Den7Cruiser

On 9/26/2024 at 5:35 PM, trafaelwyr said:

The excursion my sister and I did has been the same one we did in 2015, 2022 and 2023 - the Tabyana Beach Break & Lunch.  On my first time there in 2015, I was blown away by how clear the water was, how nice the white sandy beach felt under my feet and the amazingly good weather we had.  When I snorkeled, I saw SO much aquatic life! 

My husband and I do this excursion every time we're in Roatan as well.  It is my favorite because I think their snorkeling is the best I've ever done, anywhere in the Caribbean.  FWIW, we have always done the guided tour. 

On 9/17/2024 at 4:55 PM, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Call the hotel and double check about the underground shuttle.  We flew in/out last year there was major construction going on with the shuttle and the shuttle didn't go to a lot of stops it normally did.  Even if it doesn't it's a pretty easy walk, long but easy.  

Thank you, will do

If you hire a private shuttle company, you can get out to Galveston whenever you want. If you're using Royal Caribbean, same day of cruise only. And you need to pre-book the shuttle to Galveston. I don't think you can just show up and book it on the spot.

My husband and I have done this many times, pre-pandemic and only once since 2020.  Always have used the Royal Caribbean transfers.  Currently, they are $45 per person, each way.  

Before 2020, we used to fly in the morning of the cruise, go to baggage claim and the RCI transfers are right there. You check in and wait a bit for the bus to take you to Galveston.  Pretty easy!

However, given what's happened over the last year + with airline travel and flight cancellations, I'm not really comfortable flying in the same day as the cruise anymore.  

My revised plan to be put to the test for the first time this October is to fly in the day before the cruise, we're going to stay at the IAH airport Marriott, which I understand has an underground shuttle to take you straight to the hotel.  The next morning, we'll ride the underground shuttle back to the airport, back to baggage claim, where we will check in for the RCI transfer to Galveston.  It seemed to me to be the easiest way.  

When's your cruise?  I'll let you know how it works out if you go after the end of October!

5 hours ago, GetToLivin said:

since we're all from Nebraska, we're donning our Huskers merch. Tonight is our rivalry game against Colorado, so you can bet we'll be enjoying a cocktail and cheering our team on!

Go Big Red! (from a Coloradoan for Nebraska)

Thanks so much for doing this review. We go on Harmony the last week of October (first time on her) and you have me soooooo excited!!!! Have a fantastic trip😄

1 hour ago, CruiseSlacker said:

Taxi fare from Royal Terminal to Bush Airport is about $190.  There is a taxi stand at the terminal.

 

 

No wonder the cruise line transfer is sold out!!! Thanks for the info, everyone!

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into all 3.  

Are there cabs and Uber/Lyft available when you get off the boat?

I've got a cruise booked for end of October, Sunday to Sunday. I just called TA to book the Royal Caribbean transfers to and from the cruise ship, and I can only book from IAH to Galveston, not the return trip(!).  So in case I cannot book the return transfer when onboard, what are my options to get back to IAH. Is there other reliable transportation available without pre-reserving it?

Thanks Harry! I have always enjoyed your cruise reports and last week I was lamenting the fact that no one was doing a detailed cruise report on the Royal Caribbean Board at all! 

This was such a great surprise as I was hoping you'd return to this thread to tell us about your trip to New York.  Excellent work and your thoroughness is always enjoyed!    

I repriced my cruise and saved over $370

54 minutes ago, Ashland said:

You always get four. You can also ask your cabin steward for a type you might prefer. I always ask for the isotonic memory foam type.

Whoa they have memory foam pillows by request?!?

That'd be awesome, their pillows are WAY too fat.

On 4/4/2024 at 10:22 AM, jacobtsf said:

Boardwalk balconies can be quite loud pretty late at night if there are events in the aqua theatre.

We stayed on the Oasis last January in a Boardwalk Balcony and I found the noise horrible.  For context, I try to be in bed by 9 and asleep before 10.  The aqua show ran til 11pm a couple of nights.  It was so loud!  Also, the carousel runs during the day and there are ringing bells for that, too.  I will never stay in a room on the Boardwalk again. 

