Galveston Steve

Just booked Liberty of the Seas, inaugural 9-day cruise from Galveston on Nov 13, 2016!

...for us on Navigator we were on deck, crowded like sardines, but with a great view of Galveston. To my surprise, a coworker and his wife appeared at our muster station. I had no idea he was even on our cruise until then. But I digress.

I love most things about living in Galveston and cruising from here, but I agree that waiting in the Customs line here is horrible. I wrote to the Port Director about our experience. Hopefully they address it when they expand Terminal 2 for Liberty of the Seas this year. I'm definitely doing self-assist debarkation for all future cruises no matter which port!

It was our first RCCL cruise: Serenade in Alaska. Our first meal on Day 1 (Windjammer) and touring the ship on Day 1 hooked me -- great food, great service, and a sexy ship really made a great impression. The Alaska scenery didn't hurt either.

I agree with your conclusion, but to clarify: we bought the Royal Replenesh package because it includes virtually all non-alcoholic drinks (bottled water, sparkling water, all Starbucks drinks, non-alcoholic bar drinks, coke, etc.) not just coke. We drink a lot of bottled water and I found it a hassle to stop at a bar many times during the day to buy a water and wait for the server to print a ticket for us to sign every time. I also found myself drinking drinks that I really didn't need just because I had the package. You really must drink early and often every day just to break even on the packages. Next time I would have a case of water delivered to our cabin and pay for any other drinks as we go. I would save a lot of money that way. You still have an opportunity to buy the souvenir cups for $5 each (6 for $25) near the end of the cruise.

Agree with Matt... we will need a full report!

Thanks for all the info Michelle! We really enjoyed the hot rocks at Izumi on Navigator. Lots of fun!

I posted the Navigator Cruise Compass from our July 13 cruise and it has a notice on the Day 1 pages. Texas law limits the selection of alcoholic beverages that will be available but only until they reach international waters. They also state this will limit the number of bars that will be open until they reach international waters. After that it is full speed ahead as far as bar operations go. We definitely saw people ordering drinks before we sailed. Pre-ordered bottles of wine are the only thing that is delayed until Monday.

I'm not a big drinker, but I was impressed by the Bionic Bar. Once again Royal Caribbean goes outside the box. In this case they blend two things that many cruisers are interested in, booze and technology, in a uniquely Royal way. I just continue to be amazed by the innovation of this company. The other thing is the 40,000 tablets... one for every crew member in the fleet. I think this will indirectly benefit us cruisers because the crew will be more motivated by being able to stay in touch with family and friends. It will also give Royal a big edge in recruiting the best crew members and ups the game in employee satisfaction. Innovative.

Maybe someone sailing on Vision would be willing to get one for you. A quick google and eBay search came up dry. You might want to keep an eye on eBay in case someone tries to sell one.

I study the deck plans, research the ports, hang out here and read Matt's blog. But I have made a big mistake by booking so far in advance too. If a good deal pops up maybe I will book a "cruise before the cruise".

We bought these plastic luggage tag sleeves for our recent cruise. The tags that you print out fit perfectly in them and you don't have to worry about staples, tape, or a little rain that could make the ink run. They are reusable, so we hope to get many cruises out of them! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PGOCUE/ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?tag=royalcacom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B009PGOCUE&adid=0EEPJ0R7W2T5J4692MN8&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Frcm.amazon.com%2Fe%2Fcm%3Flt1%3D_blank%26bc1%3DFFFFFF%26IS2%3D1%26nou%3D1%26bg1%3DFFFFFF%26fc1%3D000000%26lc1%3D0000FF%26t%3Droyalcacom-20%26o%3D1%26p%3D8%26l%3Das1%26m%3Damazon%26f%3Difr%26ref%3Dqf_sp_asin_til%26asins%3DB009PGOCUE

And I thought we were the only ones . Looks like the loyalty program is working!

This is a great point... I think that sometimes it's the people who aren't satisfied that tend to publicly air their discontent.

I forgot to say that there is complementary milk (white and chocolate) in the Windjammer for breakfast. I don't remember if it was also available for lunch and dinner.

Welcome Michael and Kathy! You will enjoy Navigator!

You can't beat Southwest for free checked bags and no cancellation fees!

For MDR breakfast and lunch you just walk up and they seat you immediately, usually at a table with other guests. Windjammer buffet serves all three meals and is open fairly long hours. They close for an hour or so between meals to get set up. On port days we found the Windjammer was open for lunch until 4 pm to accommodate people returning from excursions. Room service is available 24 hours for free but there is a small charge between midnight and 5 am. There is also typically another snack shop open 24 hours with light snacks. Check the cruise compass each day for restaurant hours. There are many options. There are many Cruise Compasses posted on this website that you can review to get a feel for the hours also.

Breakfast has complimentary coffee, tea, and some juices (fresh squeezed is extra). Lunch and dinner has iced tea, lemonade, coffee.

I sailed on Navigator in July. I have not read the reviews that you reference but my experience was this: I felt the service on NOS was overall a bit below what I have experienced in the past on Royal Caribbean. We had a disappointing experience with our main dining room waiter (no personality and he just went through the motions), and some of the bartenders also seemed to be just going through the motions. However we had some great service in some other areas: specialty restaurants were all top notch, Starbucks was excellent and friendly, the shops were very knowledgeable and helpful. The wine bar had exceptional service! My previous Royal Caribbean cruises had been consistently spectacular in terms of service, so maybe I went in with too high expectations. I also wondered if maybe we just hit a bad week. Bottom line: I would go back on Navigator in a heartbeat. We had a great time and I look back on this cruise as a wonderful vacation. Go in expecting to have a good time because you will. The crew are human beings and maybe some will have a bad day, but overall I think you will have a great time! Let us know how it turns out! PS: I have several other posts on here that talk about our experience last month. Also feel free to ask more questions because several of us have been on Navigator recently.

I agree.

That's correct from my memory of Navigator recently. I liked the Bora Bora Brew (pineapple juice, grenadine, ginger ale) but can't remember any others. They also had a junior cruisers drink of the day that was obviously non-alcoholic and stated it was for junior cruisers or older cruisers. I never tried them but most of them sounded good also.

We love living in Galveston. It's one of those places that you have to spend some time in, explore a little, and understand the history before you really feel the attraction to this island. I am glad to have a job close enough to the Gulf so we can live here.

We had the Royal Replenish package on Navigator ($20/day) and were able to get anything on the Starbucks menu. I shamelessly tried most of menu.

Excellent information from Matt. I highly recommend researching on Google and then making a reservation on line, especially if you want an indoor or covered space as these sell out. Prepaying also usually gets you about a 10% discount. The closest (probably only) indoor option is also walkable to the ship: http://www.galvestonparkncruise.com I have used them twice and they are nice people. You can drop your bags at the pier and then go park your car and walk back to the ship. You can prepay for "official" Port of Galveston parking here and receive a discount: http://www.portgalvestonparking.com I have driven past all of the private lots, and the "official" lot and they are all fenced and gated. Some may be a little nicer than others but I would have no hesitation using any of them. Prices vary based on distance from the ship and whether the spaces are open, covered, or indoor. They are all only a short shuttle ride to the ship and some are walkable. Political note: the Port charges the private lots a fee for their shuttles to drop people off. Same for taxis and busses. The Port just raised these fees 261% on the private lot operators which caused many to raise their rates. They weren't happy. The private lots tend to be less expensive than the "official" Port parking and the Port is trying to close that gap. If you don't have a reservation you will always find plenty of outdoor parking available at the "official" Port parking lots.