Galveston Steve

I have to give credit to my wife for an additional theory: why would they pay to ship all of the materials and equipment to the Bahamas when they could load them onto their own ship here in Galveston and transport them to Freeport.

I think you are right about loading supplies. The "Cruise Cam" shows supplies being loaded by three cranes onto the ship all day today. Liberty has just sailed from Galveston tonight around 8:00 pm local time.

I'm glad to hear the Loyalty Ambassador comped you at Chops. That's a nice gesture. My wife and I were talking today and agreed that based on your exprience we would try not to take the last couple of sailings before a refurbishment. Of course a good deal on the price might change our minds but at least you go in knowing there could be issues.

Wow! (And not the "Wow" that Royal Caribbean promises). Total failure on their part. I'm glad you are looking on the upside because you still get to spend the next week on Liberty of the Seas!

Sorry to hear about all this hassle DocLC. Hopefully you can leave all the aggravation (and this cold dreary weather) behind when you see that big beautiful ship tomorrow. Have a great voyage and enjoy the warm Caribbean weather this week!

To re-enter the country your passport must be valid (not expired). I think they say six months in case there is a delay in your trip, such as a ship emergency or perhaps you get sick or injured and there is a delay in returning to the US. Four months should be ok in my opinion. If you are a US citizen you may want to consider also bringing the alternative documentation, such as a birth certificate and photo ID just in case Royal Caribbean decides to be fussy when you check in.

On a recent cruise on Liberty of the Seas they showed several games, even though it was just the regular season. They showed Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night NFL games on the big screen by the pool, which was a nice experience. I would think the playoff games would certainly be shown somewhere on the ship, but it does depend on what they can receive via satellite. I would check with guest services when you get on board and make sure they know people want to watch the games.

Depending on what you like to do outdoors, we can provide some suggestions. If any of these sound interesting we can provide some website links and other info. So the question is, what do you like to do outdoors and which of these might sound interesting? 1. Galveston Bay is an important bird estuary and many people come here to bird watch and to photograph birds and the coastal landscape. 2. There is a free vehicle ferry from Galveston Island to Bolivar peninsula. Take your car, enjoy seeing dolphins and the ship traffic on the Houston Ship Channel. Drive the Bolivar Peninsula, a much less populated area with nice coastal scenery. 3. Take an air boat ride and explore the backwaters of Galveston Bay, look for alligators and other wildlife. 4. Take a kayak tour. 5. Take a Harbor Boat Tour and see the sunken ship, dolphins, and the working Port of Galveston. 6. Galveston contains one of the largest and historically significant collections of 19th-century buildings in the United States. Explore the many examples of Victorian Architecture and photograph the Strand area, residential areas, Bishop's Palace, the Bryan Museum. 7. Galveston Island State Park offers hiking trails for seeing birds, wildlife, and nice scenery. They also have an evening "Heavenly Night Walk", a guided walk to learn about the stars from the park ranger (January 1) 8. Deep Sea fishing charter boats 9. Segway tour of Galveston 10. Find the tree sculptures of trees that were destroyed during Hurricane Ike and the remains were carved into beautiful figures 11. Take a ride on a helicopter and see the island from the air 12. Take a flight on a World War II vintage airplane and see Galveston from the air 13. The Railroad museum is obviously a museum, but may be good for photos of vintage rail cars 14. See the fully restored 1877 Tall Ship Elissa (very photogenic) 15. Arrange horseback riding on the beach 16. Walk the Seawall or East Beach and photograph the seawall, the Hotel Galvez, and other beach scenery 17. There are several tour operators, such as a duck boat tour, bus tours, etc. 18. Walk through some of the old cemeteries 19. 5K/10K Run/Walk takes place the morning of January 2 at Galveston Island State Park 20. Rent bicycles and ride along the beach and seawall 21. Spend the afternoon at the Historic Pleasure Pier, a nice amusement park built on a pier over the Gulf of Mexico (great if you have kids or just like to ride amusement rides) Note: the weather here in January can be beautiful, but it can also be cool and possibly rainy. You probably should have an indoor backup plan in case the weather does not cooperate.

We have had the same experience on recent cruises. We elevated the issue to our Head Waiter and that helped a lot. For the rest of the cruise our waiter made a point to ask us each evening if we had a show or other event that we were trying to get to so he could make sure we made it. Before that we had some 2+ hour dinners which were frustrating. Sometimes the specialty restaurants have the same issue. Just let the waiter or head waiter know that you prefer faster service and aren't there for the leisurely dinner that others find enjoyable.

That's crazy that you know that. :)

I have added my dining recommendations to the original post in this thread. If you are coming to Galveston, please consider dining at these recommended restaurants. You only have a short time on the Island and I want to make sure you have a great experience!

Doc, I did not see any sign of a Sabor conversion on Liberty in late November. By the way, I too was confused by the dates they have on the website for the deck plans. I think the dates are in error.

I stand corrected. The additional $300 OBC must have been the November promotion, not a NextCruise promotion. I have edited my original post.

Are you the guy walking under the Texas flag pulling your luggage? That's awesome!

Sorry, but I have not used any of the shuttles. We know the family that owns and operates Galveston Limousine from our church, but have not used any of the Galveston shuttles.

Cyber Monday! Booked on Liberty 12/4/2016. Canceling Explorer on 6/24/2016 though.

