Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumIn Sept. of 1967, my family crossed the Atlantic on the SS United States. I saved the menus.
My father worked for the government, and back then employees at his level traveled first class. We were very fortunate to be able to cross the Atlantic from Bremerhaven, Germany to New York on one of the greatest Ocean Liners ever built, the SS United States.
A 6 day crossing which included a stop in Southampton, England during a week covering Saturday and Sunday, September 16th and 17th.
Here is a photo of the cover of the menu for the Gala Dinner, the final night at sea;
And this is the menu;
A breakfast menu, from the next morning, Tuesday, September 19, 1967, the day we arrived in New York.
I thought you folks, out of all the readers on DU, would be the most interested in these. If you'll pardon me just a little while I wax nostalgic, they do harken back to a different era, one which is long past. Transatlantic Jet service had started only a few years before, and the days of the great ocean liners and the elegant meals served on-board was nearing an end.
It was 6 days I remember very clearly, though I was a mere 8 years old.
MADem
(135,425 posts)in this vessel, the SS Constitution, which was the vessel that took Grace Kelly to Europe to become a prisoner, er, become the bride of that Grimaldi guy:
Great way to travel if you're not footing the bill, eh?
Loved seeing the "Sanka" on your menu!!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)She claimed she was allergic to caffeine, and still drinks decaffeinated coffee (she was 84 in January)
Those crossing must have been fun as well, eh?
MADem
(135,425 posts)winter northeaster. It was rough going, but I don't get sea sick, so I found it amusing. There were a few injuries, but we eventually made it to safe harbor!
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)for breakfast yet.
Whatever that is.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Sorry about the resolution on the pic.
It says "Findon Haddie in double cream".
So basically, smoked haddock fillets in a cream sauce.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Rich and rather decadent. Very good stuff, if you like that sort of thing!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnan_haddie
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)old eyes at night and all that.
pscot
(21,024 posts)on the U.S.S. Buckner. I and 1200 of my closest friends were on an expense paid trip courtesy of our Uncle Sugar. There were no menus, not that it would have mattered. Half of the guys didn't eat for 9 days. A friend of mine took to his rack in Long Island Sound and stayed there; eat a cracker and throw up. Those of us who did eat learned to control the motion of a metal tray on a metal table with 30 foot seas throwing the boat around. I enjoyed the trip. The north Atlantic is an entertaining place in January.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Glassunion
(10,201 posts)My nostalgia meter just peaked at 11.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I rec'ed then unrec'ed just so I could rec it again.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Thanks. Lil bit of history I had in the other room!
ragemage
(104 posts)The SS United States is docked in Philadelphia, PA. It has been there for close to 20 years now just sitting there. If you go on Google Maps do a search for SS United States and you will find it. Zoom in close and you can see it very well. There is also a web site, http://www.ssusc.org/ they are trying to restore the ship and at least save it from getting sold for scrap.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)The last time I almost cried.
She is in such bad shape now.
Compared to her glory days.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Warpy
(111,437 posts)and airline meals, believe it or not, were multicourse meals with cloth napkins and silver plate utensils. Travel by air was considerably more leisurely since they were all propeller planes back then and there was time to dine. I didn't save a menu card from my first airplane ride, I was seven and airsick.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)My first that I remember was the flight over to Europe that took us to Athens 15 months before this crossing.
Pan Am B707, Kennedy to Rome. And yes, cloth napkins and silverware then as well.
My first flight ever I was still in a stroller and don't remember it. Dad was stationed in Saipan, and we flew across the pacific the northern route, via Anchorage.
Warpy
(111,437 posts)No matter how hard I try, I can't sleep when it's dark outside. I need the sun streaming through a window and then I zonk out.
My flight was memorable because they couldn't lower the landing gear and crash landed the thing. I remember my mother trying to keep me from looking out the window at all the fire trucks and ambulances assembling on the field. Luckily, those propeller planes were slow and the pilot was a very good one and there were only a few bumps and bruises after the landing, none of them mine.
I always feel very safe flying. I figure there is usually just one crash to a customer.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)Very interesting and what great memories for you.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)I even remember a couple of the movies that played in the theater.
"To Sir With Love"
and
"Day of the Triffids"
malthaussen
(17,235 posts)That's what I would have done in your place.
