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“Itseemed at the time like a great adventure – the most wonderful vacation in theworld,” recalled a lady on one of my recent cruises. “It was my veryfirst cruise: from New York to Nassau. 7 days inall. It was 1962. We sailed on a Saturday afternoon & itwas all very festive with a band playing on deck, everyone dressed in theirbest clothes & all of us throwing those colored paper streamers. Family & friends were on the pier. Everyone waved – it seemed as if we weregoing away for months. The ship’s whistle sounded over & over –and I felt this ‘thrill’. We were moving, leaving NewYork. The ship was the Italia. It belonged tothe Home Lines.”
Sheadded, “The crew was mostly Italian and so there was this great, happyatmosphere. We had 2 days & a night in Nassau. I seem toremember the fare, in a double-bunk room with a tiny bathroom, was about $150each. Myself, I was forever hooked on cruising and later remainedloyal to the Home Lines & cruised several times on their Homeric& Oceanic.”