Galveston Steve

I must agree and have posted similarly after our cruise last year. There was something magical about a crew that anticipated a face to face exchange of envelopes on the last day. That drove better service in my opinion. Making it automatic is more convenient for all parties involved but takes that incentive away.

If you end up with limited vegan options in the Main Dining Room, your best bet for vegan dishes is probably the Windjammer Cafe. I was eating vegan and gluten free a while back. Although I didn't stay strictly vegan on the cruise, I tried to eat mostly vegan and found a number of good options in the Windjammer. There are usually some asian and Indian dishes, salads, beans, etc. Another way to meet people: There are usually several trivia contests each day in the Schooner Bar. You might show up, find a group near your age, and ask them if you can join their team. My son was 21 when we went to Alaska and 22 when we sailed to the Caribbean... he had a lot of fun at the trivia games.

I am Platinum and have seen the discount on the website a few times. For our 2016 Alaska cruise I originally booked it through Royal Caribbean's website and received a $100 discount as a "C&A Balcony Suite Discount" with the BOGOHO sale. It was applied automatically when I was logged in. Then they announced the 30 for 30 sale and I re-booked through my normal travel agent but the C&A discount dropped to $70 (same cabin, same dates). So yes, I can verify that the discount does actually exist but not on all sailings.

There are some pretty disappointing stories here. Most of us are supposed to be Royal Caribbean's best customers, yet many feel unappreciated. I hope they wake up soon and figure out how to truly run a loyalty program that makes their best customers feel special. There is a gold mine of "lessons learned" in just the above posts, not to mention elsewhere on these message boards and Royal Caribbean could learn a lot here. Another take-away from the above posts is that as a Royal Caribbean Blog participant I am now better informed and know what to expect from RCI as a Crown & Anchor member. If they don't deliver on the promises of the program, I will work my way up the chain of command until they either deliver or at least they know that I am not a happy cruiser. We have always received a sheet in our cabin with a listing of the C&A offers that were loaded on our seapass, and have always been invited to the welcome back receptions. I have also seen a C&A discount on some of the cruise pricing on the website, and received this discount on a recent booking. My issue is that most of these "perks" are quite small... a cup of coffee or a free glass of wine isn't worth a lot. That small perk would be so much more meaningful if it were delivered properly... for example, if I went to Cafe Lattetudes, ordered a cup of coffee, and had the server say something like "Mr. ____ I see that you are a Platinum member. Let me redeem your coupon and get you this cup for free as a small token of our appreciation for your Loyalty to Royal Caribbean." That would mean SO much more to me than leaving it up to ME to remember to ASK for it, and HOPE it was actually loaded on my seapass. It's a little thing but the technology is there to make these perks much more personal and meaningful than the few dollars that they actually save me on the cruise. We turned Platinum on our last cruise. Like monctonguy it will be interesting to see how our pins are delivered on our next cruise.

It's hard to tell, but it's been sort of crazy the way RCI has been running a sale every other week lately. I really don't know what they are thinking with this kind of strategy.

Thanks DocLC. I've corrected my post. Yes, it might be stretching it a bit to call a ship with an ice skating rink and a surfrider "midsize". I'm looking forward to booking future cruises on both "large" and "small" RCI ships.

We will seriously considering booking her after the makeover. We have only sailed on the "mid-size" ships so far (Radiance and Voyager class) and are doing a Freedom class later this year. I'm really interested to try the smaller, potentially less crowded Majesty after the makeover. We may take my dad, who has trouble getting around, and the smaller Majesty might be better than walking around the larger ships. And with Izumi and Sabor how can you lose?

One for me, one for the wife! Definitely packing these for September!

I'll be on Brilliance out of Boston in September, going to Saint John, NB and Halifax. Any suggestions for what to do in those cities would be appreciated. Currently I'm planning to explore the cities on foot, but is there anything special we should be sure to do? By the way, an Alaska cruise is a must.

Thanks for this great tip Don! I think I found the website here:http://jamaicaculinarytours.com/tours/view/falmouth_food_tour_868291713#.VZ3UlUo8KrU It's highly rated on Trip Advisor and will be a perfect tour for my wife and I on the inaugural sailing of Liberty of the Seas from Galveston in November. That's what these message boards are all about! UPDATE: We did this tour in November 2015 and loved it! Our two guides were very knowledgeable in the food and history of Jamaica. We felt very comfortable strolling through Falmouth with our local guides. This is a great option that is affordable and very organized. They have a booth right at the port, so it is very convenient.

I hope so! That would be a change of pace from many of the typical Caribbean ports.

Thanks for posting the video Michel. Its interesting to see some nice innovation from Carnival on this ship. Although it's not quite the WOW of some of the RCI innovations its a pretty snazzy ship and a great video. I agree with Matt and love to see the competition.

