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Our very first cruise was on the Dawn Princess in 2004. It was our honeymoon and we sailed out of Puerto Rico to the Caribbean. We’ve sailed on Grandeur of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas as well as Vision of the Seas twice. Royal Caribbean’s Vision class ships are definitely our favorite classes of RCL ships.
Sailed this past June on the Vision of the Seas, out of Baltimore. We sail to relax. Have seen the floating amusement parks at different ports, and you can have them. Crawling with people who seem to have the need to be entertained every minute of the day. The smaller ships offer less crowds, great service, and a more relaxing experience. There is still plenty to do, but at your own pace. The Vision was refurbished earlier this year and looks great. I will take my drink on the larger balcony to your waterslide, anyday.
I am with you. These mondo-mega ships are for the birds - or maybe the fish. We had a REALLY good experience on HAL back in 2000 when I was 39. I didn't remember it as being especially geriatric but my Wife did. Anyway, I was ready to try them again. It wasn't a bad cruise but it wasn't as good as the previous one to Alaska in 2000. And maybe I just didn't remember anything wrong. The point of this is that HAL probably has one of the lowest average passenger per ship of any mainline company.
Oh wow, I absolutely cannot STAND snobs like you! Vision is tiny and cramped and does not offer enough food options, plain and simple…its entertainment venues are lacking…rather than sneer at “floating amusement parks”, how about acknowledging that what a cruise ship actually is is a floating resort hotel…Most of these ships are closer to a stripped down middle of the road Holiday Inn…they are perfectly serviceable and you can very easily have a pleasant time in them but they are, all things considered, kind of dull and pedestrian! Sorry, but I’d prefer to stay at Caesars Palace than the Marriott Courtyard!
Thanks, Chris! This documentary brings much nostalgia for the millions of people who watched series such as Love Boat and those who enjoyed cruise-vacations during the 1970s to the 1990s. I was fortunate to see and to experience several old (and several now out of service) ships that predate year 2000: e.g., Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Fascination, Nordic Empress, Carnival Destiny, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas (going since 1996), Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas (still going since 1997), Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas....The service tends to be excellent on smaller and medium sized ships, and there is a high rate of repeating guests. No overcrowding, no need to make reservations for entertainment or shows, and much less fuss and noise than what you would often notice on the mega ships since year 2010.
Excellent video! I've had my eye on a few of these but you've encouraged me to do something about it. Once the old ships are gone you can't ever experience them again! I've been lucky enough to stay overnight on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, but she's the rare oddity of a ship that lived on well beyond her service life.
We recently cruised on QM2 and have been on Grand Princess, Summit/Infinity, Veendam/ Noordam, NCL Gem/Jewel/Pearl. These ships were classic and beautiful. I try to avoid the megaship whenever possible.
I will embark tomorrow for the world tour with Costa Cruises, the ship is Costa Deliziosa, it is very old but they did maintenance and now it is ready to start the world tour 😍
Great video! My favorite cruises have all been on "older" ships that are 15- 20+ years old. I prefer the smaller size, the full promenade decks, and the more intimate feel of older, more traditional ships. My very first cruise was on Disney Magic in 2001 when she was very new, and I hold a special place in my heart for her and her sister ship, Disney Wonder, which I have cruised on three times.
My wife and I went on the NCL Spirit last year and absolutely loved the ship. It is really classy, because it is designed for adults, we had almost no kids to deal with and the food and service were amazing. We would happily go on that ship again!
Ah, your book...sent the link to my kids and it'll magically appear as a Christmas pressie (eventually to sit alongside the Arnold Kludas books...remember those anyone?). Anyway, thanks for this Chris, would love to see more interior shots of these older cruise ships when you get the chance. Yes, quite happy with older ones - Borealis, Bollette right now, excellent...and I started cruising on the Uganda back in the Neolithic era!! All the best, keep them coming, Trevor
Built in a totally different era and was considered very modern at the time she first sailed. Of course, she built her own legacy and was a warhorse battling the North Atlantic. Fantastic ship. I think most ships built from say 1995 onward are still modern ships, just with decor and amenities reflecting the style. But it is frosting on the cake of a particular blueprint.
I have been on 2 cruises in my lifetime. First was on RCCL's Nordic empress for my honeymoon back in the mid 1990s. Then I took the family on the Disney Magic in 2009. Great ships and I hope to do this again someday.
We loved the QM II and the Southampton to NY sailing. It’s going back in time with the big band music and ballroom dancing. We liked it so much we made sure to stay on the original Queen Mary when in Long Beach.
I live in Long Beach and I'm really happy with the renaissance the Queen Mary is currently experiencing. It's being repaired and refurbished with great sensitivity to preservation of its original decor elements. And the Mary has a lot of local community support.
Hi Chris. I started cruising during the 80's. Whilst NCL was coming to the end of the elder "White Fleet." And the old rust buckets were still sailing. I.E. The Emerald Seas, The Britanis, The S.S. Dolphin IV, The Galileo, The Victoria, The Amerikanis. I remember being on board the Sun Viking, The Nordic Prince and the Song of Norway Before HAL brought on the newer ships, the Elder fleet of the dark hulls and Orange funnel Volendam and Veendam used to sail from Miami, on the very East end of the port facilities. Peter did a series of videos on the elder fleet of ships long ago. I loved these classic old ships. You can imagine how many times I've been to Nassau on each of them. These were the really classic ships, you don't hear about any longer.
