wilhelmina, she commenced her maiden voyage from Rotterdam to New York via Boulogne-sur-Mer, France and Southampton, England on 10 May 1937. At that time, she was the largest twin-screw liner in the world. Upon arrival in New York on 16 May, she joined the elite "Ships of State", Queen Mary (England), Normandie (France), Bremen (Germany), Europa (Germany) and Rex (Italy) as the Atlantic run reached its pre-war pinnacle. March 1939 found her on her first long cruise round South America.

Nieuw Amsterdam wound up leaving pre-World War II Rotterdam for the last time on 22 September 1939. After a short lay-up in New York, she made some New York to Bermuda runs as well as some cruises to the Caribbean from the Big Apple. After the German invasion and subsequent occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940, she was send back to New York and laid up once again. In September 1940 she was requisitioned as an allied troop transport by the British Ministry of War Transport and converted at Halifax, Nova Scotia to carry 8,000 troops. During her war-time service, she was managed by the British-based Cunard-White Star Line. She steamed 530,452 nautical miles and carried 378,361 wartime passengers, including the entire Greek Royal Family.

After the war, she made a triumphant return to her home port of Roterdam on 10 April 1946. After an extensive refit, she resumed her trans-Atlantic passenger liner schedule departing Rotterdam for New York on 29 October 1947. In a 1957 refit, her hull was painted dove grey with a gold sheer line and air-conditioning was extended throughout the ship. A further refit at Rotterdam in 1961 re-arranged her accomodation to 574 First and 583 Tourist Class passengers. Nieuw Amsterdam was re-boilered in 1966-1967 at Wilton-Feyenoord in Schiedam, the Netherlands and departed on HAL's final trans-Atlantic crossing from Rotterdam on 8 November 1971.

For two years, beginning at the end of 1971, she was used exclusively as a cruise ship in the Caribbean based out of Port Everglades/Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. She completed her last cruise for HAL on 17 December 1973. On 9 January 1974, the beloved ship was sold for scrap to Taiwan-based Nan Fong Steel Enterprises. After a trans-Pacific crossing via the Panama Canal and a stop in Los Angeles, she arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 25 February 1974 and she was broken up during the following month after a stellar thirty six years of service with the same company.

 

[Copper10-8]

My first cruise was the SS Norway in 1996. I was seasick the first couple of days, but as soon as I got my sealegs...wow what a wonderful ship. Unfornately the Norway is no longer....

Henepup

 

 

ss France (1962-2008) Built in 1962 as ocean liner ss France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France for La Compagnie Generale Transatlantigue (CGT) aka the French Line. She was constructed to replace the line's other, by then considered old and outdated ships, ss Ile de France and ss Liberte.

On 11 May 1960, she was blessed by the Bishop of Nantes, Monseigneur Villepelet, and launched by Madame Yvonne de Gaulle, wife of the French President, and was then named France, in honor both of the country, and of the two previous CGT ships to bear the name. After her launch, her propellers were installed (the entire process taking over three weeks), the distinctive funnels affixed to her upper decks, her superstructure completed, life boats placed in their davits, and her interiors fitted out. She then undertook her sea trials on 19 November, 1961, and averaged an unexpected 35.21 knots. With the French Line satisfied, the ship was handed over, and undertook a trial cruise to the Canary Islands with a full complement of passengers and crew.

Her maiden voyage to New York took place on 3 February 1962, with many of France's film stars and aristocracy aboard. Once in service, ss France served as the line's flagship from 1961 until 1974 on the Le Havre to New York run, as well as gaining the distinction of being the world's longest liner of all-time (1,035 feet long). This record remained unchallenged until the construction of the RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. In service, ss France would combine regular transatlantic crossings - six days and nights - with occasional winter cruises, as well as two world circumnavigations.

 

After a little more than a decade of service that included 377 transatlantic crossings, the economics that doomed the North Atlantic ocean liner generally caught up with the ss France. It was decided to take her out of service resulting in massive protests from the French population and even a hijack by her crew. On 7 December 1974 however, she was moored at a distant quay in Le Havre, known colloquially as the Quai de l'oubli - the pier of the forgotten. The ship sat in the same spot for approximately five years, with her interiors, including all furniture, still completely intact.

