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Galveston Steve

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Everything posted by Galveston Steve

  1. Yes, I'm in Galveston. Yes, Liberty of the Seas arrives next fall. There is a repositioning cruise that looks really good to bring Liberty here. You need to do Navigator now and Liberty next fall!
  2. We were on Navigator last week. Here is a rundown: Welcome Aboard with NOS Orchestra and a comedian: pretty good. NOS Orchestra is amazing in their musical ability. Comedian was good but at least PG-13. He had an "adult" show later in the week at a later time. Production Showtime with NOS Orchestra and Royal Caribbean Singers/Dancers: Very good with contemporary Broadway theme. Late Night Comedy: didn't go to this, but he was pretty funny on the first night. Ice Dancin' Spectacular: yes, this was spectacular and I'm not a big skating fan. High energy, great music and lighting effects, very professional. About 12-13 skaters on the ice. Almost Elton John: a highlight for me. This guy is funny, a very good singer/pianist, and is backed by the amazing NOS Orchestra. Love & Marriage Game Show: missed this but caught it replaying on the TV. Very funny and worth attending. Production Showtime with Royal Caribbean Singers/Dancers. Numerous ballroom dancing displays and recorded music. We stopped in for a few minutes, but not our favorite style. Big Band Fun: the NOS Orchestra played big band music in the Royal Promenade and blew the top off of it! Can you tell we loved these guys? Soul Funktion: Soul/Funk music performed by three guest singers backed by the NOS Orchestra. The guest singers were good, not great. They had a drummer that played with NOS Orchestra and he was pretty amazing. Some contrived humor that didn't work for me, but worth seeing. Action Comedy of Rick Novell: This started slow for about 3 minutes because I didn't know what to expect… from then on I was rolling on the floor laughing. Very talented comedian, juggler, unicycle rider. Really used the crowd well. Lots of fun. There were also a number of evenings when they had entertainment in the Royal Promenade. That really drew a crowd and was a lot of fun to sit in one of the bars and enjoy the atmosphere. Of course there were other bands playing the various bars on the ship. Country/rock, caribbean, piano man, etc. Bottom line: most of the entertainment was very good. It depends on what styles you like, but there is something for everybody and you should enjoy most of it quite a bit. I hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise on Navigator!
  3. Thanks Matt. This really is turning into a great community.
  4. The cruise card (sea pass) is yours to keep! It makes a nice souvenir and record of your cruises. The lanyards are available in the onboard shops and are available in several styles with the Royal Caribbean logos on them. I don't remember if they had the ship name on any of them.
  5. We saw a number of people using the magnetic whiteboards on their cabin doors and thought it was a good idea, unless you are concerned with privacy. One other option similar to the whiteboards but more private is to simply leave a message on the stateroom phone. The other person has to check it but it does work well for letting people know where you will be if they want to meet up. You can dial the stateroom number from any house phone, such as in the elevator lobbies. When you dial, the phone displays the name of the person who booked the cabin so you get confirmation that you dialed the right number.
  6. On Navigator, Cafe Promenade had a full bar available in addition to the Starbucks/Cafe/Ben&Jerrys. Since it was open 24 hours I guess you always have that as an option if everything else is closed.
  7. On Navigator last week: on days at sea they handed out towels poolside without doing any tracking. On port days you had to give your cabin number when getting towels poolside, and they checked you off when you returned the towels later in the day. They also had towels available as you disembarked. You could take ashore as many as you wanted but they wrote down your cabin number and charged $25 for any towels not returned. This was very convenient when going ashore.
  8. Also the Windjammer buffet always has lots of vegetarian options with Indian food, Asian, beans, salads, etc. And they are all excellent. I was trying to eat vegan a couple years ago on Serenade of the Seas and was pretty successful… for a while (I found myself tempted by the other amazing options, so I did get away from my vegan diet). But as Matt says, you should not have any issues.