-- Mal
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)I mean, I was frickin 8, for crying out loud! I used to order Fruit Loops for breakfast! I look at the breakfast menus now and think " man, were you a dumb little kid!"
But I would order a steak for dinner and I would have a shrimp cocktail every day for both lunch and dinner!
I fondly remember the Maitre' d would stop and cut my steak, as he would for all the little kids.
If memory serves, there were two seatings for both lunch and dinner, but certainly dinner, so my parents ate after us. Myself, my two older brothers and my sister would eat together.
Frickin Fruit Loops with all the rest of that deliciousness available. What a nitwit!
malthaussen
(17,235 posts)... was the Sugar Frosted Flakes. Some habits just can't be broken, even 50 years later.
-- Mal
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)eat baked potatoes for dinner. All the time !!!
They called them "potatoes in their jackets"
funny little kid. Kicks himself now .. but he was only 5 !
aA
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Looks like the buffet concept started awhile back.
So much food!!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)And the service, BTW, was superb.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)You can still get some of these kinds of services on smaller ships and they have become increasingly popular.
You couldn't get me on one of those big cruise ships for anything. One stops here once a week and the thought of being aboard it with 2000 - 3000 people, most of whom appear to be eating constantly, makes me queasy.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Just as I started to make enough money to afford a vacation like that, the old Windjammer Cruises (Remember? On a large sailing yacht or Schooner?) went out of business.
I always wanted to go on one.
I think there are other firms out there that do the same thing, But Windjammer had a good sized fleet I think, and I always heard good things about them. Great food and like 25 or 30 guests, that sort of thing.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Check out Oceanwide Expeditions. They have cruises in Spitsbergen/Svalbard and around Greenland that are supposed to be fantastic.
cbayer
The territory around Svalbard/spitsbergen, is maybe one of the most beautifully places on earth - at least in the summertime.. In the wintertime it have a tendency to be rather cold up there. (Svalbard is the archipelago - Spitsbergen is the main city on the iceland, and where the government facilities at Svalbard in centered. The other place where people live is at Pyramiden - a russian settlement who have been there for ages. After the end of the cold war, and the breakup of Soviet union, it was more or less disbanded - and most of the then city is now just empty shells of the older glory.. The Putin regime have ben trying to get more people to settle down there - and even tried to bully the Norwegian government to let parts of Svalbard be russian - the government of Norway politely refused - and pointed out that Russia already in 1926 had accepted Norwegian sovereign rules over all of Svalbard... (The Svalbard tractat of 1926).. The Putin regime admitted it was nothing they could do, and accepted the old rules - instead of any new rules, who possible would have ended badly for the russians..
cbayer
(146,218 posts)While I have never been there, I know something about the area and would love to see it someday. It's also of critical environmental concern at this time and has wildlife than most people will never see.
cbayer
Svalbard is absolutely worth discover, as it is one of the few places left, you can discover arctic as it once was - and you can still se some of the most beautifully sceneries ever given to us all.. I have yet to travel to Svalbard, even though it is just a 3-4 hour flight with a airline from where I live (Outside Oslo, our capital), with a stopover in Tromsø. But many cruise liners have special tours to Svalbard in the summer monts, where you can go ashore, and discover the Arctic for yourself.. But take some care, as it IS polar bears up there - and they tend to look at humans as snacks.. Therefore everyone who is traveling outside of Spitsbergen is by law regulated to have a rifle with them - to protect them against polar bears - and even then, one or two each year get into almost a fist fight with a polar bear - because they forget to have it with them.. At the same time, Polar bear IS protected so it is not that easy to just shoot a bear either.. In the summer mounts it is almost light all the time - it is called "midnatt-sol" or midnight sun - where the sun are just under the horizon for a few hours - before it goes up again.. For a long, long summer day.. On the opposite it is also dark there for a 4-5 mounts - as the sun never rise above the horizon.. And it is cold there in the winter.. But even the winter have its share of beautifulness I guess..
But on the whole, it is absolutely worth the trip I would say - even though I guess it is one of the more expensive trips you will ever do in your life.. Compared to many other places on earth, Norway is rather expensive - and that surprise many who expensive it really is here..
