Just for fun...what was your first cruise???

[JuPe]

Living near the sea, I've been traveling on ships since a baby. However my first real 1 week cruise was onboard M/S Kristina Regina visiting all 7 Canary Islands. The ship only carries for 200 passengers and used to be a steam ship (S/S Bore). This ship is doing its last cruise this summer. Due to new safety regulation the ship is not suitable for international cruise traffic. The ship is replaced by M/S Kristina Katarina. This ship is also an old friend of mine when she was known as M/S Konstantin Simonov.

[Boytjie]

2007 Carnival Liberty, I was so excited about going on my first cruise. I had payed for myself and the person that I was dating, whoever that would have been at the time. I met someone who was going to go with me then she cancelled 3 days before the cruise. I wasnt going to go because I had lost my mom 2 months before and my date cancelled:(. My family convinced me to go anyway so I did. I met people in line at the port, once I got on the ship and while sitting alone crying looking out of the back window of the lido deck a lady walked up and asked me if she could sit with me, I told her yes and we have been together since:D. We will be going on our 4th cruise and celebrating our 3rd anniversary in October.

 

What a sweet story!

[RMS Olympic]

What a happy ending....I LOVE IT!

[gmhohio]

2000 RSVP Mardi Gras cruise to New Orleans, Key West, and Cozumel aboard the now defunct Norwegian Wind. I was blown away by the fact that as we left Miami with three other cruise ships (two moving out of the channel in front of us and one behind), we were the only ship that folks on the shore noticed (due to the loud sail away party we were having). She was an old, rather awkward ship which had the MDR plopped down in the middle of her (she was cut in half to do it), but that cruise hooked my partner and I forever . . .

 

TX_Atlantis_Cruiser, that was my first cruise as well. I must say it was an incredible experience and after that cruise I was hooked.

 

There is one other thing that happened that I'll never forget. When we were docked at Cozumel, a Princess ship was docked along side us. I don't know how it happened, but somehow women started flashing their breasts at us. Since we had been in New Orleans right before Cozumel, everyone had lots of Mardi Gras beads. Well beads were begin tossed across the dock from upper deck to upper deck. Finally, someone on the Princess ship depants her male counterpart and then roar from our ship was almost deafening with a ton of beads tossed to the Princess ship.

 

One additional thing that cracked me up about that whole experience, was that there was a table of elderly ladies playing cards next to the edge of the Princess ship, behind glass. Those ladies were so intent on their card game, they were completely oblivious to the noise and the clinking of hundreds of beads against the glass.

 

What a great cruise that was to get me hooked on cruising!

[Rotterdam]

The Rotterdam V was not my first ship but one of my all time favorites - she is now refurbished and a floating hote - where else - but in Rotterdam!!!

[flashdog_1]

It was in May 1968. We crossed the Atlantic (New York to Southampton) in 11 days on a Greek Freighter, whose name I am not sure I ever knew. Total passengers: 12. It rained or was misty until we got to the Channel. The sunshine was so welcome.

 

We booked at the last minute and were given crew's quarters more or less (a bunk bed, a table and chairs and a small port hole, & a sink. Bathroom was down the hall. Seas were so rough I had to put a pillow on either side of my body to keep from rolling. I watched the purser walk a deck and he literally had to keep one leg lifted to knee height to be sure he would not fall. The ship rolled THAT much. Even then I don't remember being really sea sick. I do remember being grateful to go outdoors on a day it was not quite so cold and windy and look at the horizon, though.

 

We ate at the Captain's table (the only table there was), and of course there was only one seating for each meal. This was the end of a "round the world cruise" and ships stores were very meager by then. The only booze available was Oozo. Oatmeal for breakfast every day.

 

A Brit who'd been on the ship the entire round the world cruise took me to her cabin. It was huge, w/large poster bed, curtains, one wall all windows, private bath. She'd booked early and gotten the best cabin.

 

The only amusement was to take apples to the horses being transported (with the captain's permission, of course). The other cargo was gold bouillion! Since the weather was so bad we stayed in and read books over and over again!

[shelltherunner]

My first cruise was the R.S.V.P. Eastern Carribean on the Eurodam last February. I went with my partner and about 23 of our friends. That was by far the best vacation I ever had! We will be cruising the Mediterrenean in July 2011.

[numberguy]

Our first cruise was on the Pride of Aloha (now the Norwegian Sky) in November/December 2005. It hooked us--still haven't gone on an RSVP or Atlantis cruise yet, though.

 

--Michael

[Wingtips56]

My first cruise was in 1994 or 1996 (can't remember for sure) on a 16-passenger wooden "gulet" on a "Blue Cruise" on the coast of Turkey. The other part of our group was on a 12-passenger gulet sailing in tandem. 7-night round-trip out of Marmaris. Rustic on all counts, but hooked me on being out on the water.

 

First mainline cruise was 1997 7-night San Juan round-trip on the Carnival "MS Tropicale". It was the first purpose-built ship for Carnival and introduced the "whale tail" funnel. Dwarfed now by today's monster ships. Now, it's Pullmantur's "Ocean Dream", having been the Costa Tropicale and P&O's unfortunate "Pacific Star" along the way.

