rjweber3

@WAAAYTOOO It is in a sense 🤣. The scooters seem to bring out the worst in folks 😂.
The blind gent doesn't like to ASK for help. So, I get the sense that if I book him help, he will partake but if it makes him seem like a burden or uncapable, he won't. 

Unfortunately, the military discount is almost non-existent.  Every blue moon you will see a fare that permits a military discount but it's really, really rare.  I would not expect to see any kind of military discount and then be extremely happy if one shows up.
As for the senior discount, if your parents have no Crown & Anchor status then a senior discount might apply.  I wouldn't look for it to be much but since I haven't qualified for a senior discount - maybe ever (I'm certainly old enough but never seem to see a senior discount apply 😪) I'm not sure how much it would likely be.  Not much, I'm guessing...

Definitely, please, for your own good, avoid the ATMs on the ship when at all possible. Most ports will have ATMs with lower fees...and even better if you can get just a bit away from the port to get the cash from a non-port ATM. 

I know a lot of people on this board say that they would never pay Disney prices, but having looked at both the new Royal ships and the new Disney ships and prices are not far off. And Disney includes a lot more onboard than Royal does. Adult beach is included at Castaway Cay.

That's what I thought !  Didn't they say that this new beach was going to be complimentary ?  Of course, this doesn't surprise me at all, but I guess I am a bit disappointed since they originally said it would be included in your cruise fare.

@Matt If you need me to check it out and report back since I'll be on that cruise with you sans kids, I'd be happy to freelance for the day if you want to buy me a couple passes. 😁

Royal always has variable pricing for almost all of its add-ons. The price of a cabana, coco beach club access, drink package and more all vary from ship to ship and sailing to sailing.

I believe the Hyatt Regency is built so the river flows into their lobby. If you want touristy maybe the Buckhorn museum https://www.buckhornmuseum.com/ Natural Bridge Caverns is just north of SA and they have added additional activities beyond just walking through the caves.

We were on the Radiance when her Azipod malfunctioned.  There was a loud bang and the whole ship shuddered.  We were in our aft cabin on deck 8 at the time. We immediately turned to the TV channel that showed the the speed and watched as the ship went from 22.4 knots to 14 knots in a matter of minutes.  We also looked at the wake and saw that ther was only half of the wake compared to before.  This was at about 4pm.  We went up to the Diamond lounge and about 15 minutes later and noticed that the ship seemed to be stopped.  There were no announcements and everything went on as if nothing had happened.  A storm was coming in and the ship could not outrun it.  The ship started moving again at about 5:30.  It could only travel at about 15 knots for the rest of the way into Seward.  That night the ship rocked and rolled through the storm with closet doors and drawers banging.  It was rough enough to knock over a nightstand with the phone on it.  It wasn't until the next morning that the captain let the passengers know there was an issue and we would be a couple of hours late docking.  The captain and the crew did everything they could do in order to make the passengers enjoy their last night on board.  

That would be really awesome, however my granddaughter is a freshman in HS this year so can only travel while on school vacation.  I am planning to spend 5 days there with her during February school break.  Her April vacation is the week after the 8th and she actually has other plans for that vacation 🤷🏼‍♀️ !

I was there in January 2017 and stayed five nights at the Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk.  It had direct access to the River Walk, but was at the far end of the walk itself. 
 
In January 2018 I stayed at the Best Western Premier Historic Travelers Alamo/River Walk….which was near, but not on the River Walk.  It is a block and a half from the Alamo though.  

I was happy with both hotels.  I stayed in basic rooms, so I can’t tell tell you if they offer higher end suites or other amenities.  
 
A restaurant I went to that I enjoyed enough to remember after all this time is Saltgrass Steakhouse.  It’s right on the River Walk  
Downtown San Antonio is (or at least was when I went there) was very walkable.  People were very nice and I enjoyed my time there. 
 
One thing that sticks in my mind about being there is when walking back to the hotel at 11 pm, people were stacked up at the crosswalks waiting for the WALK light to appear, but there was absolutely zero vehicular traffic anywhere.  Most of my “big city” experience is in Boston, where WALK/DON’T WALK lights are routinely ignored by pedestrians. 

