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1Texansgo

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  1. We were on LOS 9/15-9/22 and I had every intention of writing a review-but life intervened and I procrastinated. You don't see many reviews about LOS so I will give our synopsis of thoughts and conclusions. First, this is our fourth trip on LOS and we consider it the easiest vacation option we have. We live 30 miles from Galveston and have a second home there so we can drive in the day of or the weekend before and leisurely board. This trip we loaded our luggage about 10:00, dropped it off with the porters shortly thereafter, parked our car at the house and Ubered to the ship around 1:45. We had received notification that there would be a routine Coast Guard inspection and not to arrive before 1:00. It appears we were the only passengers who heeded that request as we literally got out of the Uber, on to the ship and were in our cabin in 15 minutes. Ok, about the ship and cruise LOS doesn't seem to age much. The ship was beautiful, clean and does not feel crowded for the most part.(Windjammer excluded). We never had an issue with chairs by the pool (Solarium or Main) although on this cruise it seemed as if most passengers preferred shaded chairs in the Solarium to chairs in the sun. We were on the Cozumel, GC, Jamaica route. Here is our synopsis:

    SHIP:

    As stated above the ship is in great condition. I don't look for carpet stains, chipped paint etc. but I saw nothing that would be considered dirty or needing maintenance. We would walk daily on deck four and we would constantly see painters and personnel cleaning painting and varnishing the ship. The MDR and Specialty restaurants were all attractive as were all of the public areas. I like the feel of Liberty as for my wife and I it seems the perfect size. Seas were calm and we had no issues with the condition of the ship.

    ENTERTAINMENT:

    We do not attend all entertainment offerings so take our thoughts with a grain of salt here. We did go to UP IN THE AIR and the costumes were great but I actually got a little bored with it and we snuck out about 2/3 of the way through the show. (We did sit in the balcony on an aisle so we did not disturb anyone when we left). We went to Schooners every evening after dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jamie Lee was the singer and at first I wasn't sure if I cared for him but as the week progressed we really did come to enjoy him. At least two evenings the Mad Horse Band joined him and together they were quite good. We would also filter in and out of the Hoof and Claw and Timmy Peet was really talented and played great music. It did seem crowded many evenings in there as it is so small but we would sit just outside the venue in the promenade and enjoy the music. The latin band in Bolero was also quite popular. The comedians were good as we saw one main show and two R rated comedy shows. The headliner was a gentleman named Finis Henderson whose godfather is/was Sammy Davis Jr. He played and sang both Big Band tunes as well as more modern songs. I thought he was fantastic and my suggestion would be that if you ever get a chance to see him perform definitely do it. I confess that this is my fourth trip on LOS and I have yet to see Encore! I know I should but just never made it. Have previously seen most of Saturday Night Fever and it just isn't for me so we passed again. At the Top Tier event and also at the street parties the Singers and Dancers performed and I thought they were quite talented.

    FOOD and DRINK:

    I may be in the minority but I think the food on our last two cruises have improved over what it was a couple of years ago. The menu choices are smaller but it seems to have more taste. We ate in the dining room both formal nights and night two and seven. For me, the beef and lamb dishes seemed better than the fish entrees. I specifically remenber the Almond Crusted Cod being a disappointment but most meat dishes were tasty. We had the three night dining package and ate at Chops, Sabor and Giovannis. I am normally a filet guy but I ventured out of my comfort zone and had a New York Strip at Chops and it was delicious. My wife had the filet and she thought it was great as well. Sabor was good as usual but it is hard to eat there when you are trying to stay semi Keto. The chicken appetizers are really delicious and we had a good meal but telling the waiter not to even show us the dessert platter was a first for us. At Giovannis I had heard great things about their filet so I ordered it and it was superb. We did taste their pasta and while their Bolognese  sauce is different from what we are used to it was quite tasty. Service everywhere was professional and top notch and our MDR wait staff may have been the best we have had. I ate breakfast and had a snack or two in the Windjammer but my wife proudly boasted that she never entered WJ.  Of course we had the drink package and felt as if we received our money's worth.

