1Texansgo

We did Royalton/Blue Water in September and had a great day. Beautiful property (ies), great beach and good food. We stayed on the White Sands for most of the day but Blue Water has the lazy river and looked nice also. White sands has a jerk shack by the pool and serves up jerk chicken after approx. 11:00 and the restaurant has a huge buffet with multiple cook to order stations. Resort was not at all crowded when we went so we enjoyed the beach, pools and facilities. Good food. Would definitely do it again. Very short ride from Falmouth to the resort. I have not been to Jewel Runaway Bay. We booked through Shore Excursioneer I believe.

We ordered off the menu September 2017 and though the menu was somewhat basic we were pleased with the food. Ate at the tables around the pool.

We were on LOS and were in port 7;30-4:30 so our times were not the same. However, for the price and convenience we had a good day at El Cid. No taxi hassles, plenty of drinks and the food was pretty good to good. Not much of a crowd there and you knew you were steps from International Pier. We originally thought we would walk to the Park Grand (or something like that ) across the street which is bigger and supposedly a little nicer but their day pass does not start until 11:00 so we opted to return for our second trip to El Cid. If a small sandy area great for reading and sunning and a small pool is ok with you then book El Cid.

We did this excursion 2 weeks ago and thought it was a great day! The hotel and grounds are beautiful and the food and drink were top quality. Pickup was inside the Falmouth terminal area and it is only about a 10 minute ride from the port. You have use of both the Royalton White Sands and Blue Water resort but other than walking around to see everything we stayed at White Sands. Not cheap but this will be our go to option next time we port at Falmouth. An excellent day!

We were there Sept 4th. We purchased the day pass for $49.99 through Resort for a Day or Cozumel Day Trips or something like that. We were on RC so it is super convenient for the International Terminal. You are entitled to all drinks but only Dos Equis draft beer but the beer was good and cold. This is the 2nd time we have been to El Cid. If you have been there before you know the beach area and pool area are small but for us its works out great.Food was good. I recommend it for a lazy port day.

With regard to Schooners Bill Forrest would sing the first verse of an Eagles song and then tell us when , why and where the song was written, why another group didn't record it etc. etc. I really didn't care about that and simply wanted to listen to the music. For El Cid we arranged a day pass before sailing through either Resort for Day or Shore Excursioneer. It was $50pp and included lunch off the menu and all drinks and use of facilities. They have a very small beach area and a decent pool. This package only includes Dos Equis (sp?) draft beer and all cocktails including frozen and exotic drinks. The drinks were good and the food was also good. The menu is basic burgers, sandwiches nachos, fajitas etc but does have fresh fish as well as fish tacos etc. I thought the food was good. They also have a package that you can get without a reservation where you pay an entry fee (maybe 25pp) and you get a credit back for half of that for food and drink. I would contact the hotel directly for specifics.We like it because it is convenient and we can quickly return to the ship if the weather turns bad etc. We were going to Park Royal this trip but their all inclusive starts at 11:00 and with LOS being the first ship to leave port we didn't think it would be worth the money. Most posters say Park Royal has nicer facilities. We read our books on their small beach and then spent the majority of our day at the hotel pool so for us it was very enjoyable.

Our guy in Schooners was Bill Forrest; Phil was there a year ago and we prefer Phil.

Just returned from our third sailing on LOS out of Galveston-Coz, Cayman and Jamaica and wanted to share our thoughts and experiences. First we are husband and wife in our 50's traveling alone. We have spent a significant amount of time in the Caribbean and have been to all of the ports of call previously. The purpose of our cruise was to relax and get away from the every day stress we all experience.

EMBARKATION: WET! We spent Saturday night in Galveston and I packed the car around 9:30. I was going to drop off the luggage with the porters and return to pick up my wife. We have a home in Galveston so we were going to leave our car at the house and Uber to port sans luggage. While waiting to pull into the port the sky opened and a severe storm hit the island. It took about 40 minutes to drop off luggage but once that was accomplished and made it back to the house the rain lessened and we actually Ubered to the port around 12:15. From there we were onboard around 1:00 and all bags were delivered to our rooms by 3:00. Overall, a good start to the vacation.