There were no plans to scrap her, nor to sell her. However, in 1977 Saudi Arabian millionaire Akram Ojjeh expressed an interest in purchasing the vessel for use as a floating museum for antique French furniture and artworks, as well as a casino and hotel off the coast of the south-east United States. Though he did purchase the ship for $24 million U.S., this proposal was never realised, and others were rumored to have floated, including bids from the Soviet Union to use her as a hotel ship in the Black Sea, and a proposal from the People's Republic of China to turn her into a floating industrial trade fair.

In June 1979, Knut Kloster and Norwegian Caribbean Line came calling and purchased the France for $18 million U.S. She was towed from Le Havre to Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany for an extensive and expensive (close to $65 million U.S.) refit to make her suitable for cruising as the largest cruise ship afloat. At Bremerhaven, among other renovations, she would receive a set of five side thrusters, upgraded air-conditioning and reinforced hull plating. Her former black hull was repainted in a medium-dark blue. She emerged from Bremerhaven in the spring of 1980 as ss Norway and made a special visit to the City of Oslo, Norway before once more crossing the North Atlantic to arrive in New York City on 16 May 1980.

Once she reached her new home port of Miami, Fl. on the north side of the Dodge Island cruise terminal, NCL put her to work on the seven-night Caribbean run which included a stop at St. Thomas, USVI. Her size, passenger capacity, and amenities revolutionized the cruise industry and started a building frenzy as competitors began to order bigger and larger ships. As cruise competition attempted to take some of Norway's brisk business, the Norway herself was upgraded several times in order to maintain her position as the "grande dame" of the Caribbean, including the addition of new decks to her superstructure.

Competition eventually overtook the Norway, and she even started taking a back seat to other ships in NCL's lineup. No longer the "Ship amongst Ships", her owners severely cut back on her maintenance and upkeep. She experienced several mechanical breakdowns, fires, incidents of illegal waste dumping, and safety violations for which she was detained at port pending repairs. Despite the cutbacks, the ship remained extremely popular among cruise enthusiasts, some of whom questioned the owner's actions in light of the continuing successful operation of the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, which had become a well-maintained rival operating 5-star luxury cruises for Cunard.

On 25 May 2003, after docking in Miami at 5:00 a.m., the Norway was seriously damaged by a boiler explosion at 6:30 a.m. that killed eight crew members, and injured seventeen, as superheated steam flooded the boiler room, and blasted into crew quarters above through ruptured decking. None of the passengers were affected. On 27 June, 2003, NCL and her parent, Malaysian-based Star Cruises, decided to relocate her. She departed Miami under tow headed towards Europe and eventually arrived in Bremerhaven, Germany on 23 September, 2003.

 

 

In Bremerhaven she was used as accommodation for NCL crew training to take their places on board the line's new Pride of America which was being build there. Due to large amounts of asbestos aboard the ship (mostly in machine and bulkhead areas), the Norway was not allowed to leave Germany for any scrap yards due to the Basel Convention. However, after assuring the German authorities that she would go to Asia for repairs and further operation in Australia, she was allowed to leave port under tow on 23 May 2005 arriving at Port Klang, Malaysia on 10 August 2005.

 

In December 2005, Norway was sold to an American naval demolition dealer for scrap value and she was to be towed to Alang, India for demolition. However, in light of protests from Greenpeace, potentially lengthy legal battles due to environmental concerns over the ship's breakup, and amidst charges of fraudulent declarations made by the company to obtain permission to leave Bremerhaven, her owners cancelled the sale contract, refunded the purchase price, and left the ship where she was.

 

She was eventually sold in April 2006 to Bridgend Shipping Limited of Monrovia, Liberia, and renamed ss Blue Lady in preparation for scrapping. One month later she was again sold, to Haryana Ship Demolition Pvt. Ltd., and was subsequently left anchored in waters off the Malaysian coast after the government of Bangladesh refused her entry into their waters due to the onboard asbestos. Three weeks later, the ship began its journey towards Indian waters, and mid-July 2006 found her anchored 100 km off the Indian coast.

