What was it like to have been on a cruise ship before they became giant?
Cruise ships have changed a lot over the decades, but the era of the megaship truly did not begin until the late 1980s.
Prior to the launch of Sovereign of the Seas in 1987, cruise ships were plenty big, but not anywhere near the size they are today.
Sovereign of the Seas entered service in 1988 and not only became the world's biggest cruise ship, but revolutionized the industry because of how large she was and all that she offered. It set off a new generation of cruise ship design and extends to today.
Prior to the arrival of Sovereign, Royal Caribbean ships definitely looked different. Granted, everything looked different in the 1970s and 1980s compared to today.
In scouring photos of what it was like on a cruise ship pre-1988, you can see the experience focused primarily on relaxing onboard and the places you could visit. Aside from fashion choices, I think you'll see more in common with today's cruises than different.
A fun escape to warm climates
The way Royal Caribbean marketed its cruise ships in the first half of its life focused on attracting people to a vacation that was all about warm weather and good times.
The marketing material in the early '80s was all about the places you could see and the different ways you could enjoy your day on ship and on shore.
Cruise ships weren't yet the destination in a sense, so Royal Caribbean played up the adventure you could have on a cruise vacation.
"Long, lazy days of sun, sea, music and entertainment, and just plain R and R," is what one advertisement read.
"Days of cruising from island to island, from Mexican temples to Jamaican gardens, without ever re-packing your toothbrush."
Royal Caribbean had a small fleet of cruise ships prior to the introduction of the Sovereign Class.
Their fleet consisted of:
- Song of Norway
- Song of America
- Nordic Prince
- Sun Viking
You could book a Royal Caribbean cruise for seven, eight, ten, or fourteen nights in length, year-round from Miami.
Cruises back then visited Jamaica, Cozumel, Barbados, and Caracas. Ships departed on Saturday or Sunday, and each ship was designed specifically for the Caribbean market.
Ship life
When you look at vintage photos of cruise ships, I think you can see the roots of many things we take for granted today.
With every new Royal Caribbean ship they built, the line learned important lessons of what its customers were looking for, and one major focus was the pool deck.
Ships featured wide expanses on pool decks, as well as spacious and colorful lounges and dining rooms.
One of the major selling points of a cruise was doing nothing at all and enjoying a break from work.
Of course, there was plenty to do on the ship too.
There was plenty of activities and evening entertainment too. Just like modern cruise ships, there were places to shop, shows onboard, and plenty of food.
In fact, these ships still had a kids club onboard.
Royal Caribbean has always been a family cruise line, and that's been an attractive option for adults that they can bring their kids and everyone has something to do.
Kids camp included ice cream socials, pizza parties, games, masquerades, and movies.
It was available for kids between the age of 5 to 18 on Song of America.
Cabins were small, but functional
Another consistency between ships of today versus the past are the cabin.
While decor and aesthetics have changed, cruise cabins were small back then, just like today.
New cruisers might be surprised how much smaller a standard cabin is compared to a hotel room. That's largely so that there's more space on the ship for public areas and activities.
You'd find the basics in an inside room on a cruise ship back then, and if you can look past the 1980s styling, it's not that much different from today's rooms.
A fun focus on dining
My favorite thing to look back on is what it was like to go to dinner on a Royal Caribbean cruise pre-1990.
I'm not someone who complains everything was better "back in the day", but I can appreciate the differences to today.
There were two seatings for all three meals in the Main Dining Room:
- Breakfast
- 7:30am
- 8:45am
- Lunch
- 12:00pm
- 1:30pm
- Dinner
- 6:30pm
- 8:30pm
Dinner themes included Italian, French, Caribbean, and "America The Beautiful".
A description of dress codes in a 1981 pamphlet for Song of Norway recommends, "For ladies, cocktail dresses and pantsuits are appropriate for evenings aboard ship and gentlemen are requested to wear jackets and ties in the dining room and lounges after 6:00pm on most evenings."
The Captain's Gala Cocktail Party is when they wanted guests to make a "grand entrance dressed in your most devastating gown or best dinner jacket."
There was also pirate's night as well as a Madcap Masquerade, where guests could dress up as Groucho Marx or Dolly Parton.
And yes, there was a midnight buffet offered in these days. Cruise ships didn't have nearly as many dining choices as they do today, so one evening of the cruise, there would be "a pageant of delicious dishes."
Royal Caribbean actually offered a viewing before the buffet opened, so passengers could take photos.