We just got off Norwegian Gem. It was the best sail we have had: great food, excellent service, great entertainment, top notch cruise director, enormously stylish interiors. Only 2300 fellow cruisers. Great cruise.
We sailed to Alaska on the Dawn Princess while still with Princess cruises. What stuck out for me was the size of our balcony cabin. The sitting room and bedroom were side by side each with a sliding glass door to the shared balcony, which was huge compared to modern balcony cabins. The bathroom had a shower and a separate jacuzzi tub. The smaller ship felt less crowded, making for a wonderful trip.
Pacific Explorer is a special favourite as she was my very first cruise ship I took my first two cruises on her onboard was relaxed and laid back atmosphere with some fun too
As a lifelong ocean liner obsessive, I was beyond thrilled to take a Queen Mary 2 voyage this past September/October. She was amazing- I'll definitely be back!
We just missed sailing on the Prinsendam, which is a huge regret. The most decrepit ship we’ve been on is Carnival Liberty when it was immediately put back into service after being out for covid due to the Vista having issues.
Earlier this summer they announced that P&O Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will be absorbed in to Carnival Cruise Lines Australia, joining Carnival Splendor and Luminosa. The P&O Pacific Explorer will just be flat out retired, (Scrapyard) unless someone else buys it (unlikely)
Done the Costa Fortuna in 2023 and in 2018 the even older, now scrapped, Costa Victoria that was our first Cruise we ever took and got us hooked. Loved them. Also did the Celebrity Millenium in 2019 in Japan and probably the only ship that has a Japanese Onsen onboard. That is as a none Japanese an experience itself. Always prefer the “smaller” older ships. Our 9th cruise will be in February 2025 on the MSC World Europa in the Mediterranean with our next generation. Bit nervous if we really will like this massive ship.
We sailed the Volendam this past summer for a 24 day adventure from Boston to Canada then on to Greenland and Iceland, returning to Boston. Its showing age in a few places, but I loved her smaller size and the fact that we went to places the bigger ships couldn't enter. I have a special place in my heart for small & medium sized ships. The huge mega ships do not appeal to me.
My first ever cruise was on the Sundream, an older ship, a long weekend to Belgium. I don't recall much , except that the cabin was very tight and seasickness was my friend for the first 2 days ... but after that I found my sea legs and it was the turn of the other passengers to be unwell. Prior to this it had always been car ferries, from France, Belgium, Spain, Scandinavia and the excellent overnight service between Helsinki & Stockholm. I have sailed on more ships than I can remember, now I want to visit the Adriatic by ship but am worried the older ships may feel dated. I've looked at the MSC Armonia, that you didn't say much tends to confirm my concerns.
Of the ships mentioned, I've been fortunate to sail on both the QM2 and the Carnival Destiny. Completely different ships - travelled on at completely different times of my life - but both enjoyed by me at the time!
Hello! Here’s one option: www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Photographic-History-of-P-O-Cruises-Frame-Chris-Cross-Rachelle/9781803994376?AU&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Lo6Hjn2rpJ49j3W2CIp29WfhDZ
I loved QM2 when I was on her in October, just felt so at home and comfy onboard! Also you are allowed to say Marella 😂Their two Visions do appear to be very popular with travellers, and i'll be getting to try the oldest Celebrity ship (former lol) with Marella next month with Explorer (Celeb Galaxy) and amusingly Volendam will be porting next to Explorer while we are in Gibraltar! So oddly the newest ship ive been on is Azura, which is also a Grand from your list today!
I’m actually quite fond of one of Royal Caribbean’s older ships, the 2002 built NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS…this was actually the biggest ship in the world when she was built, and introduced a Lot of some of the fancier “bells and whistles” Royal is famous for-it was the first that had the Royal Promenade central shopping and entertainment venue concourse as well as the ice rink theatre/entertainent venue Studio B….its reasonably sized (130 thousand tons) and has a nice selection of restaurants but is remarkably uncrowded, topping out at under 3000 guest capacity and has a nice, full sized theatre and a really nice main dining….however she also has a nice selection of newer fancy features like a flowrider and two water slides
I prefer newer, larger ships overall. I did love the Gem though, but because it was right for a port intensive cruise. I love my quiet moments, but as a retired person I get plenty of time to relax at home. I like the options the newer, large ships offer. I can still find quiet places, but I like the party life sometimes too
My husband and I sailed on Millennium a couple years ago, and it was exceptional! The interior was nicer than what we've seen on newer ships, and they have a small area featuring paintings and memorabilia from Olympic, but the restaurant is gone, alas
The original Millennium was much different than today's. I actually prefer the newer Solstice class to the original Millennium class except that those had the Rendezvous Lounge and the Solstice does not. But the original Millenium had a much grander dining room, the very elegant Olympic specialty dining that was a very elevated experience, and the decor was much more a modern take on 1920-1940s design than the current one is. I liked the decor but it took out an aft lounge that was on the Century class and I missed that space.