Welcome to the message boards, and an early welcome to Galveston! When we did the self-assist disembarkation on Liberty in Galveston, they asked you to go to Guest Services on the day before disembarkation day. We told them we wanted to do self-assist and they gave us a choice of a 7:30 am departure or 8:00 am departure. We said 7:30 and they gave us each a card with that time on it. they now just provide self-assist as an option in the departure handout sheet on the last night of the cruise. No need to sign up, you just go to the specific meeting place noted in the handout. We went to the departure area at 7:00 or 7:30 am and we were among the first to depart. Obviously the earlier you arrive at the gathering point the better. I think you will enjoy the Galvez. It is a wonderful historic hotel. I have not seen the guest rooms, but five U.S. Presidents have stayed there along with many celebrities who performed in Galveston before Las Vegas became the gambling/entertainment capital and took that title from Galveston. Be sure to check out the mini-museum in the basement. They also have a wonderful spa and amazing views of the Gulf. The Galvez has a courtesy shuttle bus that will take you to their other properties (the historic Tremont House Hotel for example) and to the Strand with its shopping and restaurants.

Have to point out on this foggy day on the Texas coast (it's that time of year). Liberty of the Seas and Carnival Magic arrived on time this morning, did their turnaround, and have now sailed and are in the Gulf of Mexico headed to the Caribbean. Meanwhile, it's after 5 pm local time and Caribbean Princess was due in Port of Houston early this morning. Due to the fog she has been, and remains, anchored offshore waiting for the chance to make the 30 mile run up to Houston. Wondering whether to sail from Houston or Galveston? I've seen this repeated many times and the Galveston ships come and go on time while the Houston ships see delay after delay.

This is a little late for your cruise, ctk7, but others may benefit: On our two recent cruises, Brilliance and Liberty, the Cruise Compass has listed the following for most nights, usually at 9:30 pm or later: LGBT Community Mixer (self-led) or Informal LGBT Get-together. They usually take place in the lounge that used to be called the Viking Crown Lounge at the top of the ship. I'm not sure if RCI is doing this across the fleet on just on certain ships.

Royal Caribbean offers 12-bottle cases of Evian bottled water that you can buy online prior to your cruise. These are 1-liter bottles. They are not cheap, but you get a slight discount for buying more than one case. Officially, you are not allowed to bring any coke products onboard Royal Caribbean ships. They do scan the checked luggage and hold any luggage that appears to have bottles or cans in it until you come to the lower decks to claim it. Some people have been successful in carrying limited numbers of bottled water and soft drinks on board by placing then in their carry on luggage.

I think that being on the ship is very safe, and security in and around ports has been heightened since 9/11. All port workers are required to have TWIC cards (Transportation Worker Identification Credential). Getting a TWIC card involves having a background check, fingerprinting, etc. So port workers with access to non-public areas are thoroughly screened. DocLC notes that ships are escorted in and out of port by the Coast Guard. That's what I have observed as well. On Liberty in Galveston we noticed a group of Coast Guardsmen taking a tour of the ship. I believe this was not just a courtesy due to Liberty being new in Galveston, I believe it was to make sure they were familiar with the ship in case they needed to respond to an emergency. Also, the pictures below show the Coast Guard gunboats that escorted us out to the Gulf of Mexico. They patrolled in the Port of Galveston prior to our departure and then escorted us all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Notice in the pictures that the gunboats have a machine gun mounted on the bow with a Coast Guard person manning the gun. Coast Guard Gunboat (foreground) and Pilot Boat (background) - Galveston, Texas - 13 Nov 2015 Liberty of the Seas exiting Galveston Ship Channel and headed to the Gulf of Mexico - Coast Guard Gunboat is the small boat on the right - 13 Nov 2015

We booked with NextCruise on Liberty of the Seas a couple weeks ago. The process was very easy. We used the ship's computer to surf the Royal Caribbean website for free. We found the cruise that we wanted to take and then went to the NextCruise office and told them which date, ship, and cabin we wanted. The NextCruise guy took it from there. We booked a future Liberty sailing for January 2017, balcony cabin. Here was our deal: Cruise pricing was exactly the same as the website (we got a BOGO deal) Deposit was reduced to just $100. Charged it on our credit card. Immediately received a $100 OBC for the cruise we were currently on. Received $300 OBC for the future cruise that we had just booked (The November Promotion) We will also have the booking transferred to our travel agent and get their perks for OBC, etc. The NextCruise office was very busy all week. As others said above, go during the first day or two of your cruise and make an appointment if they are busy. I will definitely try to book onboard from now on. As Matt always says, "It's free money". EDITED: clarified, as others point out below, that the $300 OBC was the November promotion, not part of the NextCruise onboard booking bonus.

I must admit I have been dressing up less on formal nights. Dress pants and jacket with no tie. I will say that on Liberty out of Galveston this month I saw some pretty fancy western wear on some of the folks. It was cool seeing a few old Texans with fancy boots and cowboy hats. That certainly wasn't the norm, but there were a few.

I was just on Liberty (Freedom Class) and did not see the Cigars under the Stars event in the cruise compass. If so I would have been there! I think that's a great idea and hope they do it on more ships. Liberty does have a Connoisseur Club but unfortunately when I stopped in to check it out there were both cigar and cigarette smokers in there. I agree that cigarettes should be banned from a cigar venue. On Serenade several years ago one of the night clubs on the top deck (where many Concierge Lounges are now) was designated for cigar smokers. My son and I lit up in there and enjoyed some live music and a drink with our cigar. The waiter knew cigars and offered to clip and light them for us. That was a nice time and I agree with others that it would be nice to have a venue on the ships that allows cigars as a social event with live music and drinks instead of just a room that you can smoke in.

My wife and I each won a travel wallet thingy that you hang around your neck for winning a trivia contest. The medals that FloatMe won, now that is a prize worth winning!