catjohnsn2

We've been sailing out of Galveston since RCCL first sailed from there. We sailed on the Rhapsody multiple times, Voyager, Navigator, and Liberty; going on Liberty again in October. We live in Texas and a 4 hour drive as opposed to flying, enables us to upgrade to a Grand Suite. We are older and not port intensive travelers because we've already been there. We LOVE the service we get on RCCL and the Suite Perks. Most of the time we only get off the ship in Cozumel where we go to Nachi Cocum, a private beach resort.

I've read tons of posts on this site complaining about the long waits in Customs but we've never had to wait that long. The issue in Galveston Customs always seems to be the folks that carry their own luggage off the ship. It backs up everything but once you get off the ship, into custom, and find your luggage, it's pretty smooth sailing.

In the 90's I sailed Holland America with my parents and loved it but we would have to fly to get to any of their departure ports and we just don't like to fly. I've sailed Carnival out of Galveston and RCCL is a much better fit for us. It all depends on what you are looking for and RCCL ticks all the boxes for us!

Sometimes the stomach sickness is due to overeating (especially the rich fatty foods), and/or dehydration.

Be sure to drink plenty of water and you'll probably be OK.

Enjoy your cruise.

Sometimes getting out of the ship channel and into the Gulf can be rocky but I've gone out of Galveston many times and it has only happened once......

We always go to Nachi Cocum when in Cozumel but we have been there on a lot of cruises. With the advent of the mega ships, there can be 15,000 or more people walking down the sidewalk in town. If you haven't done it and want to deal with thousands of people, then get off the ship and grab a cab! There is a website that can tell you how many/and what ships are in any port on any particular day and I would advise taking a look just so you can be prepared....it can be a mess at times especially if there are 7 ships in port at the same time!

Nachi Cocum will be there for some time to come and you can make plans for your next trip to Cozumel!

We live in Texas and have been driving to Galveston and sailing on RCCL since 2003. It's so easy and we just hate to fly so we take the money saved by not flying and upgrade to a suite. We sailed on the Rhapsody many times and nearly came unglued when they relocated her to China! Afterwards came Voyager, Navigator (which we LOVE), and now we are waiting till fall to try out Liberty. We may be crazy but we don't care about the ports so much and always check to see how many ships are in port so we can make plans on going ashore. We love the service and the ships and we love Nachi Cocum in Cozumel.

My first cruises were with Holland America; I traveled with my parents for many years to make the trips easier for them and then 9-11 happened and security became too involved and stressful for my folks. We did a "practice cruise" out of Galveston on Carnival....ship was covered in children....but getting there and getting on board was a dream compared to driving to DFW and dealing with all the things one has to deal with traveling with elderly people. We tried RCCL and, except for one trip to Alaska on Holland America, we have been happy spending our vacations with RCCL going out of Galveston.

Cruising has changed a lot in the last 20 years and there's something out there for everyone. This works for us and we are looking forward to our first trip on the Liberty!

We have been sailing RCCL out of Galveston for over ten years....multiple cruises on Rhapsody, Mariner, Navigator and are booked in the fall on Liberty. Not paying for airfare enables us to upgrade to a suite. We are not itinerary driven and just love the cruise experience and the service.

We drive and it's a breeze. A lot of folks complain about Galveston but it is a working port and not just a cruise ship port. The terminal isn't pretty but I've never had to spend much time in it as boarding and disembarking have been great for the most part.

I love not having to negotiate an airport!

We first tried RCCL out of Galveston after airports and flying became too difficult for my parents. We are in Texas and have been on a variety of RCCL ships out of Galveston for the past 11 years. It's an easy drive and no airfare means we can spend a little more on our cabins and get suites.

We sailed HAL for many years and back then they had amazing and magnificent small ships that were literally floating art galleries and the service was the best I've ever experienced, however HAL has made changes like most of the cruise lines, and I feel that these changes have compromised many areas of the HAL experience. We tried Carnival out of Galveston and it just wasn't for us although there were plenty of passengers that were having a mighty good time!

We are not itinerary driven....we just want a week away with great service, decent food, and good amenities. I wish RCCL would broaden their Galveston itineraries but I'd rather drive to Galveston for RCCL than spend two days of my vacation in an airport, getting to the airport, parking at the airport, etc.

RCCL is a great product and we will continue to spend our vacation time on their ships departing out of Galveston.

We have sailed out of Galveston for nearly 12 years and other than one experience with fog, all disembarkations have been uneventful. We are not itinerary driven and we always book suites and spend our days enjoying the splendid service and beautiful ships of RCCL....Rhapsody, Mariner, and now Navigator. Prior to that we sailed from FLL, Seattle, San Juan, and Acapulco on HAL and RCCL.

We love the convenience of driving to the port and the money we save not having to book air fare enables us to book suites and totally enjoy that experience. Not having to deal with the airport makes Galveston a piece of cake for us.

