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Sorry….been slackin’ off the past couple of days. Nothing of interest to report. Tonite is the last night on Radiance We will be in Tampa tomorrow and we will be disembarking with our luggage first thing, We will meet Gavin, the Concierge Lounge Concierge (something’s not right with that title…) at 7:00 in the Photo gallery (Deck 5). Hopefully we’ll be walking off shortly after 7:00. Speaking of the photo gallery, Radiance still has the old timey photo stands with thousands of hard copy photos to go through to find yours. SUCH a waste of time and money ! I can’t believe that in this day and age they are still analog with the photos ! I hadn’t seen that in years. Just WOW. We finally got to the Cinema to see a movie ! I kept meaning to do it for the past 8 days but finally did it last night. We saw “Haunted Mansion” a Disney movie based on the Disneyland/ World ride. It was very cute and we enjoyed it. The only annoying thing was they had subtitles for the hearing impaired and it was very distracting. I kept trying to ignore them but caught myself reading instead of watching ! Ugh. After my first night of success in the casino, the rest were awful so I quit going after the first few days, They’re really wasted points at the point in the casino year so I will hold onto my money in preparation for 4-1-24 and the start of the new casino year. We’re not getting any offers anyway so why bother ? We will be home one whole night before heading down to PoM to board Oasis (or Oasish, as I call it) for 7 nights going to Labadee, PDCC and Falmouth. I can’t recall the last time I was in Falmouth. It’s been a while. At least we will be driving to Miami on a weekend rather than during the week. It’s a BIT of a break to the horrid traffic. This cruise (one of Dans casino comps) is the one and only time we have ever received a complimentary upgrade on a casino comp. Not sure why….but the offer was for an interior and I asked them to price an upgrade to a Central Park balcony. When the rep came back on the line she said they had authorized a complimentary upgrade. Woohoo ! So this cruise cost us nothing but taxes, port fees and gratuities. We are in a CP with double balcony (12229). I didn’t even bother to do a RU. We actually really like the double balcony CP so we’re happy. So tomorrow is laundry and re-packing day. Off on another great adventure !

So yesterday was a pretty chill day. We were both pretty tired. Wife was in the spa from about 1-5. I did the flowrider, got a little work done, and watched the sail away around 4. We had MTD which I hate at 6:45 and it was a total zoo. Line wrapped around the stairwell. After dinner we did a little shopping and walked around the track. We were supposed to see aqua show at 10:15 but we were rocking and it was pretty windy so that was cancelled. We were both pretty exhausted from being up at 6am so the wife went to bed. I decided to hit the casino for a little bit, but should have just gone to bed. It didn’t go well. Here’s some pictures from dinner, and yes both of the cheesecakes are for me. Don’t judge me, I’m on vacation

Here are the tidbits of information from the Top Tier Event. The captain is not sure but said that the 3rd Icon class ship may be called Aura of the Seas, but we will have to wait and see. They may also reuse an older name so I guess we will just have to be patient. He said they were looking at building a smaller ship similar to Voyager class in size around 2029 to cater for ports like those in Australia. Possibly 2026 for Lelepa, but if it is that soon I am guessing it will be more like the original CocoCay and that amenities will be added over time. The C&A numbers for this cruise are: 604 gold, 182 platinum, 84 emerald, 174 diamond, 124 Diamond+ 24 Pinnacle The top 3 cruises are all from Brisbane with 1304, 1532 and 1925 respectively.

I enjoy running on the track when we're at sea and I go like 10 miles in 3 minutes. Eat my dust!

