Galveston Steve

The first person you will be greeted by when arriving at the cruise terminal is someone trying to direct you to the proper security lane. They will ask to see your SetSail Pass so they can point you to the correct line. The second person you will meet is the security person. They will ask to see your passport and SetSail Pass, similar to going through TSA security at the airport. The next person will be someone trying to direct you to the proper check-in line. They will ask to see your SetSail Pass in order to point you to the proper line based on your Crown & Anchor status, Suite guest, etc. The next person will be the check-in person behind the counter. If you don't have your SetSail Pass I suppose they can help you fill out the paperwork at that point. However by that time you have already met at least two other people who need to see your SetSail Pass in order to help you, and a security person who needs to ensure you have the proper documentation (similar to TSA at the airport). Do yourself a favor and check in online and print out your SetSail pass. Your experience on embarkation day will be much less stressful.

Stayed in one on Liberty a couple times and liked it. I liked the little bit of extra seating on the bay window and room was less claustrophobic than a regular interior. We were never bothered by noise as it seemed pretty sound resistant. Follow the other advice above to make sure you aren't right over a pub or other noisy area (of course that is standard advice for booking any room).

Galveston will have 3 RCCL ships as of May 2019. Liberty and Enchantment will be in Galveston through 2019, while Vision is booking Galveston through the Summer months so far. No word yet on whether those 3 ships will all remain in Galveston "year round". Vision just left Galveston last month and is in Barcelona for the Summer, will go to New Orleans for the Winter, and be back in Galveston next Spring, so you could call Vision "seasonal" in Galveston. It's pretty easy to verify the busiest cruise ports... nobody is even close to Galveston for 4th busiest in the USA. Let's recap... year-round ships home-ported in Galveston are: Liberty of the Seas Carnival Breeze (To be replaced by Carnival Vista 23 Sep 2018) Carnival Freedom Carnival Valor Enchantment of the Seas (Arrives 6 May 2019) Seasonal ships in Galveston are: Vision of the Seas (Returning 16 Apr 2019) Disney Wonder (Annual Winter Holidays Nov-Jan)

The last time I checked, Enchantment arrives in Galveston May 6, 2019 for year-round 4-5 day sailings. Vision will return to Galveston on March 11, 2019, also doing 4-5 night cruises. Galveston's aging port director retired last year. The new port director, Rodger Rees, came on board this year and was previously the Deputy Executive Director and CFO at Port Canaveral. He was interviewed this month and here are a few highlights: “We’re in talks with a cruise line right now about facilitating a larger class of cruise ship in Galveston,” he explains. “The largest cruise ships can carry more than 6,000 passengers, with about 2,000 crew members. We’re looking into the possibility of building a terminal that will allow the Port of Galveston to accomodate that size of ship.” Assuming those negotiations have a positive outcome, Rees expects a new facility to be in place that can service the largest cruise ships by 2021. “There are infrastructure needs here, but during my time at Port Canaveral we did a lot of new construction. I’m confident that I’ll be able to use this experience positively at the Port of Galveston.” “I think we could possibly introduce two new cruise terminals in the next decade or so."

Last October we used Uber from our hotel on Broadway near 54th to Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal. It was a Monday mid-morning and the fare was $75. Very convenient as we didn't have to haul cruise luggage on the subway/ferry, if you are ok with the cost.

My wife got injured a couple days before a cruise on Vision last year. We rented a scooter from Scootaround with much success. It was waiting in our stateroom when we arrived on board, and we just left it in the stateroom for them to pick up after the cruise. You will see these scooters on all of the Royal ships and all the ships are very well designed to accomodate scooters and wheelchairs. I do agree that some areas of the ship are a little tricky, such as the dining rooms and elevators. My wife was mobile enough that we could park the scooter outside the restaurant and walk with a cane to the table. The staff were very good about sitting us at a table near the entrance when they noticed she was using a cane. My wife was a bit self-conscious about driving it at first, especially on the elevators, but she got comfortable with it fairly quickly. We did take the scooter off the ship in Bermuda because we were staying in the port area, but we did not take it off in any of the other ports. Most of the ports are not well suited to wheelchair and scooter access as they do not have the same regulations that the USA has regarding accessibility. On a larger, newer ship like Allure you should have no problem and will be glad to have the scooter on such a large ship. I’m sure you will find the staff very helpful to accommodate your needs. One other note, we also had them deliver a wheelchair to our hotel in New York City since we arrived several days prior to the cruise. They delivered the wheelchair to the front desk, and we just dropped it back off at the front desk as we checked out. Very convenient.

We have used essential oil diffusers on a number of cruises with no issues. As you point out, they don’t use much power and don’t get hot. My wife won’t cruise without a diffuser any more.

Just updated the original post and wanted to pull it back to the top of the list since I see a lot of people planning cruises from Galveston.

Agree with @bhageerah ... they ask for your Set Sail pass to gain access to the terminal, then they want to see it when Homeland Security checks your passport before passing through security. They will be holding up the lines at security if they don’t have their Set Sail pass printed ahead of time.

We always stop at Guest Services as soon as we board. They will punch a hole in it so you can use a lanyard with a clip. They also sell lanyards with plastic pouches on board (sometimes in the terminal waiting area) and a lot of people use those. I tend to use a lanyard during the day when walking around the ship, but at night I just carry the card in my pocket since I’m a little more dressed up. My wife has a casual lanyard for day and a “dressy” lanyard for evening.

