Walt Disney and his family sailing away on the SS Lurline in the 1950s from Los Angeles to Honolulu.  The famous Matson Liner was a regular getaway for such stars as Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Clark Gable, Bette Davis and on and on.

Cruise Ship History looks at the retro time when getting to Honolulu was half the fun aboard Matson Line’s memorable ocean liners…

Jeanne Cooper of SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle) did an interesting piece in her Hawaii blog yesterday, which follows, on Matson Lines with a quiz about the famous S.S. Lurline and other ships serving Hawaii operating under the Matson flag.

Matson Line’s used the ad slogan “The Lurline is Hawaii” to advertise their flag ship.

Malolo, Monterey, Mariposa, Matsonia: If those names mean something to you, you’re in the good company of either nostalgia buffs or Matson’s former ocean liner passengers, or both. In yesterday’s Sunday Quiz, I asked readers to name four other Matson ships beside the SS Lurline that sailed between California and Hawaii or other points in the Pacific. (Watch the Lurline youtube below to see a 1960s-era home video of the Lurline leaving Honolulu.) A special bonus question asked which was Capt. Matson’s first ship to sail to Hawaii: The Swedish-born captain bought the three-masted schooner Emma Claudina in 1882, and sailed it from San Francisco to Hilo in 18 days. To read more of the SFGATE story click here.

YOUTUBE DEPARTURE DAY ABOARD THE S.S. LURLINE IN THE EARLY 1960s…

A home movie of the SS Lurline on Boat Day in Honolulu. Taken in the early 1960s, this scene was a regular occurrence in Honolulu during the golden era of steamship travel (1927-1978). Each week, Matson’s grand white passenger ships arrived from California or the South Seas, and later continued on their voyage across the Pacific. The complete history of Matson’s passenger ship era is now available in a coffee-table book called “The White Ships.” Published in 2008 by Pier 10 Media. Click here to order the book.