I hope you will travel to Svalbard - one day - it is worth the trip - and the expenses .. Norway have maybe not hot, paradise looking holidays places - but we was given some of the best natures in the world - small and larger gems who is spotted around the country - many unknown to the tourist, mostly because they just do not want to climb the mountains - or walk in dark woods to get to the specially spot where the nature show its beautifulness.. I have experiences waterfalls in mountainous places, where few tourist ever put their foot, who I would say is as impressive as everything the rest of the world can muster. Maybe not that big as other have - but at least as impresive... Or to walk in the shadows of the ice glaziers, who also exist here in Norway.. Jostedalsbreen - a wel known ice glassier in Norway, have some impressive places to discover..
Diclotican
greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)God, it was fun. Of course, I was much younger then. Good times!
I was so sad when they went out of business.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)I hate you now!
greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)They really spoiled me for "stinkpot" cruises. Your Atlantic crossing was a whole 'nother story and I bet it was great fun for a kid.
Dressing for dinner on Windjammer meant you put on a clean T-shirt. And the rum punches!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)On the United States, it was definitely dress for dinner, and at least a sport coat for lunch I think. It was so long ago, but I do remember having to wear a tie every night.
greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)Back in 1967, people still dressed up more than they do today.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Mom and Dad were children of the depression era. We didn't go anywhere as a family unless we "looked nice"
greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)but we were taught to dress properly for whatever occasion.
kurtzapril4
(1,353 posts)I remember people got dressed up to take an airplane. My family moved from Covington, KY to Illinois in 1964, and you bet me and my mom and sister wore dresses, and my dad wore a suit and tie. It was a propeller plane, so the flight was long-ish, and a big lunch was served, with silverware and everything.
greatauntoftriplets
(175,771 posts)I was on my high school's junior trip to Washington. We had to wear hats on the plane.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)My dad got the tickets in a trade out with the airline (he was in the advertising business). I was quite young in the mid '60s but I do remember the stewardesses handing out little sticks of Wrigley's chewing gum because the DC-3 did not have a pressurized cabin.
mrmpa
(4,033 posts)they have schooner cruises out of Rockport. The best 7 days I ever spent. About 30 passengers, 5 crew members and 2 captains. I remember on Wednesday of the cruise we sailed to an unpopulated island and had a massiver lobster feast.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Those were the days....
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I wasn't living out here at the time, but have seen lots of pictures and replicas.
Also video of locals swimming out to meet the boat.
Did you ever take it?
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)K & R
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)LancetChick
(272 posts)Dinner:
Chilled fresh Persian Malossol caviar
Spanish scampi a la Provencale, saffron risotto
Chartreuse sherbet, Ice wafers (palate cleanser, I'm assuming)
Green asparagus spears, Hollandaise
Haricots verts saute
California figs
Tunis dates
Breakfast:
Grapefruit juice
Poached eggs with bacon
Scotch scones with red currant jelly
Orange Pekoe tea
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)"And how do you take your caviar, Madam?"
(Next morning at breakfast, dirty apron, cigarette dangling from corner of my mouth)
"WHAT?!? NO SPAM?!?"
LancetChick
(272 posts)With a straw, of course. Silly.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)hee hee.
pinto
(106,886 posts)The same year a wealthy family friend (he had invented some component used in fire extinguishers and was wise enough to patent the thing) gifted my sister and I with 3 nights at the Plaza in NY for our 15th birthday. Third floor front corner suite. Beautiful setting. The food choices were extensive. Room service was wheeled in on china, cloth napkins, silver utensils and the NY Times at breakfast.
Took me about 30 minutes to go "Yeah, I could do this." LOL. A fun 4 days. Wish I had saved a menu or some memento, but have never forgotten the experience.
Glad you saved a tangible piece of your trip. Great menu. Thanks for the post.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)that must have been quite the 15th birthday!
Sounds totally cool.
pinto
(106,886 posts)Pay to have it attached on whatever rail operator line was in the area. And ride. Would include stops for a while on a siding to stretch and see the sights. Get out and about. It's done, even these days.
Love train travel. Content for the most part with being a homebody, or a trainbody in this scenario. So it would work for me.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)I am interested in the same!
Check these out;
http://www.privaterailcars.net/
http://www.aaprco.com/
Amtrak's information on the subject - rules, fees, etc.
http://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-cars
They charge $2.10/mile to move your own railcar
Mosby
(16,416 posts)What does ox taste like? Its on a lot of menus.