@benjaminsmith2287 Millennium was our favorite cruise. We were absolutely dazzled, and it must've been even more beautiful in its original form. How could a reproduction of Olympic's dining room be anything but a smash hit? I heard it'd had some genuine Olympic paneling.... I would've loved to see that!
@@sadiedavenport The front part of the dining room did, yes. The dining room felt upscale. I think what didn't work on the ship is they put a big lounge over the Rendezvous Lounge and had a small opening in the floor to let in the music from the bottom lounge into the upper lounge. But that takes away the advantage of having one lounge have one band and music and another lounge have a different one. They also had a two deck music library and that was never really utilized well. The Solsticized changes to the ship mostly helped it and it does seem many people want the choice in specialty restaurants.
@benjaminsmith2287 I understand Celebrity needs to make their ships appealing to as many people as possible. I would've preferred the original design, but I'm also a big Olympic fan! Olympic is one of my favorite historical ships
@@sadiedavenport Great! It's interesting that people don't realize that Titanic had 2 sisters that were similar. I guess Britannic was the largest of the 3 but all were luxurious in their first classes at least. And I don't believe Olympic had any serious incidents.
You did not mention Holland America Line, it is the oldest Trans-Atlantic & cruising shipping company in the world, HAL still bear that proud name since the late 1930!! and I did work on one of Their cruise ships in the 1960's.
I have sailed on several of the oldest and near oldest ships. But whereas the Grand Princess and (my favorite) the Island Princess were well cared for and staffed by fantastic and proud crews, Royal Carribean's Vision of the Seas (sailed on 2014) felt like the ship that they had forgotten about in their focus of creating gigantic, theme park ships. The paint and general appearance was rag-tag, and the crew couldn't have cared less about passenger service (and acted as if they had been banned to the ship after bad work reviews). If you are going to travel an older/oldest ship, read up on the ship from former passengers. There are communities that will tell you about sailing on these vessels. Find one that people are truly praising.. (The Grand and the Island are two of which I have found that surveys will rate as favorites.)
I think it was our second cruise. It was on HAL to Alaska in 2000 and it was on....(DRUMROLL) the Volendam! One of the best cruises we have been on. I don't remember it being all that geriatric but my Wife did (she told me this AFTER our latest cruise last month on HAL) and I wanted to do HAL again. Without getting into details, it wasn't as good as the first HAL I DO like that their ships are on the smaller side vs these idiotic mondo-mega liners.
The original video exported without Grand Princess covered 🤦♂️given how important that ship is in the history of cruising I felt I needed to reupload.
Well, one good thing about old cruise ships is that the observation decks aren’t shrouded in hideous black glass screens as a large number of current ones are. This is obviously just a cynical move to make being outside and watching/photographing the scenery virtually impossible and thereby herd passengers into areas of the ship where they can make money out of them.
The cruising passenger's priorities have changed so much that the vast majority don't really sail for the romance of cruising anymore. In most cruise reviews I see service, entertainment and food being the biggest priority vs. meet, mingle, dance and romance of cruising and in particular deck space. It's funny, you mention the Celebrity Millennium and that's one ship I thought was a downgrade for Celebrity compared to the Century class. I remember well thinking that the private balconies in the suites should be for the public. The aft area of ships no longer are public spaces, most of them, and go to "private balconies," often suites. It's not the size of the ship that matters that much to me, it is the content. The current cruise reviews and vloggers talk of "older" ships, like ships introduced in say 2012, as being old. And that's a problem. A ship that's 12-20 years in service was just coming into its stride in the 1970s or 1980s. It was in no way old. Now, people feel they are missing out if they're not on the newest class. But the newest class of ships take away things like forward facing lounges, aft deck space, uncluttered deck space, libraries and other quiet areas, major lounges, and replace them with private areas, sometimes inaccessible ship within a ship areas, "specialty" restaurants, shops, and there's an emphasis, even on Princess, to make the atrium an entertainment space where at one time it was a quieter large central area of the ship. The emphasis on balconies and suites and packages has led to pax wanting to have a status on ships over other pax. The lines tried to get away from that but are strongly embracing that now, even Celebrity., with their ship within a ship and booking a suite and private spaces and priorities. Presentation and food in the MDRs have suffered due to the emphasis on specialty restaurants. I've never seen a hospitality industry emphasize new, new, new so much. Passengers are spoiled into believing if you aren't on the newest class of ship in any line, you aren't on the best. And that's nonsense. There is so much more in the Royal Princess for me anyway than the Sun Princess. The Edge class is a disappointment for me vs. the Solstice class for Celebrity. Even Cunard's Queen Anne has an underwhelming Queens Room vs. that on any of her previous siblings. The whole newer is better is a mentality that is not useful. Ships are disposable to a lot of cruise passengers today. And they have a warped sense of what is a small vs. a large ship. A 90,000 ton ship is a large ship and people are calling them small.
