New crew who are crossing for the first time, are called 'pollywogs' and have to complete the ritual to become 'shellbacks'. It is a virtual certainty anybody who takes Day 99 â Crossing the Equator â April 13th. One such example is the King Neptune Ceremony, or line-crossing ceremony which traditionally occurs on any cruise ship crossing the Equator. The Best Small Cruise Ships in Croatia. Significance of The Equator. Crossing the Equator. Equator Crossing Cruises. 6 people found this helpful. Help? There is much debate about the origins of celebrating crossing the equator. Mark & Marie's travels, travelogues, cruise diaries, and ⦠Those who have not yet crossed the Equator are labeled âpollywogsâ and tradition says that an initiation ceremony must be performed on the ship to allow pollywogs to proceed and become âshellbacksâ. Last spring, on the Cape Town-Soton leg of QE's World Cruise, passengers were recruited to volunteer for the festivities, which involved a judge in wig and gown, as well as King Neptune and his consort in a coconut-shell bra. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are for passengers' entertainment on ocean liners and cruise ships. Mild but hilarious indignities will be conjured, and in the end a good time will be had by most, if not all. Travel Ideas. King Neptune (the most high-ranking or seasoned member of the crew) is welcomed aboard and charges many of the pollywogs (those who have not crossed the equator before) with crimes on the ship. The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite that commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator. It starts at 7.51 am to be precise. Today we crossed the equator. Equator Crossing Cruises. Feb 23, 2012 - The ship is so intimate there is always the opportunity to exchange stories about our home towns, children and grandchildren. When the ship sails across the equator, the crew pay homage to King Neptune for safe passage. What most of the shipboard community did ⦠Today also marked the ship crossing the equator for the first of two equator crossings on this World Cruise Voyage. Plus some eating and drinking and winning and buying during the day. As part of celebrating the crossing there was a mid day Mid-Earth Mixer Party held in the Palm Court from 11:15 to 11:45 AM. On these repositioning cruises, there is one special activity that passengers look forward to - the Crossing the Equator Ceremony. Many ships such as the MV Australia carried both tourists and immigrants, and documents such as dinner menus, luggage labels M (500 to 2,000 passengers) S (Less than 500 passengers) Update results Sort by. Some say that the British Navy started the ritual 400 years ago. Cruise Prices Updated Daily: Click Here For Today's Best Cruise Deals » Explore. You are here: Home / Blog / Cruises / Crossing the Equator: Become a Shellback As we sailed from Panama to Ecuador, many of the Enrichment Voyage participants woke up to quite a commotion when the crew ran up and down each deck, clanging pots and pans and pounding on doorways. Stuart Dunn, Carnival Spiritâs cruise director, playfully explained why the captain sounded the horn: âNormally you can see the line of the equator in the water, but it was the dark that night.â As most of you know â there is an old mariner tradition for those crossing the equator by sea, for the first time. If not, is the ship likely to set something up for viewing? Written by Kristin. I arrived at 9 AM to get a good seat to shoot video. Cruise Centres. The Crossing the Line ceremony was scheduled for 10 AM by the LIDO pool. Alternative Name(s): King Neptune Certificate Crossing the Equator Certificate issued to passengers travelling on the Lloyd Triestino Line ship MV Australia on 27 February 1955. Equator Crossing. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are common in the navy and are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. Download this stock image: Equator, crossing the line ceremony aboard ship - RDCTT5 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Here is a video highlight reel. Cruise Prices Updated Daily: Click Here For Today's Best Cruise Deals » [citation needed]In spatial (3D) geometry, as applied in astronomy, the equator of a rotating spheroid (such as a planet) is the parallel (circle of latitude) at which latitude is defined to be 0°. They are beautiful, luxurious, and there isnât a ship nor a passenger that wonât turn to look at these majestic yachts. Ports Overview. The Crossing The Line Ceremony, the traditional event when a ship crosses the equator, as experienced on Princess Cruises' Star Princess cruise ship in 2019. It is when people crossing for the first time (Polywogs) have to perform some rituals and then become Shellbacks (hardened). On a ship, when you cross the equator, there is a traditional ceremony called Crossing the Line. Explore Adriatic with Equator AVAILABLE CRUISES. Posted on November 8, 2019 by Jim Berlin. Find Cruises to this Port. It was collected by Donald Dott during his travels between Australia and Europe in 1954-1956. Hemisphere to hemisphere, there is nothing quite as romantic