Echoes of yesteryear: fond remembrances of some forgotten element of cruising - Cruising's Classic Past

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Allan E. Jordan

Not that long ago, booking a cruise meant doing things such as checking the brochure to confirm the ship was fully air-conditioned, scouring the deck plans to make sure your cabin had private bathroom facilities, and deciding if you wanted the hub-bub of an Italian ship, the quiet tradition of a British ship, or the haute cuisine of a French ship. While much of modern cruising harkens back to the classic past, the shipboard experience has also changed dramatically over the years.

Coming aboard a cruise Ship a hundred years ago was a very different experience than it is today. The first cruise ships were often the older ships of the fleet and hence were missing some of the modern amenities. The excitement of heading off to exotic faraway destinations might have made up for some of the lack of comfort aboard ship, for passengers had to willingly give up the comforts of home to embark on their great adventure. What we take for granted today is very different than what the early cruise passenger expected. For example, a 1913 brochure for "Winter Cruises to the Panama Canal and the West Indies" aboard the ships of Red Star and White Star lines states:

"Among the features of interest to passengers are the Electric Elevators, the Professional Orchestras, the Deck Swimming Pools, the Photographic Dark Rooms, the commodious Lounges, Reading Rooms, Dining Saloons, Smoke Rooms and Recreation Rooms and spacious Promenade Decks. The comfortably equipped staterooms, all of which have electric fans, are of good size, and in many instances of exceptional dimensions, and the special cabins en suite with private bath and toilet conveniences will be found most desirable."

It's true that some of the features reflected the era, and some of the ships' designs were impacted by the individual vessel's original purpose. The glass-enclosed promenade that was a staple of ship design into the 1960s was first a product of the North Atlantic. Built for carrying passengers between Northern Europe and New York, the liners began enclosing their promenades to shield first-class passengers from the cold, damp, and spray of a North Atlantic crossing. The same was true of the indoor swimming pool, often found on the lowest decks of the ship. Introduced early in the 20th century as a luxury, it was also a necessity due to the cold decks typical on many Atlantic crossings. As the Atlantic liners moved into Caribbean service, they brought these features with them; and only when the purpose-built cruise ships of the 1970s emerged did the glass-enclosed promenades and indoor swimming pools fade away.

Another feature the liners brought unwillingly to cruising was the small inside cabin, sometimes packed with three, four, five, or even six berths and a wash basin. In the early days the liners closed off the spaces dedicated to lower-class accommodations, such as tourist class, when they went cruising. It was not uncommon to see a ship listed with a total capacity and a cruising capacity, the cruising capacity being figured without the lowest grades of accommodations and assuming two passengers to a cabin, instead of selling the ship by the berth. On some of the older ships, you can still see a discreetly placed letter or number next to each bed for when passage was sold by the berth.

But these same small cabins gave rise to the first economy cruises. In the 1930s Prohibition Era, these voyages might have been short "booze" cruises that took passengers out into international waters so they could legally indulge in alcoholic spirits in the 1960s. they became known as "party" cruises. These small cabins also contributed to the rise of affordable cruising for the public. Take, for example, the origins of Carnival Cruise Lines and its first ship, the Mardi Gras, which was converted from Canadian Pacific's liner Empress of Canada. The small tourist-class Cabins were refitted with new paint and fabrics and became the economy cabins that were Carnival's origin. A fall 1972 brochure for the Mardi Gras offers "inside cabins with on upper and lower bed and wash basin only" for just $195 per-person for a seven-day cruise and an "outside with two lower beds and wash basin only" for just $220 per-person.

A 1958 newspaper article advised passengers that a "ship voyage need not be a rough one," counseling that "'Once the ship sails, it is advisable to go to the deck steward and reserve a steamer chair.... For a small amount, you can rent a chair and blanket for the whole trip.... It is traditional for passengers to line up after sailing to receive the number of their [dining room] table.... The last detail arrange on your first day at sea is the hour of your daily bath. Most cabin staterooms and all tourist staterooms do not have a bath or shower. The bath steward will book you a definite time each day."

Historically, choosing a cruise started with selecting the ships and the shipping companies. Lines reflected the ethnicity of their owners and their homeports. "Some say the British invented the art of service. And aboard Cunard ships British service rules supreme," boasted the Cunard "Holiday Book" for 1967-1968. In contrast a 1971 brochure for a cruise aboard French Line's France said. "Dining on the France is a tradition, a feast, an experience. A meal of untold courses.... If you have a yen for something different, not on the menu, voila, it's yours. Chances are Napoleon never experienced a comparable cuisine. According to New York's leading gourmet, it is the finest restaurant in all creation." When booking a cruise, passengers chose the ethnic style as much as the cruise itself. In fact, Princess Cruisers maintained an Italian dining room even though a British company owned it because the founder of Princess believed that Italian cuisine was the most popular with potential passengers.