Im going on Pacific Explorer on Monday, shes a beautiful ship and its sad that carnival arent keeping her around, I hate Pacific Adventure and Encounter with a passion because theyre very ugly
Older cruise ships are a lot nicer than the newer cruise ships they are making today. Don't like RCCL or NCL cruise lines. Have taken a cruise with each line. The Celebrity Millennium Class ships are nice. The newer ships are not good. Liked the Carnival Triumph Class ships. Not since they were redone and renamed. Enjoyed sailing on Holland America. Want to go with them again. Never been on Costa Cruises. Aida Cruise Line a German Cruise Line owned by Carnival. Used to like the Carnival Triumph Class ships, but, they don't exist anymore. Carnival Vista Class was pretty good. Carnival Spirit Class is also excellent.
Now that we're in a new reign, it should be said that 'Queen Mary 2' was christened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Nowadays, Her Majesty The Queen refers to a different person.
All the new ships are way too big. They can not get into places you want to go and have to park in commercial docks, when they can get in you are surrounded by thousands of other arrivals and just as well have stayed on the ship. Go for older ships and enjoy your holiday. Also a shout out to Ambassador who go from places like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Dundee, Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol and Falmouth. I love sailing from Bristol with just a few hundred others and not an army of tourists
We wholeheartedly prefer the smaller class ships and our favorites include Carnival PRIDE, LEGEND, and the Royal Caribbean ships including VISION OF THE SEAS, GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS and ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS. We will NEVER succumb to the need to sail these current amusement park behemoths of the seas due to these known or potential issues: (1) SAFE AND EXPEDITIOUS EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF OVER 5,000 GUESTS AND CREW, SPRING/SUMMER BREAK CROWDS, FOOD SERVICE ISSUES AND SANITATION and that many more 30 MPH carelessly driven scooters and more wheelchairs!! Not for us!...the ports of Baltimore, Port Canaveral, and Ft. Lauderdale are convenient for us and some of the smaller vessels they serve...
I wouldn’t cruise on any ship, whatever its age. I can’t think of anything more soul destroying than being trapped in an enclosed space with so many - hell is other people.
I cruised once. Never again. Horrible experience. Floating holiday camp, constant engine jerking motion, swell makes eating nauseating. Entertainment is mediocre.
Just canceled my Greek cruise with NCL. They supported Donald Trump, so in good conscience I could not afford to spend my hard earned money on a cruise line that supports a convicted felon who belongs in prison, rather then being the king of America. Bah bye, and looking for a non-political cruise line. Kiss my ass, NCL!!!!!!!
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Our very first cruise was on the Dawn Princess in 2004. It was our honeymoon and we sailed out of Puerto Rico to the Caribbean. We’ve sailed on Grandeur of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas as well as Vision of the Seas twice. Royal Caribbean’s Vision class ships are definitely our favorite classes of RCL ships.
Sailed this past June on the Vision of the Seas, out of Baltimore. We sail to relax. Have seen the floating amusement parks at different ports, and you can have them. Crawling with people who seem to have the need to be entertained every minute of the day. The smaller ships offer less crowds, great service, and a more relaxing experience. There is still plenty to do, but at your own pace. The Vision was refurbished earlier this year and looks great. I will take my drink on the larger balcony to your waterslide, anyday.
I am with you. These mondo-mega ships are for the birds - or maybe the fish. We had a REALLY good experience on HAL back in 2000 when I was 39. I didn't remember it as being especially geriatric but my Wife did. Anyway, I was ready to try them again. It wasn't a bad cruise but it wasn't as good as the previous one to Alaska in 2000. And maybe I just didn't remember anything wrong. The point of this is that HAL probably has one of the lowest average passenger per ship of any mainline company.
Oh wow, I absolutely cannot STAND snobs like you! Vision is tiny and cramped and does not offer enough food options, plain and simple…its entertainment venues are lacking…rather than sneer at “floating amusement parks”, how about acknowledging that what a cruise ship actually is is a floating resort hotel…Most of these ships are closer to a stripped down middle of the road Holiday Inn…they are perfectly serviceable and you can very easily have a pleasant time in them but they are, all things considered, kind of dull and pedestrian! Sorry, but I’d prefer to stay at Caesars Palace than the Marriott Courtyard!
Agree. We just finished up an Alaskan cruise on the Eurodam. Smaller ship, not a booze cruise and a higher quality of mature guests.
The Minnow is our favorite. It takes three hour tours.
Maybe, but only one-way !
Thanks, Chris! This documentary brings much nostalgia for the millions of people who watched series such as Love Boat and those who enjoyed cruise-vacations during the 1970s to the 1990s. I was fortunate to see and to experience several old (and several now out of service) ships that predate year 2000: e.g., Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Fascination, Nordic Empress, Carnival Destiny, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas (going since 1996), Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas (still going since 1997), Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas....The service tends to be excellent on smaller and medium sized ships, and there is a high rate of repeating guests. No overcrowding, no need to make reservations for entertainment or shows, and much less fuss and noise than what you would often notice on the mega ships since year 2010.
