Mediterranean Shipping Cruises

SS Monterey

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Operator:Mediterranean Shipping Cruises
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1952 / 1995
Length / Tonnage: 563 / 21,051
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 300 / 600
Officers / Crew: Italian / Italian
Operating Area: Mediterranean, Africa, Indian Ocean

I don't know whether to break out singing "Arrivederci Roma" or "Aloha Oe"......the MONTEREY was my baby sitter for many years.....she carried me countless times to and from the Hawaiian Islands.....and my love for her is endless. If you haven't been around long enough to remember the MONTEREY as she was when she debuted in 1957, you have a surprise coming....because she wasn't built as MONTEREY.....she was the FREE STATE MARINER, a "Mariner" class freighter, one of the big fast ships built on orders of the United States Government during the Korean War.....constructed of steel forged to last forever....hulls built to last forever.

When Matson Lines felt financially confident enough to restore its pre war passenger line from the West Coast to the Antipodes, the arranged with the U.S. Government to adapt two "Mariner" freighters to the passenger trades, rather than build a pair of ships from the keel up....and just so you know, there was a third "Mariner" converted for passengers...the BADGER MARINER of 1953, and she was converted around the same time into the tourist liner ATLANTIC, a ship which comfortable accommodated 900 passengers. Externally, the ATLANTIC was not much to look at, kind of boxy and low, but the MONTEREY and her sister MARIPOSA....oh my, these were ships to take your breath away....raked bows, sharp round cruiser spoon sterns, modern, elegantly fashioned superstructures, each crowned with a single perfectly sculpted funnel of the correct height and raking aft. When she retired from her years of service on the Pacific, she was long in the tooth....and I admit it. And as great as her American crew was, if you hadn't sailed in her you would wonder why anyone would consider her attractive....the decks were covered either in an ugly gray tar paper like substance or blue/green striped indoor/outdoor carpeting...anything but wood, because under American regulations, the use of combustible materials was a no no. Her Outrigger Club was furnished with outrageous pink vinyl sofas....and the main lounge had the most basic padded chairs. And worst of all for her owners, first Matson and then Pacific Far East Line, her passenger capacity was only 336....so when her cargo commitments dwindled, and her mail subsidy lapsed, she was of no use to any cruise line in the mood to make a profit.

But we members of Matson's "Mariner's Club" are a loyal bunch....and were devastated when the MONTEREY and MARIPOSA abandoned us. So it was no surprise when we learned that a new company, Aloha Pacific Cruises, had been formed with the intention of resurrecting the MONTEREY for Hawaii cruise service. Aloha Pacific wasn't even the first outfit to try to bring either the MONTEREY or MARIPOSA back. World Airways's then president, Ed Daly, bought these twins, selling the MARIPOSA after about a year to Asian buyers, who only managed to hold onto her long enough to be transferred back to Pacific Far East Lines who didn't want her....so they sold her to China Ocean Shipping Company of Shanghai. They ran her as JIN JIANG between Hong Kong and China. Mr. Daly sold the MONTEREY to a local outfit in San Francisco, Royal Hawaiian Cruises. Some of their start up money came from diehard Mariner's Club members, because we put deposits down the second the reservations books opened. Royal Hawaiian Cruises never got the ship away from the pier, and we never got our money back. After their bankruptcy, the ship was sold to a holding company said to belong to MEBA, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, whose purpose in buying the liner was the hopes of getting the liner into service under the U.S. flag, thereby restoring a few hundred maritime union jobs. Their attempts failed as well....and the MONTEREY continued to sit in isolation in South San Francisco, with no one on board but a watchman and a dog.

In the mid eighties, things started to look brighter for her, and in June 1986, she was towed to Portland, Oregon....there was a hint of a new owner for her. A group of investors chartered Aloha Pacific Cruises in Alexandria, Virginia. To comply with American maritime laws, they arranged with a Tacoma, Washington shipyard to do the work required to allow the ship American registry, and with the approval of the Maritime Administration, sent the ship to Wartsila's Turku Finland yard for most of her interior work. The ship spent many moons in drydock in Europe, and it was anyone's guess what they were doing to her. When she emerged on the West Coast after a disastrous "maiden" voyage from the shipyards, there was nothing we could do but cry.....it was as if someone had decided to go to Dr. Frankenstein for a major plastic surgery. Her lovely hull had been disfigured with the addition of a large lido platform.....akin to what happened to the FRANCE when she was converted to the NORWAY. And on the MONTEREY, her once balanced looks were marred by a new house constructed forward of the bridge....effectively cutting off her foredeck. It's taken me years to reconcile with the "new" MONTEREY.....and I have done so, with the help of two important conclusions I've made.....if the MONTEREY had not been rebuilt, there was every likelihood that every time I get in my car, I'd be riding in a piece of her.....and, this is the one that's hard to spit out.....she's so much better now than she ever was in her original configuration. As nice as their spirit was, Aloha Pacific Cruises, like so many other start up lines, certainly didn't have its act together when the MONTEREY began service for them from Honolulu in September, 1988.

Though in the steamship business we try to limit the use of the word disaster to the total loss of a ship, the word really did apply to Aloha Pacific's operation of this liner. Mercifully, they folded their tent in the spring of 1989, leaving the seven day Hawaii market to American Hawaii Cruises, a line that knew what it was doing. Back into lay up went the MONTEREY, and no one expected her to go anywhere ever again. And for twenty two months they were right. Then came the amazing news that Star Lauro of Panama, successor to Italy's esteemed Flota Lauro, had signed a long term bare boat charter for her, and was taking her to the Mediterranean. She would make her home in Naples. Star Lauro faded away and was replaced by Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC).

