Petroplex

You might consider staying in the Harbor House or the Tremont. I walked with my bags from the Harbor House to the cruise pier last month and it was fine. After the cruise, I took the bags to the Tremont to wait for my ride. That also worked well. If nobody in your group has mobility challenges, they are both walkable. I cruised with someone last year who really struggled to get an Uber.

I normally sail Royal, and as a general rule prefer it. I am on the Enchantment this Summer, although that obviously doesn't help answer your question. What I can do is provide video of a Carnival Dream Ocean suite to help you decide for yourself if that is the right room. I liked the room itself very much. The suite perks were lacking on Carnival, though, and I found the ship exceptionally hard to navigate if I wanted to get from one end to the other of the same deck.

There is usually a sticker on your card, but there doesn't have to be. Just hand your card to a bartender, and s/he will swipe it and see that you have the package. They will then hand you a drink and a receipt for zero. It works as soon as you board, although in Galveston you have a limited selection until you leave. I believe in Puerto Rico you also pay sales tax while in port. Otherwise, you are good to go.

On 7/8/2018 at 10:15 PM, akiddo said:

 

Awesome. Glad to hear the feedback. Now we just have to wait.... This is for April 2020. Other cruises between now and then though 😄

I would love to hear a live report post trip about what suite perks came with it. 

2 hours ago, wmwmarmstrong said:

 

You receive the free cruise offer if you qualify, the last night or morning of your cruise.

 

My cruise ended  Dec. 5th and the email about the Premier Cruises came two days ago.

Thanks so much!

How long after a cruise does it take you receive the casino offers, if one is coming?

Following. We have friends sailing in this room on the Enchantment, and I would love to hear an actual user experience.

6 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I thought Liberty did lunch in Giovanni's 

It varies. I have seen it both places. I do not have a problem. I do not cruise too much on Royal Caribbean from Galveston.

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

None of this on Liberty🤔

Suite Lounge

Breakfast in Chops 

Preferred seating at shows

Opportunity for bridge, galley, theater tours 

Suite party

Priority tendering

Express departure

Treats delivered to stateroom 

Evian water upon arrival (RS might get champagne as well)

Upgraded toiletries 

 

Seems odd

 

 

We got all of those things on Liberty this Summer.

On 12/27/2019 at 4:20 PM, ihopfar said:

We are planning to go to RP and are happy to find out there are only two ships in port that day.  However we are there from noon till 7 and the other ship is there 7 till 5.

 

Will we be able to rent 2 chairs and an umbrella on the beach by the time we get there or will they all be taken?  Should we reserve a beach cabana instead?

 

Thanks!

Brad 

We were there in July on a day with two ships (ours and one other). RPBC was nice, but very crowded. We elected to rent a cabana in advance, and that wound up being an excellent choice. I have some static pictures as well as a video if you want to get a sense of the place. The video will give you a better sense of how crowded it gets at the peak. It is an excellent beach day if you want a gorgeous beach and a high energy vibe. It is not as good a choice if you want quiet.

Unsolicited- for lunch you should check out Cayman Cabana. You can walk there from the cruise pier. My goodness I liked that. We had two senior citizens, 6 40somethings, and 6 kids in our group. We all liked our lunch, which was an impressive feat for any place.

If you are trying to economize, I would book transfers through the cruise lines. If you want private service, we have used Z Limo and Super Shuttle. Given the size of your group, you might be able to get a larger ride from either of those providers for a very similar per person price to the cruise line shuttle.

If everyone in your group can walk comfortably, you might consider staying at Harbor House or Tremont House. I stayed at Harbor House (video link) before my cruise last month, and it was an easy 5 minute walk over with luggage. After the cruise I walked with my luggage to Tremont House, had breakfast, and waited for a family member to pick me up. Harbor House is a couple of minutes closer on foot; Tremont has more upscale amenities. Either is walkable to plenty of nice places to eat.

1 hour ago, jk04 said:

 

Sorry, it's not Quantum or Oasis, it's a Voyager Class (Navigator).  

We sailed on the Liberty of the Seas this Summer. The suite perks there were identical to what they were on the Navigator when we sailed her. I have the full breakdown here, but I generally enjoyed the suite experience. When we tendered in Grand Cayman it was particularly nice to have the concierge escort us off, and I really like the suite lounge as a space.

Howdy, folks. I normally park at Galveston Park n Cruise. My backup plan is Galveston VIP Parking. I like those two lots because I really enjoy the convenience of walking to and from the cruise terminal. This July, however, that is a problem. Those lots are only open Saturdays and Sundays, and I have a Friday sailing on the Enchantment. Will the official Galveston cruise parking or else EZ cruise let me family and I walk with our bags to the pier? Thank you very much.

We have self assisted on the last two cruises on the Liberty. We have parked across the street at Galveston Park n Cruise, and we have been in our car at about 8. That is a pretty good general rule for Summer sailings. Keep in mind that there is often fog int he Winter, and that can delay arrivals substantially.