Don't you just hate when work interferes with important stuff like cruise blogging? I am so glad it's the weekend so I can catch up. Day Eight - Cruise Day Five - Curaçao Here is our Symphony parked in Curação. We were at the pier farthest from the town. I think it was a P&O ship at the closer pier but I'm can't remember for sure. We were doing another cruise line excursion today, although to be fair it was more of a beach transfer than an actual excursion. I knew this when I booked but there was method in my madness. Firstly, it included a stop at Curaçao artist Nena Sanchez's gallery. I had wanted to go here on our previous two visits to the island but had never managed to make it work for us. And secondly, we wanted to try one of the beaches a bit farther from the port so the cost of the excursion for the two of us was more or less the same as the taxi fare would have been but without the hassle of having to ensure we could get a taxi back to the port afterwards. The beach we went to today was called Cas Abao. So this was the "Cas Abao Beach and Scenic Drive excursion". There were two departure times, 8.45 am and 11.45 am. We chose the earlier time, partly so it wouldn't run over lunchtime and partly so we would be able to go back out into town afterwards if we wanted to. The weather was looking very unfriendly when we set off but at least it wasn't cold and I'm glad to say it eventually cleared up. First stop at the gallery. There was a nice expansive view from the top of the staircase leading to the gallery entrance. Note the little white building in the foreground of this one. Bathrooms! It's tucked away on your right as you approach the gallery entrance so not everyone notices it at first. Ladies, there's only ONE for us, so go there before heading into the gallery to avoid the worst of the queuing once others realise it's there! I had not realised that the artist had passed away; I kind of assumed she was still alive and working but apparently she died back in 2017 (the guide found out the year for me). The gallery is run by the artist's older sister, who survived her. It's mostly just a shop that sells prints of her work but that's what I was looking for. What more genuine souvenir could you get than a picture created by a local artist? In the end I bought two prints set in stiff card that are now gracing a shelf at home. I think if you wanted to buy something bigger or less transportable they would ship it for you but these two fit nicely into my bag. I'm very pleased with them. After a stop of about 20 minutes at the gallery we headed to the beach, where we would stay for about 3 hours. The excursion included a lounger in a dedicated space, a non-alcoholic drink voucher and a shower token. The space set aside for us was roped off and had enough loungers for everyone in the group. Some had full shade, some partial and some were out in the sun so it's best to try to be at the front of the group as you head onto the sand in order to get the best choice of spot. This is the third beach we've visited in Curaçao and it is the one I liked best (the others were Mambo Beach and Blue Bay Beach). It's a bit rocky underfoot when you go into the water though, so if you do have water shoes it would be a good idea to bring them. At the beach there is a bar/snack bar where you can buy drinks and food. We didn't so I can't say what the prices or quality were like but we did see some people in the loungers behind us happily digging in to some generously sized burgers. Next to that is a smaller bar that only has the included waters/sodas, which is where you pick up your included drink. Then you have the bathrooms and showers. The showers are outside and are only really meant for you to rinse off. There was a lady on duty by the showers to turn on the water for you and turn it off again after about 30 seconds so there's no point in taking shampoo and shower gel! And there is also what appeared to be a very well equipped dive shop. Details are available on the beach's website. https://casabaobeach.com/facilities/ WiFi is available free in the vicinity of the beach bar and the password was displayed on a poster at the counter. The signal was strong enough that it worked at our loungers, which weren't right next to the bar. The amount of time we had here - about 3 hours - felt perfect to us. Long enough to actually get settled, relax and go for a dip or two, but not so long that we were bored or getting too hot and frazzled. On the way back we had a bit of a drama. Smoke starting billowing out around our feet in the bus, accompanied by an electrical burning smell. We and others around us called out to the guide and the driver pulled over. The guide told everyone to get out of the bus and it was good to see that nobody panicked and everyone exited in an orderly fashion. The guide had us all move well away from the bus while the driver investigated. It turned out to be a short circuit in the wiring of the safety lighting and it was deemed safe for us to continue our journey as long as he kept the lights switched off. So we all got back on but had only gone a short distance when the guide told us the company operating the tour (FBTT Travel) was sending out another bus to meet us as they didn't want to take any chances. After we had changed buses everything went smoothly. We stopped on the way to the port to drop people off who wanted to stay in town and who would later make their own way back. We stayed on the bus as we didn't fancy traipsing around town with all our beach stuff. Plus we were hungry! With these delays we only just made it to the WJ in time for lunch. I heard the maître d' in charge telling the staff at the counters "As soon as these last people (us!) have served themselves, clear everything away!" Although we did not go back out again after lunch, there would have been time if we had wanted to, so that's worth bearing in mind if you're not sure whether to get off the bus in town or head back to the ship first. Tonight's dinner was the Caribbean menu. We think it's an OK one. It wouldn't be our first choice to skip for specialty dining. Coconut shrimp. Has never disappointed. DH's pork chop which he said was good but was too big for him to finish. He really liked the plantains although he mistook them for sweet potatoes at first. Garlic herb-buttered tiger shrimp. One of my favourites. It never looks the same from ship to ship and sailing to sailing but I always enjoy it. DH's pineapple cake, which he didn't really like, although he didn't say why. And my all-time favourite classic, the Royal Chocolate Cake. In the past, I would have had this almost every night. I was devastated when they took the classics away in the menu reshuffle. Most of the other desserts I had during the week were second best to this one. This being Valentine's Day, they had the Love and Marriage Game Show on in the theatre so we went along to that after dinner. It was quite funny but I've seen much better ones. I don't know what it was, I just felt the CD wasn't really interacting very well with the couples. And after that, and our usual casino and tea & cookies ritual, it was time to head off to bed in readiness for the next day, which would be another sea day.

Today we are going to check out hideaway beach for a little bit then get back to the ship for some flowrider this afternoon. Then mama Mia at 5.

Pretty over cast and windy today at PDCC. Luckily we got the hideaway pretty cheap after some price drops($26.99), because with the cold Caribbean water and not great weather we didn’t stay long. I would say in warmer months it’s probably worth and upcharge here as it was not overly crowded, plenty of seats available, and the no kids is an added benefit. I think around $30/person probably worth it. If they start going crazy and trying to get $80, I wouldn’t pay that for it. Now we are just back on the ship relaxing in the solarium. Will head back to the flowrider this afternoon as I still need a lot of practice. Then mama Mia at 5 tonight.

BAM!!! I am so excited!!