Excellent video! I've had my eye on a few of these but you've encouraged me to do something about it. Once the old ships are gone you can't ever experience them again! I've been lucky enough to stay overnight on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, but she's the rare oddity of a ship that lived on well beyond her service life.
I would enjoy your take on Crystal, Seabourne, and Silversea’s older ships.
Really enjoy your videos. Thank you.
A really good point to have made about older ships Chris.
We recently cruised on QM2 and have been on Grand Princess, Summit/Infinity, Veendam/ Noordam, NCL Gem/Jewel/Pearl. These ships were classic and beautiful. I try to avoid the megaship whenever possible.
You cannot beat QM2 so beautiful I have cruised on her , hope to do it again. Thank you Chris.
Love your new channel about cruise news and ship history. Ship history is very relevant within the cruise industry. Keep up the great work!
I will embark tomorrow for the world tour with Costa Cruises, the ship is Costa Deliziosa, it is very old but they did maintenance and now it is ready to start the world tour 😍
Great video! My favorite cruises have all been on "older" ships that are 15- 20+ years old. I prefer the smaller size, the full promenade decks, and the more intimate feel of older, more traditional ships. My very first cruise was on Disney Magic in 2001 when she was very new, and I hold a special place in my heart for her and her sister ship, Disney Wonder, which I have cruised on three times.
My wife and I went on the NCL Spirit last year and absolutely loved the ship. It is really classy, because it is designed for adults, we had almost no kids to deal with and the food and service were amazing. We would happily go on that ship again!
Ah, your book...sent the link to my kids and it'll magically appear as a Christmas pressie (eventually to sit alongside the Arnold Kludas books...remember those anyone?). Anyway, thanks for this Chris, would love to see more interior shots of these older cruise ships when you get the chance. Yes, quite happy with older ones - Borealis, Bollette right now, excellent...and I started cruising on the Uganda back in the Neolithic era!! All the best, keep them coming, Trevor
THIS WAS EPIC
We just returned from a cruise on Carnival Sunshine. She may be older but really loved being on her. There is a lot to say about the older ships.
The older ships are well run machines. That's why I miss the Qe2 she had a soul of her own 😢
She certainly did!!
I love Ncl Epic think 12 year old ship
Ncl balcony price love more
Built in a totally different era and was considered very modern at the time she first sailed. Of course, she built her own legacy and was a warhorse battling the North Atlantic. Fantastic ship. I think most ships built from say 1995 onward are still modern ships, just with decor and amenities reflecting the style. But it is frosting on the cake of a particular blueprint.
I have been on 2 cruises in my lifetime. First was on RCCL's Nordic empress for my honeymoon back in the mid 1990s. Then I took the family on the Disney Magic in 2009. Great ships and I hope to do this again someday.
We loved the QM II and the Southampton to NY sailing. It’s going back in time with the big band music and ballroom dancing.
We liked it so much we made sure to stay on the original Queen Mary when in Long Beach.
I live in Long Beach and I'm really happy with the renaissance the Queen Mary is currently experiencing. It's being repaired and refurbished with great sensitivity to preservation of its original decor elements. And the Mary has a lot of local community support.
Hi Chris. I started cruising during the 80's. Whilst NCL was coming to the end of the elder "White Fleet." And the old rust buckets were still sailing.
I.E. The Emerald Seas, The Britanis, The S.S. Dolphin IV, The Galileo, The Victoria, The Amerikanis.
I remember being on board the Sun Viking, The Nordic Prince and the Song of Norway
Before HAL brought on the newer ships, the Elder fleet of the dark hulls and Orange funnel Volendam and Veendam used to sail from Miami, on the very East end of the port facilities.
Peter did a series of videos on the elder fleet of ships long ago. I loved these classic old ships.
You can imagine how many times I've been to Nassau on each of them. These were the really classic ships, you don't hear about any longer.
We just got off Norwegian Gem. It was the best sail we have had: great food, excellent service, great entertainment, top notch cruise director, enormously stylish interiors. Only 2300 fellow cruisers. Great cruise.
We sailed to Alaska on the Dawn Princess while still with Princess cruises. What stuck out for me was the size of our balcony cabin. The sitting room and bedroom were side by side each with a sliding glass door to the shared balcony, which was huge compared to modern balcony cabins. The bathroom had a shower and a separate jacuzzi tub. The smaller ship felt less crowded, making for a wonderful trip.
I just returned from a Thanksgiving week cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas.. It was awesome 🙏🙏🥰🥰🦋🦋
Sounds like you had a great time!
I went on Pacific Encounter last week and picked up your new book onboard. Great read and fantastic ship to sail on
Thank you for your support!
Thanks for sharing, very cool.
I prefer the older cruise ships to the floating hotels
QM2 is an outstanding liner.
I think I do too John!
Pacific Explorer is a special favourite as she was my very first cruise ship I took my first two cruises on her onboard was relaxed and laid back atmosphere with some fun too
I like the Grand Princess.
As a lifelong ocean liner obsessive, I was beyond thrilled to take a Queen Mary 2 voyage this past September/October. She was amazing- I'll definitely be back!
