bkirkham

I understand... Here is a pretty complete list of hotels on the island. Some of these may have shuttles. I think the Howard Johnson does, but you should call them to confirm (it's located near the port in an area that's not very scenic or appealing though).

http://www.galveston.com/islandhotels/

 

(The above website also has great information on visiting Galveston and some excellent webcams. The cruise cams are full motion video and are manned to follow the cruise ships when they arrive and depart on cruise days! That's probably too much info for your queston but maybe I'll start a new thread with just info on sailing from Galveston.)

 

Galveston has a wide range of hotel prices depending on day of week (weekends obviously much higher), whether there are major events happening, and the season (summer is the busy season here). If you find a really good deal on the hotel, a local taxi ride might be fairly reasonable if you stay fairly near the port.

Thanks Steve! Any and all info you have to share is great. I love reading anything that people have to share (my wife teases me that I am addicted to cruise porn lol)... That's why I love this blog, everyone is so helpful and willing to share news and notes that can make such a big difference in our cruise

I had a previous post on this topic here:

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php/topic/126-galveston-advice/?p=3376

 

I agree with Matt and highly recommend arriving at least a day early. The Galveston Beach Hotel is a great choice. I also recommend two hotels in the above post. Both are very walkable to the cruise terminal (1-3 easy blocks) and are located right in the heart of historic Galveston's Strand District with its shopping, dining, and bar hopping options. It's a great way to start your vacation.

 

Let me know if you have specific questions about Galveston!

Both of those hotels were beautiful! But way to expensive. When we sailed out of Port Canaveral we had a hotel for a night with shuttle for less than $100.

Any suggestions for staying in Galveston the night before our cruise? Or is flying in same day ok?  I am eyeing a flight from Atlanta that would have us landing at Hobby Airport at 9:17am. Also if we stay the night before we don't need anything fancy. Just a comfortable bed with cruise shuttle service provided/

If you do want to check wine in your suitcase, I'd suggest looking into "wine diapers". I've not used them myself, but I've heard really good things about them. I see that Amazon sells them if you want to find some online.

Thanks Marc. I found them on amazon for 2 for $10, with prime shipping

My guess is that they don't stcok them with booze since they're not locked and thus a minor would have access to the them. You can always buy a beer at a bar, ask them not to open it, and store it in the fridge yourself.

Great idea!

They don't put alcohol in them on Royal Caribbean. They're stocked with sodas, water, and a few snacks.

that is disappointing. Also a bet they could get a lot of revenue if they did

What are the mini-fridges stocked with? Do they have beer or airplane size liquor bottles inside?

Our October sailing has exploded with excursion options over the last few days

We will be flying to Galveston for our October sailing on the Navigator of the Seas. Does anyone have any experience with packing wine? I would like to bring the allowed 2 bottles, with one being a Prosecco (a dry sparkling dry white wine). Is it safe to pack these items in checked luggage wiht the change in air pressure? Last thing I would like is to have a bottle explode in flight and soak my clothes.

If RCCI does come out with this beverage package promotion, would I be able to rebook and get this deal?

Maybe someone from our cruise will be on the blog?!

I have really liked having an agent so far. Nothing major, but we wanted to change rooms. I emailed her the changes we wanted and she took care of it all. She even emailed me a new booking receipt from RCCI 

Hi Bkirkhan, Just request to not be close to an Elevator. We're on Deck 10 mid back Oasis. In Sept. You should be fine! Enjoy your cruise

We are close to an elevator, but there are a limited number of cabins on deck 12. So everyone is close to them, but it is around a corner and a wall away from us

I actually just answered this question here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/questions/how-do-you-know-how-much-money-bring-you-and-how-much-save

 

In short....it depends :)

Matt,

I love the podcasts, you do a great job!

Hi everyone, our first time on the RC forems. We're cruising on Oassis Sept. 19-2015. Firest time cruising Eastern Caribbean 7 day cruise. Can anyone give us some must does on and off the ship please. Thank you

 There is a big group from the blog sailing in late March. So if you don't get much info now, I bet there will be a ton of ideas when they get back.

October 18th, 2015--- Navigator of the Seas

We are were in 1838, but we moved down a few cabins to 1826. I am excited about the location, being close to the pool deck, and with the views we should have from up on deck 12 without any cabins above us.

As for booking a particular room, RCCI's website is not as user friendly as Carnivals. So I would definitely call them or a travel agent. I recently transferred our booking to a travel agent, Michelle Cunningham... which made switching rooms super easy. I just sent her an email and she took care of it. She even sent me a new booking receipt with our new room listed. Also getting an extra on board credit for the transfer is nice as well. Here is her email if you need it.

[email protected]

Just moved our cabin. We were the first cabin on the deck. So I noticed on a youtube video that the railing that with our cabin balcony and the deck walked ended next to each other. I thought it might be better to slide down a few cabins for better privacy

How much cash do you take with you for incidentals like cash tipping and onshore spending money? I like to tip at the bar even though 15% is already added to the tab. While in college I was a server and bartender and always appreciated cash tips.

I am a bit worried about my wife and sea sickness. But we had a few rough days on our last cruise and she was fine. Lol. We both found the rocking of the boat kind of relaxing.

My thought was that there are very few cabins in this area so it will have little traffic. Also that it is so close to the pool deck where we spent much of our time while on board the Enchantment of the Seas last September

What ship??

Thanks! Navigator of the Seas. Added it into the original post now

We booked a deck 12 balcony cabin on the Navigator of the Seas. And since this is only our second cruise, and first balcony, I am trying to decide if this is a good location or if I should move it to someplace else? Like a midship on deck 8 or something?

These cabins on deck 12 were added during the dry dock refurbishment in January 2014

I would love all the ideas anyone has to offer. Thanks!

I'm going with what I wore every night last year. Polo, khakis, and birkenstocks. My profile photo is from our cruise on the Enchantment of the Seas in the main dinning room before dinner one night.

Anyone know about the Navigator? Is it still on deck?