Well, it is finally time for another cruise! Yes, we are sailing from Brisbane on a 7-night cruise to the Pacific Islands with 2 port stops: Noumea and Mystery Island on Quantum of the Seas. On this cruise, we are in a Grand Loft Suite on deck 10. We chose Quantum primarily because it is less expensive than Ovation and is better value for us. We also wanted to cruise again with Hailey, who was our Royal Genie last year on Quantum. We have sailed from Sydney many times, so we are not concerned with the scenery on the sail away; it gets dark quickly anyway. I think this blog will be a mini-blog, as the itinerary is similar to the one I blogged last year, so there will not be too much new information to impart. We flew into Brisbane from New Zealand yesterday morning and are staying near the airport at the Novotel. It is a convenient location for getting to the cruise terminal in the morning. The hotel is clean and quiet, despite being near the airport, and there is an outlet mall around 100 metres away that also has a few places to eat. We spent the afternoon wandering around the mall, and made a few purchases— who can resist a bargain? After a good night’s sleep, we took an Uber to the cruise terminal at around 10:30am, which is about a 15-minute trip and cost around $30 AUD (approx $20 USD). It is important to note that there is no public transport to the port, as it is in an industrial area far away from any amenities. There is parking available at the port if you have a car, though I do not know how much this costs. Our genie, Hailey, had an unexpected medical issue and is returning home prior to the start of our cruise. We were very lucky to bump into her outside the cruise terminal before she left for the airport. It was great to see her again, and even though we are sad not to be sailing with her, Hailey’s health comes first. We are happy she is returning home and will be able to get the care she needs in Korea. So now for this cruise, our genie will be Wilfredo (Willie), who was the concierge for our last sailing on Brilliance in November. This is his first time as a genie, but we are not demanding, so he will be able to ease his way into the job. Getting onto the ship as a Star Class guest is very quick and took no more than 15 minutes. We were escorted every step of the way by a lovely pier genie as she expertly handled a guest who complained to her that, as she had purchased the key with priority boarding, she should be receiving the same level of service. At the end of the gangway, which is actually quite a long walk, we met up with Willie, who escorted us straight onto the ship. We went right to the assembly station and completed the final step of our muster drill. The gangway from above Our cabin was already ready, so Willie took us up to our cabin. It felt similar to the royal loft suite we had last year, just on a smaller scale. Perfect for the two of us, though I will miss the hot tub on the deck. After settling into the cabin, the food started arriving on a regular basis, but we headed up to the CK for a light lunch. I just had some scallops and bread, which was just enough considering all the food we will be eating on this cruise. After lunch, we spent some time refamiliarising ourselves with the ship before heading back to the cabin for some R&R. We left Brisbane just after 4:30pm in glorious sunshine and calm seas, now we have 2 sea days and a clock change before we reach our first stop in Noumea. After watching our departure from our deck we heading up to the suite lounge for some nibbles. The lounge was not overly busy and there were plenty of seats available. While there we caught up with Willie and made a few changes to our daily schedule. Then it was off to Coastal Kitchen for dinner which was quite busy. We had organised to sit at one of the tables at the very end in the partially walled off area which was a bit quieter than the main restaurant. The food was very nice, I had the chicken leg as a starter, a dish I have not had before, but enjoyed very much. For the main we both had shrimp crusted pollack with rice which was also fabulous. The meal was rounded off nicely with vairhona chocolate bar dessert. After a quick wander around the shops and an order of Starbucks coffee it was back to the cabin to relax and retire for the evening. Some quick observations 1) Fish and Ships has changed back into a Dim Sum noodle restaurant. 2) Royal has learned the correct way to spell theatre, now if only they could learn we have holidays, not vacations. 3) We received star class wow bands. Wow bands where not in use last year. See you tomorrow for the next installment.

9 days to embarkation, 8 days to travel. Went through my cruise stuff yesterday. Verdict: I have too much stuff. Part of it is for my kiddos as well, but....there's still a LOT. I spent part of the afternoon trying to consolidate and decide if I really need it. Bezos cup clip made the cut though, @asquared17. I actually had a mild panic attack that maybe I should get a bigger suitcase. Maybe? Or I should stop over packing. One is easier than the other. Today's project: figure out my cruise outfits and conference outfits. It appears I need to pack for 10 days without laundry. Ugh. I'm not sure I want to use RC laundry, and I can do a bit of sink laundry, but it's just not the same. I may need to find a laundromat in my conference city.

For you duck hiding people I found this in the stairwell. I’m not really into the duck thing, but my wife drives a jeep and there is a whole duck thing with that(which I totally don’t understand), so I figured since I saw this I would grab it for her. She was so excited.

Not sure I'm going to do a live blog for this one since it's rather "ordinary". We are home - at least for the next 18 hours. Laundry is going. Repacking or should I say, reshuffling has begun. I actually find this repacking thing to be more stressful than packing from a dead start. Some things are clean, some things need washing and some things are ??? Dan is terrible about hanging his worn clothes back up....so I am never really sure what has been worn and what hasn't. So I'm "sorting".

That common 18 knot running speed (even when sleeping) is impressive to your app.

Thank you so much for introducing me to this artist. I really love her work. I just added this to our afternoon walking agenda for the day we are in Curacao (we are diving in the AM). Her style reminds me a bit of a children's author & illustrator I know - Susan Stockdale. I used to babysit for her kids when she was working on her books so she gifted my kids with signed copies when they were born. Something about Sanchez' "Yellow House" appeals to me so I may pick up that print, and I love what you said about purchasing a souvenir created by a local artist. Do you happen to know if the prices were on par with what they would be if you order online? I am desperately trying to figure out what the menu order is for our cruise later this month so I know the best day to go to Wonderland (preferably Italian night but also not a huge fan of Caribbean night). The activities populated, so I can see dress suggestions for each night - I know night 2 and 7 are formal & dress your best. I believe usually the Dress Your Best is also Royal Night with the lobster - was that your experience? Was A Taste of Italy also White Night (I've seen a few jokes about this in trip reports)? I don't think our meals are accurate in the app planner... EDIT: I reread and you did say that white night was not Italian, but also that your menus are different b/c of Superbowl so never mind! Italy question rescinded...