WEEK'S PLAN: We had the drink package and the 3 night specialty dining package so we went to Chops once on board and made reservations for Sabor Sunday night, Chops Tuesday and Chops again Saturday night. We have seen most of the production shows so we felt no rush to finish dinner etc to make it to the shows.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE: I must say I was impressed both by the food and drink and by the service throughout the ship. It is a bit humorous that about half the time when receiving a drink you have to sign the ticket and the other half they simply give you back your card and say thank you. I do remember that at the beginning of the cruise more bartenders had you sign but as the week progressed more simply handed you back your card. Drinks were good and had a decent amount of spirits in them. ALL bar and wait staff we encountered were friendly, efficient and professional. I also noticed a lot of passengers with the soda package handing the waiters their large tumblers to fill and I never saw bar personnel overlook or not timely serving them. One hint: take off the tumbler lid before handing it to the bartender to fill. The bartenders are told not to open the lids for sanitary purposes. So bar service in my opinion was a 9/10 throughout the week and although good last year when we sailed was even better this year. For food, again I would have to say it is somewhat better than last year across the board. Chops was really good as we both had filets which were properly cooked, well seasoned and offered with multiple sauces, if desired. Sides were good-the only semi complaint would be the creamed spinach was not all creamy but I am sure my cardiologist appreciated that. IN MDR I would again say the food is good to very good. The menus are different (some said new?) with about six entrees per night plus grilled chicken and a steak on the menu every night. We ate in MDR four evenings and I always found something that sounded good. I am not a lamb lover but one night nothing looked great for a main course so I ordered the lamb shank on the recommendation of our waiter and it was really good. Wife had chicken a couple of nights and was happy with it. The desserts which we tasted were all good but after the big dinners we had the sherbet and ice cream may have been our favorites. I also need to mention that on our 2nd formal night the prime rib and lobster were both very tasty and properly cooked. The lobster was not overly cooked and was quite good. Our table mates told us that the prime rib on the first evening was really good as well. We had breakfast both in the WJ and MDR and preferred MDR. Everything there was good and service was not slow. Ate lunch in MDR twice and salad and entrees were pretty good, not great but pretty good. Forgot to say that Sabor on our first night was excellent with truly excellent service such that we returned for lunch on our last sea day. Again, service in all dining venues was very good to excellent.

SHIP: Hard to believe LOS is 9yo as she is a beautiful well designed ship. They are constantly cleaning, sanitizing, repairing and painting her but she remains in first class condition. Yes, there are some stains on the carpet and drapes in a few areas but nothing major at all. I also was pleasantly surprised that on our cruise she did not seem crowded at all. The public areas were not crowded other than the pools on sea days but you could always find a chair in the sun or shade. The casino was not overly busy either. Last year you could barely find a seat at the blackjack tables but this cruise they lowered a couple of the table minimums from $25 to $10 or $15 to encourage more play. Yes the casino is somewhat smoky but I am not highly sensitive to secondary smoke so it didn't greatly bother me. I will say service in the casino bars was excellent with super friendly bar personnel who knew all of the "regulars" after the 2nd day. While we did not gamble that much we spent a good deal of time after dinner in the casino.

ENTERTAINMENT AND ACTIVITIES: We may not be the best reviewers for this. We became fairly set in our ways early on with our nightly routine. We would usually be dressed for dinner by 7:00, pick up a drink at Boleros (which was close to our room) and walk around usually having a second drink in the casino and then having 2nd seating dinner at 8:00. Let me say here that our time in MDR dinner was never more than an hour unlike some dinners I have read about. After dinner we would go to Schooners for piano music. Here is my only significant complaint. The singer in Schooners had a pretty good voice but he wanted to BS and proselytize more than he wanted to sing songs. Every night the Compass would tout a Billy Joel tribute, Eagles tribute Elton John tribute which excited us but his nonstop blabber really turned us off to what would have otherwise been entertaining. On one night we walked through Schooners around 11:00 and the place was virtually empty. This has never happened on prior cruises we have been on. After Schooners we would go to Olive and Twist which would play specific music from around 10-11:30 before going to straight disco music. The earlier shows featured Motown, 70s, 80s etc. We really enjoyed Olive and Twist as it has beautiful views down to deck 11 and out to sea. We also attended the Caymus wine tasting at Vintages one afternoon. The wine steward was quite knowledgeable and there were about 10 people there and we enjoyed meeting and visiting with them. The only production show we saw was IN THE AIR which was pretty good with great costumes and acrobatics. We saw two of the comedians at their R rated shows at 10:15 and both of them were funny. So, we felt we always had good entertainment options available to us and we never lacked for entertainment.

PORTS: In Cozumel we opted to get a day pass at El Cid next door so we walked over there and spent the day. Had a really good grilled grouper for lunch and plenty of libations. The facilities would probably be rated like a Best Western but for us it worked out fine because we didn't want to cab to and from a beach club, the weather looked like it could rain and we have been to Nachi, Santos etc. quite a few times. Also, having all aboard at 3:30 didn't seem to make a beach club look too appealing. So a good quiet day for us.