Thanks for the shout-out DocLC. It looks like cruise-y found my post but here's the link in case anyone else is looking for it:http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php/topic/568-all-things-galveston-answers-to-your-questions/ I sailed on Navigator last July out of Galveston and my take on the Texas theme is this: there's only enough country to please those who want to look for it. There was a very good country band that played some of the venues, but I really don't remember any other country themed music. There was a 70's theme night on the Promenade, an Elton John impersonator, the excellent Navigator of the Seas orchestra that could play everything from jazz to rock to classics, and a couple of caribbean-theme groups that played the different venues. I recall a wide variety of music that allowed everyone to find something they like. I'm really excited about Liberty of the Seas arriving in November and think this will be a great addition to the Port of Galveston.

Welcome! We are looking forward to visiting Halifax aboard Brilliance of the Seas this fall!

Congratulations Matt! This is definitely a useful, informative, and fun blog!

It's definitely easy to use it up. As a last resort I always figure I can use it for shopping on the last day. My last cruise I spent the remainder on a nice watch that I just couldn't live without. My wife was very understanding.

I know some guys who went to college at the University of Miami in the 1970's. They used to talk about how they would go to the port and figured out how to walk up to the desk, glance at the guest list and pick a name, then tell the agent they were visiting that person. They easily received a guest pass for an afternoon of excitement on board. I'm not sure they broke any laws, but I guess the statute of limitations has expired just in case. Some things have changed forever.

Great points. That's why you are the master.

I think Matt is right... he IS a small town pizza lawyer (as I am)... he's also probably right that the port could physically handle the larger ship. Liberty is only 92 feet longer so they could probably work around that for a while if necessary. I believe the issue is passenger count. Liberty carries 410 more passengers than Navigator on a double occupancy basis (3,686 vs. 3,276). That means the passenger terminal, baggage handling, customs & immigration must all handle 12.5% more capacity with Liberty. If you read my original post above and posts from some other Galveston passengers you see that Galveston's Terminal 2 is already stretched to capacity. If Liberty arrives and must use the current passenger terminal, embarkation and disembarkation days will be even more challenged. My wife and I (along with at least one other contributor on this message board) are booked on the first Liberty sailing out of Galveston in November. I sure hope they get back on track! Will RCL pull out of Galveston if the terminal isn't finished? I don't know what the contract says, but at this point they have a lot of passengers booked out of Galveston, so it would cause some financial hardship to pull out on such short notice. Galveston is busting at the seams and 5 cruise ships will be sailing from here by late this year. They are studying ways to build a third terminal and that can't come too soon in my opinion.

I love sea days too. I would love to cross over to Europe, tour over there for a week or two, then return on a transatlantic crossing. Looks like there are two of us Texans that would be interested!

This post and a couple others are solidifying my dream to take a Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise when I retire in a couple years. I would love to take one both ways but I don't think that works out due to the way they position ships by season. We will probably have to fly one way. Thanks.

I have not noticed any further construction progress on Galveston's expansion of Cruise Terminal 2, meant to accommodate Liberty of the Seas when she arrives on November 13, 2015. A recent article in the Galveston Daily News reports that unexpected soil conditions have caused a re-design of the foundation for part of the new building, which has slowed the project. The Port Director is quoted as saying the goal is still to have "substantial completion" of the new building in time for the arrival of Liberty of the Seas. The larger Liberty of the Seas will replace Navigator of the Seas as Royal Caribbean's Galveston-based cruise ship. A wharf expansion and mooring upgrades are also part of the project. These upgrades are required under the terms of contracts that the Port of Galveston has signed with Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines.

My thoughts exactly Doc. My thoughts exactly.

Of all the beverage packages, the soda package is the easiest one to get you money's worth. Another advantage over the other packages is that you just hand your souvenir cup to the bartender, tell them what you want, and they fill it up for you. With the other packages the bartenders usually print a receipt and make you sign (presumably hoping you will add an additional tip!) Enjoy your cruise on Liberty, and we will expect a full report! We sail on Liberty's first Galveston departure in November!

In my opinion you have been a great contributor on these message boards, and we are on here to hear a variety of opinions. Keep your opinions coming! I felt the same way as you do on my first few cruises, but I can see both sides of the story. For RCL to provide the specialty restaurants it does take space on the ship (space is very valuable on a ship), additional staff, separate menu planning, etc. All that does cost money and for those who want the specialty experience it may be worth it. After trying ALL of the specialty restaurants on Navigator last year I have to say I really enjoyed the variety of dining experiences. Unfortunately our decision to try all the specialty restaurants was because of a terrible experience with our MDR waiter, which is kind of two wrongs making a right (poor service drove me to pay extra for the specialty dining, but we really enjoyed it). On the flip side, I've taken cruises and tried to spend virtually nothing while on board and really get my money's worth, which makes for an enjoyable cruise as well. I guess on a cruise ship it's hard to have a bad vacation.