15 Retro Photos That Capture the Glamour of the Transatlantic Cruise – Cond Nast Traveler

When you hear the phrase "transatlantic cruise," does it evoke images of black-tie dining, dancing into the wee hours of the morning while sipping champagne from delicate coupes?If Rose's upper-deck experience in the movie Titanic is anything to go by, then the answer is probably yes. But there's plenty of truth to her adventures with Jack while navigating the glitz and glamour, and lower-deck shenanigans, of life on a steamship. Grand ocean liners allowed the journey to become one of leisureand a status symbolfor a certain class of citizens starting in the 19th century. They clamored aboard, trunks in tow (packed with formal dress and white gloves right besides their swimsuits and sportswear), ready to live up those unfettered sea days at full hilt. While they commonly sailed from Southampton to New York City and back, some routes began in Italy, Germany, and other parts of Europe. Though they never really died outCunard's Queen Mary still sails transatlantic routes todaymaking the journey by plane overtook sailing in the mid 20th century. We gathered some colorful photos from the era that share a taste of what it was like. Grab your badminton gear and cigarette case, we're all aboard this trip of nostalgia.

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15 Retro Photos That Capture the Glamour of the Transatlantic Cruise - Cond Nast Traveler