Waiting to board a flight yesterday (not SWA), I came up with the solution to people doing this.
A credit card is required to use a wheelchair for boarding. Your card is swiped, but not charged, for double the early boarding fee to use a wheelchair. You are handed a voucher. At the end of the flight, if you use a wheelchair to exit the plane you hand in the voucher and your card is not charged. If you do not use a wheelchair, your card is charged.

And now they are reducing the size of carry on items allowed:
https://yourmileagemayvary.com/2023/08/15/southwest-quietly-changed-the-size-of-allowable-personal-bags/
 
Without much fanfare or even an announcement, Southwest’s policy for the maximal size of personal bags has changed. It had been a generous 18.5″ x 13.5″ x 8.5″. But now? It’s a skimpy 16.25″ x 13.5″ x 8″.

Not gonna happen. There’s higher probability of the aliens levitating the Oasis and taking it on tours through the universe. I may or may not be in the business that glows so I have some insight. 

I asked on a behind the scenes tour on Allure years ago why there haven't been nuclear powered cruise ships when the (first) world's militaries have been using nuclear power for maritime operations for years, and the engineer or whoever we were speaking to looked at my like I had just asked him to drink molten copper through a curly straw.  I was taken aback by his unprofessional reaction as I didn't then and don't now consider it to be that crazy of a question. 
One possible issue I see is that it could become yet another reason to deny cruise ship's access to key ports.  If the folks in, say, Bar Harbor, for example among other places, didn't like the idea of a big diesel ship emitting large amounts of particulates and passengers into their area, I can't imagine they'd be comforted by the news that there's now a nuclear reactor involved, too. (and I'm not suggesting that Mainers are or aren't fans of nuclear energy - just using the recent political issues with cruise ship calls there as an example).  Copy and paste Norway, Canada, Alaska, etc.  One would think that some of the environmental-types might be enthusiastic about nuclear ships in those areas given their beliefs around climate change, but nuclear energy has had a PR problem that goes back more than a few years, unfortunately. 
Net-net, I'm more comfortable with a nuclear reactor on my ship than I am riding around on top of a big LNG tank - by a country mile.  All of this is riskier than good ole sludgy bunker fuel ever was, but that's none of my business.  

Sounds like an overbooked situation to me.  I can’t imagine how the Radiance mess would be affecting Brilliance.
Just 1 word of caution.  IF you booked your cruise using a casino offer of ANY kind, and especially if you upgraded a casino offer, the way they calculate cruise fare is bizarre and will never work in your favor.  The 100% refund is what it is… no worries on that BUT the 100% FCC will disappoint you, I promise. Be very careful when seeking an FCC based on a casino upgrade.  If you didn’t use a casino fare, ignore my comment.

My name is Tyffie (pronounced Tiff-E) and I will be sailing on my second RC ship (Ovation of the Seas) in 387 days!!! Back to Alaska I go- first time was on Serenade of the Seas last year. Can’t wait to share my experiences and gain more tips! 

We had an Alaska cruise on Quantum in 2023 and in 2022 Quantum was having that engine trouble.  Now we have another Alaska cruise booked on Radiance for 2024 and now she is have engine trouble.  Good thing correlation isn't causation, but still maybe I need to stop booking Alaska cruises... 

