DH and I were discussing today if we could find (or afford) a present-day cruise ship to compare with memories of sailing on the Ile de France. Any suggestions or comments? Thanks!

The SS Ile de France was built in 1926 and was about 44,000 tons. Most mass market ships nowadays are at least 130,000 tons, with the Oasis & Allure weighing in at over 225,000 tons.

Although all of the modern mass market ships are beautifully decorated, most would not match the same level of opulence decor of ships of the by gone year.

Unless you are booked into a suite on Seabourn or Cunard ships, you may not find anything near what first class passengers experienced on the SS Ile de France.

My first suggestion for you is actually booked into the Queen Mary (which is now a hotel docked at Long Beach, California) for a few nights and reminiscent the opulence of the by gone years. Unfortunately, the grand dining room is no longer being used as the dining room but more like a banquet room now. Room rate is less than $200 per night and meals are reasonable. The level of service, however, does not match what the current cruise ships are offering, and definitly below the SS Ile de France standard.

The second suggestion is to look at the pictures on the web pages of Seabourn and Cunard and compare what you see on the web page to your memory of the SS Ile de France. You can also look at web pages from Celebrity and Princess and see what the upscale mass market ship offers in terms of decor.

Obviously, the Seabourn and Cunard are more expensive. If you can afford to cruise on the SS Ile de France more than 50 years ago when it last sailed in the late 50's, you can probably afford to cruise on the modern day luxury cruise ships.

There aren't any real transatlantic ocean liners anymore except fort hose from Cunard. But you might take a look at Cruise & Maritime Voyages. They have an older ship called Marco Polo that has been a longtime favorite of many passengers. Just be aware that this line markets to 60+ British travelers, so that may or may not fit your demographic or area of interest. And all CMV cruises leave from the UK. Some are short, some long.

Doug, if they have sailed on the SS Ile de France themselves, they will fit the 60+ age demographics ...

What ever happen to the SS France? I know it was taken over by Holland Am and elongated some but still retained some of the old charm of the transatlantic ships. I think it ran under SS Norway for awhile. Probably cut up for scrape somewhere.

Scrap in India (2008). A section of the bow is on display at port de Grenelle.