In Cayman a rain shower hit about 10:30 when we were deciding if we wanted to get off the ship so we thought it was a sign and stayed on the ship all day. In Jamaica we had previously reserved a resort for a day at Royalton White Sands/Blue Water resort. The resort is only about a 10 minute drive from the Falmouth port and it is beautiful. Between the two resorts there are at least 4 pools and a lazy river. It has a beautiful beach and the service at the resort was superb as was the food. It isn't cheap ($100 pp) but it is really a great day. We didn't know it but the day pass includes breakfast and lunch as well as all you can drink. We had already eaten breakfast before we arrived but the lunch was extensive and very good with tons of selections and cook to order stations. We would definitely do this excursion again.P.S. They have a jerk shack by the pool that serves up jerk chicken all afternoon and it was superb if you can take the spice.

PROMENADE ACTIVITIES: We had the 70s party and Captains Welcome parties in the promenade and the RC singers who performed were really good. The dancing was good and we always think these activities are fun.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

1. Although there is some upselling going on every day we did not find it at all intrusive and seemed even less intrusive than prior cruises.

2. Deck 4 is a great walking deck if you can climb up the stairs to the heliport.

3. If you want to walk/jog on the track do it early or late.

4. They start selling the 10 drinks/$79 onWed. morning and there are signs at every bar.

5. Best frozen drinks are at Squeeze Bar on deck 11.

5 Don't expect to watch your favorite college football games; Sat night they had Pitt/Penn State as the only college game shown on the cruise while there were great games on ESPN that they didn't show-A&M/Clemson etc.

6. Everyone we encountered was quite courteous and friendly-both staff and passengers.

7. If you hate Texans stay away from LOS.

8. Hard to believe but the country band (Nashville Junction I believe) was from Canada.

9. We didn't see the cruise director much but that is because we didn't go to shows etc. So no opinion.

10. Take negative statements and reviews with a grain of salt; if you walk aboard with a good attitude you will walk off the ship with a better attitude

11. Cruising is really a very good cost effective vacation

12. So to conclude we live in the Houston area and have a second home in Galveston so we understand the economic benefit RC and Carnival have had on our area. We have been on Carnival multiple times over the years and have enjoyed all of our Carnival cruises .Carnival Vista was in port with us in Cayman and she is a beautiful ship and we are lucky to be getting her in Galveston. However, based on all of the above our next cruises out of Galveston will be on the beautiful LOS.

If you have any questions I will try to answer them.

Will post a review but have attached Daily Compass with exception of sail away which I misplaced.

Compass 1-3.pdf

Compass 2-3.pdf

Compass 3-3.pdf

We leave this Sunday the 2nd so if you get no reply for those on board now let me know and I will try to help with your request.

Hemingways last day of business is Sept. 2nd when the entire property shuts down for remodeling and to prepare to re-open the hotel. We were planning to be there that Wed. on LOS but now will look elsewhere. Does anyone know how many ships will be in port on 9/5?

Chicken Chicken is right on SMB road; fire roasted chicken or jerk chicken with sides for about 10 bucks; not fancy but good for the price; Sunshine Grill is in the Sunshine Suites hotel just past the Ritz Carlton on the right; open for breakfast, lunch and dinner; good burgers, sandwiches salads etc. for a decent price. Known for their fish tacos but I know you said you are not a seafood person. Neither have any atmosphere if that is what you are looking for.

We will be on LOS Sept. 2nd-9th so NCAA football will be in full force. Will the Saturday games (9/8/18) be available on TV anywhere ie sports bar, big screen etc? Is there any way on the website I can find out what games will be available on board? Thanks for your help!

We are sailing Liberty for the second time in Sept. We loved her on our first cruise. We travel with no kids but for us the lack of waiting for shows, etc. and the larger feel of Liberty is important. Also, the solarium adults only pool area is great. Food venues are more varied on Vista and the Havana area is intriguing. One venue not frequently mentioned on Liberty is Oliver and Twist which is where we go most evenings around ten to listen to "70s, 80's and '90s music. The view is beautiful and the music most nights fun and memorable. (We leave before it becomes a full fledged nightclub later at night.) If you choose Vista please let us know your thoughts. We are not Carnival bashers or Royal lifers but as of now Liberty is the best choice for us.

One of the previous posters is correct that most restaurants around Hobby are chains. Are you wanting to stay close to Hobby because you are returning to the airport on the day of your cruise for shuttle purposes? If not, you could uber to Pearland and enjoy the restaurants previously mentioned such as Killen's or Gringos. Pearland's lodging are chains such as Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn etc. If you are going to uber to the port you may want to go farther south and stay in the Webster/Nasa area. There you would have a wealth of restaurants to consider. Perry's Steak House near Baybrook Mall comes to mind. That would put you only one exit away from I45 current bottleneck which is Nasa exit through the League City exits. Once you get through that area you should have a smooth trip to Galveston Island.

