The 1957 Great World Cruise brochure describes an idyllic day at sea thus…
The fact that the Caronia was built as a cruise ship means that emphasis is placed on comfortable living
for your long sea voyages. It means that your air-conditioned stateroom is built on spacious lines, with
private bath or shower - even a ship-to-shore telephone to keep you in touch with home or business.
You'll awaken in the morning completely refreshed, with a whole day before you to do exactly as you please!
Perhaps you'll succumb to the luxury of breakfast in bed, then start your day with a brisk morning walk
on the sunlit deck. There's nothing quite so inviting as a few hours spent lounging in a deck chair,
engrossed in a good book, or just watching the ever-changing vistas of the sea. You'll be served morning
bouillon here, and then perhaps you'll take in the lecture on what to see and do in your next port.
After a buffet luncheon on deck you may feel in an energetic mood and join your friends in deck sports or
a dip in the pool - go for a real workout in the gymnasium - make an appointment for the beauty salon or
barber shop - take in the latest Hollywood movie in the well-equipped theatre - or just sink into a
comfortable chair in one of the lounges, while you talk over recent ship and shore events with your companions.
A twin-bedded Stateroom on A Deck
Just before dinner you may wish to invite a few friends to a private party, and then, after a delightful
dinner, there is all the entertainment that any luxury resort has to offer - dancing - fancy head-dress
parades - holiday parties - informal games - community singing - social gatherings in the lounges or on deck.
And all throughout your day, wherever you seek your pleasure, there is the unobtrusive, always polite,
attendance of the Caronia's English-speaking personnel - ready to serve you anywhere aboard. A brief
night-time stroll around the deck, in the sea breezes, and then back to the inviting cosiness of your
stateroom and your downy, sleep-enticing bed.
The brochure extols…
Rio de Janeiro - graced with practically every form of natural beauty! With a harbour conceded to be one
of the most beautiful in the World,
rimmed by lofty jagged peaks including the famous Sugar Loaf. Along with her chain of mountain peaks -
and Corcovado, with its colossal statue of Christ the Redeemer, certainly ranks right along with Sugar Loaf.
Rio boasts the most magnificent stretch of beaches found anywhere in the World… among them Gavea Beach,
reached by a cliff drive of breathtaking splendour, and hemmed in by towering peaks.
Beauty is the daytime charm of Rio, and it is surpassed only by the carefree, sparkling gaiety of her
night life, when streets and clubs are filled with fashionable throngs and the Latin rhythms begin.
The brochure extols…
Over a thousand miles from the West Coast of Africa lies the lonely British outpost of Tristan
da Cunha. The island people have little contact with the outside world, as few have ventured
away and the forbidding coastline of the island does not permit ships to put in.
When the weather allows, the Caronia anchors off-shore, and the islanders come out in their
canvas boats to climb aboard with handicrafts, needlework and island souvenirs for sale. You
wonder how these people can live in such isolation, so far removed from all the wonders of
cosmopolitan life.
Log Abstract… At: 1.36pm (LT) Tristan da Cunha arrival Passage: 3 days, 17 hours, 51 mins. Voyage Distance: 1,804 miles Average Speed: 20.13 knots At: 5pm (LT) Tristan da Cunha departure
07 February 1957
At Sea
It is with mingled regret at leaving this pastoral scene, and excited anticipation of the promise held forth by the Dark
Continent, that you sail on to Cape Town, then Durban and all the tangled, jumbled, turbulent magic of inland Africa.
Eastbound transatlantic
Steaming Tristan da Cunha to Cape Town 1,508 miles
Entering the harbour at the Cape of Good Hope, you come into contact with the legend of the Flying Dutchman,
the phantom ship condemned to be forever restless in the waters of the Cape in pursuit of a port that is
never there. Someone is sure to recall the story of Van Hunks, struggling with the Devil in an eternal
smoking contest, which is said to account for the muslin-like cloud that hovers over Table Mountain,
that distinctive landmark of Cape Town.