There's an awful lot of hull for only 550 passengers....so the MONTEREY is one of the lower density ships out there. Ship enthusiasts who had been on her before her rebuilding in 1990 will have fun seeing how parts of her haven't really changed.....but they would have to be blind or stubborn to not concede that she's so much better now that she had ever been.....light, modern, and eager to take you to some really great places.....in that wonderful style unique to Italian ships and crews..

I cannot help but remember the old lounges of the MONTEREY in the sixties and seventies...and see how they've been updated. So whether it makes any sense or not, my favorite areas are the "original" rooms....the Palm Terrace, library, card room and dining room. The Palm Terrace has been considerably lightened and brightened. Large sofas and chairs dot the room, and the views out beyond the promenade to the sea are great. The cute Captain Cook's Bar occupies a space once used as a card room. The old Outrigger Club and bar is now called the Seven Pearls....it's been enlarged and is now a good size room configured for floor shows. Outside this room you'll find a delightful covered promenade and a large lido area with the swimming pool. Up on Boat Deck aft is the small cafe de Paris, a smaller getaway nook with wonderful views to the after parts of the ship. The disco and casino are about as far removed as can be.....they are way, way, way down on C Deck.....no worry about hearing the thumping of the bass or the clanging of coins here. One deck up you'll find the movie theater, and another flight up is the gym.

In her main Dining Room on Aloha Deck, the MONTEREY serves her passengers at two sittings...you can ask for the smoking section when you book. Because these ships are so heavily booked by Europeans who eat later than we Yankees, dinner sittings begin a few minutes later than many U.S. based cruise lines....so if you don't like getting your main course served to you after 9:30 at night, you may find second sitting...which starts at 8:45, a little too late for you. If you are reading this in English, you will probably want first sitting, because with a 7:00 start up time, you will get your main course around 7:45, and that's generally late enough for most of us, whether we are from the U.S., the U.K. or Canada. Because of this, first sitting attracts a larger quotient of English speakers, and second sitting will undoubtedly be the choice of all Latin Americans, Spaniards, Portuguese and most Italians on board, with the French, Dutch, Germans and Scandinavians divided on eating time preferences.

Watch out when lunches or dinners are served in "open sitting"...get there early or you may just face a long wait for a table...of course you could take your food from the buffet...but American passengers, in particular, fond of breakfast and lunch buffets as they are...seem to shy away from dinner buffets when they are offered...The "outdoor dining" option here is under cover...shaded from hot sun. That same MSC emphasis on quality is as evident here as in the dining rooms of her fleetmates. In general the food is very good and the Italian dishes were superb...Like each of the MSC ships, the MONTEREY's kitchens have specialties...but since I don't know if you plan to sail in her in Mediterranean or other waters...I don't presume to suggest to tell you which dishes will please you most.

Of course I'm going to tell you to be sure to book an original Matson cabin....and why shouldn't you? They are roomy....not necessarily by today's standards, but they're so cleverly arranged you would never know how small they are....they are located in the smoothest riding sections on board....and they are right in the middle of the tariff structure. These digs have two lower beds...one that folds into the wall and the other that becomes a sofa during the day, tons....and I mean tons....of drawer and closet space...and a small but useable bathroom with shower. I never got to ride in one, but I'd love to try one of the two Royal Suites now....these are the original suites....and just as they were the most expensive cabins then....so are they now. They have a lanai with three large windows, a bedroom and a bathroom with tub.....and they are but a few steps to the promenade deck.

The best buy for both space and amenities, at least in the outside grades, are cabins 365 and 368....now category fours. They are smaller, but just as complete versions of the Royal Suites....and they are dead midships on Maile Deck. The very best deal on board was accidentally created when four old deluxe outside cabins were penned in with the addition of the houses on the foredeck....so now these giant rooms must be sold as category eight insides.....look for any of these cabins to be a real steal.....cabins 216 or 219 on Promenade Deck, and cabins 319 or 320 on Maile Deck. If you simply have no interest whatsoever where you bunk at night....the upper and lower berth cabins in categories twelve and thirteen are actually quite pleasant....and for double occupancy, they are the least expensive rooms on board.

In some measure depends on where she is going. On her voyages of greatest interest to us...the positioning trips between Europe and South Africa, you will find a nice mix of nationalities and a big percentage of travelers having a common love of sea travel....that's why they are here....to make the crossing from one place to another. And these are people who require less organized entertainment than most other cruise passengers. On her South African cruises, expect overwhelmingly high numbers of locals and Italian passengers. In Europe, the MONTEREY attracts large numbers of value seeking vacationers and her Mediterranean cruises draw lots of passengers from all of Western Europe. A fair number of Americans have begun to discover that cruising Europe with European passengers is not only a highly logical plan, but has allowed them a distinct view of Europe not so readily apparent to shiploads of passengers limited to American and Canadian citizens.

She spends most of the year in the Mediterranean offering extended sailings to Greece, Black Sea, Turkey, and Italy. While some of the sailings emphasize the Greek islands and Turkey, others head down to Egypt and Turkey with Greece thrown in on the way home....there are also trips out to Morocco, Madeira or the Canaries and the Iberian peninsula.

The MONTEREY and I are old friends....but fortunately, it's not just our relationship that makes me like her. The MONTEREY is one of a handful of vessels that I can board and say, without reservation, "I love what you've done with the place!" It's also nice to know that there are only five hundred or so passengers on board....it's nice to be recognized by the outstanding Italian crew....and it's nice, though not for my digestive system, to eat pasta until I'm in a coma. The Italians can give a cruise like no other nationality.....you really have to try it to know what it's like....the atmosphere is so continental....so fulfilling to the weary spirit....you come away from here feeling the way you're supposed to at the end of a voyage.....excited about planning next year's cruise with MSC.