Very interesting reading here as we have debated Liberty of the Seas/Carnival Breeze often and ended up choosing LOS twice. Did do the Magic New Years Eve several years ago and had a great time. We live in Houston so have departed Galveston on last several cruises. Really thinking about booking Vista for our next Galveston cruise. It hasn't gotten great reviews out of Florida but I think I am ready for another Carnival cruise. I agree the food choices seem much more diverse on Carnival. We are thankful both Carnival and RCCL are committed to Galveston.

We have stayed in Grand Cayman several times and each time we have had lunch and/or dinner at Hemingways. Yes, expensive (as is everywhere in GC) but good food, good service and a great beach location. I had forgotten about it but we will port there on our cruise in Sept. and I have penciled Hemingways in as our destination that day. Thanks for the above referenced post!!

I have read posts about RCI running specials on 3 night dining packages and alcohol/drink packages. Is this true ? Currently 3 night dining packages are offered at $75 pp and drink packages are approx. $50pp per day. The note on the website says "this includes your discount". Should I just go ahead and book or wait for a better deal?

Just wife and I on Liberty of Seas this year; have done Nachi and Paradise Beach and last year went to El Cid which we walked to and had a relaxing day reading and having a few cocktails. We like not having to wait for cabs and since it is just the two of us were wondering about other day pass options within walking distance of International Pier or a short cab away-like AI but not mandatory. I have heard good and bad things about Park Royal but can't find a vendor selling these day passes(couldn't find them on shoreexcursioneer or resortforaday.) Appreciate any advice.

We have a house on Galveston Island and we Ubered from house to Rudy and Paco's (about 11/2 miles) and it was less than six bucks. I asked the driver about availability Sunday from the cruise piers and he indicated that there were enough Uber drivers for the demand and he didn't feel like passengers had much of a wait for post cruise transportation to Houston airports.

Black Pearl and Willie G's are solid choices. We also like Benno's on the Seawall but they are limited to fried entrees or Cajun grilled plus crawfish and gumbo(when crawfish are in season). Both Black Pearl and Bennos are small places and at Benno's you place your order at the counter and the food is brought to you.

If you are careful as you would be in any unfamiliar city in the US you will be fine.That said our preference in Jamaica is to either stay on the ship or do a day pass to a resort. Cozumel and Grand Cayman I would not worry about if you stay in a group or the shopping area.

We are a fiftyish couple travelling without children or grandchildren. We previously cruised about once a year but had not been on a cruise for several years. We sailed the Liberty of Seas in September and had a good time. We have also enjoyed Carnival cruises in the past so I strongly considered booking the Breeze for next September. However, after much discussion my wife and I opted to again book LOS. Here is our analysis whether correct or not.

COST: The two ships were so close in cost that we would rate this as a tossup.

DINING: Although food is so subjective the inclusive multiple dining venues on the Breeze gave Carnival the edge here.

DRINK PACKAGES: We are always going to get the alcohol drink package as we like to pay as much up front as possible. That said, it is disappointing that Carnival's package starts on the second day of the cruise. Advantage RCL.

ENTERTAINMENT: Again, subjective but we gave the advantage to Carnival.

POOLS: The solarium and adult pool is where we spend a lot of time especially on sea days. Big advantage to RCL.

SHIP Layout: LOS in our opinion is a much prettier ship and we enjoy the promenade so advantage RCL.

CASINO: Both seem to be smoky so no advantage to either ship.

PRIORITY BOARDING ETC: Carnival's FTTF doesn't excite us so no advantage to either.

ACTIVITY DECKS: Slight advantage to LOS.

Given the above we will again sail LOS and I am sure we will have a great time. However, I am sure we would have a great time on the Breeze as well. We are definitely NOT Carnival haters!

I don't know if you are coming in this weekend but I-45 (Gulf Freeway) is scheduled to be closed at Fuqua exit which is between 610 and Beltway 8. I would take 71 to I-10 and then Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) to 45 South. That puts you just south of the closure.

Hate to muck up the thread but we are similarly considering both Breeze and LOS. Been on LOS in Sept and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Have not been on Breeze but did enjoy Magic several years ago. Our distinguishing facts are:

1. In our 50's and travelling childless

2. Dining- we really enjoy the evening dining experience even if service is slower than it used to be

3. Entertainment- we may be getting old but we pretend we are not on cruises- like to hear good music, shows and even dance a bit

4. Lines are inevitable but we rarely have shore excursions other than day passes or light shopping so we do not need to be first off ship

5. Good booze and good people are important; shocked by recent video of bar fight on a cruise

So, any opinions of whether we would enjoy Breeze or LOS more?