Ah, the glory days of cruising. When trans-Atlantic crossings were in their heyday, passengers dressed to the nines and the blast of the ship’s horn was almost drowned out by the pop of champagne corks. Elegance was key — from the steamer trunks bursting with formalwear, to crystal stemware and silver at the dinner table, to caviar-laden trays at the bon voyage party. The highlight of any grand cruise was the moment when the captain announced “All ashore that’s going ashore,” and the nontraveling guests assembled on the dock for last-minute waves and blown kisses as the ship began to move out to sea.

Fastforward to today’s cruise experience, where passengers lounge in T-shirts and shorts, the music is likely to be a Caribbean band or Las Vegas-style review and serve-yourself, poolside meals are the order of the day. If none of this sounds appealing,and you’re tempted to mourn the stylish cruising of days of yore,it may be time to break down some myths.

For one thing, cruising in the old days was primarily a form of transportation. Once the fanfare of the departure was over, and the music died down, there wasn’t much to do on board. Guests were given the choice of snoozing on deck chairs, playing cards in the public rooms, walking the decks or counting the hours until dinner. All that changed with the advent of the jet airplane in the late 1950s when, in a matter of just a few years, fledgling airlines laid claim to about 95 percent of transoceanic business.

“The shipping lines had to rethink their strategy, so they came up with the idea of single-class floating hotels operating year-round leisure trips to warm-weather ports,” said Bill Miller, author of more than 60 books on ocean liners and the adjunct curator of Ocean Liner Studies at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum. Acknowledging that it was a gamble — traditionally, vacationers had gravitated toward the Bahamas only in winter — Miller said the risk paid off and, one by one, ocean liners fell in step.

One of the grandest of classic ships, the SS United States (shown on cover), wowed crowds in the 1950s with its then-speedy trans-Atlantic crossings, but was unable to make the transition to the new style of cruising. Instead, she went into dry dock in 1969, making way for a new breed of ocean liner. But a happy ending appears to be on the horizon (see sidebar: “Happy Ending in Sight?”). Last year, Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the SS United States and is turning the vessel into an updated version of her former self — a state-of-the-art cruise ship fit to join the ranks of NCL’s planned U.S.-flagged fleet.

The SS Oceanic — considered a megaship in its day at 39,000 tons and 1,200 beds — was a pioneer among next-generation cruise ships. Completed in 1965, she plied the waters between New York and the Bahamas year-round, charging $175 per trip and, according to Miller, was “a huge success.” (Three decades later,the SS Oceanic underwent an “extreme makeover ” of sorts. The result? Reincarnation as a family cruise ship operated by Premier A Cunard Line. Does the name “Big Red Boat ” ring a bell??) While the concept of cruising continued to change with the times,the industry got a giant boost from the debut of “The Love Boat ” in 1976. The popular television series quickly introduced a whole new segment of the population to the idea of cruising as fun — a pastime no longer reserved for the very old or very rich.

To lure first-timers, the lines came up with theme cruises, enticing noncruisers by appealing to their special interests — whether it be murder mysteries, gardening, history or chocolate. Rapid growth in the industry in the 1980s and 1990s brought bigger and more exciting ships — a phenomenon most experts agree is likely to continue.

“Ships are being built now that are three and four times the size of the Titanic and double the size of the old Queen Mary,” Miller said. “When the QE2 was commissioned in 1969, everyone said it would be the last big liner ever built, and now she’s only the 79th biggest ship in the world.” Today, the Queen Mary 2, at 151,400 tons, 1,132 feet long, 236 feet high and 135 feet wide, is the largest, longest, tallest and widest ocean liner ever built. A price tag of $800 million earns her the designation “most expensive,” too. The Cunard Line’s impressive trans-Atlantic line set sail on her maiden voyage earlier this year.

Clearly, the industry is booming. Still, according to statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association, just 15 percent of the U.S. population cruised in 2003. Because an increase of even 1 percent or 2 percent would be significant, cruise lines are jumping through hoops to attract first-timers. But, noncruisers can be tough to reach. Many people dismiss the idea of cruising out of hand, based on misconceptions about what the experience will be like. Here are a few of those misconceptions — along with our version of the real deal:

I’ll be bored cooped up on a cruise ship day after day.

You won’t be on the ship every day. Most itineraries today feature multiple stops in high-profile destinations like the Caribbean,Alaska and Europe. Cruise executives like to compare cruise ships to floating hotels where passengers cruise mostly at night, waking up every day to new and enticing destinations. On a typical seven-day sailing, expect only one or two at-sea days.

