Among them, he says:

• "Bon Voyage" parties and visitors

• streamers and balloons for sail-away

• cabins with shared bathroom facilities

• single nationality crews

• live telephone receptionists

• bell boys announcing that the dining room is open, and operating elevators

• baggage rooms

• clay pigeon shooting

• The Daily Tote (totalisator – guessing how many miles have been achieved each day)

• writing rooms

• soft lighting on open decks (for stargazing)

• cabin bell-push/pull-cord for steward

• night stewards waiting for room service orders, or to bring tea or coffee

• no more cabin door keys aboard new ships (replaced by electronic keys today)

• live port talks by shore excursion staff (not shopping lecturers)

• hat parades

• posted shore tender schedules

• passengers with steamer trunks

• portholes that open

• cinemas showing 35mm films

• indoor squash courts

• quiet (non-vacuum) toilets

• secretarial services (much used aboard the transatlantic liners)

• open deck turtle/model car races

One of the biggest things that has disappeared which is not mentioned, is the midnight buffet. You would be hard pressed to find one today, not that there is any shortage of food or availability.

Something else that has disappeared is dedicated wine stewards. Most of the mainstream cruise lines no longer have them.

Paper cruise tickets and traditional baggage tags are another thing of the past. In fact Cunard announced just today it's going to e-tickets (for US passengers) starting with 4/22 sailings.

For the most part though, we have gained much more then we have lost. Ships built today are far superior to those built in 1985, in comfort, choice, and certainly environmentally. I have no desire to go back to 1985, but 1955 (or earlier) is another story!

quote:

---

Originally posted by eroller:

For the most part though, we have gained much more then we have lost. Ships built today are far superior to those built in 1985, in comfort, choice, and certainly environmentally. I have no desire to go back to 1985, but 1955 (or earlier) is another story!

Ernie

---

I like Ernie have been cruising since childhood on classic liners. My partner took his first cruise in 2006. He would not enjoy a classic liner after sailing on 5 modern ships. He saw the Kristina Regina and Sapphire in Rhodes and nodded no. I love the classic ships, but would not want to go back to QE2 after QM2, RotterdamV, that is another story.

Several cruisetalkers corroborate the lack of backward compatibility between classic and modern ships.

Perhaps I am beating a dead horse since most classics are gone.

[ 03-08-2010: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by desirod7:

I like Ernie have been cruising since childhood on classic liners. My partner took his first cruise in 2006. He would not enjoy a classic liner after sailing on 5 modern ships. He saw the Kristina Regina and Sapphire in Rhodes and nodded no. I love the classic ships, but would not want to go back to QE2 after QM2, RotterdamV, that is another story.

Several cruisetalkers corroborate the lack of backward compatibility between classic and modern ships.

Perhaps I am beating a dead horse since most classics are gone.

[ 03-08-2010: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

---

Hey David,
I love the classics, but I don't consider ships built in the 80's to be classic. In fact to me, most of the 70's and 80's were not exactly a great shipbuilding era for cruise ships. The ships being built today are far superior in almost every aspect.

Now going back a bit farther, say the 40's through the mid to late 60's is another story. I would trade today for that era in a heartbeat. The chance to sail NORMANDIE, FRANCE, UNITED STATES, QUEEN MARY, QUEEN ELIZABETH, CARONIA, NIEUW AMSTERDAM, MICHELANGELO, LEONARDO DA VINCI, etc. etc. would be too good to pass up.

In what decade were those popular?

While I share Mr. Ward's sentiment for the loss of the gracious style of cruising in the past, some of the "long lost" items just aren't missed.

Fortunately, gone too are:
- Windowless dining rooms
- Cabins with twin beds that didn't convert to a king for couples
- Tank like swimming pools
- Portholes (in favor or floor to ceiling verandah windows)
- Your choice of exactly one dining venue and one table for every night of your cruise. Monotony!
- Bad Las Vegas style reviews
- Lots of tender ports on deep draft ships
- Assigned table seating
- Limited nightlife choices... early show or main seating show

quote:

---

Originally posted by eroller:

most of the 70's and 80's were not exactly a great shipbuilding era for cruise ships.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by eroller:

Now going back a bit farther, say the 40's through the mid to late 60's is another story. I would trade today for that era in a heartbeat. The chance to sail NORMANDIE, FRANCE, UNITED STATES, QUEEN MARY, QUEEN ELIZABETH, CARONIA, NIEUW AMSTERDAM, MICHELANGELO, LEONARDO DA VINCI, etc. etc. would be too good to pass up.