After lengthy court battles, and the arrival of Blue Lady at Alang, India, the Indian Supreme Court ruled on 11 September 2007 (the 33rd anniversary of the ss France's last day on the Atlantic), that she was safe to scrap. By 4 December of the same year, the tip of her bow had been cut; a ceremonial move done to most ships that end up in Alang just prior to the full scale breaking of a ship. On 20 January 2008, scrapping of Blue Lady had commenced on the forward part of the sun deck. The suites added during the 1990 refit were gone by March. By 12 July 2008, the bow and the stern of the ship had been removed, with little of the ship's famous profile still recognizable. By September 2008, most of what remained above the waterline had been cut away, and the ship's destruction was essentially completed by late 2008.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2009 by Copper10-8

[Copper10-8]

My first SS Leonardo DaVinci 1975 Miami/Nassau/Freeport/Nassau

 

Jeff's first the SS Zuiderkruis (HAL) in 1959 Hoboken to Rotterdam (9 days)

and return 2 months later

 

 

 

Ed/Jeff

 

 

ss Cranston Victory VC2-S-AP3 (1944-1969) Built in 1944 by the Oregon Shipbuilding Yard, Portland, Ore for the United War Shipping Administration as Victory-class (improved Liberty-class version) troop ship/freighter Cranston Victory. She was commissioned on 25 May 1945, towards the end of World War II and operated/managed by the South Atlantic Steamship Company for the United States Maritime Commission. Her war time service however, was short lived and she was laid up and placed for sale in 1946.

In 1947, ss Cranston Victory), along with her sisters, ss Costa Rica Victory and ss La Grande Victory were purchased by the Dutch Government and registered under a new company by the name of N.V. Scheepvaart Matschappij Trans Oceaan (Trans Ocean Shipping Company Ltd) based out of The Hague.

In Dutch service, the three ships received new names after stars and constellations; ss Cranston Victory became Zuiderkruis/Southern Cross, ss Costa Rica Victory became Groote Beer/Big Bear (Big Dipper) and ss La Grande Victory became Waterman/Aquarius. They were subsequently used as troop and civilian transports on the Holland to Netherlands East Indies (NEI) and Dutch New Guinea run. They carried troops to the Dutch colonies in order to restore peace after the Japanese surrender which had left the Archipelago in turmoil. In 1948, after the new Republic of Indonesia had gained her independence from Holland, all Dutch troops as well as Dutch civilians who were so inclined, were repatriated back to Holland. During these years, Zuiderkruis was managed by the Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd or Royal Rotterdam Lloyd.

After World War II, the Dutch Government encouraged immigration to Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand and numerous Dutch citizens decided to do just that and build a new life in those countries. For this reason, the three ships were converted into immigrant vessels. In 1951, all three were sent to the Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij (NDSM)/Netherlands Dry-Dock Shipbuilding Company in Amsterdam where construction started to rebuilt them for general passenger use. An extra deck was added, they received a new bridge, and their original accommodations were gutted. In their place, cabins were fitted to accommodate up to 830 passengers.

Now weighing in at 9,178 tons, managed by the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland/Netherlands Steamship Company, Zuiderkruis sailed from Roterdam to New York in June 1952. Her next voyage took her to Canada and in Augsut 1952, she departed with approximately 800 migrants to New Zealand.

She was then used to transport thousands of immigrants to the United States (New York City), Canada and occasional runs to Australia from all parts of Europe. She made regular stops at Halifax, Nova Scotia's Pier 21 (Canada's Ellis Island), and to Quebec City and Montreal.

In 1963 and 1964, all three ships were sold by the Dutch Government. Zuiderkruis wound up as a Royal Netherlands Navy accomodation ship with Navy registration number A583, stationed in the Dutch Navy base and city of the same name, Den Helder. In 1969, she was taken out of commission by the Navy and sold for scrap to breakers in Bilbao, Spain where, upon arival, she met her ultimate fate.