Surprised that there is so much fish, I bet a lot of this food is better than today and smaller portions.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)I think you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between Ox and Beef
Same animal, basically.
An Ox is a bull used as a draft animal, that's all.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)The New York Public Library asked for help transcribing its collection of historic menus.
http://menus.nypl.org/
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)The resolution on some of those is terrible, though.
I looked at the one from 1901 Pullman Dining Car and couldn't make out a single word.
But that is cool, and news to me.
Thanks!
Stinky The Clown
(67,838 posts)That was just a few years before I entered chef school. Even into the early 70s, French terms and French food (or at least food prepared with the French sensibilities) was considered the - erm - n'est plus ultra.
I wonder what such a menu might look like if that ship were still sailing.
Thanks for that look back! I would have loved to sail on one of the Great Liners. Ships that carried passengers, unlike todays floating resort hotels.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)You're right on all your points.
I have almost all of the menus - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for the 6 day crossing, and the French influence you speak of is present on all of them.
I agree with you regarding the "Liners" of those days, as opposed to the "Cruise Ships" of today.
While there were certainly shops on board, there was no shopping mall, and while there was certainly gambling, it would have been confined to a friendly game of cribbage on the promenade deck or perhaps a hand of 5 card stud amongst new friends in the smoking parlor.
And most importantly, people were going somewhere, as opposed to just in circles.
In my family's case, we were coming home.
politicat
(9,808 posts)Breakfast
http://www.cunard.com/Documents/Sample%20Menus/Queen%20Mary%202/Queen_Mary_2_Queens_Grill_Breakfast.pdf
Dinner
http://www.cunard.com/Documents/Sample%20Menus/Queen%20Mary%202/Queen_Mary_2_Queens_Grill_Dinner.pdf
(I'd say White Star is still more about passengers than the resort experience. I've done 6 transatlantics (but none in the days of the great liners and never a "cruise" so I can only compare Cunard to Cunard..) if you have the time, they're not unreasonable in terms of cost.)
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)I remember clearly the huge table of smoked salmon.
Laugh, mom and I decided to try the exotic sounding steak tartar. We had no idea.
I especially remember the tea hour...I learned to like English tea with milk, and these days stevia.
And yes, a liner is different than a cruise ship.
Thanks for the memories.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)I still remember how shocked my voice was, as I frantically thumbed through the guidebook, coming up with the word "Puchen" (I think it was) meaning "Cook!" The chef was just laughing and laughing.
I had no idea that meat would actually be served totally uncooked.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)Ocean Liners were a means of travel - getting from point A to B. The fact you had fun getting to B was icing on the cake (in fact, Cunard's most famous advert motto was "Getting there is Half the Fun." .
Cruise ships have no real destination, Even thought they might have ports-of-call, it's not a "destination".
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)from Air France in the early 70's, featuring the Montgolfier Balloons from aviation's earliest days. I also kept many bits of ephemera from childhood travels abroad. Loved seeing these so much, for so many reasons.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Can you take some pics and put them up?
Please?
Pretty Please! lol
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...and needs our help:
http://www.ssusc.org/
Preservation efforts
Since 2009, when Norwegian Cruise Line offered the ship for sale, there have been numerous plans to rescue the liner from the scrap yard. The SS United States Conservancy, a group trying to save United States, has been trying to come up with funding to purchase the ship. On 30 July 2009, H. F. Lenfest, a Philadelphia media entrepreneur and philanthropist, pledged a matching grant of $300,000 to help the United States Conservancy purchase the vessel from Star Cruises. A notable supporter, former US president Bill Clinton, has also endorsed rescue efforts to save the ship, having sailed on her himself in 1968.
By 7 May 2010, over $50,000 had been raised by The SS United States Conservancy and on 1 July 2010, the Conservancy struck a deal with Norwegian Cruise Line to buy SS United States from them for a reported $3 million dollars, despite a scrapper's bid for $5.9 million. The Conservancy was given until February 2011 to buy the ship and satisfy Environmental Protection Agency concerns related to toxins on the ship. They now have 20 months of financial support to develop a plan to clean the ship of toxins and make the ship financially self-supporting, possibly as a hotel or development. SS United States Conservancy executive director Dan McSweeney has stated that likely locations for the ship include Philadelphia, New York City and Miami. In November 2010, the Conservancy announced a plan to develop a "multi-purpose waterfront complex" with hotels, restaurants and a casino along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia at the proposed location for the stalled Foxwoods Casino project. A detailed study for the site was revealed in late November 2010, in advance of Pennsylvania's 10 December 2010 deadline for a deal aimed at Harrah's Entertainment taking over the casino project. On 16 December 2010, the Gaming Control Board voted to revoke the casino's license.
