rtread

Well, I was all set to go for the Key then I read this on a RC Blog touting The Key "The Key is being tested out on Liberty of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas for sailings beginning November 25, 2018 through the end of March 2019"

Is that old news? I very well could have missed an update to it.

2 hours ago, KJ1231 said:

I've never had luck with garment bags keeping clothes wrinkle free. I now get the plastic from the dry cleaners and roll up my clothes (slacks, sport coat, shirts, etc.) and put them in a suitcase. They come out better than the clothes my wife insists on putting in a garment bag. And pack a small bottle of the Downy spray to get out any wrinkles. Works great!

Good info! I'm not familiar with Downy spray....is that a soap product?

21 minutes ago, Mljstr said:

You can take the garment bag as a carry on on the plane, and then tag it and give it to the porter at the ship. It will arrive with your other checked bags and you don't have to carry it around on boarding day. You won't need it anyway as the first night is always casual and many people show up in the dining room still in their travel clothes because their bags haven't been delivered yet.

This is what we will probably do. We were just concerned about our dress-em-up clothes getting abused if we checked them. Sounds like it is the best alternative. Thanks.

2 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

No limit to the number of bags, but you have to be able to manage them yourself and rooms aren't open until typically 1pm or later.  They will go through the scanner (similar to an airport) so they should fit through that with no issue.

What about a garment bag for hanging clothes?

 Can you lug a garment bag as a carry-on? Are there limits on carry-on luggage, number of bags, size? Thanks

5 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:

The Santa Hustle 5K and Half Marathon is that weekend. It draws a lot of people to the island. 

Ahhhhh….thanks for the info!

Probably the same bunch of bottom-feeders that has been ghost-calling me.

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 11:59 AM, JasonL said:

Well I'm a year away from my Liberty cruise now, so I'm wanting to book my hotel. I think I wanna stay in Galveston because I think it would be cool(first time in Galveston) and I want as easy of a day as possible the first day of the cruise. We will have our 3 kids(12,8,3) which is why I want it to be as easy as possible. I like really clean and nice, but not too fancy for my loud rowdy kids. Pool, breakfast & shuttle to the terminal would be a plus. When I travel with the kids I don't mind paying more for convenience, in fact I prefer it. Anyone have recommendations?

Just an FYI, I had the idea early in February to get reservations at the Galvez for the night before our cruise (Dec. 21) because I knew they had cruise parking and shuttle service. They were totally booked up. So I started down the list of hotels that provided parking and/or shuttle and they were booked up. This was for Dec.21 so I'm figuring they are booked up because it's Christmas? Or kids are out of school on family getaways?  Some big attraction in Galveston at that time? I was surprised. I did find a room on the freeway coming into town and prepaid Port Parking....but it's not what I intended.

11 minutes ago, lauraodonnell86 said:

@Galveston Steve Hi there Steve! I have read a few of your posts about parking but they seemed to be a little dated so wanted to check with you about it. Do you know anything about 81st Dolphin Parking? We used EZCruise Parking last year but 81st Dolphin seems to be a little cheaper. I can't find that many reviews online so just wanted to make sure we weren't making a mistake Thanks for you help!!

I don't have any info on 81st Dolphin parking but we are using Port Parking www.portparking.com which is indoors and provides shuttles to the terminal.

In the Navy we used to say "Go to the fo'c'sle  to see where we are going; go to the fantail to see where we've been." It's just a matter of preference....or maybe perspective.

I'm not an over-dresser by any stretch but I also don't like to feel under-dressed.....(think everybody is noticing and talking about me) so I bought a new suit for the cruise and will wear it on formal night in the MDR and my wife's birthday dinner at Chops. My wife is talking dress for these occasions. On other nights at MDR I'm going to wear a sport coat with jeans and nice shirt (wife is talking pant suit). Shorts and tee-shirts the rest of the time.

Looking for in-depth reviews for these two excursions that we have flagged. If you've been on one or both would appreciate replies!

