Passengers in the VIP lounge aboard the QE2 luxury liner in 1969.
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Today’s cruise ships may have zip lines and skating rinks, but they’re not all as elegant as they once were.People used to dress up in tuxedos and evening gowns.To pass the time, events like egg-and-spoon races were commonplace.
Nowadays, cruise ships may boast large swimming pools, planetariums, and zip lines, but many floating resorts have lost their timeless elegance.
Before air travel became commonplace, cruise ships were the only method of long-distance travel.
These ships — on which celebrities and wealthy people would spend weeks and months at a time — were the epitome of class and luxury.
Take a look at these stunning pictures of cruise ships in their glory days.
Cruise ships of the past were more than just floating malls.
Lalique columns in the art deco interior of a luxury cruise ship dining room in 1935.
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Celebrities like Mae West were regulars. West famously preferred sea travel to flying.
Mae West on a cruise ship.
Courtesy of Cunard
As were Hollywood icons like Cary Grant …
Cary Grant on a cruise ship.
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… former first lady Jackie O …
Jackie Onassis on a cruise ship.
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… silver screen actor Elizabeth Taylor …
Elizabeth Taylor on a cruise ship.
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… and Ginger Rogers.
Ginger Rogers on a cruise ship.
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Cruise ships weren’t just ways to travel from one place to another — they were seen as luxurious vacations in their own right.
Women sit on a railing on the deck of an unspecified cruise ship during a 1961 cruise to Bermuda.
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Many cruise ships were equipped with swimming pools. Some had marble tiling.
Passengers swim in a pool aboard a Panama Cruise Line in 1956.
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This 1950s cruise ship served a buffet lunch poolside.
A crew served a buffet lunch poolside on this 1950s cruise ship.
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Pre-internet and smartphones, people came up with all sorts of ways to pass the time.
Travelers on a cruise ship.
Courtesy of Cunard
They played games …
Travelers playing games.
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… engaged in rounds of tug of war …
Travelers playing tug of war.
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… and even set up boxing matches.
Travelers engaging in a boxing match.
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They had egg-and-spoon races, too.
Travelers participating in an egg and spoon race.
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Cruise ship dining halls featured waiters in white jackets serving dinner and drinks.
A busy cruise ship dining room in 1950.
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This dining room looked more like an opera house than a cruise ship cafeteria or buffet.
Dining hall on a cruise ship.
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Even older passenger ships boasted incredible skylights …
Skylight on a cruise ship.
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… and intricate carvings on the walls.
Wall carvings on a cruise ship.
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More modern cruise ships in the 1960s had sweeping spiral staircases.
A grand staircase in the double-down room of the QE2 in 1969.
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People got really dressed up for dinner, opting for cocktail dresses or even black-tie attire.
People enjoyed cocktail hour during a cruise to Bermuda in 1961.
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Of course, everyone drank a lot, too. After all, there’s an old wives’ tale that Champagne is good for seasickness.
Patrons at a bar on a cruise ship.
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In the 1960s, cruise ship lounges became more futuristic-looking.
The interior of the Queen’s Room on the QE2 liner in the 1960s.
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There were dancing events, like this hula class on a cruise ship in 1954.
A large group of women learned dance moves at a hula class in the main saloon on the SS Lurline during a voyage in mid-July 1954.
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Passengers could also enjoy live music on board.
Live music on a cruise ship.
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Mostly, there was a whole lot of lounging around.
Cruise ship passengers reclining on deck chairs on the promenade deck of an ocean liner at sea in 1956.
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Despite being in the middle of the ocean, cruise ships offered all the amenities of the mainland.
A server on a cruise ship.
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Passengers could call home …
Passengers calling home on a cruise ship.
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… get their laundry done …
The laundry room on a cruise ship.
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… and even pick up prescriptions at the on-board pharmacy.
The onboard pharmacy on a cruise ship.
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Some cruise ships had air-conditioned cinema and theater rooms where guests could catch a movie.
The air-conditioned cinema and theatre of the Ocean Monarch cruise ship in 1951.
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People could also exercise in group classes, like this aerobics class on a cruise ship in 1961.
Passengers exercised on the deck of a cruise ship during a voyage to Bermuda in 1961.
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It was also possible to get married on a cruise ship, like this couple pictured in 1960.
A couple celebrated their wedding on a cruise ship in 1960.
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