That's a tough situation for all involved. What services were kept open for passengers waiting to debark the two ships, and did the people who' were delayed boarding get a lunch credit or anything?

I know what I forgot. The buffet. I prefer the buffet on Royal Caribbean. There are more choices, and the lines move better. However, I have very much enjoyed adding some of the free options Carnival has. Guy's Burgers for free is an enormous upgrade on paying foot Johnny Rockets. I need to quit drinking before the Chef's Table. We apparently walk through the kitchen, and I don't want that to end tragicomically.

Sorry it took me do long to add something. A bartender forced me to drink a delicious cocktail. It was brutal. Actually, I'm writing this from the Alchemy Bar come to think of it.

My Ocean Suite is a lovely cabin, and the beef is incredibly comfortable. I wish there weren't white drops of what I assume to be paint on the chairs. 

Not having the drinks package work on embarkation day sucked. It got annoying to Pau $2.50 every time I wanted a club soda. Compared to Royal, however, they did have better alcohol choices while we were in port. 

The steakhouse was nice. I was impressed that even the shrimp cocktail had thought put into it. The chopped garlic on the shrimp was a very nice addition. The steak (18 oz ribeye) was very good, but not great. 

The casino has the same bad table rules as Royal. I scared a dealer and a host when I displayed enough knowledge to ask good questions about Zimbabwe, their home. 

The spa is straight up nicer than the Liberty of the Seas. I bought the VIP pass, and there are plenty of places for me to get lost in there. 

I normally sail in suites, and I very much miss access to any kind of suite lounge. 

The internet access on this ship has actually been quite good. I just made a wifi call home. Royal stinks at this. 

The layout of this ship is awful. It is frequently hard to get from one place to another on the same deck without going around something or up a deck. 

THEY JUST BROUGHT ME BAR SNACKS!!! I am trying to attach a picture below. 

Anyway, I'm off. I have reservations at Chef's Table tonight. I'll try to write tomorrow de Cozumel. Hasta luego, compadres.

I am now sitting on my balcony with a margarita. I may or may not have had a mojito earlier. It is profoundly unfortunate that the drink package doesn't work on Day 1. Then again, while still in port Carnival has better drink offerings than does Royal Caribbean. 

Initial thoughts: Board early. The ship is now crowded, but that first hour or so was great. The buffet was underwhelming, but there were a lot of other free choices to make up for it. I particularly enjoyed Guy's Burgers. FTTF was worth it for being able to go directly to my stateroom and having a priority line at Guest Services. I miss the Suite Lounge on Royal Caribbean. The staff here are working incredibly hard to be helpful, and the spa here is light years better than on the Liberty of the Seas. I bought myself a VIP spa pass.

Morning, folks. It is December 19, 2019, I am in the Suites waiting area for the Carnival Dream in Galveston. We are sailing on a 4 night cruise to Cozumel, and I am going to more-or-less live blog my experience. The specifics, of course, depend on things like the quality of the internet connection and whether I find a bar I really like.

By way of background, I have sailed Royal Caribbean several times and NCL once. I sailed the Carnival Celebration for my honeymoon in 2002, but that was too long ago to make any meaningful comparisons. I live in western Texas, and we usually drive to the port. I usually sail with my wife and two sons. On this trip, however, I am solo-- my in-laws live outside Houston, and we will meet there on the 23rd for Christmas. I am in an Ocean Suite on the 7th deck, and I also booked Faster to the Fun (FTTF). There are a couple of benefits there that don't come for suites. I will probably keep posting as much as I can during the cruise, but it will take a couple of weeks after the cruise to get everything uploaded. Speaking of, I will occasionally provide a link to my personal travel blog. I will try to write a comprehensive report here, but if you follow the links I may have some additional pictures and details. Anyway, let's get started.

Getting to the pier

I love Galveston, and I could (and have) vacation here independent of my desire to cruise. However, there is one big problem with sailing from Galveston. The airports are in Houston, and neither one of them is particularly convenient. I flew intro George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and that is the less convenient of the two. Still, it worked out fine. I booked a Lincoln sedan with Z Limo from Houston. It was $135 plus gratuity, and that included the tolls. There are, of course, cheaper ways to get here. However, that cost was per car rather than per passenger. It would be cheaper on a per passenger basis if I was travelling with others.

The other advantage of doing it this way is that there was no waiting. I got to baggage claim, and my driver was waiting for me. He hauled my luggage, and the car was imminently comfortable. We didn't wait for other passengers, search for the driver, nor make intermediate stops. It was an hour and 20 minutes door to door. A great deal of that time was spent south of Houston at the interchange from Beltway 8 to Interstate 45. There had been a wreck, and things were backed up a bit. Anyway, short version, it was an incredibly smooth trip to the pier.