March 2024 1 - Hoppy2BHere (Allure) 1 - Monctonguy (Liberty) 10 - Lovetocruise2002 (Oasis) 10 - WannaCruise (Wonder) 10 - MLH (Harmony) 10 - fireclan (Anthem) 11 - MarcD (Independence) 11 - Cactus527 (Freedom) 15 - Snotarni (Allure) 15 - smokeybandit (Adventure) 15 - Mark_A (Odyssey) 17 - OCSC Mike (Wonder) 23 - jbrinkm (Symphony) 25 - Sweety (Radiance)

I hope so. We have a 3 night package plus 2 BOGO's so hopefully we will be able to do Portside. I love eating there !

I've done the reverse, from Miami to Port Canaveral before moving to Florida. Car rental was easy, least expensive option and it provided an opportunity to swing by a Target at my own pace to pick up more sunscreen.

a double balcony on oasis!!!! YESSSSSSS!!!! can’t wait for that liveblog

She sounded very enthusiastic about the idea!

I've never had this happen before I connected to wifi on the ship, but when I go in the app, I can see all of the daily activities for my cruise. I double checked that I'm not looking at a different sailing (I sometimes switch over to look at something or other) - it is set to our cruise on March 23. I can also tell that it is ours because I see my show reservations noted, for example where the adult comedy is listed in the daily schedule, I have the little blue "reserved" rectangle in the corner. I see the little rectangle for all of the items I've reserved mixed in among the other activities offered. Anyone else? I wonder if that also means that our menu order is correct?

No, Royal assigns the cabin category or higher. But not inferior. We made 10 cruises. 5 booked without agency directly on the site in GTY. 1 only has been with an obstructed cabin... the next 2 cruises are already assigned too... The savings achieved remain important!

I am looking forward to Sorrento's pizza on board (strange, right?), though I don't think I've ever seen this much pizza at one time anywhere. Costco for the win tonight!

Did I mention that I am very jealous, and I want to be like you when I retire lol One day dry dock!

You actually go up a flight of stairs, go around near the helipad, then go back down on the other side. So you get steps and flights in one session

I thought that too, but my cruise is 8 night long, so the rent for the days needed (9 or more) is ridiculous.

Royal App is Royal Crap; IMO for many many reasons.

The percentage discounts are largely meaningless. If you monitor the cruise planner prices regularly you will often see that the final price with a 30% discount is cheaper than with a 50% discount! The only number that matters is the one on the bottom line! The best strategy is to buy when you see a price you can live with and then keep checking. If the prices goes down later on, you can cancel and rebook.

Royal has been trying to kill MTD for a few years now. They made MTD chaotic trying to make MTD unappealing. This appears to be the final nail.

Day Seven - Cruise Day Four - Aruba (continued) As I mentioned in part one of today's adventures, we were due to eat at 150 Central Park tonight. I booked this during that sale they had with special prices for C&A. Without knowing at that time what menus they would be having in the MDR on which nights I used an educated guess to pick a night that I reckoned would be one we didn't like. Super Bowl skewed that and I ended up switching this booking from night three to night four. To change it, I had to go to the actual restaurant. The guys at the kiosk in the promenade tried in vain to do it for me and it was only when they called a manager over because the line behind us was getting bigger and bigger and bigger that they realised they couldn't change a cruise planner booking. Anyway we got it changed to night four without any issues while still holding on to our special price. The MDR menu that we skipped for this was the Mexican menu. Also, tonight was "white night" attire-wise. This was hands down the best meal of the cruise (although Hooked, later on, would be a very close second). I would happily have eaten here every night if it weren't for the upcharge. I know, dream on. The bread was very good. For starters, DH had the pumpkin soup. His face was a picture when the server brought the bowl with just the bits in. Where's my soup???? He was very bemused to see it being poured in from a jug. He thought it was nice but a bit on the sweet side. I had the roasted organic beet salad. I absolutely loved this. So good! We both had the lobster thermidor for the main course. It was very tasty. And we both had their signature dessert, the fried cheesecake. DH thought it was wonderful; I thought it was nice but no more than that, being that I am not a big cheesecake fan. The portion sizes were nice. We were pleasantly full when we were finished but not stuffed to the point of feeling uncomfortable. However, bearing in mind the amount we ate, it really wasn't worth the upcharge, even at the reduced rate. People around us were eating far more than we were for the same price. This is the main reason why we only very rarely book specialty dining. I really wish they had à la carte pricing at all of the specialty dining places or a lower-priced option for folks who don't eat much. After dinner we went to see the aqua show, Hiro. Usually I would have booked this for the very first night it was offered (which was actually day one on this sailing) but taking the itinerary into consideration, I reckoned there would be a better chance of it not being cancelled on night four when we would be sailing very slowly between Aruba and Curaçao. And also I reckoned it would be warmer and so more enjoyable sitting in the open air. There were a lot of people in the standby line tonight. We reckoned many of them would have been folks who had had bookings for the previous night's cancelled show. I don't know if they all got in, but the replacement show for them, on night five, did go ahead, so hopefully everyone did get a chance to see it. Having seen these shows before on Oasis and Harmony, our expectations were high and we weren't disappointed. This was one of the highlights of the cruise. Again; i was too busy watching it to get much in the way of pics. Definitely a do not miss!

My win on night #1 was at Ultimate Texas Hold’Em. I usually avoid slots but I did play some tonite. They just bore me. I played some Gold Rush game and I was lost the entire time. Even when we were playing a bonus I had no idea what to do. I got frustrated and just cashed out even though I was staying “even” to slightly ahead on it. It was so crowded, noisy and Smoky, I just had to get out of there. I left Dan at the bar. He’s “home” now.

