Suzanne Elise

@Suzanne Elise, That cracked me up!! 
I lived that life while raising four children and putting over 300K miles on each of our two minivans.  Good times.  I may circle back to the larger ships when the newest addition to our family (grandson) is old enough to cruise and we need a greater variety of activities & all the cool toys.  

Last year this was correct, however, both ride share companies now have a contract with the pier

Interesting. When we went last year, flights to Houston from NY were impressively low. That was a big part of the reason we were able to try a cruise. We rented a car and made visiting Texas and Galveston part of the adventure. 

I look at icon ant it looks like a minivan packed with toys! 
We were lucky to be on a fairly uncrowned cruise too. 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

I'm very sorry for your lay-offs and I wish you both the best.  I won't stop watching.  

Im sure that’s true, all the commercials are for the big ships. I just wanted people to know it’s possible to check out cruising with less of an investment. I think part of our success was incorporating Galveston as part of our vacation that included a shorter cruise. A big part of that was there were TONS of flights to Houston and it made the while thing doable. BTW we also loved the Houston farmers market and Buck-ees. 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

when I watch figure skating the ads are definitely targets to people my age with remarkable precision. 
Please don’t stop watching the news.  We will never be able to cruise again. 🙂 I’ll explain. We did our budget cruise in part because my husband was laid off from a news network, then 9 months later I got laid off too. It’s tough times in the news industry. 
 

when I watch figure skating the ads are definitely targets to people my age with remarkable precision. 
Please don’t stop watching the news.  We will never be able to cruise again. 🙂 I’ll explain. We did our budget cruise in part because my husband was laid off from a news network, then 9 months later I got laid off too. It’s tough times in the news industry. 
 

I like some of the advice in this thread but it also has me reminiscing, and I find myself having mixed emotions.
Up until the past few years all my trips were on small boats i.e. Nordic Empress being my first ship. i miss the ambiance of those ships.  I know small is relative as it was huge to me then but you felt valued and appreciated. I know the trend is big is better but I think the small boats have their place and purpose in the fleet. Right now they are older and therefore cheaper but they will be replaced with newer fancier small boats and the words small and cheap (sometimes) will not be mutually inclusive anymore. Enjoy those days.
Personally, I would like to do a trip on something below freedom class but I don’t think I can get my wife to give up the flash of the larger ships for the ambiance and personal touch of the smaller ships as the ship is the vacation now. Maybe Discovery class will be my saving grace. Plus, I’ve spoiled her with the suite life and that’s not really the same on the older ships. My problem is that I cannot really explain the feeling that the staff actually cares if you are having a good time. It could have been just wanting a bigger tip since it was back in days of no mandatory gratuity, or it could have been genuine. Didn’t really matter in the end. You felt valued. My past few trips I’ve not felt that way. 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

The next 2 cruises we have booked are Vision and Brillance with Serenade likely to follow. We still find affordable cruises.  That said, you may be on to something--a migration of cruisers (by demographic) to different lines with preferred class of ship.

It sounds like you enjoyed the smaller ship but I don’t think the company agrees with you re: first time cruiser/smaller ship. Based on the marketing and the deployment of Oasis Class ships for weekend sailings it appears the next generation cruiser is hooked on the biggest ships. The days of bargain cruising are pretty much over and the “free” options are being cut to make room for the millennials who will pay the price for an elevated experience. The cruiser of the past will be phased out and replaced with a generation of family cruisers who will be the new cash cow for Royal Caribbean. 

Great advice!  So what, if you didn't do exactly as some of the other cruisers.  We never dress up as much as some do.  Chances are you won't see each other again, and who cares what anyone thinks (as long as you weren't really obnoxious!).  You had a great time and that's what's most important.

Interesting. When we went last year, flights to Houston from NY were impressively low. That was a big part of the reason we were able to try a cruise. We rented a car and made visiting Texas and Galveston part of the adventure. 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We actually really enjoyed visiting Galveston a lot, and it was one of reasons we decided to cruise. We may just go back there for a vacation. 😉

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. 
You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. 
Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. 
if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. 
This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. 
In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. 
We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. 
if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. 
There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port.  The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. 
It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. 
Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. 
Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW.  We ate a lot of Indian food on board. 
We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day.
Grab a paper cruise compass. 
Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience. 

 

 

 
 

Also, Cozumel does not have a seaweed problem.  Depending on time of year, Costa Maya beaches can be unusable because of seaweed; this does not happen in Cozumel.