Hotel

I always arrive at the pier at least one day early. I have a huge phobia of the boat leaving me because the plane was late, and that is a thing planes do. I stayed at the Harbor House at Pier 21. Pictures later. It was not as nice as when I stayed at the Galvez. However, it was a incredible place to stay when you don't have a car. I literally walked here this morning pulling my luggage. It took about 8 minutes, and that included a visit with the porter to fix my luggage tag. It is amidst restaurants and entertainment, and the view of the harbor is incredible I even caught a video this morning of the Dream pulling in to port. I highly recommend this hotel. If you are looking for a more upscale hotel with similar location advantages, consider the Tremont.

The only negative about the Harbor House is that the wifi is not great, and the breakfast is all starches. I solved the wifi problem by slingshoting data from my phone. I solved the breakfast problem by going to Star Drug, which was excellent. The bed was excellent, and the location was even better. They let me check in early, and check out was expeditious. I will absolutely book here again.

Day in Galveston

I ate lunch at the Hubcap Grill. That was the best burger I have ever had, and he mixed me an excellent Old Fashioned to go with it. I love a bartender who can knowledgeably discuss bourbon with me. I then went to the spa at the Galvez. It was 1.3 miles from my hotel, but that was comfortable for me to walk in December. It would not be in July. On my way back, I ate dinner at at Vargas Cut and Catch. They also make an excellent Old Fashioned. I then went back to the hotel to watch TV and answer emails. It was an incredibly pleasant day.

Initial Impressions

The Carnival check in process in Galveston is smoother than the Royal Caribbean process. Part of that is that I was travelling solo and was the third person to check in. However, I almost didn't slow down. There was a clear line for suites and FTTF, and I suspect I would have been through quite quickly in any event. I showed my passport and boarding pass. An agent scanned them on his phone and took a picture. I then cleared security with a metal detector. I went upstairs and someone checked my boarding pass again. I was then directed to the waiting area for suites. It is a separate room stocked with pastries, coffee, tea, water, and juice. Check in was fast and easy.

I am dressed in slacks and a shirt with a collar. That was mostly a function of the fact that it is cold outside, so I needed pants. I put on nice pants because I have steakhouse reservations tonight. Most of the other passengers are dressed considerably less formally, but that makes sense. It is a cruise. Shorts, though, implies a different tolerance for cold.

Anyway, that is enough travel writing for now. I am going to break out the pot-boiler spy novel I bought at the airport. Don't judge- it is my guilty pleasure. I am then going to hope someone will sell me an Old Fashioned. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I like that drink. I will post more soon.

4 hours ago, TLex said:

Well, WOW.  Thanks for joining this thread. 

 

I read all of your reviews from earlier this summer and thoroughly enjoyed them, especially the links to the MDR Menus, Cruise Compasses, and the Bar Menus.  I provided those to our Roll Call for Liberty for the voyage beginning on 12 Jan 2020 as we are planning an “abbreviated” bar crawl. 

 

 

 

But I would like now to confirm whether I accurately synopsized your Bar Menu comments or unintentionally overreached.  Many of us are again looking forward to enjoying the Connoisseur Club on Liberty with cigars and libations and I thought you had indicated it would have been one of your top choices as a bar but for the limited selection menu.  Is that correct? 

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

 V

R,

 

 

 

T Lex

 

 

 

Sorry about that! Sometimes I forget what I have already said.

Yes, I loved the Connoisseur Club. However, Royal is clearly not paying as much attention to it as they did when I boarded the Navigator in 2015. It is a lovely place to drink and smoke, but there weren't a lot of great alcohol choices. The service also seemed inattentive on this trip.

Have they made any sort of public announcement yet?

Liberty of the Seas Bar Crawl.docx

Sooooo...... I may have had a lot of free time one day in the office before our cruise on the Liberty this Summer. I then created the attached bar crawl, which we never got around to actually doing. It seems like we liked Boleros and Olive or Twist, and we camped out there. However, this may be useful as a map of which bars are where. Also, I have all of the bar menus from the Liberty to assist you in deciding what sounds delicious. Personal hint... they have Four Roses Single Barrel at the English pub, and the drink package covered it.

3 hours ago, Galveston Cruiser said:

Great suggestions.

Luggage can be stored at Cruise Stop at 2418 Strand.

The American Undersea Warfare Center is now know as the Galveston Naval Museum located at Seawolf Park

You know, that name change makes *so* much sense with half of their inventory being surface Navy. Thanks for the update!

I love Galveston, and I have written several times about places to eat and things to do there. Some particular favorites of mine:

• Go to La King's Confectionary. You can actually walk there from the cruise pier, although dealing with luggage would be a real pain. I get a kick out of watching them make their own candy. I like eating the candy even more.
• The American Undersea Warfare Center has a cool WW2 submarine you can walk around if you are physically able. Interestingly, this "undersea" place also has a surface destroyer from the same era for you to tour.
• The Hotel Galvez has a beautiful spa which is a nice way to pass part of your day.

Enjoy your trip!

I would be curious, though, to hear how this came out. Did the OP still get to sail in the original cabin? Was somebody denied boarding? What deal was ultimately accepted?