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Ferroequinologist

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
374
My first plane trip as a child, an Eastern Airlines DC-8 from Idlewild to Miami. My parents dressed me in a shirt and tie. Times have changed. More recently, cruises have become much less formal, dress codes for most meals very relaxed. Formal night is now jacket and tie, not formal attire. The number of people who like it the old way is not considered large enough to support that as the standard, it still exists, but is more of a niche market now.

Cunard, especially trans-Atlantic crossings, still have a dress code and two or three black tie nights per crossing. All other nights men are expected to wear a dark suit or jacket. If not, they have to eat in the self-service restaurant.

MODERATOR NOTE: this comment and the ones following it were split from a discussion regarding Amtrak Viewliner Restrooms.
 
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Like I said, it still exists, but is nowhere near as common. Of course a transatlantic crossing is generally a liner crossing, not a cruise.
Only with Cunard. On the other hand, we considered our transatlantic cruise on Celebrity to be the best we ever had. It was 14 days so not a direct route and had 3 stops before arrival in the UK. It was as much a part of the vacation as Amtrak used to be. And it was as cheap as Cunard for comparable rooms as well as being without the pretentiousness and snobbery. Cunard IMHO is for the rich to show off their money as well as their desire to get to Europe in as short a time as possible without flying.
 
That's part of the point, the broader market has moved away from what used to be common. Cruises (before Covid) have become increasingly popular, point to point crossings are almost gone.
 
Cunard IMHO is for the rich to show off their money as well as their desire to get to Europe in as short a time as possible without flying.
Only partially....the QM2 is capable of doing a NY-Soton crossing in just 5 days, but they now do it in 7 or 8 days, because people want the longer experience, and because slowing down saves a huge amount of fuel...
 
Just as many of us take a plane one way and return on an LD train, I wish Cruise Lines would do the same. I guess it makes logistics easier for them, but I do think there would be a market for it.

I suspect that is partly why there are still a few transatlantic crossings with Cunard and positioning moves by others. You get the best of the 'it's about the journey, not the destination' philosophy and an extended stay at your destination.
 
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Only with Cunard. On the other hand, we considered our transatlantic cruise on Celebrity to be the best we ever had. It was 14 days so not a direct route and had 3 stops before arrival in the UK. It was as much a part of the vacation as Amtrak used to be. And it was as cheap as Cunard for comparable rooms as well as being without the pretentiousness and snobbery. Cunard IMHO is for the rich to show off their money as well as their desire to get to Europe in as short a time as possible without flying.

I am nowhere near rich but I enjoy Cunard for the tradition and liner history that it promotes on board.....although granted since the selling of the QE2 that has dropped and Cunard is becoming more of a mainstream cruise line. I'm kind of a liner geek so I get there may not be the same appeal to everyone. For example there was a lecturer named Bill Miller who did presentations on the history of not only Cunard but the whole liner industry of all nations. They also had ship tours where the guide would bring you around while entertaining with some in depth passenger experiences from over the years of liner travel. If by showing off money you mean the Queens Grill, yeah the segregation is unfortunate, but steerage has come a long way since a hundred years ago. ;)

That being said, I compare Amtrak to liner travel all the time as my plan for retirement is surface travel only....the more flying becomes unbearable, and when time is no longer a factor, there's no need to get in a tiny sardine box where you have to spoon with the passenger in front of you when they recline their seat

Trains are like ships in the sense that you feel they are bringing the world to you, rather than the other way around. I remember taking the QV from NY to San Francisco and being in the Golden Lion pub where I saw the Statue of Liberty through the window at our table. A week later, I saw the walls of the Panama Canal through the same window. It is the same for me on a train, especially in a bedroom, as the view outside the same room changes and brings new places to me.
 
You are correct. Cunard is now the exception. Also the Queen Mary2 is the LAST of the ocean liners, all others are cruise ships.
 