UPDATED 13 February 2024 (Added Allure's return in 2026. Removed Liquor Taxation Section - Have not seen them in the terminals since 2022.) Galveston is home to Royal Caribbean's newest Cruise Terminal, a state of the art zero energy facility, and was home port for the 2023 President's Cruise on Allure of the Seas. Celebrity Cruises has advised that we should not be surprised to see one of their ships in Galveston at some point. Galveston is the fourth busiest cruise port in the USA and the 9th busiest in the world. Cruise ships calling Galveston their home port include: Harmony of the Seas - 225,282 GT - 5,484 Guests - 7 night sailings (Repositions to Barcelona 16 Mar 2026) Allure of the Seas - 225,282 GT - 5,496 Guests - 7 night sailings (Arrives 17 Mar 2026 from Fort Lauderdale) Voyager of the Seas - 137,276 GT - 3,602 Guests - 4-6 night sailings (Repositions to Barcelona 1 May 2024) Mariner of the Seas - 139,863 GT - 3,344 Guests - 4-5 night sailings (Arrives 6 May 2024 from Port Canaveral) Jewel of the Seas - 90,090 GT - 2,191 Guests - 8-11 night sailings (Arrives 8 Nov 2024) Norwegian Prima - 142,500 GT - 3,215 Passengers (Winter Home Port now through Mar 2025) Norwegian Escape - (Dec 2024 Sailings) Norwegian Viva - (Winter Home Port starting Dec 2025) Carnival Jubilee - 182,800 GT - 5,374 Passengers - LNG Powered Carnival Dream - 130,000 GT - 3,646 Passengers Carnival Breeze - 130,000 GT - 3,690 Passengers Carnival Miracle - 88,500 GT - 2,124 Passengers (Arrives 16 Oct 2024 from San Francisco for 9-12 night cruises) Carnival Legend - 88,500 GT - 2,124 Passengers (Arrives 22 Oct 2025 from San Francisco for 4-14 night cruises) Regal Princess - (Winter Home Port Sep-Mar) Disney Magic - (Winter Home Port each year) MSC - has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Port of Galveston to build a fourth cruise terminal! Cruise Terminal 10 Information Cruise Terminal 10 is owned and operated by a 50/50 partnership of Royal Caribbean and Ceres Terminals Inc. on land leased from the Port of Galveston. Ceres helped fund the project and will provide stevedoring and terminal operations. As the world's first zero-energy cruise terminal you can expect to find innovative design throughout this facility in things you see and also things you don't see. Below is a map of the new terminal area and parking lots operated by the Port of Galveston. In addition to surface parking lots, the Port offers covered and indoor parking. All parking lots have covered shuttle bus stops with buses circulating continuously to the cruise terminal, and there are plenty of covered walkways for a comfortable stroll from the walkable parking areas to the terminal. Electric Vehicle chargers will soon be available to the west of the South Lot. My favorite parking option: North Premium Covered Lot - it's only a few feet from the cruise terminal and it's covered. It's also the highest price option. Go to the Port's parking information page for more information and sign up for their loyalty program. You'll get an immediate $5 discount on your first reservation, the loyalty program equals a 10% discount on future parking, and they will send periodic discount codes that can all be combined for savings. Disabled veterans also get a discount. Tip: you will find less expensive options by using off-site parking operators which I have listed below in the Parking section of this post, which also has information on other things to consider regarding parking. Luggage can be dropped off at the terminal on Royal Caribbean Circle (see map above). Upon entering the terminal building, General check in is located up the escalators on the left (west) end of the terminal, while Suites and Pinnacles check in is located up the escalators on the right (east) end of the terminal. The door at the right (east) end of the terminal on Royal Caribbean Circle is also the entrance for Suites, Pinnacles, and Star Class guests. Star Class drop-off is at area 6 (purple columns on Royal Caribbean Circle). When disembarking at Cruise Terminal 10 there is facial recognition for quick passage through Customs and Border Protection. Then you claim your luggage and make your way out of the terminal to the pick up area on Royal Caribbean Way. As you can see on the above map, the embarking passenger ground transportation area (on Royal Caribbean Circle) is distinctly separated from the disembarking passenger ground transportation area on Royal Caribbean Way for better traffic flow. Planning & Tourist Info You can't beat this website for information on everything that is happening in Galveston: www.galveston.com Transportation Fly into HOU (Houston Hobby Airport) if you can. It's much closer to Galveston than IAH (Bush Intercontinental Airport) and you won't have the Houston traffic to deal with. Tip: my favorite airline option is JSX, a "semi-private" airline that uses private jet terminals at several airports across the country. You can essentially fly "private" and avoid crowded airport terminals, for about the price of a first class ticket. JSX flies to Houston Hobby Airport and disembarks in one of the private terminals. Here are some options for getting to Galveston from the airport: Galveston Saltwater Moms - my first choice for transportation to Galveston... a highly rated "personal driver" service. You book by sending them a personal message on Facebook. They are a licensed Transportation Provider with the Port of Galveston, which means they can legally operate at the cruise terminals. They have a $500,000 bond and commercial liability insurance. Give them a try as an alternative to the big guys. I've used them and had a great experience! Galveston Limo - provides very affordable shared rides from the two Houston airports with either their scheduled service or you can arrange a private car. Owned by a local family of good folks. Galveston Express Lyft and Uber - Lyft and Uber are the approved major rideshare companies operating at the Port of Galveston. The agreement with Uber was approved on 24 Mar 2023. Blacklane - a premium option for upper end vehicles like Black Sedan or Black SUV. You can reserve days or weeks in advance and cancel up to 1 hour prior to pickup time. Rates include gratuities, professional drivers, no "peak" surcharges or port surcharges. Drivers show up when scheduled. A bit more expensive but worth the price to reduce the stress you have with Uber/Lyft drivers canceling or having peak rates when departing the ship. I've used Blacklane in Galveston and Los Angeles with good results. If you use black sedans or SUV's with Uber/Lyft, I find Blacklane to be similarly priced, and sometimes lower priced during peak pickup times. Enterprise Rent A Car - Enterprise is the only rental car company on the island. You should be able to rent from Enterprise at the airport and drop it off on the Island. The Island location is open on Saturday (before Covid it was also open on Sunday). Check with Enterprise directly for updated hours and shuttle arrangements. Here are a couple of transportation options for your departure after your cruise: The pickup zone for Lyft and Uber is at the far northeast side of the terminal on Royal Caribbean Way. When you exit the terminal, turn left, and walk to the Uber/Lyft sign in Zone 1. If you prefer to take a taxi to the airport, turn right as you exit the terminal, cross the street toward the east side of the covered parking area and there will be several taxis ready and waiting. Here's a photo of the fixed fare rates as of 30 July 2023: Arriving By Car I-45 is undergoing several phases of construction that will continue into 2024 and beyond. TxDOT is widening I-45 all the way to Galveston Island so expect some delays and congestion. I-45 south ends on Galveston Island. When arriving on the island, if you turn off at the "Cruise Terminal" exit (Harborside Drive) you will hit a traffic back-up as you approach the cruise terminals. To avoid this traffic jam, as you drive down I-45 and arrive on the Island, continue straight on Broadway as the interstate ends and follow these directions: If you've reserved parking through the official Port of Galveston website, continue straight on Broadway as the interstate ends. Continue to 14th street and turn left. Follow 14th and it will take you straight into the entrance to the Cruise Terminal 10 area. This route will avoid the lengthy backup on Harborside Drive. As you enter the Cruise Terminal area, follow the signs to your pre-arranged parking lot or to the drop off or pick up areas. Parking If you search "Galveston cruise parking" you will see plenty of parking options. I highly recommend making a reservation on line with one of the parking companies, especially if you want an indoor space as these will sell out (especially now, with so many ships sailing from Galveston). Prepaying usually gets you a 5-10% discount and a guaranteed parking space. Things to consider in addition to price: Elevation - heavy rains can quickly flood the streets of Galveston, and not just during a hurricane. Leaving your car in an elevated spot will provide peace of mind against flooding if an unexpected storm comes in. Inside Building, or Outdoor Lot? - outdoor surface lots are cheaper, but your car is exposed to the south Texas sun and weather. A building provides better protection and security. Discounts & Loyalty - there are extra savings if you sign up for loyalty programs online and apply for any applicable discount. Reserve your parking after your account is set up and tagged with the applicable discount. You can combine loyalty and one discount but you can't have multiple discounts. The loyalty programs often mail discount codes to members. Security - parking lots are fenced and gated. Buildings are enclosed