East End Sights & Garifuna Culture, Roatan, Honduras

Lamanai Mayan Ruins & Riverboat Safari with Lunch, Belize City, Belize

1 hour ago, twangster said:

When logged in at royalcaribbean.com in the same place you access the cruise planner there is an option to check in.

Here you can enter details such as passport, credit card, etc. and accept the terms of the cruise contract.  Once that is complete and closer to sail date the SetSail pass and luggage tags can be found in this area.

Thanks all! I'm way beyond being embarrassed by my ignorance but I'm wondering if I will hit OVERLOAD before the big date gets here. What's funny is my cursor has been less than an inch away from CHECK-IN hundreds of times and I missed it. There is a wealth of knowledge here and friendly, helpful people so maybe this steep learning curve will eventually level out. Thanks for the help!

Please someone explain what "checking-in" is referring to in this thread. I have the Cruise Planner going. What else do I need to do to "check-in"?

Maybe Mom and daughter in Ocean View balcony stateroom, Dad and boyfriend in the second. Bonding opportunity? Dad and/or boyfriend could drop by and use  balcony occasionally. 

Are you dealing directly with RC or using a travel agent? A travel agent knows things you don't on how to find vacancies. Good luck

I can see where having a crowded stateroom would be the deciding factor on how you viewed your cruise overall. Comfortable stateroom = pleasant time, great cruise; Crowded stateroom = @#&@#*!

It's definitely something we are going to do on Liberty. I'm watching the price on Cruise Planner and it does fluctuate.....based on what I don't know. Our tours are on Day 3 and Day 7 (sea days)

I did R&R in Hong Kong back in the '60's, would love to go back! Does that count?

I think it's a great idea! Probably mainly because I fall into the "old fart" category. The truth is, the youth tend to spend money willy-nilly as long as their is a source.....Mom & Dad, ATM, etc.

Mom and Dad have been around the block. They are looking at things a bit differently and usually spend their money more wisely. The bottom line for the cruise lines is profit......somewhere in there is reasoning why I don't see it happening. But....I think it's a great idea and I would book it.

3 minutes ago, melski94 said:

 I also like to plan on being back to the ship at least 90 minutes-2 hours before all aboard to be safe.  

Thanks for the good info and I totally agree with the above quote. I've seen videos of the "pier runners" and the last thing I want is to be that poor drunk dude running down the pier waving and yelling at the departing ship.....

So I spent hours looking at the excursions listed on our Cruise Planner. I found a couple....one in Roatan and one in Belize....that I thought suitable for my wife and I. Approached my wife with the plan. She said she had been looking at a totally different list of excursions that she found on a link on a recent email from our travel agent. So I spent some more time looking at these excursions (which frankly were just as appealing, but cheaper.)

So now I'm wondering which is a better course to take....Cruise Planner excursions or TA excursions?

I figured experienced cruisers on here could help out with this question. Please feel free....

48 minutes ago, Ogalthorpe Haywood said:

I don’t think it was sharing drinks as much as a way to squeeze more money out of us. I think Royal has proven over all the changes over last few years that they are going to maximize their profits at all cost and this is just another way of getting a few extra bucks out many of us. 

I look at it like going to the movies and paying $10 for a coke and a candy bar. Or like $1,000 to take the family to a pro football game. It's outrageous because we make it outrageous.

2 hours ago, Hoski said:

Thank you for bringing this up you created a family moment for us.  We streamed it and watched it together last night.  We've seen similar shows before but enjoyed doing this as a family.

You are very welcome. Family moments are special. Our kids are not at home now but my wife and I enjoyed watching it and were absolutely amazed with what goes on behind the scenes.

4 hours ago, MrMarc said:

If you want to see something funny, pause it at 39:18 and look at the bare footprint on the bed.

Saw the footprint, some other impressions on the bed. Hanky panky going on in there?

It's also at Amazon for $2.99

https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Machines-Sea-Giants-Season/dp/B07JBDDMZK