August 1971... The Oceanic

Home Lines:  SS Oceanic

It will be 41 years ago in August that we met.  As I said it was a chance meeting at breakfast, by an astute Matre' d the fist morning we were out to sea.  I walked into the main dining room, and was directed to a table with three single women, one of whom was Ellen.  She sat across from me... it was an instant attraction, as if I had known her "from before".  

Forty years ago, each passenger was assigned a deck chair for the duration of the cruise.  As fate would have it, Ellen's chair was directly in front of mine.  Could the gods be working any harder? Finally, on the second night at sea we met up in one of the lounges for a drink and dancing... and that's it...  we've  been together ever since.

Here are some photos.

Ellen: August 1971

Ray:  Life Boat Drill

First Date:  Nassau on Motor Bike

Second Date:  Nassau in a VW Thing

How could she resist?

Oceanic:  Nassau, Bahamas

Then:  August 1971

Now:  September 2011

(Cunard: Queen Victoria)

Planning

Four weeks from today is the long awaited Anniversary Cruise.  Just today a friend mentioned to me that Dr. Oz recommends travel as a means to stay young, vital and engaged.  The planning process, he says, is a vital part of the travel experience, and truthfully I could not agree more.

Here are some of the subjects we are discussing:

Shore Excursions:  We have been to Bermuda at least four or five times.  Twice before on a cruise.  Hamilton and St. George are interesting to walk around for a day.  A beach day sounds good.  And the third and last day... maybe a Segway tour of the King's Wharf area.

Celebrity offers tours of the island, but with few exception, I find that the ship's tours are often expensive and of short duration.  Public transportation and taxi's are generally the best alternatives.  So, at the moment it is Day 1:  Hamilton and St. George via ferry.  Day 2:  Horseshoe Bay Beach.  Day 3: A Segway tour.

The Photo Package:    I read that Celebrity offers a photo package for $235.00 and includes all photos that we (Ellen and myself) are in.  Normally I would run when I see the ship's photographer, because I prefer not to be tempted to buy a 8x10 at $25.00 each.  HOWEVER, the package fine print says something about "minor children traveling in a separate cabin would be included".  If the broad deffinition of children includes grandchildren, then, this is a deal.  I don't care about pictures of myself...but my granddaughters -- that's something else.  Best to wait until we get on board before we commit.
                                           
                                         

                                                                   Celebrity Summit

Specialty Dining:  The Celebrity Summit offers two specialty dining restaurants for an additional charge of $40.00pp.  One restaurant, The Normandy, gets rave reviews... we are going.  Andrew and Melissa are going on July 11th... their 9th Anniversary, and Ellen, Kristen and I, the night after.  I am not sure if the restaurant is a replica of the French Line's, Normandy or if the wood paneling is from the Normandy.  In any event, the ambiance and the menu are supposed to be terrific.

The Celebrity Drink Package:  At first glance the $385.00 drink package seems a bit steep, but Kristen, the forever accountant, has convinced us that it is a good deal.  The package included unlimited alcoholic beverages... up to $12.00 per glass, water, premium coffee, soft drinks, wine and champagnes.  At the moment the package is on sale until the 15th of June... must be pre paid, and the fee includes the gratuity as well.  Maybe if we purchased each drink as we went along the total would be 10 - 15% higher, but pre paying the alcohol makes for a smaller ship board account at the end of the trip.  I am sold.

Wardrobe:  This Bermuda cruise is probably the most informal of all of our past cruises.  (Sign of the time, I think)  Dress is listed as "casual" for five of the nights and "formal" for two.   For me, this eliminates the necessity for bringing suits and sports jackets, dress shirts and ties... with the exception of a tux.   Ellen, on the other hand, has her own definition of "casual" and sets the bar very high....

The countdown begins.   

Something Different

The summer of '66 was the summer between high school and college.  I had a wrist watch, a camera, the use of a car and all the things a high school graduate might expect to receive as a graduation gift.  My gift... a week long cruise on a three mast schooner .... The Victory Chimes out of Bar Harbor, Maine.  It was a unique gift, for sure, in that it satisfied my sense of adventure, and what was even better, I was going alone.

The Victory Chimes

The cruise was a Sunday to Sunday. I remember having to fly to Boston and change planes for a DC3 to Portland or Bar Harbor.  The DC3 was one of those old classic planes...as in the film Casablanca... a two engine prop, with the nose up in the air, and the little landing gear in the back. The luggage was carried up front near the cockpit (today known as the flight deck).  That in itself was an adventure.

Boarding was about 5 or 6 in the afternoon, and it was RAINING and cold.  My fellow passengers were a little bit older than me, somewhat of an ecclectic group... a professor and his wife from Queens College,  a musician, a writer, and the typical Northeast vacationer or two.  The one thing that I do remember is that they were all very generous with their "schnapps" to help keep warm. (Remember in those days you could drink at 18) 

On Monday we set sail... hoisting the sails was strictly voluntary, but it was useless... no wind. The boat, which was about 150 years old at that time, did have a small diesel engine so we did manage to make some progress toward our ultimate destination, Acadia National Park.