and locked. Some facilities have security cameras. The Port of Galveston claims that the Port Police patrol their lots 24/7 which you won't find at the private parking lots. Electric Vehicle Charging - more and more lots are offering EV chargers. If you drive an EV like I do, you will appreciate having your car fully charged when you disembark. This perk is currently free at all parking facilities where it is offered. The Port of Galveston will offer EV charging for an additional fee by scanning a QR code and paying online after parking at the charger. Remember that even a 110 volt plug will fully charge your car over the course of several days, so bring you charge cord as some lots offer 110V outlet access. Here is my comparison of some of the parking options. I have used Port Parking, EZ Cruise, and the Port of Galveston parking all without any issues. Hotels Galveston hotel prices are quite variable depending on day of week (weekends obviously much higher), whether there are major events happening, and the season (summer is the busy season here). Booking hotels during Mardi Gras (February), Lone Star Biker Rally (early November), Art Walk (every 6 weeks) and other major events will be much more expensive. Some hotels have a 2 night minimum on weekends. Ever since travel resumed following Covid, hotel prices on Galveston Island have gone way up. I love staying on the island before a cruise, but if the price is too high I stay along I-45 in Webster, League City, or Texas City where you'll find much lower hotel rates. Note that I-45 exits south of Webster can be very congested, especially during morning and afternoon rush hours. There are a couple of hotels near the port and the historic Strand District in Galveston, but no hotels are near the Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal 10. It's a great idea to arrive a day or two early and enjoy the island ambiance. The Harbor House overlooks the port area and Cruise Terminals 25 and 28, and is very convenient to many nice restaurants, museums, and shopping. The Tremont House is also very walkable to the Strand, nice restaurants, museums, and shopping. This is my preferred pre-cruise hotel and is now a Marriott Tribute property. The Tremont House is located in a beautiful historic building. The Tremont's rooftop bar has wonderful views of the island and port area and has been under renovation with a planned re-opening in the fall of 2023. The lobby bar has live jazz on most Thursday nights. There are plenty of other hotels on the Island, many along the Seawall facing the Gulf of Mexico. Hotels providing transportation to the port or offer park & cruise options can be found here. Call the hotel that you are interested in to confirm that they provide cruise parking. Galveston Dining (And A Few Drinking Establishments) Please avoid the tourist traps and chain restaurants that will leave you disappointed. Eat at these locally owned restaurants that use locally sourced, fresh food, including fresh Gulf seafood right from the docks in Galveston. All restaurants are casual dress unless noted, and all are family friendly (even most of the bars). Many serve craft beer on tap from Galveston Island Brewing. My only connection to these places is that I have personally eaten at them multiple times and I love them all! Rudy and Paco - 2028 Post Office St (21st and Post Office) - Arguably the best restaurant on the island. Wonderful food with a South and Central American flair. Best service on the island. A little expensive but worth it. We like going for lunch because it's very affordable (lunch served weekdays only). No shorts allowed at dinner. Reservations suggested and are a must on weekends or when The 1890 Grand Theater has an event. Riondo's Ristorante - 2328 Strand (24th and Strand) - Our favorite Italian restaurant on the island, and they also serve great seafood and steak. Beautiful historic building built in 1895 in the Strand Historic District. "Farm to Fork" sourcing and they make their own pasta. Tell them you "want a table in the vault." Katie's Seafood House - 2000 Wharf Road (On the water, adjacent to the Port of Galveston) - This is the only restaurant in Galveston that catches their own seafood! Enjoy great food, good service, and a wonderful view of the Port of Galveston from their covered outdoor deck. They offer free parking in the lot in front of the restaurant at 20th & Harborside (call the restaurant at (409) 765-5688 and select to option to hear the parking code). Blum & Co. at the Tremont House - 2300 Ships Mechanic Row (Mechanic Street) - Beautiful historic hotel built in 1879 near the Strand Historic District. An urban bistro, wine bar, and market offering a carefully curated menu that is indigenous of the region. There is a beautiful bar at the opposite end of the lobby with several Galveston Brewing options on tap. Before or after dinner, take the elevator to the top floor, turn left, and walk to the end of the hall to the rooftop bar to cap off the experience. The rooftop bar is being renovated and will re-open in the fall of 2023. Brews Brothers Brew Pub - 2404 Strand - Huge craft beer selection, creative American bar food. Very casual. You wouldn't expect it for a bar, but the food here is excellent. Burgers (try the "Mission From God"), fresh made chips (try them with Buffalo Sauce & Bleu Cheese), local fish tacos, salads, etc. Order at the bar, grab a table, and enjoy a beer while waiting on your food to be delivered to your table. Texas Tail Distillery - 2416 Post Office - On-site distillery for whiskey and vodka. Try the honey whiskey and other infusions. Friendly staff, fun place to try crafted drinks with local liquor, or try them all with a flight of shots! New: several food trucks are often located adjacent to their new location! Blvd. Seafood - 28th and Seawall - One of the best seafood restaurants on the island. There isn't a lot of curb appeal outside but the inside is very nice. The food and service are both quite good and the seafood is all local. The red snapper is amazing and always comes fresh from Katie's Seafood Market. Shucks Tavern - 414 21st Street - Newer hot spot downtown for oysters, seafood, and drinks. Fresh oysters from the most famous oyster beds in America! Mama Teresa's Flying Pizza and Italian - 416 21st Street - Next door to Shucks Tavern, this is the place for pizza. These guys hand toss the pizzas so high they almost touch the very high ceilings in this historic building! They also have nice Italian dishes. Convenient to the Post Office Street Arts District for a nice after-dinner stroll. Grotto Italian - 5222 Seawall (In the San Luis Resort) - Classic Italian restaurant featuring delicious veal, chicken, seafood, pizza, and house made pastas. This one breaks my rule of avoiding the Landrys restaurant chain, but we are convinced it's a great option. The Cove Poolside Bar - 5222 Seawall (In the San Luis Resort) - Beautiful outdoor poolside bar with a swim-up bar too, all overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The pool is heated so expect swimmers even in cool weather. Great place to people watch and enjoy a drink with one of the most picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico on the island. Koops BBQ Kitchen - 4501 Broadway - the only barbecue restaurant on the island that I would recommend. Very clean, very casual, very good meat and homemade sides. Only open for lunch from 11 am to 3 pm or until they run out of barbecue. Leland House - 2711 Market Street - a nice neighborhood bistro serving breakfast/brunch, lunch, and dinner. Grab a menu, relax at a table, and order at the bar when you're ready. Closed Monday/Tuesday. Maceo's Spice & Import Company - 2706 Market Street - Excellent muffaletta's, sandwiches. Simple menu to eat in or carry out in this little spice shop. Freckleberry Teahouse - 2724 Market Street - this has become a hot spot for a relaxing hot or iced tea or coffee and a light snack. Comfortable seating is plentiful inside or in their large outdoor area. Red Light Coffee Roasters - 2728 Market Street - popular spot serving locally roasted and sustainably sourced coffee and drinks along with light snacks. Like many places on this list, they are located in a beautiful historic building. Hey Mikey's Ice Cream - 2120 Post Office Street - Ice cream is made in the store. Unique treats like Ice Cream Nachos (share with a friend) and traditional favorites. You gotta' go here! Note: this place is owned by a nice island family. It is sometimes closed over the winter holidays. Mod Coffeehouse - 2126 Post Office Street - comfortable with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Live music many weekend evenings. Coffee, tea, espresso, latte, home baked goods. Waterman's Restaurant & Marina - 14302 Stewart Road - great sunset and water views overlooking Lake Como and West Bay. Steak and seafood. The restaurant was built of long leaf pine salvaged from the 100 year old cotton warehouses that were part of Galveston's glory days. Relatively expensive and a bit of a drive from the hotel areas but this is a unique restaurant with a great ambiance, great service, and great water views. Jimmy's On The Pier - 9001 Seawall - On the 2nd story above the fishing pier (enter the souvenir shop, exit to the left, and up the stairs). Very casual with great views of the seawall and Gulf. Owner has their own farm and livestock for a true "farm to table" concept; other items locally sourced. Fish tacos, burgers, seafood, local beer, full bar, etc. Galveston Webcams Galveston has some great webcams if you want to see what the cruise port looks like, or if your friends and family want to watch you sail away on Royal Caribbean via several live full-motion HD video cameras.