as slipping, in the blink of an eye, from one side of globe to the other, made possible by the mere act of crossing the Equator. We have all heard various initiation stories about those aboard Navy ships where the officers, down to the lowliest seamen, all had to crawl through garbage to kiss King Neptuneâs deputyâs belly etc. This ceremony really is to commemorate the first time that sailors (or passengers on⦠Back in the days of wooden ships, Crossing the Line ceremonies were designed to test young Sailors on their first cruise out in the open sea. Once we cross the equator, we will be in the Southern Hemisphere. Aeron, one of the singers in the entertainment team, was given the âcrossing the lineâ treatment Crossing the Equator . On my upcoming cruise in March, I note that there is going to be a total solar eclipse whilst in Manila. Ship size. Today is a very important day, because today we cross the equator. Part of marinerâs tradition is a celebration honoring Neptune, King of the Seas. Ships that have been cruising in the North Pacific during May to September, head down to the South Pacific in October for the Southern Hemisphere summer.Then in March, the ships go north again. Travel. The crossing was achieved at 9:46 p.m. on Oct. 4 and the shipâs horn blared to announce the event and called guests to the Lido Deck for the ceremony. Those who read my blog posts from the last world cruise know that we crossed the equator twice and that was not even the first for us. Ports of call. View Cruises. Equator-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also sometimes carried out for passengers' entertainment on civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. In some cultures and on some ships, it can get pretty rough. Keep reading for more about this coming-of-age event that dates back to the times of whalers and pirates. Sea travel in general is a deeply traditional practice, with rituals dating back centuries, many of which are still practiced today, even on passenger cruise ships. Cruise ships. Have you ever heard of the Equator crossing ceremony on ships? Michael, Connor and Grahame, from the HAL Orchestra, were setting up under the small Gazebo near the pool. Feb 23, 2012 - The ship is so intimate there is always the opportunity to exchange stories about our home towns, children and grandchildren. Crossing the Equator: Become a Shellback. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for USS Stingray SS-186 Shakedown Cruise Crossing the Equator September 7, 1938 at the best online prices at ⦠The ceremonies are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Do you think that the ship will have the special solar eclipse glasses? A court was convened at the swimming pool, and various mildly unpleasant things happened to the volunteers who were adjudged, in witty verse, to be guilty of ⦠If you are a âpollywog,â who has never crossed the line at sea, you will be expected to undergo a mock trial by King Neptune and his court for the entertainment of the âshellbacksâ who have already done so. Viking Cruise: Equator Crossing Ceremony. The King Neptune Ceremony or Equator crossing ceremony is a centuries age old tradition on all types of ships - including cruise ships. Crossing the Equator. I was in the second row. You will also be thrilled with their comfortable cabins, which are furnished according to the latest global standards. It is a custom that is very popular in the Navy as well as commercial or merchant ships. Every mariner at some point of their life has experienced this unique ceremony, normally during the initial phases of their career. Earth's Equator (spelled with capital E) is a specific case of a planetary equator.It is about 40,075 km (24,901 mi) long, of which 78.8% lies across water and 21.3% over land. Trip Details. View Cruises. This is the beginning of a line-crossing ceremony, a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate Equator-crossing virgins. Canadians Crossing the Equator on the Oceaniaâs Marina Marina Cruise Review by Canadianvoyager. Jan 14, 2012 - Crossing the Equator - sailing a cruise ship across the Equator - complete with a King Neptune ceremony aboard to celebrate. They are also performed in the merchant navy and aboard sail training ships. Although crossing the equator may seem like a routine event for any modern-day naval vessel, navies have celebrated the time-honored tradition for centuries. In the Galapagos, one of these is crossing the equator at sea during a cruise. They are known as the soft, gushy creatures who have never crossed the equator. But there are many âpolywogsâ on board. Equator. Equator is very important latitude on earth. Nevertheless, the Crossing the Equator Ceremony must go on! There is a long-standing tradition observed in the Navy when a sailor crosses the Equator for the first time. 60 At Sea: On a one hundred and twenty day cruise, Day six would not only be day we crossed the Equator but also half way though the cruise. Crossing the equator also coincides with entering pirate terrority so we were treated to a âcrossing the equatorâ ceremony and a full pirate drill.