I am nowhere near rich but I enjoy Cunard for the tradition and liner history that it promotes on board.....although granted since the selling of the QE2 that has dropped and Cunard is becoming more of a mainstream cruise line. I'm kind of a liner geek so I get there may not be the same appeal to everyone. For example there was a lecturer named Bill Miller who did presentations on the history of not only Cunard but the whole liner industry of all nations. They also had ship tours where the guide would bring you around while entertaining with some in depth passenger experiences from over the years of liner travel. If by showing off money you mean the Queens Grill, yeah the segregation is unfortunate, but steerage has come a long way since a hundred years ago. ;)

That being said, I compare Amtrak to liner travel all the time as my plan for retirement is surface travel only....the more flying becomes unbearable, and when time is no longer a factor, there's no need to get in a tiny sardine box where you have to spoon with the passenger in front of you when they recline their seat

Trains are like ships in the sense that you feel they are bringing the world to you, rather than the other way around. I remember taking the QV from NY to San Francisco and being in the Golden Lion pub where I saw the Statue of Liberty through the window at our table. A week later, I saw the walls of the Panama Canal through the same window. It is the same for me on a train, especially in a bedroom, as the view outside the same room changes and brings new places to me.

I don't think Cunard is like most cruise lines. There is a great deal more tradition and formality on the Cunard ships.
 
That's part of the point, the broader market has moved away from what used to be common. Cruises (before Covid) have become increasingly popular, point to point crossings are almost gone.
Point to point crossings still exist. Transpacific and transatlantic crossings, however, are used to reposition ships so e.g. Caribbean in the winter from the U.S. and Europe in the summer from Europe. Similarly, west coast of US and Pacific at different times depending on port of departure/return.
 
Here's a little nostalgia I posted elsewhere as part of a discussion about CP re-acquiring their old mainline across Maine to Brownville Jct. Irving's Eastern Maine and New Brunswick Southern Railway handle trains beyond there to Saint John. This is the old Atlantic Limited route.

When the St. Lawrence shipping season closed in winter Canadian Pacific's 'White Empresses' would sail between Saint John and Liverpool and those sailings schedules were “according to tide” They could vary greatly do to the extreme tides in the Bay of Fundy.

CP ran connecting Boat Trains to/from Montreal's Windsor Station across Maine to connect with the Empresses in Saint John.








Just as the new 'Empress of Canada' arrived in 1961....the CP 'Jet' Empresses were taking over. The Empress of Canada eventually became Carnival's first cruise ship 'Mardi Gras'



 
That's part of the point, the broader market has moved away from what used to be common. Cruises (before Covid) have become increasingly popular, point to point crossings are almost gone.
I found a web site a few years back that was all about passage on cargo ships.
They made it sound like an interesting experience but not luxurious. Not exactly cheap either compared to air.
 
A few years ago, my sister and brother in law went on a long cruise around South America - I think it was Santiago Chile to Rio, around Cape Horn. They flew from Phoenix, they changed planes a couple of times getting to Chile, and I think one leg was on Cartel Air. (Princess and Cunard are both Carnival owned)
 
I found a web site a few years back that was all about passage on cargo ships.
They made it sound like an interesting experience but not luxurious. Not exactly cheap either compared to air.

For many years, I subscribed to a publication that printed stories written by freighter passengers. (Some stories were included written by cruise passengers as well from time to time. I even had one printed.) The company that did this was a primarily freighter oriented travel agency; it's still in business, has a web site, but I don't know if the publication is still available. They transitioned from a hard copy to a digital one a few years ago and I allowed my subscription lapse.

The stories and the experiences that people had were very enticing. In order to be able to sail such a "cruise", the key word was flexibility . From the date of sailing to the trip's ending date--and everything in between--one had to be willing to "go with the flow".
 
I read an article saying a cruise ship will be auctioned in London very soon. The cruise lines are really hurting. There might still be some people stranded on ships because of quarantines, etc.
 
I read an article saying a cruise ship will be auctioned in London very soon. The cruise lines are really hurting. There might still be some people stranded on ships because of quarantines, etc.
All passengers reached their destination months ago...and almost all crew wanting to get home, also...
As a matter of fact, cruises in a few places have started again, practicing very strict health protocol's....
https://www.msccruises.com/en-gl/Itinerary-Updates.aspx
 
There two new build that will be finish later this year, early next year. The ordering company has defaulted on the payment. Nice big, German made ships too. If your in the market now the time.
 
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