Log Abstract… At: 5.51am (LT) Cape Town arrival Passage: 3 days, 9 hours, 51 mins. Voyage Distance: 1,508 miles Average Speed: 18.42 knots
Caronia arriving at Cape Town on her Great World Cruise
[Photo in SAR Great World Cruise 1960 Brochure]
11 February 1957
12 February 1957
Lincoln's Birthday
At Cape Town
Cape Town gives the impression of having grown out of the land with both Europe and Africa at
its roots. Africa provides the background, great mountains and green acres with more wild flowers
than one can imagine. Coasts of long white beaches on which both a warm and a cold ocean beat.
England, France and Holland have left a distinctive architecture and a mode of life.
The brochure extols…
The day the Caronia “doubles the Cape” and noses over the bar into the land-locked harbour of
Durban, your first thought will probably be that you're seeing something very similar to the seaboard of
Florida. However, in Durban, European civilisation has not so much conquered Africa as come to excellent
terms with it.
The sturdy Zulu has exchanged his stabbing
assegai
and ox-hide shield for the horns, feathers and finery of the picturesque rickshaw-puller. Zulu girls may
be dressed in the height of European fashion or colourfully adorned with intricate bead work of their race.
A bevy of Indian women in their bright saris pass by, gay symbols of the exotic Orientalism which is woven
into the pattern of the city's life.
16 February 1957
17 February 1957
18 February 1957
At Durban Sunday
Beyond the Cape and Durban, the contrasts multiply. Going inland, there are optional tours that
will take you through Africa's most exciting territory, including the Congo.
The brochure extols…
Zanzibar, not far off the African coast, gives the impression of an island paradise as you approach…
and the scent of cloves on the sea wind foretells a true “spice island.” Once on land, you
find yourself in an Arabian Nights atmosphere.
Bazaars teeming with early-morning trade, black-veiled Muslim women mingling with turbanned Arabs carrying
scimitars at their waists in elaborately designed silver sheaths… the constant jangling of bicycle
bells… the clinking of cups carried by the coffee sellers. Zanzibar, now a British protectorate
ruled by an Arab Sultan, was once the World's foremost slave-trading centre.
The Caronia's stop at Zanzibar has gently eased you out of your “African” mood, yet you may
feel that you need one more “rest-stop” before India… and providence has graciously placed
the Seychelles Islands directly in your path.
Log Abstract… At: 12 Noon Position: 06.40S | 44.21E Travelled: 323 miles
Rippled sea, overcast with frequent rain showers
25 February 1957
At Sea
Steaming Zanzibar to Port Victoria - 1052 miles
Log Abstract… At: 12 Noon Position: 06.34S | 51.28E Travelled: 429 miles
Slight sea, partly cloudy, with occasional rain showers
300 nmi to Port Victoria
Altogether about 35,000 people live here in these idyllic islands, rarely on the itineraries of cruise ships,
and their hospitality to visitors is spontaneous and delightful. Sightseeing in Port Victoria, the capital,
is most rewarding, and you would be loath to leave the Seychelles… save for the age-old lure of India ahead.
Log Abstract… At: 6.24am (LT) Port Victoria arrival Passage: 2 days, 10 hours, 33 mins. Voyage Distance: 1,052 miles Average Speed: 17.97 knots At: 12.13pm (LT) Port Victoria departure
Now, like the connoisseur of exotic beauty that she is, the Caronia turns her sleek prow across the Indian
Ocean to drop anchor beside the most modern and prosperous of all India's cities… Bombay!
Log Abstract… At: 12 Noon Position: 02.01N | 59.47E Travelled: 482 miles
Rippled sea, part cloudy, fine & clear
28 February 1957
At Sea
Steaming Port Victoria to Bombay 1,748 miles
Log Abstract… At: 12 Noon Position: 08.17N | 64.25E Travelled: 469 miles
Slight sea, part cloudy, fine & clear