Glad you had such a great time! She's certainly a special ship.
i love the volendam and zaandam, enjoying many cruises on them...plus the QM2
We just missed sailing on the Prinsendam, which is a huge regret. The most decrepit ship we’ve been on is Carnival Liberty when it was immediately put back into service after being out for covid due to the Vista having issues.
A great video, you got yourself a new subscriber!
Welcome aboard!
My first cruise of only 2) was on Grandeur. Loved the experience
Truly enjoy this content as much as you want for more...thank you.
Glad you enjoy it!
Over your right shoulder is that a Queen Victoria plaquette? I served on board of QV for a while, great times of my life!
It sure is! I’m lucky enough to have a QV and QE plaque.
Earlier this summer they announced that P&O Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will be absorbed in to Carnival Cruise Lines Australia, joining Carnival Splendor and Luminosa. The P&O Pacific Explorer will just be flat out retired, (Scrapyard) unless someone else buys it (unlikely)
Thank. First video on oldest ships I’ve seen.
The Aurora is the perfect ship for me. Comfortable, not too big, fast and handles rough seas well.
Chris!! They just announced today (Dec 20, 2024) where Pacific Explorer is going. Surprised to hear she will be going to Resorts World Cruises.
I just saw the news!! I still think she would be great at Ambassador!
@ChrisFrameOfficial I agree with you!
I, like many other HAL patrons really miss the Prinzendam. Most delightful ship ever in HAL service
I’m booked on ambience for which was built around the early 90s, which will be the oldest ship I’ve been on😂
She’s lovely!! ruclips.net/video/I8a7oAkxE8U/видео.htmlsi=i5C2ie6EI-0tBZ9s
I hope to cross the Atlantic on the QM2! Planning to visit the original QM also.
Done the Costa Fortuna in 2023 and in 2018 the even older, now scrapped, Costa Victoria that was our first Cruise we ever took and got us hooked. Loved them. Also did the Celebrity Millenium in 2019 in Japan and probably the only ship that has a Japanese Onsen onboard. That is as a none Japanese an experience itself. Always prefer the “smaller” older ships. Our 9th cruise will be in February 2025 on the MSC World Europa in the Mediterranean with our next generation. Bit nervous if we really will like this massive ship.
We sailed the Volendam this past summer for a 24 day adventure from Boston to Canada then on to Greenland and Iceland, returning to Boston. Its showing age in a few places, but I loved her smaller size and the fact that we went to places the bigger ships couldn't enter. I have a special place in my heart for small & medium sized ships. The huge mega ships do not appeal to me.
Great video. Good content!!!
Thanks so much!
We love Aurora having sailed on her 18 times and back on again March. So sorry we didn't get to chat on Queen Anne maiden. Hope to catch up soon
My first ever cruise was on the Sundream, an older ship, a long weekend to Belgium. I don't recall much , except that the cabin was very tight and seasickness was my friend for the first 2 days ... but after that I found my sea legs and it was the turn of the other passengers to be unwell. Prior to this it had always been car ferries, from France, Belgium, Spain, Scandinavia and the excellent overnight service between Helsinki & Stockholm. I have sailed on more ships than I can remember, now I want to visit the Adriatic by ship but am worried the older ships may feel dated. I've looked at the MSC Armonia, that you didn't say much tends to confirm my concerns.
We Really Enjoyed The Oceania Regatta Which Was Built In 1998. Thank You So Much For Sharing Your Insights
Regatta is a beauty!
My son and I have been on the Carnival Sunshine! 🎉
What about the Insignia from Oceania. The first of the Renaissance "R" ships?
Of the ships mentioned, I've been fortunate to sail on both the QM2 and the Carnival Destiny. Completely different ships - travelled on at completely different times of my life - but both enjoyed by me at the time!
That's fantastic! It's great that you've enjoyed both so much.
I have sailed the QM2 several times. I wouldn’t want to do transatlantic on any other. Cruise ships don’t handle the crossings as well.
I agree! QM2 really does handle the rough seas of a transatlantic crossing well.
that p&o book do you know where you can get it in Australia ?
Hello! Here’s one option: www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Photographic-History-of-P-O-Cruises-Frame-Chris-Cross-Rachelle/9781803994376?AU&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Lo6Hjn2rpJ49j3W2CIp29WfhDZ
I have a cruise in March 2025 on the NCL Pearl and again in January 2026. Can you do a video comparing the Jewel class of NCL ships?
I loved QM2 when I was on her in October, just felt so at home and comfy onboard!
Also you are allowed to say Marella 😂Their two Visions do appear to be very popular with travellers, and i'll be getting to try the oldest Celebrity ship (former lol) with Marella next month with Explorer (Celeb Galaxy) and amusingly Volendam will be porting next to Explorer while we are in Gibraltar!
So oddly the newest ship ive been on is Azura, which is also a Grand from your list today!
Ive been on a few older ships. Granger of the seas and most recently mariner.