    PORTS:

    Been there done that so nothing unusual here. In Coz we got off the ship as soon as she docked and walked over to a pharmacy to pick up Z Paks etc. which we now regularly purchase. It was blisteringly hot  so we went back to the ship, ate breakfast and hung out until lunch when we walked left past Park Royal hotel a few blocks to an open air restaurant named Paprika which I  had read about. The restaurant was crowded and service was rather slow but we had a leisurely lunch (good grilled fish special with Mango sauce) and made our way back to the ship. I had previously made reservations at Nachi but several weeks before the cruise my wife said she would not be upset if we passed on a beach club in Coz this trip. READ: Cancel the DAMN excursion so that is what I did.  We waited until all the tender numbers had been called in GC and then tendered ashore. My wife just had to find some sort of bathing suit cover-up or some such nonsense so I tagged along with her for what seemed to be an eternity until she gave up her shopping and said she was through. We then gladly found an air conditioned bar on the second floor with great views of the water and had a couple of drinks. Then we went to Casanova By The Sea which is very close to the cruise port and had a nice late lunch. The special was a glass of wine, nice salad and Salmon Piccata which was delicious. I think it was $20CI plus gratuity. We love GC and 7Mile beach but it is difficult to enjoy on a cruise stop in our opinion so after lunch we returned to the ship and sunned until cocktail hour. In Jamaica we had a day pass to Royalton White Sands (our second time to do this) and spent about 4-5 hours at the resort. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and the hotel facilities and food were quite good. Very nice day! We booked through Shoreexcursioneer and two other passengers were all that joined us at the resort. I have climbed the falls, rafted the Bray and done pretty much every activity so now it seems port experiences are getting more sedate.

    SERVICE:

    As stated Food and Bar service was good. It may take a few minutes to get a drink on Sea days but I am constantly amazed at how quickly they can prepare the frozen and specialty drinks that people love. We enjoyed all the bars but especially enjoyed the solarium and juice bar on the pool deck and R bar, Schooners and the casino bar in the evening. We didn't need Guest Services so cannot comment there. Room steward was the quietest one we have ever had but he did an efficient job and always had ice for us. I know they have to clean more and more cabins so their job is becoming more and more laborious.

    CASINO:

    Yes the cigarette smoke is omnipresent in the casino although it does seem to dissipate some on port days when it is closed. Yes you do seem to have to walk through the casino often even if not gambling when street parties etc are going on in the Promenade. Although I have never smoked secondary smoke is noticeable to me but doesn't prevent me from enjoying the casino. While I gambled a little I mostly enjoyed watching the action and visiting with the staff and passengers at the casino bar. You could always find some great conversations at the casino bar. A word of caution- if you are a diehard College Football fan you will be dissappointed in the offerings on board. But whatever games they do show will be televised in the Casino bar. It sure would help if LOS got larger TVS in the casino. Studio B was also supposed to show the games but Karaoke waits for no football final. Karaoke seems to be a religion for some people.

    CONCLUSIONS:

    The passengers on our cruise seemed extremely happy, laid back and were thoroughly enjoying their vacations. Our tablemates in MDR were wonderful people and shared many cruise and other stories with us. In fact we are expecting them to stay in our Galveston home precruise for their next vacation (in the Ben and Jerry's sweet). Lots of football and political talk in the Solarium pool and you just got the impression that everyone was happy and enjoying their cruise. We heard no griping or incidents between passengers and crew members or between passengers. While we stopped cruising for a number of years (I really don't remember why) we have now cruised every year for the past four or five years. We are booked again in March on LOS and in September on Enchantment to Key West and Coco Cay. I keep telling my wife that we should cruise the Vista but we haven't pulled the trigger yet. Years ago we went on several Carnival cruises and always have had a good time. One of these days! However, as you can read we have nothing but positives to say about RCCL. Overall I would rate our cruise experience on LOS as a solid A and would recommend RCCL and LOS to any traveler. I will try to answer any questions.

     

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  2. Looking at Enchantment out of Galveston in 2020 and price is more than LOS out of Galveston but not appreciably more (with Liberty’s normal western two itineraries ). So with DDP available on Coco Cay I see it as no premium and the opportunity to see Coco Cay and to a lesser degree Nassau and Key West;  so with Liberty as our favorite ship should we book an older RCL ship with fewer specialty restaurants etc. to see Coco Cay? I know it lies in the eye of the beholder but any comments welcome.

     

     

     

     

  3. Should sail on time out of Galveston as we show 10%/20% chance of rain on Sat and Sun. (It has been raining off and on all day today with projected same tomorrow.)  The disturbance is currently deep in Mexico near Bay of Campeche so if it forms and captain sees a potential problem the worst is that he would sail around it and rearrange ports of call dates and/or have to skip a port. Shouldn't affect your cruise enjoyment. On our Liberty sailing in September Galveston was pummeled three days and we had perfect weather the entire week.

