steverk

Wow. That hasn't been my experience. I've sailed out of there twice and I have never seen them check the time

Call your travel agent. Ask if they have a group rate for this cruise. If they do, book it now at the group rate! If not, I'd still book it.

I never try to justify the cost. That sounds harsh, but there really isn't any way to justify it the same way you might justify a car repair for example. I look at the cost and decide if I can afford it and if I want to go. Unfortunately, all travel us now outrageous. Therefore, choosing a different type of vacation never reaches the savings I anticipate.

I think they were already released. There probably isn't anything going to Greenland. That was a very rare itinerary.

I used it in 2019. No complaints. A bit hard to find and it was a bus ride to the terminal, but the car was still there when I got back.

Hopefully, the state of Maryland recognized that the bridge was obsolete and due for replacement and had started engin6the replacement. Not likely, but one can hope.

Not as of an hour ago

Also remember that unless the crew member wants to impose on family or friends, he or she must keep an apartment on shore even though it isn't used very much.

That's terrible! My prayers are with the victims and families today.

I'm glad you figured it out. I have occasionally seen the situation that you described and it was a legit Oceanview balcony. I suspect the balconies weren't selling on that particular sailing, but the window cabins were.

It's my understanding that he will retain whatever status you or your son, whichever is higher, until his own points get him to the next level.

I've been on Radiance, Jewel and Serenade. There's almost no difference between them. Radiance has the Samba grill, which is a plus. People have commented about the pit stop bar on Jewel. Since I don't drink, I never even thought about this! One downside on Jewel. Room 4014 is generally my favorite cabin on the Radiance class. It's very convenient, quiet and one of the cheapest cabins on the ship. However, Jewel has a loose deck plate in the hall just outside the door. When anyone steps on it, it makes a loud sound like a big bass drum.

I'm pretty sure the dock is limited to 2 ships max

Look at it this way. Carnival is generally considered a mega ship line. They have 26 ships in their fleet. Only 3 are larger than Freedom. The other 23 ate much smaller.

Most modern smart phones support calling and texting over wifi. However, my last phone did not so YMMV. Also, it depends somewhat on your connection. I sail out of Galveston a lot. Wifi calling doesn't work while we are in the Gulf of Mexico, but works great once we enter the Caribbean. I have no idea why, but it happens every time.

That's what I remember. If you book a gty balcony, you don't get any further choices. So, yes, it can be anything.

Yes, you can. No issues until you have device number 5 connect.

I usually do 1 person 4 devices as that's usually the cheapest option for 4 people. The number of devices isn't really the issue. It's the number of devices on line at a time. As mentioned earlier, device number 5 will boot someone off, which is inconvenient, but not really a problem.

I used a Royal Caribbean transfer from Port Miami to MIA in October 2022. We were using terminal G instead of Royal's newest terminal, which I think is A. Regardless, it wasn't a pleasant experience. We received luggage tags and the instructions seemed to indicate we should put our luggage outside the night before rather than self assist as I usually do. This was my first mistake. When we arrived in the terminal, it was a zoo and took almost an hour to get our luggage. Once we had our luggage in hand, the area with the busses was even more insane. We asked which bus, and the agent just pointed at a line of busses. We asked a bus driver if he was going to MIA, and his response was "I don't know." We found someone else and was told to get in a line and board a specific bus. However the line really wasn't a line and was redirected several times. After an hour in the "line", we finally boarded the bus with the driver that didn't know where he was going. Once on the bus, everything was fine. It was a 48 passenger road bus with a wheelchair lift. There was room for luggage in the belly boxes below. In comparison, I took the shuttle in Los Angeles and everything worked like clockwork. We were at the airport an hour after leaving the ship. Also for comparison, I sailed through terminal G in January 2024. I did self assist and an Uber to the airport. Everything worked like clockwork and we were at the airport without hassle. If you do this option, I suggest ordering an Uber as soon as you clear customs. Surge pricing got us for an extra $10.

I haven't seen anyone express concern that Royal will close Labadee permanently, and I don't have that fear. This isn't the first time that Labadee has ceased operations due to unrest in Haiti. Unfortunately, it probably won't be the last.

I recently visited Puerto Plata Dominican Republic. I really enjoyed it and would consider it an upgrade from Labadee

But you can, or least I did a year ago, book a refundable deposit cruise at NextCruise. However, the OBC is reduced. Sometimes they also bump up the deposit from $100 per person to $250. Sometimes they don't. Royal is wonderfully inconsistent on so many things! The other thing about refundable deposits is that the price of the cruise increases. You need to watch that carefully as it may not be worth it to book refundable, especially at NextCruise.

You don't mention what you are looking for. If you just want a hotel for the night and nothing more, then staying in Webster or League City is probably the best balance between price, ease of access to Galveston and safety. If you're looking for a place that will add to your vacation, I'd suggest the Boardwalk hotel in Kemah, the Courtyard by Marriott NASA Clear Lake or Moody Gardens in Galveston.

Always remember, the times on cruisemapper.com are departure times. I.e. the time the ship will be actually leaving. All aboard is usually 30 minutes prior to that. They can be even earlier for tender ports. You want to be on board laughing at the pier runners well before all aboard time.

I've sailed Voyager many times. In fact, I'll be on her again at the end of April. No worries at all. About 6 months ago, she was hit by a rogue wave. Water splashed out of the pool and made mess, but no real damage. Nothing to worry about.