Ernie

---

I recall my parents choosing Olympia over the Rafaello which our neighbors did.

Me: cabin class with plenty of ginger.
The 40's ships did not have stabilizers, tourist accomodation is a bit sparse and I am beyond shared facilities.
Dranamine and seabands did not exist then, but ginger did and is an excellent seasick remedy.

The QM1 even in her current condition has details and features unavailable at any price, even in the elevator cabs.

Lets see what I can list.

Bon Voyage parties and visitors still exist. Princess has just reintroduced visitors and lots of cruise ships have bon voyage parties.

streamers went because it is littering the ocean.

Why would anyone these days want cabins with shared bathroom facilities - and this author is supposedly a big fan of high class.

bell boys in lifts! come on get real. Who would want a meaningless job like that. It would get pretty boring after an hour. Who even needs bell boys in lifts.

Daily Tote has still been going on some ships I have been on.

Cabin door keys - why would anyone want a cumbersome metal key when it is simpler to insert a plastic card. It is more secure and inexpensive.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sutho:

bell boys in lifts! come on get real. Who would want a meaningless job like that. It would get pretty boring after an hour. Who even needs bell boys in lifts.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dutch:
"Open deck turtle races"?????

In what decade were those popular?

---

Up to the 1950's early 1960's.

HAL, Cunard still have bellboys announcing Dinner. But you have the heavy task of pushing the heavy lift button you're self.

Non opening porthols still excist on modern cruise ships HAL S, R, class have them.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sutho:

bell boys in lifts! come on get real. Who would want a meaningless job like that. It would get pretty boring after an hour. Who even needs bell boys in lifts.

.

---

This is just a reflection of the times--lift operators (both male and female) were pretty standard in hotels, department stores, and office buildings right up until the 1960s in many places.

quote:

---

Originally posted by eroller:
In fact to me, most of the 70's and 80's were not exactly a great shipbuilding era for cruise ships.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

It was a bad era for almost everything!

---

When they are far enough behind us everything will look 'classic' in the 70's and 80's, trust me!.

[ 03-09-2010: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Linerrich:

This is just a reflection of the times--lift operators (both male and female) were pretty standard in hotels, department stores, and office buildings right up until the 1960s in many places.

Rich

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

When they are far enough behind us everything will look 'classic' in the 70's and 80's, trust me!.

[ 03-09-2010: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jetwet1:
On the Westerdam this last October there was a "bell boy" running around Decks 2 and 3 announcing that the dinning room was open.

---

They are playing the same tune fore more then 100 years. Nice relic of the past.

quote:

---

• live port talks by shore excursion staff (not shopping lecturers)

---

What one really wants are port talks by lecturers who are neither selling you excursions nor pushing shops (or restaurants or other "approved" local businesses). Cunard still has port lecturers like this and undoubtedly some others too.

quote:

---

Originally posted by eroller:
Paper cruise tickets and traditional baggage tags are another thing of the past. In fact Cunard announced just today it's going to e-tickets (for US passengers) starting with 4/22 sailings.

---

I love e-tickets for airlines but somehow I haven't cottoned to them for cruises yet.

At least Celebrity and Royal Caribbean will send you luggage tags (albeit the airline-style pre-printed ones that I think they were the first to use). I don't know what Cunard is doing but on some of the other Carnival brands like HAL the e-docs include a luggage tag template you're supposed to print, cut out and staple together - now that is the height of tackiness!

(The pre-printed ones are also useless if your cabin changes after you get them. I've wound up leaving them untouched in such situations.)

quote:

---

Originally posted by desirod7:
He saw the Kristina Regina and Sapphire in Rhodes and nodded no.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dutch:
Fortunately, gone too are:

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sutho:
missing things that are antiquated and better off without

---

[ 03-09-2010: Message edited by: Conte Di Savoia ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by NAL:
I remember on CGT ships when I was a child the bath tubs had a choice of fresh water or salt!

---

Queen Mary is like that.

What was the purpose of that? Flash evaporators and reverse osmosis are both old tech, so I can't imagine that being an issue. Was it a "therapeutic" thing?

quote:

---

Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:

As an example, most classic car clubs will not (and have never) admitted vehicles built after 1974...

---

35mm movies? I am pretty sure they don't use 70mm.