The food was hearty... thick New England Clam Chowders, lobster of course, bar-b-q's on sandy coves where we might anchor for an afternoon.  The days were spent lazying on the poop deck, playing Bridge (glad I knew how to play), reading, or just listening to people playing guitars.  Very casual dress as you can imagine, and it was great not having to shave for days on end.  Cocktail time usually started long before 6pm... 

The accomodations were basic.... a step up from steerage, but comfortable and clean.  We were three or four to a room, and I can't remember if the bathroom was in the room or down the hall. 

It was a great week, spent with interesting people, on a historic boat, in an atmoshphere very different from Garden City, Long Island.  In retrospect it was an appropriate transition week for a young man going off to college ready to explore new places, ideas, and people. 

NB:  The Victory Chimes is still afloat and is still operating out of Maine.  She has new owners, but a windjammer cruise still looks as if it could be a fun vacation, like the Irish Music Cruise.  Information about The Victory Chimes cruises can be found on their web site.....  http://www.victorychimes.com/schedule.html 

The Trip That Started It All

It was noon Friday, July 14, 1961, a date firmly etched in my memory that I set sail for Rotterdam on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam for a six week tour of Europe.  It was, what was then called, Le Grand Tour.  It was a life changing experience…. one of those defining moments.

 

Holland America’s SS Nieuw Amsterdam

My parents must have hit the lottery… six weeks in Europe!  Talk about planning.  For a year my father and mother would meet regularly with the New York Thomas Cook Agent deciding on cities and hotels in the seven countries we would visit.  On each leg of the journey we would be met at the train station by the local Thomas Cook Agent, escorted to our hotel, given the vouchers for the local tours, and escorted back to the train station, only to be repeated at the next city.  Tours like that don’t exist anymore and believe me it was not wasted on this 12 year old.

1961 was just about the end of the hey day for Trans-Atlantic crossings.  Holland America had weekly sailings from New York to Rotterdam, via South Hampton and Le Harve, with their SS Rotterdam and SS Nieuw Amsterdam.  While the Nieuw Amsterdam was the older of the two ships, she was known for her elegance and 1930’s art deco decor.  Holding to the tradition of the time, the Nieuw Amsterdam was a three class ship… First, Cabin and Tourist.  We had a Cabin Class room…  Three beds, a private bathroom (not all that common in those days) and two port holes.  

It is more than fifty years since that first crossing, and the memory is a bit foggy.  Unfortunately the photos have disappeared, they would have helped to jog my recollection, but this is what I do remember….

The crossing took 8 days, with a brief stop in England and France.

We dressed for dinner every night…  That meant me too… jacket and tie.  

There were no children’s programs, so I was left to my own devices to amuse myself and that I did.  I discovered how to maneuver from one end of the ship to the other.  With a class ship, the first class lounge was for first class passengers, the cabin class for the cabin class, etc.  Movement between those lounges was restricted, unless you discovered the secret passages… up two decks, cross over to mid-ship, down one deck to the aft staircase, and up one deck and voila you were in the First Class Lounge.  Great fun for a twelve year old.

I served Mass every day with a traveling Jesuit priest… Fr. Robert Taylor, SJ.  He told me that travelers did not have to refrain from eating meat on Friday’s because travel was a hardship.  (Remember that rule?)  

The midnight buffet was unbelievable… particularly in First Class! Ice sculptures, beautiful pastries. I think I was the only one eating.

I won $15.00 at Bingo, and my father made me buy drinks for the table.  

And, I remember asking my mother repeatedly throughout the voyage….”Mom, are you sure I would be considered woman and children”?  I saw A Night to Remember a few weeks before we sailed.

In 1961 minors could be listed on a passport with a parent.

And that is how it started, my love of travel and my love of ships.  I was one very lucky boy.

(I can’t believe how young my parents were… they were both 35 years old!)

The Anniversary Cruise

The Anniversary Cruise

In a month’s time, I will be married 40 years.  Hard to believe that so many years have passed since that very first cruise on The Home Line’s Oceanic .  It was a chance meeting, paired together by an attentive maitre d’, who sat me at breakfast with three single women, one who, ten month’s later, became my wife.

So here we are in June 2012, two children, a daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and ten cruises under our belt, ready to embark on our celebratory 40th Wedding Anniversary Cruise on Celebrity’s Summit to Bermuda.  How perfect to set sail on our anniversary date, July 8.  

The idea for an anniversary cruise had been in the works for quite a while. Bermuda seemed like the ideal destination…  not too many sea days… Port Liberty, an embarkation port close to home, thus no plane travel, and a cruise line known for good food and entertainment.  On the advice of my daughter, Kristen, we selected Celebrity Cruises and as soon as it was possible to make reservations (March 2011) we reserved two balcony rooms and one family suite…to accomodate Melissa, Andrew and the girls.

In March of last year talking about the cruise seemed so remote, but it was necessary to book far in advance so as to secure the coveted family suite. Now, with tickets paid, the planning can begin.  I think it is the planning that I enjoy almost as much as the cruise itself.  It’s fun to have discussions and do research about the ports of call; the pros and cons of early or late dinner seating, and for Ellen… it’s all about the wardrobe…what to wear on formal or semi formal nights.

Over the next month, as we prepare for this special event, I will review some past cruises as well as share some thoughts about shore excursions, cabin up grades and itineraries.  Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you all.

Ellen Sullivan & Ray Signore:  August 1971