We have been told that the return from Belize is always slow because of additional attention by customs and have experienced some delays in boarding after a Belize itinerary but nothing too terrible. We are patient, always get a porter, and we never make purchases or have stuff to declare so I guess we have been lucky. In addition, suite passengers get escorted by the concierege for priorty disembarkation. Our cruise on October 25th will include Belize so I'll report in after we get home and let you know if was terrible.

We really enjoyed the Navigator last year, so much so that we were able to convince family this year at Thanksgiving. I was going to send my Mom a link to the customer reviews for the Navigator but reports of exploding toilets and worn wear items after the refurb has me second guessing myself.

 

Someone please tell me they did more in the recent refurb than replace free public space with revenue space so I don't have to spend the next month worrying that I will have to spend my cruise making excuses for RCCL to my parents!

 

 

The ship is gorgeous, service was exceptional and we had a marvelous time on our 9-29-14 cruise.

Thanks Cat and paw (heh heh) for your thoughts! Already booked for Sabor. cat - thank you for the comments on Ricardo. Did he email you before the cruise? Also - how did he handle disembarkation? Did they have a cocktail party or dinner for CL guests? We're also in a GS. Guessing that the full breakfast is in Chops? Sorry - just realized that's a lot of questions.

Ricardo did email us before cruise and he personally escorted us from Chops to the ship exit to the pier. There was a cocktail party in the CL the first night....there was a party in the CL EVERY night!! Regarding breakfast in Chops: we never got there early enough to enjoy the breakfast. We went through the Windjammer on the last morning and sat in Chops till they called our number. We got a porter, found our luggage, went through customs, and were on the bus to the car in about 30 minutes. It was a breeze.

Really enjoyed Gold Pass perks.....seating in Chops during lunch and breakfast in the Windjammer. Reserved seating areas on pool deck, for ice show and showroom. It was grand and you will love the GS. Haven't sailed in anything else since 2006. It spoils you!!!

There was an invitation to have lunch or dinner with the ship's officers in the Windjammer....can't remember what it was but we had other plans that night.

I don't recall if there is a Latin band in any of the clubs......sorry.

We were on the Navigator 9-28-14 sailing and despite the fact that I rarely post, I had to let everyone on CC know what an amazing time we had. The ship is beautiful and the service we had was amazing.

I am a Diamond member and enjoyed reading in the beautiful DL during the day while my sister sat in the sun. Great coffee, light breakfast, and cookie snacks. Really enjoyed the drink coupons loaded on my sea pass too. We were in a Grand Suite and it was splendid. Our cabin steward, Elias, was perfect and we enjoyed visiting with him every day on our way to breakfast. The Concierge Lounge was wonderful and Ricardo was one of the best things about our trip. He seemed to know what we needed before we asked; we made all our dinner reservations through him and he was so helpful in a hundred different ways. He was so enjoyable and helpful and we met so many other wonderful cruisers over cocktails every evening in the CL.

We live in Texas and have sailed RCCL out of Galveston on this and other itineraries about 12 times; driving to the port saves us so much in air fare that we can upgrade our accommodations which is what we enjoy. We've been to these destinations many times and continue to sail RCCL out of Galveston because of the great service we have always received on their ships. Obviously we are not "itinerary oriented" but we do enjoy a vacation with great service which is what we always receive with RCCL.

Went to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and it was a perfect day....drinks flowed, the water was wonderful and the resort caps the number of people they let in so it was quiet and extremely enjoyable. Met some fellow Texans and had another great day; this was our second visit to this quaint beach resort and we just love it.

Went to Sabor and it was the highlight of our dining experiences. The Tequila Flight taster was fabulous, the chips wonderful, and the salsa just right. Being from Texas, we are pretty serious (really almost snotty) about our Mexican food but we really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it! The dessert taster was sublime.

Chops was wonderful......wish they had kept the tablecloths, but the food was wonderful even if the waitress seemed a little harried and unorganized. This might have been due to the crying baby whose parents and grandmother seemed to be immune to the sound of their baby's screaming. Despite the noise, we had another great evening.

Dining room was great also. Had My Time Dining and always went rather late which was perfect because no one was in a hurry and we had time to visit with the wait staff. Our food arrived promptly and as ordered.

Booked another cruise for next year while on board. We will be doing the final itinerary out of Galveston on the Navigator next October and look forward to being on this wonderful and beautiful ship one more time before she is leaves and the Freedom (I think) takes her place.

If I had to nit pick, it would be that the ship seemed warm to me and more than one staff member commented that it was always that warm. We did ask our stateroom attendant for a fan and it made a huge difference for us.

Reading the boards and especially some of the negative reviews on CC had me worried, but my fears were immediately put to rest once we were on board. I guess some folks have unrealistic expectations or just want to complain but I have to say that during nearly 20 years of cruising on HAL, Carnival (only once and won't do it again), and RCCL, this was the most wonderful trip we have had.

I don't check CC everyday but if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.