The SS United States Conservancy assumed ownership of United States on 1 February 2011. In March talks about possible locations in Philadelphia, New York City and Miami continued. In New York City, negotiations with a developer are underway for the ship to become part of the Vision 2020, a waterfront redevelopment plan totaling US$3.3 billion. In Miami, Ocean Group in Coral Gables was interested in putting the ship in a slip on the north side of American Airlines Arena. With an additional US$5.8 million donation from H. F. Lenfest, the conservancy had about 18 months from March 2011 to make the ship a public attraction. On 5 August 2011 the SS United States Conservancy announced that after conducting two studies focused on placing the ship in Philadelphia it was "not likely to work there for a variety of reasons." However, discussions to place the ship in her original home port of New York as a stationary attraction are ongoing. The Conservancy's grant specifies that the refit and restoration must be done in the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the benefit of the Philadelphia economy, regardless of her eventual mooring site, the Conservancy continues to negotiate with possible stakeholders in the New York area.
By 7 February 2012 preliminary work has begun on the restoration project to prepare the ship for her eventual rebuild, although a contract has not yet been signed. In April 2012 a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was released as the start of an aggressive search for a developer for the ship. A Request for Proposals (RFP) is expected to be issued in May. In July 2012, the SS United States Conservancy launched a new online campaign called "Save the United States", a blend of social networking and micro-fundraising, that allows donors to sponsor square inches of a virtual ship for redevelopment, while allowing them to upload photos and story content about their experience with the ship. The Conservancy announced that donors to the virtual ship will be featured in an interactive "Wall of Honor" aboard the future SS United States museum. As of September, 2012 US$6 Million had been raised to turn the ship into a permanent waterfront attraction. A developer will be chosen by the end of 2012 with the intent of putting the ship in a selected city by summer 2013.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)The money required to get her back to the way she was when I sailed on her (in fact, the way she was on her Maiden Voyage) is about equivalent to what the Pentagon spends in 5 hours.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...should the need arise. In fact, her powerplant and hull design was classified until 1977.
Sadly, the amount of money needed to restore her back to the way she was when in service is prohibitive, since she was gutted down to her steel in 1995 to remove the asbestos she was laden with.
That said, it would be awesome if the Fed could kick in some $$$ for her restoration, but fat chance in this political climate.
If the Conservancy can pull this off, she would be completely redesigned inside to accomodate shops, etc, and then plunked at a pier to act as a waterfront attaction.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)And yes, I'm aware of how she was designed.
For a vessel of its class, she still holds the "Blue Riband" for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.
She was capable of speeds approaching 40 knots, almost 45 miles per hour! ( or so it was rumored) She could do 35 knots without breathing hard.
She could be converted from full passenger service to troop ship within 48 hours
http://www.ss-united-states.net/SSUnitedStatesWebpageFiles/WebPages/PagesFacts.htm
The only flammable wood on board was reported to be the chefs cutting board and the handle on his knife.
She had a salt water pool for first class, which was emptied and refilled with sea water every night. This was one of the (minor) reasons she was not used immediatley for cruise service - no fresh water, outdoor pool.
Rumors of her either being pulled from service or used for Carribean cruising were rampant among the crew on the crossing we were on.
I think she should be restored and docked in New York at her old pier, but whether that happens or not is still up in the air.
Hopefully, it will. She needs to avoid the fate of the SS France/Norway, another great liner of her era. (cut up for scrap in Alang, India)
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)I still remember to horror of watching France/Norway being sliced apart via Peter Knego's site http://www.midshipcentury.com/#!gallery/c1blt
Several classic liners' fates are up in the air as we speak, most notably QE2. The crew doesn't even know what's coming next: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/16328-qe2-crew-in-dark-over-liners-final-voyage/
Let's hope she can enjoy the long life her elderly sister has - the illustrious RMS Queen Mary.
