CRUISE VIGNETTES 03, Carla-C

CARLA-C, THE PRINCESS CRUISES FIRST SHIP
Sometime in the 1960s we took our first cruise ship vacation. This was about the first year for the Princess Cruise Lines, and since they did not yet own any ships, they had leased the “Carla-C,” from the Costa Armatori Line of Genoa, Italy. A huge sign that said “Princess Line,” was painted on a bed sheet, and hung on side of the ship. It was originally the French Liner, named Flandre, then was sold to Costa Line as their Carla C, then chartered by Princess Cruises as Princess Carla, for a year or two.

Many years later, we saw the Carla-C docked in Genoa, Italy. On March 23, 1994 the Pallas Athena, as the Carla-C had been renamed by her new owners the Greek Epirotiki Line, was disembarking passengers at her Athens-dock when a fire started in an empty stateroom. The ship was towed to the outer areas of the harbour and declared a total loss.

Our trip was for only 3 nights, but it really was a lot of fun. Our stateroom was tiny, just room for double bunks, a space to walk, and a small bathroom, but boy that was luxury for us! The service was excellent and the food never ran out. Just for fun, at one meal I asked for two Filet Mignon, just to see what would happen, so they brought me three.

GAUADALUPU ISLANDS
They anchored the ship a mile off-shore, near the Guadalupe Islands, and loaded us into life boats for the trip to the island. As our little boat circled the “Carla-C” and headed for the shore, Emmy looked around here and there, then said, “Oh! Where did that big ship come from?” Well, how did she think she got here!

Don’t remember much except that the shore was just crowded with thousands and thousands of seals and walruses, or something like that.

ENSENADA
We spent the next day in Ensenada, Mexico, then sailed back to Los Angeles. I said that if we wanted to visit Ensenada, we could drive there. We were on the ship because we wanted to sail and sail and sail!

NO TRIP TO NOWHERE
The disappointing thing was, they had advertised a “Trip to Nowhere.” They were just going to sail into the Pacific Ocean for three days, just looking for nice weather, but that plan was changed by the Jones Act, a U. S. law that said "foreign" ships may not carry passengers between US ports, without touching at a foreign port between the US ports. There must have been some modification to that law, since cruises we were on in later years, sailed from the port of Los Angeles, to Catalina Island, and to San Diego, with no intermediate stop, then on to Ensenada.