Comments on: My First Cruise http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html Come Talk Cruising With Us!!! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:40:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cruise Arizona http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-78024 Cruise Arizona Mon, 24 May 2010 00:32:48 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-78024 Mike thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. It is funny because those first pleasure cruise ships didn't have much in the way of bells and whistles, but we sure had a great time. Please continue to visit us here at Cruise Talk. Mike thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. It is funny because those first pleasure cruise ships didn’t have much in the way of bells and whistles, but we sure had a great time. Please continue to visit us here at Cruise Talk.

]]> By: Mike Watrous http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-78021 Mike Watrous Mon, 24 May 2010 00:18:12 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-78021 I was doing some searches on the web and happened to look up the Bon Vivant and ran across this site. You have quite a memory or did some research on the Bon Vivant and where it worked out of. It worked out of the New Port of Miami, leased by Freeport Cruise Lines, and owned by Chandris. It had quite a mixture of nationalities on board. The officers and engineers were Greeks, the crew hands (swabbed decks, painted, etc.) were Bangladesh, there were Koreans that mainly provided room service, Mexican entertainers, Jamaican waiters, the laundry rooms were run by Chinese, and many other nationalities doing various work. The majority nationalities had their own kitchens and dining areas in the lower part of the ship, where the majority of the crew stayed our of site. I worked as a slot mechanic/casino manager on the ship for a year up to the last voyage in 1975 to 1976. I was offered a job on the ship when it was being transferred to Greece, but chose to stay with my now current wife that I met while working on the ship. When I joined the ship it was running out of New Orleans and mainly going to South America locations (although my first voyage was rerouted to the Bahamas due to bad weather). We did this for only 3 to 4 months before the ship transferred to Miami and started making 2 and 5 day runs to the Bahamas and some 7 day cruises to other locaitons like Port au Prince, Haiti. I enjoyed reading your recollections and seeing the photos from the past. It brought back some fond memories. Thank you, -Mike. I was doing some searches on the web and happened to look up the Bon Vivant and ran across this site.

You have quite a memory or did some research on the Bon Vivant and where it worked out of. It worked out of the New Port of Miami, leased by Freeport Cruise Lines, and owned by Chandris.

It had quite a mixture of nationalities on board. The officers and engineers were Greeks, the crew hands (swabbed decks, painted, etc.) were Bangladesh, there were Koreans that mainly provided room service, Mexican entertainers, Jamaican waiters, the laundry rooms were run by Chinese, and many other nationalities doing various work. The majority nationalities had their own kitchens and dining areas in the lower part of the ship, where the majority of the crew stayed our of site.

I worked as a slot mechanic/casino manager on the ship for a year up to the last voyage in 1975 to 1976. I was offered a job on the ship when it was being transferred to Greece, but chose to stay with my now current wife that I met while working on the ship.

When I joined the ship it was running out of New Orleans and mainly going to South America locations (although my first voyage was rerouted to the Bahamas due to bad weather).

We did this for only 3 to 4 months before the ship transferred to Miami and started making 2 and 5 day runs to the Bahamas and some 7 day cruises to other locaitons like Port au Prince, Haiti.

I enjoyed reading your recollections and seeing the photos from the past. It brought back some fond memories.

Thank you, -Mike.

]]> By: Cruise Arizona http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-28093 Cruise Arizona Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:25:25 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-28093 Thomas, Thanks for sharing your memories of this ship. We had a wonderful time that first cruise. I didn't know that she had served as a floating hotel in Dubai as well. I believe that the QE2 is currently on her way over there for the same purpose, but permanently, not temporarily. "Hi Fi", now that's a term I haven't heard in a while. But very high tech in 1977. Take care and be sure to visit us again. Thomas,

Thanks for sharing your memories of this ship. We had a wonderful time that first cruise. I didn’t know that she had served as a floating hotel in Dubai as well. I believe that the QE2 is currently on her way over there for the same purpose, but permanently, not temporarily. “Hi Fi”, now that’s a term I haven’t heard in a while. But very high tech in 1977. Take care and be sure to visit us again.

]]> By: Thomas Coucill http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-28092 Thomas Coucill Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:25 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-28092 My first experience of the "Bon Vivant" was in May 1977 when the ship was used as a "floating hotel" in the Creek, Dubai. I was on a three weeks stay to establish a market for a Lancashire UK tile manufacturing company and due to the shortage of hotels at that time in Dubai(!!) this was our home. We were very comfortable and the dining room staff were made up of Portuguese, Greek, Indian etc and we had great fun with them. We were on a limited budget and just had a sandwich and a small can of lager for lunch!! My colleague and I helped to set up a Hi Fi system in the dining room and that was chaos!! I returned to the ship again in October 1977 and things were starting to move on the development outside the "Intercontinental" hotel. We had four large tiling contracts on Al Maktoum Road and it was an exciting time for us. I handed over to a young representative who worked in co-operation with A.W. Galadari - I was 50 years old at the time or I may have had a go at the job myself!! The humidity was horrendous though. I hope this will fill in a little bit more history of this friendly ship. My first experience of the “Bon Vivant” was in May 1977 when the ship was used as a “floating hotel” in the Creek, Dubai. I was on a three weeks stay to establish a market for a Lancashire UK tile manufacturing company and due to the shortage of hotels at that time in Dubai(!!) this was our home. We were very comfortable and the dining room staff were made up of Portuguese, Greek, Indian etc and we had great fun with them. We were on a limited budget and just had a sandwich and a small can of lager for lunch!! My colleague and I helped to set up a Hi Fi system in the dining room and that was chaos!!
I returned to the ship again in October 1977 and things were starting to move on the development outside the “Intercontinental” hotel. We had four large tiling contracts on Al Maktoum Road and it was an exciting time for us. I handed over to a young representative who worked in co-operation with A.W. Galadari – I was 50 years old at the time or I may have had a go at the job myself!! The humidity was horrendous though. I hope this will fill in a little bit more history of this friendly ship.

]]> By: Cruise Arizona http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-3368 Cruise Arizona Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:07:04 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-3368 Thanks Gamble, I'm glad you liked the site. I have recently found a few boxes of old slides from some of my cruises in in the 80's and will be putting those up soon. I also have pictures from my 2006 Mexican Riviera Cruise that will be going up soon too. :cheerful: Thanks Gamble,

I’m glad you liked the site. I have recently found a few boxes of old slides from some of my cruises in in the 80′s and will be putting those up soon. I also have pictures from my 2006 Mexican Riviera Cruise that will be going up soon too. :cheerful:

]]> By: Mr Papa http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-13 Mr Papa Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:42:34 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-13 LOL, I wondered how long until Anne commented on this one... Mr Papa LOL, I wondered how long until Anne commented on this one…

Mr Papa

]]> By: Anne http://cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-12 Anne Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:47:57 +0000 http://www.cruisetalk.org/2006/07/my-first-cruise-2.html#comment-12 Suzanne, We weren't crazy. We were always very protective of our daughters. It was a different world back then. Good memories! Thanks. ~MOM Suzanne,

We weren’t crazy. We were always very protective of our daughters. It was a different world back then.

Good memories!

Thanks.

~MOM

]]>