On the other hand, if the idea of being bored (in a good way) sounds enticing, consider a very laid-back, unstructured cruise aboard one of Windjammer’s vintage ships. Comparatively modest cabins in Windjammer’s fleet of four sailing ships and one motor vessel accommodate a maximum of 119 passengers (Legacy, built in 1959)to a minimum of 64 passengers (Yankee Clipper, built in 1927).With no dress code,no assigned dinner seating and no reason to hurry,guests are encouraged to do as much — or as little — as they please.

There is nothing to do on the ship.

Spas are commonplace on cruise ships now, and while treatments are pricey, the products and staff are usually excellent. Sign up immediately upon boarding, though, especially if you want your treatment on an at-sea day, and consider buying a day pass for the other facilities — which can include everything from mineral pools to steam rooms.

Swimming pools abound on cruise ships — there is usually one for families and one for everyone else — and some even offer indoor pools or retractable roofs for use if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Basketball courts, virtual golf, rock climbing and — on Royal Caribbean Voyager class ships — even ice skating are available for the active set. Most ships also offer a jogging track for runners hoping to keep shipboard weight gain at bay. Fitness centers — state-of-the- art weight training and cardio equipment usually positioned to make the most of the maritime view — are de rigueur.

I prefer gourmet, upscale dining, so I won’t like the food.

Cruise lines have finally realized cruisers value fine dining. Celebrity Cruises, for example, prides itself on its cuisine, overseen by big name Chef Michel Roux. NCL offers a concept called freestyle dining that allows passengers to choose among specialty venues featuring, among others, Italian, French or Asian menus. Sensitive to the fact that many of its passengers are adults, Disney Cruise Lines offers an adults-only restaurant.

Dubbed Palo, it boasts fine-restaurant-caliber food and an extensive wine list with attentive service in an elegant atmosphere. Generally, passengers are assigned a seating time (early or late, depending on what they requested at the time of booking) at a table in the main restaurant where they dine most evenings. The dress code varies from casual (although not T-shirts and shorts at dinner) to formal, depending on the evening. Formal nights often coincide with special menus offering such fare as lobster and baked Alaska.

It is in these formal dining rooms that the cruise ships most resemble the elegant vessels of old, with grand staircases, sparkling chandeliers, sumptuous carpeting and drapes and wait staff in snappy attire. Many passengers dress for the occasion, pulling out all stops on formal nights to appear in glittering sequined gowns and carefully arranged coifs, snappy tuxedoes and freshly shined shoes.

Less formal options include cafeteria-style restaurants featured on most ships, where offerings range from predictable to surprisingly varied and interesting. Expect to find plenty of breads and desserts baked on board, fresh fruit, made-to-order omelets and entire sections devoted to pizza, pasta, meats and casseroles. Poolside eateries, offering burgers, hot dogs and pizzas, are often available, as are ice-cream outlets and, of course, 24-hour room service.

I don’t want to go sightseeing in a bus with a hundred other passengers.

You can avoid that.Shore excursions are big business for cruise lines — much of their revenue derives from this component, especially in destinations like Hawaii and Alaska where activity-based excursions abound. Snorkel, swim with dolphins, kayak, ride horses and even scuba dive or — for those less Type A and more budget-conscious personalities — simply laze on the beach.

Keep in mind that shore excursions are pricey. If you know the destination and just want to shop or relax on the beach, you can generally save a bundle by hopping a cab on your own. Or, consider hiring a taxi driver to give you a full-or half-day tour of the destination. Chances are the hourly rate will amount to less than the tab for the planned excursion — especially if you’re cruising as a family. On the other hand, shore time is quite limited and the cruise-line excursions are planned to maximize that limited time. A flightseeing helicopter tour of Alaska or a swim-with-stingrays snorkel tour in Grand Cayman is difficult to duplicate on your own.

Happy Ending in Sight?

While she sits in dry dock at a Philadelphia-area shipyard, the powers-that-be at Norwegian Cruise Lines are reviewing plans to refurbish the SS United States. The goal? Return the vessel to her former glory, updated, creating a state-of-the-art cruise ship fit to join the ranks of NCL’s planned U.S.-flagged fleet — Project America.

Widely considered to be the greatest superliner ever built in this country, the SS United States was engineered to be faster, safer and more technologically advanced than anything else afloat. To this day, her Atlantic crossing record has never been matched and she remains the holder of the fabled Blue Riband.

