For any of us who’ve ever enjoyed or plan to enjoy a luxury cruise, the July passing of Warren Titus at the age of 94 marked a major milestone in the world of travel. Warren created the whole concept of what we regard today as luxury cruising. In the early 70s cruising—and especially luxury cruising—was in trouble. Big 747 jets were carrying increasing numbers of vacationers around the globe in speed and comfort. Cunard Line was carrying on the tradition of great sea voyages, but otherwise the field was left to more budget-oriented lines offering shorter cruises and sailing older ships. Enter Warren Titus.

In the late 70s, I was a young editor at a business magazine in California. When I interviewed Warren then, he spoke of seeing the need for luxury cruising and of doing a huge amount of research into everything from what colors a ship should have to its overall shape. What emerged from his vision were the three ships of Royal Viking Line: the Royal Viking Sky, the Royal Viking Sea, and Royal Viking Star, Click here for a pictorial history of the Royal Viking Line.

Suddenly, there was a fresh and contemporary look to luxury cruising. At 21,500 gross registered tons and carrying about 550 passengers, the ships were small by today’s standards. Most ships of that size carry as many as 300 more passengers so there was lots of space. The ships were painted blue and white and had curving, yacht-like bows. Royal Viking passengers tended to be wealthy people with the time to travel. There were many single staterooms. Cabins had sitting areas, and there were lovely throws on the chairs. Cabin attendants were typically Scandinavian women who literally straightened the cabins whenever the guests stepped out of the rooms. They knew we were out by using a trick I first saw used by the room attendants in the old Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. They would leave a tiny sliver of wood leaning against the bottom of the door. If it was lying on the floor they knew someone had opened the door.

Dining was single seating, and the multilingual waiters were recruited from the finest hotels in Europe.  Food was similar to what you would find in an elegant hotel dining room. The restaurant had large picture windows so that during the day, diners could enjoy the view. There were many tables for two.

There were small lounges and well-equipped libraries where passengers could find solitude or quiet conversation. There was a relatively small theater but no massive show lounge. Overall, the experience of cruising on Royal Viking Line was very personal and the service staff was competent and professional.

I was fortunate to sail on Royal Viking twice. I cruised once in the early days of line’s history, and that cruise remains in memory one of the most enjoyable I’ve every taken. I cruised once after the ships were lengthened, allowing for the addition of 200 more passengers. While stretching the ships made economic sense, if created a definite difference in the experience. Suddenly, that warm personal feeling had floated away on the tide.

Today you can still feel some of the magic that Warren Titus brought to cruising. Silversea Cruises, Crystal Cruises, and the Yachts of Seabourn are the lineal descendents of Royal Viking Line. The Crystal ships are large, but the service comes very close to that of the original Royal Viking Line ships. We owe Warren Titus a lot.