I’m actually quite fond of one of Royal Caribbean’s older ships, the 2002 built NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS…this was actually the biggest ship in the world when she was built, and introduced a Lot of some of the fancier “bells and whistles” Royal is famous for-it was the first that had the Royal Promenade central shopping and entertainment venue concourse as well as the ice rink theatre/entertainent venue Studio B….its reasonably sized (130 thousand tons) and has a nice selection of restaurants but is remarkably uncrowded, topping out at under 3000 guest capacity and has a nice, full sized theatre and a really nice main dining….however she also has a nice selection of newer fancy features like a flowrider and two water slides
You mean which carried on the tradition of Voyager of the Seas which introduced those features.
I prefer newer, larger ships overall. I did love the Gem though, but because it was right for a port intensive cruise. I love my quiet moments, but as a retired person I get plenty of time to relax at home. I like the options the newer, large ships offer. I can still find quiet places, but I like the party life sometimes too
It sounds like you've found a good balance!
It would be awesome if Ambassador bought pacific explorer!
Queen Mary 2 is a delight.
My husband and I sailed on Millennium a couple years ago, and it was exceptional! The interior was nicer than what we've seen on newer ships, and they have a small area featuring paintings and memorabilia from Olympic, but the restaurant is gone, alas
The original Millennium was much different than today's. I actually prefer the newer Solstice class to the original Millennium class except that those had the Rendezvous Lounge and the Solstice does not. But the original Millenium had a much grander dining room, the very elegant Olympic specialty dining that was a very elevated experience, and the decor was much more a modern take on 1920-1940s design than the current one is. I liked the decor but it took out an aft lounge that was on the Century class and I missed that space.
@benjaminsmith2287 Millennium was our favorite cruise. We were absolutely dazzled, and it must've been even more beautiful in its original form. How could a reproduction of Olympic's dining room be anything but a smash hit? I heard it'd had some genuine Olympic paneling.... I would've loved to see that!
@@sadiedavenport The front part of the dining room did, yes. The dining room felt upscale. I think what didn't work on the ship is they put a big lounge over the Rendezvous Lounge and had a small opening in the floor to let in the music from the bottom lounge into the upper lounge. But that takes away the advantage of having one lounge have one band and music and another lounge have a different one. They also had a two deck music library and that was never really utilized well. The Solsticized changes to the ship mostly helped it and it does seem many people want the choice in specialty restaurants.
@benjaminsmith2287 I understand Celebrity needs to make their ships appealing to as many people as possible. I would've preferred the original design, but I'm also a big Olympic fan! Olympic is one of my favorite historical ships
@@sadiedavenport Great! It's interesting that people don't realize that Titanic had 2 sisters that were similar. I guess Britannic was the largest of the 3 but all were luxurious in their first classes at least. And I don't believe Olympic had any serious incidents.
Aurora is our favourite ship and will continue in service for at least another four years.
What is the price range? Some ships cost more than I’m willing to pay to pay as I travel solo.
You did not mention Holland America Line, it is the oldest Trans-Atlantic & cruising shipping company in the world, HAL still bear that proud name since the late 1930!! and I did work on one of Their cruise ships in the 1960's.
I did @11:37 ruclips.net/video/SmJ_gCgXPcI/видео.htmlsi=Ky3-DB7RkBLVG3z5&t=697
I actually prefer cruising on older cruise ships. I have sailed on Grandeur of the seas twice in 10 yrs
I just sail Disney Magic. She looks brand new.
I have sailed on several of the oldest and near oldest ships.
But whereas the Grand Princess and (my favorite) the Island Princess were well cared for and staffed by fantastic and proud crews, Royal Carribean's Vision of the Seas (sailed on 2014) felt like the ship that they had forgotten about in their focus of creating gigantic, theme park ships. The paint and general appearance was rag-tag, and the crew couldn't have cared less about passenger service (and acted as if they had been banned to the ship after bad work reviews).
If you are going to travel an older/oldest ship, read up on the ship from former passengers. There are communities that will tell you about sailing on these vessels. Find one that people are truly praising.. (The Grand and the Island are two of which I have found that surveys will rate as favorites.)
I think it was our second cruise. It was on HAL to Alaska in 2000 and it was on....(DRUMROLL) the Volendam! One of the best cruises we have been on. I don't remember it being all that geriatric but my Wife did (she told me this AFTER our latest cruise last month on HAL) and I wanted to do HAL again. Without getting into details, it wasn't as good as the first HAL I DO like that their ships are on the smaller side vs these idiotic mondo-mega liners.
Did something happen to your original video post?
The original video exported without Grand Princess covered 🤦♂️given how important that ship is in the history of cruising I felt I needed to reupload.
Well, one good thing about old cruise ships is that the observation decks aren’t shrouded in hideous black glass screens as a large number of current ones are. This is obviously just a cynical move to make being outside and watching/photographing the scenery virtually impossible and thereby herd passengers into areas of the ship where they can make money out of them.
Carnival Miracle is my favorite. She has so much personality. Newer ships feel as if they are just shopping malls.❤
Squeezing in a few Pacific Explorer cruises before Melbourne loses our only affordable family ship. 😢
I think you failed to mention a couple of thse were cut in half,extended and made larger.
QM2 ❤️❤️❤️
I thought the Carnival Triumph is now the Sunshine...?
Carnival Triumph is now Carnival Sunrise. The original names of both are so much better.