Knowing that SS United States faced an uncertain future, NCL moved to purchase the vessel. NCL is now evaluating options for use of the ship under U.S. flag and determining the extent of renovations needed to convert her to a modern cruise ship that will appeal to today’s vacationer. The ship is expected to offer mainland U.S. itineraries where cruise products are not currently available. The refurbishment of the hull and superstructure will be done at U.S. shipyards with the outfitting completed overseas. NCL is no stranger to such conversions, having converted the fabled North Atlantic liner the SS France into cruising’s first Caribbean megaship, SS Norway.

“When we discovered this American icon was in jeopardy, we saw a unique opportunity and acted immediately. The ship is a classic, she was built in America and is eligible to operate in domestic service under existing law and regulation,” said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. “The SS United States would be a phenomenal addition to our U.S. flag operation down the road. We remain focused on completing Project America and successfully introducing our innovative U.S.-flag cruise ships in Hawaii, but we will now organize a project team to work with U.S.yards, naval engineers and architects to develop plans for what should be the fourth vessel in our U.S.-flagged fleet.”

Meetings at Sea

In an effort to be all things to all people, the cruise industry has cast its net for business travelers looking for meeting space.

The strategy is working.

According to Cruise Lines Industry Association figures, cruise lines are reporting a boost in meetings at sea — as much as 30 percent in the last year. The statistics are the result of a joint survey conducted by CLIA, Meetings & Conventions magazine and Northstar Travel Media Research.

High on the list of desirable features are the inclusive price, good value, varied activities and attendee satisfaction. Also important are the meeting facilities, which can include good-sized meeting rooms — from break-out rooms to large auditoriums — and high-tech equipment. Many vessels offer Internet cafes, as well as Internet connections in staterooms. Further, meeting goers can bring their families, knowing they will be entertained. Following is a sampling of what is available for meetings, broken out by cruise line:

Carnival Cruise Lines

Venues for private meetings and functions, amenities such as in-cabin gifts, theme events, special land tours and logo ice carvings. Audiovisual equipment, including rear-and front-screen projection for video and laptop presentations.

Celebrity Cruises

Meeting and interactive video services, onboard convention coordinators, cinema and conference centers (on seven of the line’s nine ships), multimedia slide presentations, video projector playback from videotape, computer-generated graphic presentations, videoconferencing via satellite, videotaping and interactive audience voting.

Costa Cruises

Dedicated conference facilities and meeting rooms, audiovisual equipment.

Crystal Cruises

Good-sized meeting rooms and audiovisual equipment in the Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. Meeting & Incentive package with menu of amenities. Email from every stateroom and suite.

Cunard Line

Dining rooms and staterooms on the new Queen Mary 2 can be booked for private functions. 500-seat auditorium;seven conference-style rooms, each with its own multimedia system; a main show lounge accommodating 1,094 guests.

Disney Cruise Lines

Conference centers, state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and shipboard coordinators. A surprisingly elegant ambience throughout the ships.

Holland America Line

Meeting rooms, facilities for private parties, a full theater with audiovisual equipment and private dinners.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Four-room meeting complexes called the Boardroom on the Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star, technical equipment and such venues as lounges, cinemas and auditoriums. Conference centers for 100 to 126 guests on the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky.

Princess Cruises

A variety of public rooms, including the suspended Skywalkers Lounge on Grand Princess-class ships, can be reserved for meetings. Business and audiovisual equipment. Princess hospitality and catering services.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises

Dedicated meeting space for 178 on the Radisson Diamond; conference room for 64 on the Seven Seas Voyager, or go all out and rent an entire ship.

Royal Caribbean International

Conference centers for 400-plus people with audiovisual support; multimedia screening room for 60; Studio B for up to 900 with light and sound — all on Voyager-class ships. New conference center on Monarch of the Seas.

Seabourn Cruise Line

Full charters with customized itineraries built around meeting schedules.

Silversea Cruises

Show lounges with multimedia capabilities. No fees for room rental, audiovisual equipment, receptions and business break food and beverages.

Star Clipper

Incentive travel or full-ship charters for up to 170 passengers on Star Clipper (out of Cannes) or Star Flyer (out of Athens). The line’s flagship, Royal Clipper (out of Rome), accommodates up to 227 passengers for full-ship charters.

Windstar Cruises

Full-ship charters for up to 308 passengers on the Wind Surf, with business/conference center for up to 60; Internet center and lounge, restaurant and bar areas for functions. Charters of Wind Spirit and Wind Star for up to 148.

For additional information about meeting facilities check out http://www.cruising.org