When Arthur and Dorothy Berlin were growing up in New York, the Berlin family
was close, getting together regularly for meals and holidays. After the war, Art
& Dot moved to California, and over the years, the Berlin family spread out over
the world. Late in life, Art lamented the distance that had separated the
family, and wanted to do something to bring everyone closer.
Out of this love of family was born the concept of a family cruise. The intent
was to bring together the far-flung members of the Berlin, Reiss, Barash, Solat,
Cohen, and other relatives together on a cruise ship where they could meet, get
reacquainted and develop a new generation of friendships and family ties.
Arthur Berlin became gravely ill and passed away in 2002, and was unable to
attend the cruise. Despite his illness, he insisted plans for the cruise move
ahead. He generously provided significant funding for the cruise, and told his
son, Mike, that this was his "legacy" to the family. In his honor, the cruise
came to be known as The Legacy Cruise.
Despite some initial misgivings, about 40 relatives set sail one beautiful day
in July, 2002, for a cruise of the Bahamas. Beyond all expectations, the family
reunion was a massive success. People discovered interesting, intelligent and
loving relatives. As Art desired, strong new family ties were planted. From
those beginnings, many new relationships have blossomed and flourished.
Now, to honor Arthur Berlin, his sister Adele Reiss, and his wife Dorothy,
Legacy Cruise II is being planned for the 5 year anniversary of the maiden
voyage of The Legacy Cruise.
We are asking all relatives to bring old family photos, family tree information,
and any other genealogy or family items. We plan to have a special Family Room
set out on the ship for people to trace our history, update family records and
family trees, and explore our past.