The colours were what particularly drew me to her work. So bright and cheerful. The prints I bought are mounted on what feels to be good quality card, size including the card is 20 cm x 25 cm. They cost $20 each. I also saw some posters at $10. I don't see either of these on the website so if you were looking for something small then I guess the shop would be your place. There were lots of other prints in varying sizes and formats but I didn't price them so don't know how they'd compare. On our cruise, the theme nights and menus were skewed by the fact that Super Bowl was on night two. That would normally have been the first formal night with the French menu and the Italian night would have been on night three. They switched these two around. White night was the Mexican night on night four when we were in Aruba. And the Caribbean night was on night five, when we were in Curaçao. However I can't be sure if white night is usually Mexican or if that was another switch caused by Super Bowl. Dress your best is indeed Royal Night with lobster. The lobster is TINY. I didn't have it but DH did and once it was shelled there was practically nothing of it. The meals in the app were all over the place before our cruise too. In theory, they're supposed to reflect the menus on the current cruise but I found that not to be the case. They were showing menus for a 7-night cruise rather than an 8-night. Between the Italian and the Caribbean menus, I would definitely skip the Italian one. However, on our cruise we also had Mexican and British, which we thought were the worst of all, so those were the ones we skipped when we did specialty.

Our old locals trick used to be to park at the Polynesian (you used to be able to just tell the guard at the gate you were going to eat there) and then hop on the monorail from there.