Remember, you are in a foreign country. If you miss the ship for any reason (taxi or bus breaks down, you get injured or ill, get arrested, stuck in traffic, or any other delay) you can’t leave the country without a passport. I always use a passport (even though a birth certificate or passport card is acceptable to board a Caribbean cruise) and I always carry my passport ashore. Otherwise your day goes from bad to worse while you wade through the red tape of getting out of the country. Also, you can not use a passport card for air travel, so if all you have is a passport card and you miss the ship, you can NOT just board the next flight off the island... and if they won’t accept a valid passport card at the airport, what do you think they will say when you show them your phone with a photo of your passport... or a paper copy? At least with a passport you have a chance to catch a flight to the next port and resume your cruise instead of waiting for a day or two to get a replacement.

Yes your travel agent or a call to Royal can link the reservations as discussed above, but for MTD I think you want to book it online. I have successfully linked MTD reservations by using reservation numbers and last names on Oasis. That was last year. If you still can't do it online I'd call and have them do it. As a software developer the RCL website must drive you crazy! It's especially bad on Safari.

This seems like a good deal. The only disadvantage I can think of is that Royal Caribbean books the reservations for you at the time that they choose. You can always change it once you get on board but that is kind of a hassle and in my experience the prime time dining slots sell out quickly. I like to book my own time and know which restaurant I'm going to on which day. The cost savings for the BOGO deal is good though.

I played Cinnamon Hill a few years ago during a Royal Caribbean stop in Montego Bay. I was a very nice course with water views from most of the holes. My son and I really enjoyed the experience. They do require that you use one of their caddies but they were very helpful. We booked through the ship on that cruise and it wasn't cheap. You just need to compare and consider the costs of greens fee, cart rental, caddie (if required), shoe rental, club rental, and transportation to/from the course. I don't remember it being crowded at all, but that it can vary depending on whether there is an event scheduled. We also played in Cozumel once and it wasn't crowded but they were getting set up to host a large group later in the day.

Thanks for the review. You mentioned the antenna replacement that delayed your departure. I happened to do a periscope broadcast of the antenna replacement that day if anyone is interested. It was a busy weekend in Galveston with the commissioning of the USS Giffords. I also did a periscope broadcast of your delayed departure as you sailed past the USS Giffords.

I have used both EZ Cruise Parking and Galveston Park N Cruise. Both are very reputable and have very friendly and helpful staff. EZ Cruise being outdoor is less expensive. We did the "park and walk" option which saved even more money if you want a discount. Just drop your bags at the ship, drive to the EZ Cruise lot, and walk a few blocks back to the ship. That could be an issue if it's raining though! They also have a shuttle bus if you don't want to walk. Park N Cruise is great if you want indoor. It's very walkable as others above have said. No matter which option you choose, be sure to pre-pay online to make sure you have a spot and to get a discount. Enjoy!

I agree with this post. We have walked it several times successfully but it can be hot. You will want to carry some water with you. Depending on the age of the kids you need to take into account their fitness. The Mega store is located on the main road that goes into San Miguel. The store is nice and modern (your description as a Wal-Mart type store is correct). They seem to have much better pricing than other tourist shops because they are geared toward locals. My wife and I have felt very safe on the walk and when shopping in the Mega store. If you are up for walking several miles and enjoying the beautiful view of the water it's definitely an option. You may want to take a taxi on the return trip if you are tired and hot, and have shopping bags to carry.

That's interesting. Her current plan does indeed include a return to Europe after the Galveston itineraries, but then she is scheduled to do a couple Panama Canal runs followed by being home ported in New Orleans beginning December 2018. I must say that I have heard rumors by multiple crew members on other ships which later were contradicted when I talked to the Captain. When new itineraries were released it turned out that the Captain had the correct information. You may be right and the rumors may be correct, but remember they are just rumors.

Yes, we are excited about Bermuda. That's a place we've always wanted to cruise to. Never been to Progreso but I know Carnival goes there from Galveston, so that tells me something. As the last port on this 14 day adventure, we may stick close to the ship in Progreso. Congrats on the move to the Space Coast. You are now in the epicenter of cruise port heaven with lots of choices.

We were just informed (with no explanation) that the Vision of the Seas repositioning cruise from Cape Liberty to Galveston, departing Oct 23, 2017 will no longer stop in Labadee. We will visit Bermuda instead. Seems like a win, although it would have been nice to see Labadee since we have never been there before. Any thoughts on why this change would have been made or if it's a good thing? Here's our new itinerary: Cape Liberty Cruising King's Wharf Bermuda Cruising Cruising Bonaire Curacao Aruba Cruising Grand Cayman Cozumel Costa Maya Progreso (Yucatan) Cruising Galveston Pretty good itinerary.

Yes it does! We booked it last year and are really looking forward to it!

Wow that is unusual to have 2 on the same cruise!

I went straight to the top and spoke to the Captain this morning. He says that with the new deployments to be announced soon, Liberty of the Seas will stay in Galveston through at least 2019. He says that Liberty is doing well in Galveston and sees no reason for RCCL to make a change at this time. He said he was not informed about any changes for Vision of the Seas regarding her 4 & 5 night cruises.

That's what I'm expecting.

We spoke to another crew member this evening who confirmed that Liberty will reposition from Galveston to Bayonne, NJ (Cape Liberty) in 2018. Still no word on a replacement ship for Galveston. Remember you heard it on Royal Caribbean Blog first!