Done 6 crossings on QM2 besutiful ship however the service is going downhill
When they update the cruise ships they never spend enough on the mechanical side.
What about Celestyal Cruise Ships - 🤔
The cruising passenger's priorities have changed so much that the vast majority don't really sail for the romance of cruising anymore. In most cruise reviews I see service, entertainment and food being the biggest priority vs. meet, mingle, dance and romance of cruising and in particular deck space. It's funny, you mention the Celebrity Millennium and that's one ship I thought was a downgrade for Celebrity compared to the Century class. I remember well thinking that the private balconies in the suites should be for the public. The aft area of ships no longer are public spaces, most of them, and go to "private balconies," often suites. It's not the size of the ship that matters that much to me, it is the content.
The current cruise reviews and vloggers talk of "older" ships, like ships introduced in say 2012, as being old. And that's a problem. A ship that's 12-20 years in service was just coming into its stride in the 1970s or 1980s. It was in no way old. Now, people feel they are missing out if they're not on the newest class. But the newest class of ships take away things like forward facing lounges, aft deck space, uncluttered deck space, libraries and other quiet areas, major lounges, and replace them with private areas, sometimes inaccessible ship within a ship areas, "specialty" restaurants, shops, and there's an emphasis, even on Princess, to make the atrium an entertainment space where at one time it was a quieter large central area of the ship.
The emphasis on balconies and suites and packages has led to pax wanting to have a status on ships over other pax. The lines tried to get away from that but are strongly embracing that now, even Celebrity., with their ship within a ship and booking a suite and private spaces and priorities. Presentation and food in the MDRs have suffered due to the emphasis on specialty restaurants.
I've never seen a hospitality industry emphasize new, new, new so much. Passengers are spoiled into believing if you aren't on the newest class of ship in any line, you aren't on the best. And that's nonsense. There is so much more in the Royal Princess for me anyway than the Sun Princess. The Edge class is a disappointment for me vs. the Solstice class for Celebrity. Even Cunard's Queen Anne has an underwhelming Queens Room vs. that on any of her previous siblings. The whole newer is better is a mentality that is not useful. Ships are disposable to a lot of cruise passengers today. And they have a warped sense of what is a small vs. a large ship. A 90,000 ton ship is a large ship and people are calling them small.
Im going on Pacific Explorer on Monday, shes a beautiful ship and its sad that carnival arent keeping her around, I hate Pacific Adventure and Encounter with a passion because theyre very ugly
Older cruise ships are a lot nicer than the newer cruise ships they are making today. Don't like RCCL or NCL cruise lines. Have taken a cruise with each line. The Celebrity Millennium Class ships are nice. The newer ships are not good. Liked the Carnival Triumph Class ships. Not since they were redone and renamed. Enjoyed sailing on Holland America. Want to go with them again. Never been on Costa Cruises. Aida Cruise Line a German Cruise Line owned by Carnival. Used to like the Carnival Triumph Class ships, but, they don't exist anymore. Carnival Vista Class was pretty good. Carnival Spirit Class is also excellent.
Queen Mary ll without a doubt, she has something the teskt don't have.
Now that we're in a new reign, it should be said that 'Queen Mary 2' was christened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Nowadays, Her Majesty The Queen refers to a different person.
QM2 all the way
All the new ships are way too big. They can not get into places you want to go and have to park in commercial docks, when they can get in you are surrounded by thousands of other arrivals and just as well have stayed on the ship. Go for older ships and enjoy your holiday. Also a shout out to Ambassador who go from places like Edinburgh, Newcastle, Dundee, Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol and Falmouth. I love sailing from Bristol with just a few hundred others and not an army of tourists
We wholeheartedly prefer the smaller class ships and our favorites include Carnival PRIDE, LEGEND, and the Royal Caribbean ships including VISION OF THE SEAS, GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS and ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS. We will NEVER succumb to the need to sail these current amusement park behemoths of the seas due to these known or potential issues: (1) SAFE AND EXPEDITIOUS EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF OVER 5,000 GUESTS AND CREW, SPRING/SUMMER BREAK CROWDS, FOOD SERVICE ISSUES AND SANITATION and that many more 30 MPH carelessly driven scooters and more wheelchairs!! Not for us!...the ports of Baltimore, Port Canaveral, and Ft. Lauderdale are convenient for us and some of the smaller vessels they serve...
you ain't wrong those modern mega ships are ugly
Wish that you woulld speak just a little slower.
He is a bit quick, you could try altering the playback speed to 75%
I wouldn’t cruise on any ship, whatever its age. I can’t think of anything more soul destroying than being trapped in an enclosed space with so many - hell is other people.
I cruised once. Never again. Horrible experience. Floating holiday camp, constant engine jerking motion, swell makes eating nauseating. Entertainment is mediocre.
Just canceled my Greek cruise with NCL. They supported Donald Trump, so in good conscience I could not afford to spend my hard earned money on a cruise line that supports a convicted felon who belongs in prison, rather then being the king of America. Bah bye, and looking for a non-political cruise line. Kiss my ass, NCL!!!!!!!