There are discussion forums like this for Royal but for Disney that might get you more information - I've used https://www.disboards.com/ before. There is a whole strategy also around (if you want to stay on a Disney property) bidding on Priceline or Hotwire to get a better deal, but usually only at certain times of year. There are tiers of on-site properties, value/moderate/deluxe, so there are options and trade offs for different budgets. I'd pop over there and take a look at their hotels section.

I have a genetic hearing lost, so totally need sub titles too! It’s a game changer for me.

This sounds good, KWong. We'll certainly keep it in mind for future possibility. Thanks!

If you decide to go with it, take a screenshot of the description just in case.

I have to have subtitles for all my viewing any more - apparently my hearing sucks. Another adventure! Hope the casino is better for you on Oasish.

For the record... me neither ... but maybe a little jealous of the attention he gets from my wife. LOL! See... I'm not kidding...

3 - waaaytooo (Oasis)

Yippee ! Really enjoy your live blogs. Sorry to hear of Halley’s medical concern. Hopefully she will be back on the job the next time you go. Having a rookie Genie is probably a good thing. He will be working hard to get it right ! Boy, that does look like a LONG gangway ! Yikes ! Have a great, safe trip.

I had to look that one up

Since we almost always have a couple of specialty meals stuck into the itin. somewhere, I suspect we will stick with MTD. I don’t want to take up a “fixed” seat when chances are I’m going to be somewhere else more than half the time. I guess we have been extremely lucky with MTD. We’ve never really had a bad experience. As long as it continues to work for us, we will continue to use it.

I have to mention the Queen Mary as a candidate hotel. From Long Beach it's a 10-15 minute Uber ride away from the port and I'm a big fan of the QM. Such amazing history.

Your husband was correct, that minestrone soup was horrible. It is so good at Giovanni's table. They need to add either vegetable or chicken broth to cut the tomato. You are also correct about the hazelnut cake, my mother was so disappointed with hers on mariner and it seems to not be consistent, as I had in on Allure and it was really wet.

This kinda worked against me on this turnaround. Because we were back onboard SO soon and new cruisers weren’t boarding yet, I had a heck of a time finding someone to do my BOGO for tomorrow night. I had done tonite’s BOGO at breakfast this morning but didn’t know when I wanted to do our other BOGO so only made the one reservation. Once back on the ship we decided we want to do Giovanni’s tomorrow night (French night. ~yawn~) BUT I couldn’t find anyone at either of the specialty restaurants or in the MDR to help me so I grumbled to Guest Services and they ferreted out someone to help me in the MDR. I guess they really weren’t ready for dining rezzies since new guests weren’t boarding yet. Since there’s nothing that will pi$$ me off faster than the “runaround” my Karen was beginning to emerge but they tamped it down just in time ! All set !

While on the Botti At Sea Jazz Cruise aboard Summit earlier this month, we booked our 1st European itinerary. A 12-Night sailing from Athens, Greece going to Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, France and ending in Barcelona. It will be aboard Infinity in November 2025. Hopefully family and friends will join us!!

As always, food is subjective. Some of us enjoy the included dining options quite a bit. I'm one of them.

Dog House is the only included food venue I almost never visit (which says a lot if you know me) but these pics sure make me want one, lol.

Anthem of the Seas - April 14, 2024. 7 night sailing from NJ, Cape Canaveral, Nassau, Cococay Hello everyone, I’ve been watching the YouTube channel for several months now and really appreciate all the tips. This will be the first cruise together for my wife and myself. She cruised once as a child with her parents while this will be my first. We look forward to this cruise very much and hope to see some of you onboard Anthem for this cruise. Thanks, John & Danyelle