On 1/30/2024 at 5:51 AM, Keksie said:

have a quiet leisurely last day breakfast.

Can anyone tell me what the Key breakfast looks like and where they have it?  Trying to figure out if I want to do an excursion the last day before heading to the airport or if it's worth it to hang out at the Key breakfast and be one of the last ones off the ship.  TIA

My husband and I purchase two device access so that each of us can have access but beware if your work requires multi-factor authentication, you will need to have both devices signed in.  Example: he has to sign in to internet on his phone and PC and then when he logs on to company email from the PC, he gets the MFA code sent to his phone.  After he enters the authentication code, he can log off his phone and I can get on my internet with whatever device I choose.  

Just something to think about when purchasing packages or when you talk to your IT, perhaps they can send your MFA to a personal email or whatever so that you only need internet for one device. 

16 hours ago, joepeka said:

It's moot now that you've found the menus (congrats!), but I'm on Android so it appears the RCI app is a bit different between the platforms.

Yes, Android instructions are as follows, per Engineroom Snipe:

Do not give up yet. I am using the Android app.

1. start the app/

2.Tap the center calendar at the top between the ship and person.

3. It should show a drop down of your cruise days.

4. At the very bottom, tap the "Change Ship/Dates"

5 It goes to "Your upcoming cruises."

6. Finger scroll to the bottom.

7. Select "Browse our ships".

8. Select your next cruise ship .

9. Select the earliest cruise date which will be a current cruise going on right now, today.

10. The menus and activities should appear as if you are on ship at the current moment.

Let me know where this fails for you and I will try and give screenshots if needed.

You ROCK Engineroom Snipe!  Those steps worked. And I'm in!!!

5 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

Navigate to your list of upcoming cruises

Scroll all the way to the bottom and click browse our ships...

Wondering if guys are all on iPhones?  I think our apps vary slightly because I don't have an option to Browse Our Ships.  The closest I come is "Cruises" and it takes me to a page where I can purchase my next cruise lol.

Thank you for the step by step instructions, I appreciate you trying to help!

7 minutes ago, joepeka said:

That's interesting - our cruise isn't for three months yet I can see the menus for all three MDR's, all seven days of the cruise using the steps you mention above. I didn't have to select a specific cruise since we only have one booked at the moment.

And yes, that's how it worked for me last summer, when I was researching my cruise prior to September.  

Oh well!

Thanks everyone!

17 hours ago, wampuscat7 said:

In the app, menus show up for our cruise on one deck of the MDR but not the other decks. No idea why.

Yeah I saw this on our cruise from last year but I tried looking at all three floors of the MDR and nothing.  

I found the generic menus on the web but I've got a 9 night sailing in two weeks so wanted to see what menu was each night, in order to plan what night I'm doing specialty dining.  Thanks!

17 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Set the app to the current sailing, not yours.

How do I do that? Can't figure it out. Thanks!

Remind me, where do I go in the app to find the daily dinner menus for the main dining room?  I thought you went to "Dining:" at the bottom of the app, selected "Main Dining" and then a main dining room and you'd be able to pull it up but mine doesn't show anything in there.  Cruise leaves in two weeks so it's not that far out!

Thanks Everyone! I decided to book the Everglades excursion again since it'll be a different time of year, maybe different flora in bloom?

I just cannot go hang out at the airport for over five hours!

Oh sorry, yes. The only one we're eligible for is the Everglades tour which we just did in September.  It was beautiful but we just did it.

The others are only for flights departing after 5pm. But thank you for the suggestion. If I can't come up with something better, I'll probably revisit the Everglades!

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. Flight home from Miami is at 3pm.  Wondering if anyone has any other ideas besides resort day passes, since actual time spent at the resort will not be much.

We'll have too much luggage to drag around town so wherever we go, we'd need to be able to stash it onsite.  

Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks! I think I caught them in the middle of raising the price...I haven't tried pulling the trigger again because it costs more. 😞