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  4. Just returned from Falmouth and booked Royalton through shoreexcursioneer(100pp). Picked us up inside port and short 10 minute ride to the resort which actually is two resorts with shared facilities. Large water area for kids, lazy river and huge pools. Beach is beautiful and we had no trouble getting chairs and palapa at beach or at pool. Drinks were free flowing but not top shelf liquor. We had a good beach day and it’s proximity to Falmouth makes this an easy go to AI. Would happily return.

     

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  5. We did Royalton White Sands/Blue Water through shoreexcursioneer AI which we really enjoyed. Not adults only but we were there in September and very few kids. We will be back there September 2019 on LOS. Quick drive from port and the tour provides transportation. There should be several threads on this board to read.

  6. Not sure but if it is close to Falmouth it may be Royalton White Sands/Blue Water. Two hotels side by side and you get use of both. Lazy river on the Blue Water Side. Went there last year and booked again for Sept. 2019. Really good beach, pool, food drinks etc. AI is now $100pp but as stated only about 10 minutes from Falmouth port so you get the full day. We enjoyed ourselves. If it is not Royalton skip this post.

  7. All previous suggestions are spot on-I would go with Vargas if it was me. I thought the service, food and presentation was terrific and the restaurant itself is quite attractive although it can get a little loud in certain areas. Willie G always satisfies and Rudy and Paco annually is  named one of Galveston's top restaurants. It is not for you since you are staying at Harbour House but anyone staying at Moody Gardens should try Shearns located on the hotel's top floor. Never disappoints and after dinner you can go to the bar for live entertainment.

  8. There is the jerk chicken stand but no Jamaican patties when we were there in September. They did have a hamburger and maybe hot dog stand by the pool but we did not try the stand. The water was clear and pretty although Jamaican beaches are not as pretty as Grand Cayman imo. We thought it was a great beach and we are already booked for September 2019. I really think you can't go wrong with this excursion if you get a good day. I agree with pp who have recommended Royalton

  9. There is a Spec's liquor on I_45 South (Gulf Freeway) 11130 Gulf Freeway#500 in a strip center I believe between Monroe and Airport. Google Specs as its wine selection would be the best in that area. Very close would be a Pappas BarBQ restaurant and across the freeway and north a bit is Captain Bennys Seafood. Captain Benny's is nothing to look at but good fried and broiled shrimp, catfish, Oysters, gumbo etc. Also raw oysters by the dozen. Both would be affordable by Uber to/from the Doubletree.

  10. We did Royalton 2 for 1 out of Falmouth through Shoreexcursioneer. Their transportation picks you up inside the terminal area and drops you right outside the gate on your return. Although it is not private transportation according to their website we were alone both to and from the hotel. The hotel is beautiful as well as the beach and pools. Food in dining area was good and they have both a jerk chicken stand and hot dog/ hamburger stand by the pool. $100 pp so more than AI in Mexico but we thought we had about as good of a day in Falmouth as we could have had. We have booked to return Sept. 2019. At that time last year the resort was not very crowded and we had a beautiful day. Royalton is no more than a 10 min drive from Falmouth port.

  11. As noted above we have prebooked El Cid through Shoreexcursioneer so I contacted them and here is their response  (verbatim) but leaving out the sender's name:

     

    "In regards to your inquiries, the excursion has suffered some changes, the palapas and umbrellas are first come first served, there is no way to reserve it. The food included in the day pass is all you can eat buffet on most days as well as order off the menu...whatever you want, as much as you want (except lobster). This can vary depending on the day."

     

    Ok, subject to multiple interpretations but I haven't cancelled our reservation yet. I think we have only spent $20 or so; may show up and ask these questions at the front desk when we arrive and make a decision then.

  12. Wow we were planning to go back to El Cid this September but I would only want to eat off the menu and have full use of the facilities. If this policy continues we will look for alternatives next time in Coz. Thanks for the post!

  13. There is also Queens BBQ which typically gets equal to better reviews and is closer to the Seawall. Also for midday investigates Leo's Cajun which is on Broadway and has brisket, sausage etc. as well as some good gumbo and cajun food. It is counter order only with paper plates and plastic utensils if that matters.

  14. Shore excursioneer is offering AI day passes to El Cid for $49.99 while a few days ago I saw them on Resort for a Day for $65.00. It is not four star but we have always enjoyed our day there and enjoyed not having to get a taxi. I have never purchased the passes at the front desk.

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  15. We did Royalton/ White Sands and had a great day. Good beach, food and amenities. Very short drive from Falmouth cruise terminal. It was fairly expensive for a day pass (I think $100pp) through Shore Excursioneer but we did have a really good day and both my wife and I said we would do it again. We went in September and although the resort is not Adults Only there were very few children around.

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