Top 12 Favorite Cruise Memories

Thinking about past cruises evokes memories of favorite moments from a special occasion celebrated onboard, to fondly thinking of new friends made or a great day exploring a city. First-time cruisers to seasoned high-seas experts alike love to share their experiences and treasured memories. 

Since we are all home and looking forward to the day when cruising will resume, it’s nice to reflect on memories of cruises’ past. In talking with coworkers, friends, and our valued Cruiseline.com and Shipmate members, we’ve compiled a list of some favorite cruise memories. 

Cheers to getting back to making memories, one cruise at a time. 
 

1. - CLNick

"One of my favorite voyages has always been the trans-Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 either from New York City to Southampton, England or in reverse. A little tip: you will get more for your money, or at least more sleep on board, if you take the voyage westbound because every night at sea, the clocks are set back one hour as she sails westward. While the trip takes six to seven days and is entirely at sea, there is something about being completely untethered on the open Atlantic with no land visible, no disruption to whatever daily routine one has established on board, an experience that lends itself to being unplugged completely. (Of course, the ship has internet, and tv, if so desired.)  The passage is also freighted with the memory of the many voyages, some of them not so successful, made by ships that came before it on this famous crossing. After all, Queen Mary 2 does not consider herself a cruise ship, but a storied ocean liner with many famous people and tales to tell."

2. - JCSJCML

"My number one cruise memory is the pleasant surprise I had on my first cruise with a couple of friends, both coworkers. I was trying a three day reposition cruise on the Norwegian Pearl mainly to get my friend to shut up and leave me alone about cruising. He had been bugging me about it off/on for 20 years. But I ended up loving it."

3. - NLCDN

"Our very first cruise. Stepping into the atrium on the Carnival Legend and seeing the high ceiling, glass elevators and the mass of excited people. Hooked!!!"

4. - CruiselineSarah

"I have a lot of cruise memories that could be considered my favorite, but one that sticks out in my mind right now is the day we sailed into Geirangerfjord in Norway on Viking Sky. I set my alarm for probably 5 am that morning to get ready and catch most of the sail down the fjord outside with my camera. It was cloudy out and they opened the bow so that we could all go outside and stand right at the front with unobstructed views. It felt majestic and there was a hushed excitement running through everyone who had gotten up that early to see it. Sailing silently through and seeing such high cliffs and the waterfalls tumbling down was one of the best things I could hope to experience. Later that day while in port, the clouds lifted and it ended up being a warm, sunny day, which was an added blessing because I’ve heard that oftentimes in Geiranger, it’s rainy and cloudy. Everything about that day from beginning to end made it one of the best days of my life."

5. - Yankee47

"No matter how many cruises we've taken, it’s still the first two. That's because a few weeks before we were supposed to cruise on the good ol Norwegian Spirit, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, it was tiny and they caught it early, but they were scheduling her for a lumpectomy and then chemo and radiation. The oncologist said go enjoy the cruise...HAH! Well...we went, but that thing was hanging over us like a big ugly cloud. After the "journey" was done (and you meet the grandest people along the way) she got used to wearing a wig, and her hair was coming back a spectacular shade of silver...sooo...I called NCL...and booked us on the same ship AND the same balcony room. Never told her...keeping the Normandy invasion a secret was easier. Now we have had longer cruises, more involved cruises, and dare I say, more expensive cruises, but THAT "do-over"...well, I would've paid double...we still smile about that one!"

6. - OldGreyWolf

"My favourite memory would be my first crew .. when we first stepped onto the Norwegian Spirit and saw the Atrium and then walked around the ship in total amazement."

7. - CruiseBrooke

"One of my favorite cruise memories was on Adventure of the Seas when a friend challenged me to take on the rock climbing wall with her. This was completely out of my comfort zone, but for some reason, I went for it anyway. After I made it up (well, not quite to the top) I stopped for a second to take in the views of the ocean and the ship below – it was awesome! Definitely one of the highlights of my trip!"

8. - ShipmateV

"Racing go-karts on top of the Norwegian Bliss at night was a great time and one of my favorite memories."

9. - Itrvlfar

"Onboard Seabourn Encore earlier this year, the Cruise Director, Chris Harley, did a special performance one evening prior to dinner. We had heard that he was a singer but had no idea the depth of his talent until this show. It was truly a jaw-dropping experience and after his version of Nessun Dorma, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. He has a magical voice and to hear about the journey of his career woven with songs made for a magical night and one that I won’t soon forget."

10. - ctrav

"It’s December 27th, 2010 when I walked onboard Carnival Destiny for my first cruise."

11. - AuntPinkie

"We organized a group cruise for 12 people onboard Carnival Dream. It wasn’t the first big group we organized, but we were confident the seating for dinner would work out fine. Guessing we would have 2 tables of six or two tables with 4 & 8 near each other. We ended up with a big table of 12 just behind the Maitre ‘d podium. The first night the wait staff was over-friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. It turned out we had the Captain’s table and they assumed we were “special”.  We had some first-time cruisers and some first time Carnival cruisers with us. It made a great impression on our table mates. It was wonderful to watch the first-timers fall in love with cruising."

12. - Brioss

"While on Oceania Insignia a few years ago, we stopped in Belize and decided to do the cave tubing excursion. The excursion has a nice jungle walk to get to the river entrance where we encountered a very large tarantula that you could pet if you wanted to...uh, no thanks. The tubing trip itself was a fantastic time through the caves. Once back on the ship, our room steward [had] a bottle of wine and sandwiches waiting for us knowing that we could likely be hungry having missed lunch and being out all day. Between a great adventure and the extra caring touch from our steward, it made for a perfect day and lasting memory!"