Texasgal
(17,049 posts)What is "Iced table celery" ?
Celery on ice? Is it prepared anyway?
What neat bit of history!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)Thanks!
Politicub
(12,165 posts)I'm glad you saved it!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have most of them from the voyage. I'm missing a breakfast or two and maybe one or two others.
I'm on the road as I type this, in Columbia, SC but I should be home tomorrow early afternoon, so I really should do an inventory of them and see what I lack.
I pull them out every few years and look them over. I wish I had the skills to cook half the stuff they offered during those 6 days.
Response to A HERETIC I AM (Original post)
jonthebru This message was self-deleted by its author.
mother earth
(6,002 posts)You obviously love cooking, have a great appreciation for pulling a fantastic meal together, take that joy & go for it. I don't know what your family consists of, but I'm thinking this is doable for you and may very well bring you a lot of satisfaction. There's so many ways to go about it these days. You are clearly a man who loves and appreciates pulling a fine meal together, so many ways to approach it...follow your bliss.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)"Galantine of Capon en Gelee au Madeire" !
That's the second course of the Gala Dinner menu in the OP, after Hors D' Oeuvres and before soup.
I'm not sure I'm at all qualified for an undertaking as grand as a cookbook, but I am flattered you might think so.
I had to look up what the hell a "Galantine of Capon" was. I knew what a Capon is (A male chicken that lacks...ummm...er......the ability to ...ummm...er.....shall I say, crow with substance,) but never heard the term "Galantine" Basically, a boned chicken that is left intact, stuffed, tied and roasted, so I am led to understand.
But I suppose I should put my new iPad to some use, eh?
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)when we lived in Japan. We had vacationed in the Philippines and then Taiwan, and I think we then hopped a Navy vessel back to Tokyo (my dad was USAF).
All I remember was the blue-gray paint EVERYWHERE, and being seasick. I was 6 or 7 and never prone to vomiting, but that trip did it for me, and I still to this day remember the horrible smell of overcooked meats and too much pepper in the mess hall. Queasy, queasy, queasy........
KC
(1,995 posts)neat! Somewhere at my mom's house I have some of the menus from when I took the last voyage from New York to South Hampton on the Queen Mary 1.. I was 16 I think then! I went with my grandparents to Europe and being on that ship was absolutely the most wonderful experience!
I hope they didn't throw the menus and all of the photos taken of us with the captain at the last night party,etc! That's something that can never be replaced .
Make sure to hang on to those!!
A HERETIC I AM
(24,382 posts)KC
(1,995 posts)but my parents house is in Texas and I'm in NC and not sure when I'll be able to go there. But when and if I do, I will definitely bring
them back to share them ! It has been a long time since I've looked at them too. I will say they sure knew how to fed us!
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)6 wondrous days for a 9 year old.
I remember amazing food and so much to do.
I did get seasick on the 2nd day out but got over it quickly.
Everything was just SO elegant.
A magical time that even as a nine year old I truly did appreciate.
aA
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)just had to sign up for the Navy.
U.S.S. Seattle, AOE 3.
Cuba, Spain, Greece and a few of the other top vacation spots and refueling depots Free room and board, and they even let me play with the engines and steam turbines all the time.
Once we stopped mid-Atlantic, got out one of the lifeboats, filled it with beer and ice, and swam in the friggin' ocean. Amazing.
(Don't tell anyone, but they were smuggling marijuana and hash back then. A little education in the ways of the world for a 17 year old Okie).
The menus weren't NEARLY as fancy as yours, and I never did find that waiter...
I think if I ever get to go back I will take the wife and dogs and hop a freighter - their passenger service is quite good, and I really liked the people I knew that had tried it.
HeiressofBickworth
(2,682 posts)Lived in Germany for 2 years and then in June, 1967 took a Holland-America ship to New York. It was the Rotterdam, I think. Somewhere in my memorabilia, I have a menu from that trip. I was 3 months pregnant with my first (and turned out to be only) child. I had my dog with me. The ship had a kennel and an open area where I could spend time and walk the dog. I recall that we had assigned seating for meals and there were two Catholic priests at my table. Fortunately, we never discussed religion (I was then and am still an atheist). I enjoyed the trip very much and would do it again, if I could. Thanks for posting these menus.