TLDR; Mariner still has it, great ship and a great cruise.
This is my first trip report and I tend to ramble so apologies in advance.
Travel/Embarkation
(TLDR cake)
We drove to Orlando from NW Fla.  Stayed at the Comfort Suites Orlando Airport. Good stay, unremarkable. Used points to book, felt safe, clean, shower hot, included breakfast was ok. This was our first cruise in a Junior Suite.  We were parked and in the suite lounge area in minutes, and tho I didnt check exact time it felt like we boarded very shortly after our 10:30 check in.  Absolute breeze. MDR
(TLDR breakfast was amazing dinner was hit/miss service was good to great and attentive the 2 nights we ate there and for breakfast)
We ate breakfast every day there. It was really good, and often great.  we tended to get there at or shortly after opening I had the express breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, sausage, hash brown, wheat toast) 4 days, the market vegetable bowl 1 day (it was not as good as Harmony last year) and the best was the omelet which I inexplicably waited until the last day to have. The wife (who is decidedly not a breakfast person) had the cheddar cheese grits with bacon which she enjoyed). We ate here first two nights. The southern fried chicken is an abomination. I advised my wife not to get it, but there was nothing else that interested her. The only thing worse than the way it looked was how it tasted. As a life long southerner I am personally offended they call this 'southern' fried chicken. I had the spaghetti bolognese first night. It looked at tasted JUST like hamburger helper spaghetti. Here is the thing, I don't mind hamburger helper spaghetti. It was hot/fresh, and took me back to middle school where the lunch room spaghetti tasted just like it. The peanut butter wafer/cookie thing for dessert was shockingly great. Description is not good and it looks basic, but it was amazing. One thing I need to mention. EVERYONE noticed my wife didnt eat the chicken and asked her about it. She was polite and didnt say it was terrible. Both servers and the head guy offered to get her something else. Second night in the MDR we had the beef tenderloin and it was pretty good.  Hot and cooked as we ordered. Mashed potatoes were good, not great.   Portions were noticeably smaller but that is fine with me. We don't tend to eat huge portions and the servers always asked if we wanted more. we were in/out in an hour or so both nights. Never felt rushed nor like it was taking too long. I will strongly consider eating in MDR every night on our Mariner cruise in Oct based on our experience here. It was solid if pretty unremarkable. Specialty dining
(TLDR, good sometimes great)
We ate lunch in Jamies on embarkation day and it was ok. I did it mainly to have a calm lunch and it was that. I was not worth fifty bucks plus additional tip. We ate Chops 3rd night (Labadee) and it was pretty unremarkable. It seemed very busy. The steak was not as seasoned as I recall. I always get my steak rare and the filet I received fit that bill. Not much of a char and it was rare. Jamies was 4th night (Falmouth) and it was also unremarkable. Wife had Lasagna which she enjoyed and I had the chicken parm.  Service and food was good not great. Izumi was 5th night (sea) and it was very very good. Food good, chef good, service and everything. I have eaten at Izumi on Harmony, Independence, and Mariner 3 times and this seems to be a pattern.  The Izumi on Mariner is very good. Chops was 6th night and was as remarkable as the first visit was unremarkable. Steak was rare but had a great char, and was seasoned perfectly. Maybe the best steak I have ever had on RC. Fantastic visit. Excursions
(TLDR terrific)
This was our first visit to Labadee and it was great. We had a beach bed on Adrenaline Beach and the service was great. The drinks were very meh (something I will touch on later) but the view was nice and the bed was a nice base. we were in the water and saw some people wander into the bed area and make themselves at home. If you ever wonder what would happen if you tried that, they did not stay there long). We did the Chukka/Good Hope Estate excursion thru RC in Falmouth. I considered cancelling due to a number of reasons. We went and I am glad we did. It was a chill day by the pool area there. We climbed the water fall and went down the water slide. I didnt take enough cash on this excursion, but the gift shop area took cards. We got a South Beach bed at CocoCay and thats it. Absolutely perfect day (pardon the pun). I will have a hard not doing that the next few times we go there. Just a great beach day. Calm, quiet, amazing. The crispy chicken sammich is curiously great. My wife only like Chik fit A chicken sammiches, but she got one and was blown away.  Bar/service
(TLDR meh)
I think this is the first cruise I did not get value from the DBP Only a few bars had Buffalo Trace, most were out of it The quality of the drinks was wildly inconsistent. I always try to stick to ordering certain drinks from certain bars, but based on the person making it there was not telling what you might get. This went for tenders at the same bar. Some would make drinks differently leaving out ingredients.  Club soda for example. Gavin in the Schooner Bar was my far the best on the ship. I was sitting at the bar waiting when he came back in from not being there a while and several people broke out into applause. The Viking Crown Lounge remains one of my favorite spots on any ship we have been on. Just a great spot Entertainment
(TLDR high and low)
This to me is where the Voyager class ships fall far short of the Oasis class. Gallery of Dreams needs to be replaced The comedian was hilarious in the welcome aboard show. I really wanted to make the adult show with him but we didn't.  Ice under the big top was really fun to us. I think I have seen people say otherwise. Nothing to be said about the skaters that hasnt already been said. Amazing talents. Trivia in the Schooner Bar was fun Cabin
(TLDR wonderful)
As mentioned earlier this was our first time staying in a Junior Suite. I got a great price on it, and figured the only benefits would be priority boarding (not a huge one for us) and double points. I was wrong. The closet was astonishing. The extra room and the 'side' window that was great for extra light changed how we used the cabin.  Some afternoons instead of hanging out elsewhere we would nap in the cabin.  The only thing worn on the ship I noticed was the balcony railing. It looked like it was sanded then left. Almost seemed too uniform to be wear. It was this way as far as I could see both ways on deck 9. this will almost certainly change how I approach booking cabins in the future, it was that enjoyable. I cannot say we have ever had anything below a good steward, but Levy was great. The best we have ever had.  9558 was quiet, clean, in great shape. Accessories
First time with a sound machine and we LOVED it. The cabin was quiet but this made it seem more so. cordless fan was great. Too bad I am an idiot and didnt take a micro usb cable to recharge it. So once it was past initial charge it was a paperweight. It worked great for that. Magnetic hooks are must do. It seems like each cruise we find more ways to use them European outlet adapter. Great, yes, get one for these older ships Packing cubes, meh whatever. Maybe we just dont know how to utilize Assorted
Motion. The water was pretty churned up and the first 3 full days the ship moved as much as I have ever felt on move. We didn't get sick but I understand many did. I had some pretty crazy videos of water shooting 10 feet in the air out of the pool. They postponed the belly flop contest because of it. Fellow passengers. It seemed we noticed more Brits on this trip. Fewer kids. I heard many complaining about the behavior of other passengers but didnt notice any myself. As always, we met several wonderful couples and had great conversation. Sorry for the length and scattershot nature of this. If you are still reading and couldnt tell we love Mariner. We never felt crowded, the sea views are great, the value it there, and we will see her again in October. 
Brad