Edited January 25, 2009 by Copper10-8

[KimberleyFL]

Ours was on the RCCL Sovereign of the Seas about 10 years ago. It was a 4 night to the Bahamas. We were mostly impressed with the ship. We had no idea what to expect and when we walked onto the ship both of our jaws dropped in aww. It was stunning. We both loved it. I'm more hooked than DH. Although he loves to cruise he also loves some land vacations too.

[crittermum]

Great Post! So fun reading everyone's experiences!

 

Ours' was the Veendam (repositioning) Oct. 2000. I could not believe I had found a cruise (in AAA magazine) sailing out of Portland OR (we live in Central OR) and that we would actually celebrate our anniversary on the ship! I simply had to book it!

 

We ended up being upgraded to a Full Suite (which kinda ruined future cabins...). We were amazed at the elegance we experienced being on an Ocean Vessel, so much class! The entire cruise was a dream come true. Except... we could not stand our table mates (family of 3 who did nothing but complain). We promptly requested a table for two and spent the rest of the week enjoying the simple romance that marriage offers.

 

As we sat on the Pier in Puerto Vallarta and watched her sail away; our hearts ached to be back on the Veendam. This was out very first taste of Mexico and we were a little timid... It was such a contrast to the week we had just experienced.

 

We have done seven other cruises since then, with the entire family and/or friends. They have been wonderful, but our first experience has a special place in my heart.

 

I hope to repeat it, just a little, as we depart on the Eurodam on Valentines Day this year.

 

Cruising on the vastness of the Ocean: what a wonderful experience to anyone who has the blessing to enjoy it.:p

[Copper10-8]

Our first cruise, which was for our delayed honeymoon, was on the Carnival Sensation

in Sept 1997. Our first HAL cruise was our next cruise a year later on the old ms Westerdam.

 

 

Carnival Sensation (1993-present) Built in 1993 as ms Sensation by Kvaerner Masa Shipyard, Helsinki, Finland for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line for Caribbean cruising. Sensation belongs to the 'Fantasy-class' of ships and was the third vessel built in the class of eight (the others are Fantasy - 1990, Ecstasy - 1991, Fascination - 1994, Imagination - 1995, Inspiration - 1996, Elation -1998 and Paradise -1998)

 

Elation and Paradise differ from their sisters in that they have Azipod azimuth thruster propulsion as opposed to two fixed propellors on the first six ships of the class. They were also the last cruise ships built with the lifeboats situated on the upper deck. The Fantasy class has a so-called 'modern ocean/cruise liner design', with all of its cabins situated within the hull and only a handful of suites on the superstructure, similar to Carnival's Holiday-class ships which were built in the late eighties.

 

Sensation was one of several cruise ships chartered by the U.S. Government to provide accommodation for refugees and relief workers following Hurrican Katrina's path of destruction in August 2005. After being released from FEMA service, she moved to Port Canaveral, Fl, where she replaced the Fantasy on Carnival's three and four-day cruises from that port.

 

In late 2006, Carnival Cruise Line announced a massive refurbishment to its Fantasy class fleet known as "Evolutions Of Fun" which is expected to be completed in 2009. The refit will consist of new ship names, with all eight ships receiving a repainted name with the "Carnival" prefix (i.e. Carnival Sensation) after their final refurbishment to their pools and outside decks.

 

A miniature golf course will be added to the forward sun deck. The aft pool deck will be replaced by a waterpark with multiple slides. The main pool will be completely refurbished with new materials and new spiral staircases to the top deck and their original waterslides will be removed.

 

The adults-only area (around the funnel) will be moved, replacing the children's wading pool on the back of Promenade deck with the wading pool becoming part of the new waterpark. The restaurant and the majority of the public areas will receive new decors as well as new electronic equipment. Except for the Carnival Elation and the Carnival Paradise which already have the feature, the sculpture found in the atrium on the other six ships will be removed and replaced with an atrium bar and an orchestra platform. Finally, all staterooms will receive new decors, new beds and new flat screen televisions.

 

Carnival Sensation will receive ninety-eight new balcony cabins replacing the current ocean view staterooms. In addition, eight of her suites on the Upper Deck will get larger balconies.

 

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