  9. Navigator of the Seas - 13 July 2014 Brilliance of the Seas - 27 September 2015
  10. Hi everyone, I'm Steve. My wife and I love cruising but need to increase our frequency! We've been on Carnival, Costa, and Premier (remember "The Big Red Boat"? We were on their final voyage). After sailing on Serenade in Alaska we were hooked on Royal Caribbean. From our condo in Galveston we are cruise nerds... watching Navigator of the Seas and the Carnival ships come and go each week, wishing we were onboard. That wish comes true this month when we board Navigator! Thanks for all the great stories and advice from Matt and everyone on the message boards!
  11. Well I can't believe that it's been 24 years since I sailed on Carnival. That probably disqualifies me on this thread but my perception is that Royal Caribbean is just a step above on service, food quality, entertainment quality. I really enjoyed my two Carnival cruises years ago but noticed this step up when we sailed Royal Caribbean. I will say that the thing that I think really sets Royal Caribbean apart is innovation. They always seem to be a step ahead of the competition. Innovations like the rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, virtual balconies, helipads, Broadway shows, dynamic dining, and many others set Royal apart from most other cruise lines, including Carnival. I'm really excited to board Navigator here in Galveston next week and check out the refurbishments.
  12. I understand that all rooms were refurbished. The upgrade happened in February so the website just hasn't updated the pictures yet. I'm sailing on Navigator in a couple of weeks and can confirm after that.
  13. Back in 1988 we used the treadmills on Carnival Celebration to offset the mass quantity of food we were eating. I loved the treadmill so much that we bought one. Now that we are loyal to Royal Caribbean I love the full gym and spa facilities on their ships. It started on that first ship with walks on the treadmill. Now I'm a runner and enjoy the jogging track, or treadmill if the weather is bad. We usually hit the gym and track first thing to start the day and also spend some time afterward relaxing in the hot tub or sauna. Starting the day with a vigorous workout seems to make the wonderful meals even more enjoyable.
  14. My first cruise was on Carnival Celebration back in 1988. I had been traveling for work 5 days a week, every week, for over a year. This included domestic and international travel. i just wanted to sleep in the same bed for a week and relax. My wife had been at home so she was ready to travel! She came up with the cruise idea and I thought it was a great solution! I could relax, be pampered, wake up in a different port of call every day, and still sleep in the same bed for the whole week. I loved it! Back then we weren't as connected to work via email and cell phone as we are now, but being able to tell my colleagues at work that they can't get in touch with me for a week is also a great reason to cruise. I just can't believe that 26 years later we haven't been on more cruise ships… I plan to make up for some lost time.
  15. My response is a little tardy since your Navigator cruise has already happened, but maybe this will help others. I live in Galveston and would recommend the following: Fly into HOU (Houston Hobby). It's much closer than IAH and you won't have the Houston traffic to deal with. You can arrange a Towne Car or Suburban in advance and the fare from HOU to Port of Galveston should be about $120 plus tip. http://www.townecarhouston.com or you can also use Cool Tours which is a Galveston business and can accommodate any size group and may be a little less expensive depending on the group size: https://cooltoursgalveston.com/shuttle-cruise-package-from-hobby-airport-hou/ There are a couple of hotels near the port and the historic Strand District in Galveston. It's a great idea to arrive a day early and enjoy the island ambiance. The Harbor House (http://www.harborhousepier21.com) is very convenient to the ship and to many nice restaurants, museums, and shopping. The Tremont House (http://www.thetremonthouse.com) is also very walkable with wheeled luggage. The Tremont House is a Wyndham Hotel located in a beautiful historic building. The Tremont's rooftop bar has wonderful views of the island and port area. Fog was an issue in the Houston/Galveston area over the winter, but Royal Caribbean and Carnival seemed to fare better than the Caribbean Princess that sailed from Houston. Barring weather, and all ships have to deal with that, the ships seem to arrive and depart pretty much on time from Galveston. Galveston also has very easy access to open Gulf waters, unlike Houston and New Orleans. If anyone has questions about sailing from Galveston or the local area, feel free to message me.
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