[imatim64]

I can't even remember the year - around 1991 - RCCL Song of America. In the middle of the night, off the coast of Jamaica, two of the four engines blew up, fire damage, etc. No power or air conditioning on the ship for 3 days. Two new engines had to be barged in from Miami as we floated off the coast of Jamaica. Ship got repaired, and then back to Miami. End result? Wasn't really a miserable time and got a free cruise out of it.

[fr8cub]

First Cruise was a Bahama cruise, many years ago. Can't even remember the name of the cruiseline. Second one was on Carnival, but can't remember the date. Now I am enjoying them and keeping track.

 

Jeff in Seattle

[Linda Rogo]

My first cruise was in 1983 from New York to Bermuda aboard the S/S Britanis Chandris cruises. What a classic ship she was, built in 1931 with double funnels, like a real ocean liner. I was so hooked, I remember looking at the pictures after we got home and thinking "I don't remember seeing all those rust stains when I was on board!"

 

I'm looking forward to my first Trans Atlantic aboard the QM2 in October.

[Calliope]

My first cruise was on the wonderful DELTA QUEEN. I was 14, and I called the travel agent on the phone and made the booking myself. When my parents found out what I had done, my father booked to go with me. I made over 100 trips on the paddlewheel steamboats of The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. Each one, I can honestly say, was wonderful and unique.

 

My first ocean cruise was a crossing on the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 six years later. Once again I booked without my parents' knowledge of what I had done, but this time they figured I was old enough to travel alone. To this day the QE2 has a special place in my heart.

[keithm]

Saw this on another thread - so Ithought it would be great to see everyones "First".......

 

Mine was on an old Italian Liner to the Caribbean.....both ship & line are no longer sailing.....

Our first cruise was on the QM2 in 2004. We've sailed on it just about every year since.

[Lipz]

Still a *newbie*... 1st cruise Carnival Imagination 2004.

We're about to take our third cruise next July.

Although we can't afford to travel often, when we do cruising is my preference.

[cruiseguysusa]

Our first cruise was on the RCI Viking Serenade in February 2001. The most memorable moment was when a gay male couple was selected as participants in the Newlywed/Love and Marriage game. I’ll never forget one question and response from the game. The question was “What is your spouse/partner’s favourite condiment?” Of course the guys answer was “Trojan”. It was so funny and that hooked us on cruising forever. :cool:

[colocop004]

My first cruise was on the old tub called the Big Red Boat in 1996. My parents took my brother and I on her when I was 23. During the sail away party my dad had had a few adult beverages and was dancing by himself on the dance floor and the HOT cruise director started to dance with him, it was a freaking hoot!! I knew then and there that I could come out to my dad! And ever since then I have blamed my cruising habit on my parents!!

[tgbussiere]

Having grown up watching The Love Boat it was really strange that my first cruise was on the Love Boat - the Pacific Princess I believe - on a 12 night Mediterranean cruise @ May 1996

[Trickie Dickie]

:D I love this thread! :D

 

Our first cruise was on Freedom of the Seas in February 2008. We purchased it entirely with Airmiles that I had been saving. We were sitting on Orient Beach in St. Martin and my hubby said how can we do this forever. Well we've adjusted the budget and we are going on cruises 7 and 8 in the next 5 months with no plans of stopping. It was an instant addiction and we don't want to go to rehab! :D

 

Cheers!

[RMS Olympic]

Becareful of what you wish...you might get it. The cruising addiction is almost impossible to eliminate. After a while it becomes...just what you do. Its always the next cruise you are planning before you even finish the current one.

I am trying to quit...but to no avail.

Next week I embark on cruise number 72 with three more under deposit. I figured number 75 would be the last, but then there is the 2013 inaugural of the new class of Princess ships.....guess there is no hope for me.:o

[David&Scott]

For us it was Commodore's Enchanted Isle in 1992. It was our honeymoon to the Mexican Riviera. We were so excited that an older gentlemen on the dock noticed us and gruffly asked if was our first cruise. We said it was and he waved his cane and barked "You'll be hooked!". And we are!

[jsummerton]

My partner of the time and I went with Pied Piper to Alaska for a 7 day cruise on Celebrity about 12 years ago. I wasn't so sure I would like it. I thought cruising would have snooty people and too many forks for me. But between the nice Pied Piper group -- only about 30 of us if I remember right and the beauty of Alaska, it was wonderful. I dumped the girlfriend and am cruising regularily now.

[RickEk]

My partner got a job at Princess and the day after he became eligible for an employee cruise, we were boarding the brand-new Island Princess for a 10-day Panama Canal partial transit cruise in 2003. What a fantastic experience and we've been hooked ever since. :)

[MattInFLL]

The Queen of Bermuda (Bermuda Star Lines) - back in 1988 (or maybe '89). I remember we went to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. It was such a tug, I didn't cruise again for 10 years.

 

She had been built in 1958, and it showed.

[RDUCruisers]

My parents had just recently taken their first cruise in Alaska with Norwegian and thought that it would be best for us to have our next family vacation be a cruise. My brother and I took our parents word for it, well aware that we would be stuck on a ship for a long time (about 12 days if I remember correctly). We all absolutely loved that cruise. It was definitely one of my favorites, as it was the first time I had visited the area. The ship was also relatively new at the time with lots of amenities and the service was great, which added more to the experience. Every other vacation i have taken with family since then, at least that I can remember, has been a cruise.

 

Now my partner and I am looking forward to going on my first gay cruise next week aboard NCL's Pride of America. Can't wait to see what it's like!

 

Don