Well the day finally arrived and we were like kids. We drove to California two days before our cruise and took in the sights. First time we've gone on a trip without the kids. We had a room overlooking the port and saw our ship come in. Once we boarded all of the worries of day-to-day life just melted away. It was simply magical. It was the most wonderful, relaxing, carefree vacation we have ever taken.

My in-laws took my wife and I and our two kids (4 1/2 and 7 years old at the time) as well as my wife's sister's and their husbands on a three night cruise aboard the Leeward. A beautiful ship, we had a great time and I will be forever hooked on cruising.

Since than, I've only gone one additional time (on the Norway this past June), but cruising will remain my favorite vacation.

I think I visited some cruise ships in Miami in 1978. I dreamed about someday being able to go on a cruise. I visited the Norway shortly after she was converted from the France in 1981.

My first cruise on a cruise ship was aboard the Caribe I, which is now the Regal Empress. But actually, I was not a paying customer....I stowed away on the Caribe I, from St Thomas to San Juan in 1984. I was so wanting to go on a cruise, and my family wouldn't consider a cruise for a vacation, so I stowed away. It was an elaborate plan that I had, and it worked! I even had a cabin! But it was only a short few hours from St Thomas to San Juan.

My first actual PAID cruise was with a buddy of mine, while I was in college in southern California, aboard the Azure Seas in 1985.

In 1989 I was hired to work aboard the Nordic Prince with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, then was transfered to the Song of America. 1991 I worked aboard the mvEmpress as Assistant Cruise Director then Cruise Director. 1992 I worked aboard the Zenith and finally I got to live out my wildest fantasy by working as Stage Manager aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2!

Before I even saw my first cruise ship I dreamed of someday going on a cruise. I read many books about ship life in the trans-Atlantic days, and of course I never missed an episode of the Love Boat!

We crossed three more times before I was five and I was hooked. I still remember the smell of the fresh baked breads at meals, the teak deck after a rain and strange as it may sound, the smell of the wax and fresh flowers when you first boarded the ship.

I also remember getting a thrill out of walking up the gangway to board the ship as you left the comfort of the pier and walked across this small ramp into 7 days of pampering.

Here are a couple of photo's of the family on board the Constitution - ship's photographers were around even back then.

Click here for a larger version: http://www.cruiseserver.net/images/trivia/constitution_walk_on_deck.jpg

Click here for a larger version: http://www.cruiseserver.net/images/trivia/constitution_lifeboat_drill.jpg

Needless to say, we have been hooked ever since. 10 Days left and we will be on the Norway. I am already thinking of where we might cruise next year.

My first time on a "real" cruise line was a few years later when my boy scout troop was given a tour of the old Matson Lines Monterey. It made me want to sail to Hawaii. So far, the only time I've been to Hawaii by ship was coming from the Phillipines while I was in the Navy. Its still a future plan.

Technically speaking, I should have never fallen in love with cruising, as my first cruise (to Bermuda on the Nordic Prince) featured terrible weather on the first day out, including 20-foot swells, high winds and heavy rains - we'd followed a cold front out and caught up to it! Yet, somehow after the weather problems subsided (and I was introduced to the joy of The Patch), I found that I absolutely loved the entire atmosphere. I could totally relax and forget about all my troubles, so much so that it caused me to take another cruise, this time to Alaska on the Crown Princess. This was possibly the nicest vacation I've ever taken, as the group I traveled with was very entertaining, and the sheer beauty of Alaska had a lasting effect, one that is causing me to make a return trip next summer with my wife and a number of others. My last cruise was to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on board the Carnival Triumph, and despite my misgivings about Carnival previous to the trip, even this was thoroughly enjoyable.

The fascination I have with ships was rekindled after seeing "Titanic," and it seems to show no sign of abating at this point. Shipspotting is a wonderful, relaxing hobby, although it's a little depressing when you know you're not going to be on board at sailing time.

He and my grandmother with my Mom and uncle crossed every other year in the summer from NYC to Europe.

My Mom was pregnant with me on the SS Arcadia on a Bermuda cruise. My Dad called the ship the SS Antiquia.

When my younger sister and I were 7 and 9 respectively we took an 11 day cruise on the TSS Olympia and was my longest and farthest trip away from home at the time. We sailed her the year before the full time cruise refit and was original in all of her fittings and decor. I had so much fun just wandering around, playing in the Never and Wonderland, swimming in the pool when water was rough, and had far better food than I got at home.

By age 15, I had been on 4 cruises.

In my college years and early working years I had limited time and was seeing the world by land. One summer there was a Norwegian Coastal trip on the Harald Jarl.

In 1996 I had heard the old SS United States was docked in Philly: my adopted home town. Drove to see her, pulled over with a dropped jaw and looked at her for one hour, and the love affair was reborn. I have taken 8 cruises since

[ 02-17-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

...finally it was my fathers fault - he also likes ships (tough he is not as crazy as I am ) - in 1979 my family went to Venice to go stand-by with more or less any ship - Danae and Navarino were full so we ended up on the Andrea C. - only two years after I stepped aboard a ship for the first, the Dionea going from Grado to Triest - the first big passenger ship I ever saw was the Carla C. in Venice.

The interest to learn my about ships has then been triggered by the disappearence of the Andrea C. - this was the reason why I started to read books and journals.

After some other cruises a cruise aboard the Europa in 1986 mad it then permanent - I became friend with the son of one of the officers who was aboard (sadly I lost the contact) - we were allowed to go quite anywhere on the ship.....

[ 02-17-2006: Message edited by: Ernst ]