The sea calls my name

My DH and I are also sailing on the westbound TA in Oct. We love Portside BBQ and are hoping that during the drydock they don't remove it or change it to a different venue. Can you see what you can find out about that. Thanks and enjoy your cruise on this amazing ship. Virginia Lea

This is awesome. I now have the entire cruise at my fingertips. Thank you so much.

Wow, sorry about all the typos and "auto-corrects. Technology IS NOT my friend.

m one of many who are "sailing virtually" with you. I do not remember the date or page number there the revised itinerary was posted. Can you of you wonderful cruisers please either repost it for me or guide me to what page of this thread it is on? Thanks and also a hug thank you to all who are taking precious time out of your amazing adventure to document it for us back at home. Continued prayers for safety as you continue on your journey.

We did our first cruise out of Galveston in March and a young couple with a toddler were denied to get into the UBER they booked because ALL their bags would not fit into the trunk. The driver never got out and would not let them in holding a carryon. He drove off after telling them to call for a bigger car. I felt so sorry for that couple. So if you use Uber make sure you consider the size based on your luggage.

I take up to two boxes every cruise. I put it in my checked luggage. Never had a problem.

To avoid packing extra cups, we order room service the first night for breakfast the next morning. I keep the coffee cup, spoon and coffee carafe in the closet.. Each morning, my DH ( who usually wakes up before the sun( goes and drinks his coffee, then brings me back the full carafe right about the time I am ready for it. It has worked beautifully for us. .

On our TA on Odyssey last April there were 8 different menus. We did a 50/50. Half in the dining room and 1/2 in specialty restaurants. That way we did not repeat any menu. We have done a TA the last two years and have one this fall and also Fall of 2025. On was only Spain ports and the one last April was Spain , France and Italy with a 3 day post-cruise stay in Rome. We have loved every port of call and Transatlantic cruises have become my favorite type of cruise. Both have been on larger ships which gives more options to help keep you busy if you want to be or chill if you don't.

The Show "The Book" in Two70 is amazing. Two tips, the venue is small and IMHO the seats are uncomfortable so we got there about 45 minutes before the show. to get a good seat Second, my advise is don't try to understand the plot. The first time we saw it I got very frustrated trying to understand it and missed the magic of it, our next cruise on her I just enjoyed the show. I concur that Giovanni's wine bar is a wonderful venue and we also enjoyed eating at Giovanni's kitchen a couple of times.. The Teppanyaki restaurant is not only delicious but is in a great location with beautiful views of the ocean. The Solarium is awesome. It is climate controlled and a great place to hang out. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. .

Thank you so much for this. The prices have definitely gone up but still worth it for the amount of food you get.

Sadly, my husband and I did that on a cruise last year. We had only unpacked our toiletries when he looked down at the sea pass cards and saw our error. We did a quick repack and walked the two feet over to our cabin. Amazing how a 4 and a 6 look alike🤣and no we were not rookies but very season travelers, I will blame it on having glasses that were not strong enough.

I have a couple of questions regarding Portside BBQ. My husband and I have enjoyed their food immensely and neither of us could ever eat all they served us. Can you post the current prices and also can you ask if they are leaving this venue on the shi[ after their short drydock in October of 2024?. We are booked for the Oct 24, 2024 Transatlantic cruise following the two week dry dock following its summer in the Mediterranean. I will be extremely disappointed if they remove this venue. Thanks, and a huge congratulations on your dedication to your health and weight loss.

I imagine that maybe what the comments I heard were related to people not being able to enter into the area from outside during that time not vise versa

I went one afternoon to a "family friendly" show. It was not what I expected. I thought that both pianist would be playing simultaneously but that was not the case at all. One played a song told jokes then the next song the other one played. They played what was requested. Just from the comments made to "keep it family friendly" I toke it that at night the jokes etc could have gotten a little "off color". I did not ever go back so hopefully someone else will chime in regarding the night time shows. They were both talented pianist, just not what I was hoping for.

I hope you will be able to exit via the outside promenade deck, but I heard several commit that on several occasions that the promenade exit was blocked off. I personally didn't witness it so don't know if that is accurate but that is what some were saying.

I did have the "Bubble Martini" It was really cool and very tasty. Kind of like a margarita but not the same. I do recommend it .

I know 😰

For those of us traveling with you via this thread, I do so hope that someone will continue on with daily post and pictures for us that will only ever see much of the world though your eyes. Especially with this news blast to appear around the 17th.

Definitely no problem getting your needed steps in ( or unneeded ones as well) 🤣.

True, but with 7 pools, lots of options. What we were told is that It had right at 5000 revenue passengers, the other 400-500 were corporate, special quest etc. So not near at total capacity.

I am very late to the dance, ( Icon Inaugural got in my way) but how about Lima?

Thank you for answering my gangway question. I really appreciate it. I actually was able to book my entertainment this morning for our cruise!!!!!. However, this prompts an additional question. Strangely when reserving the shows it does not include the length of each show. If you could supply that missing piece of information, then I can alter my dining reservations accordingly. The Fine Line ( Aqua Show) A Journey in Time ( Ice show) Columbus, the Musical ( Theater show) Grease Thank you and keep having a great cruise.

Following. for sure!!!! My DH and I sail on her March 3. This will be our first cruise in 35 years of cruising out of Galveston as well. We have sailed on her before but that was out of Florida. We are doing the following itinerary: Port/City Date Arriving Departing GALVESTON - TEXAS 03 March 2024 4:00 PM CRUISING 04 March 2024 CRUISING 05 March 2024 ROATAN - HONDURAS 06 March 2024 7:00 AM 4:00 PM COZUMEL - MEXICO 07 March 2024 8:00 AM 6:00 PM PUERTO COSTA MAYA - MEXICO 08 March 2024 7:00 AM 3:00 PM CRUISING 09 March 2024 GALVESTON - TEXAS 10 March 2024 7:00 AM Here are my first two questions 1. Can you, in detail, describe the gangway from the terminal to the ship? I have severe restricted lung disease and the least bit of an incline poses a major problem for me. The Ft Lauderdale gangway is a prime example of that up, turn, up some more repeat. If is is like Miami which is an even walk over, I am fine. Knowing this in advance will help me decide if I need to request W/C assistance or not. . 2. If this is your same itinerary, could you post the single sheet entertainment summary that shows all shows/times for the entire week on one sheet. Again this will help with scheduling my specialty dining Lastly, thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a wonderful cruise with you Mom and family. Virginia Lea.

My DH did a live review for the Inaugural Sailing this past week and at this very moment is posting all of them to his review.. I.t should be around page 40

thank you for the kind words we have enjoyed bringing this to everyone, it’s been a blast for all of us. Unfortunately one cannot film or take pics in casino. However if you have been watching i interviewed Chris Wong last night and he is the asst casino manager and stated it is the largest casino in the fleet. And i can say the bar is awesome as it is large and friendly. again Thank You And by the way this is cruisinghawg using DW account LOL