Just read in a FB group that she’s headed to Victoria on 9/6 for dry dock repairs until 9/16. So another sailing will be cancelled as well. That’s a bummer. Heard she hit some ice that damaged the propulsion system 

We just returned from a cruise out of Galveston cruise port. Most organized embarkation/debarkation process we have experienced. Very organized. Transfer using Royal to Hobby was about $ 35 each. 

I am on Liberty right now and someone just posted in our roll call group this morning that several of their family members had symptoms of Norovirus and they were isolated for a day or two. 

So, I asked this very question a few weeks ago.  It seems that this may vary by ship.  Last year on Oasis, this wasn't explicitly offered (and I did not ask).  I just got off of Allure last week, and the Suite Concierges Nadja and MJ left a message on our room phones the night before informing us that they would expedite our departure in each port AND they went out of their way to tell everyone in Costal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge they could do this as well.  They offered priority debarkation from the suite lounge beginning as soon as the ship was cleared, then every 15 minutes after that for the first 60-90 minutes in port.  They used their "Magic Key" to grab an express elevator from deck 17 to the gangway, then you went straight to the security station to have your SeaPass cards scanned.  It was a fantastic perk!

Neither Houston airport (IAH or Hobby) is close to Galveston Island.  You will need at the very minimum one hour and 15 minutes transit time between airport and the Island.  Can't stress enough that traffic can be a real factor.  I've lived in the Houston area for 30-plus years. If there is any way to fly in the day before, please do.

The Freedom is a large ship with excellent amenities and plenty of perks for being in a suite.  You might ask the Concierge if they could book you a private party with bar tender in one of the lounges.  I've attended something similar to this on board the Oasis several years ago.  Best of luck, enjoy your cruise!!
Bill