TheLargeFamily

6 hours ago, cyntil8ing said:

Carnival went a bit further! https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/carnival-jubilee-floats-out-and-reveals-texas-star-bow

The merch in Jubilee also has lots of Texas flair. 

On Jubilee it opened at 2pm (ish) each day. Cool that other ships open it sooner! 

It was never terribly busy and they'll often let you go multiple times while harnessed. 

10 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 

....but it really isn't complicated, people just make it that way.  For decades many states gave out DL's like candy.  That is what prompted the Real ID standard, the government said lets make sure people are who they say they are and required identity documentation.  That is all it is.

 

EDL's are a niche that fills the same role as a federal passport card.  When entry to our neighboring countries by DL went away it created a need for those in border areas who commonly cross.  The EDL/Passport card replaced it, it carries all the same citizenship and identity verification but is easily carried in a wallet.

You're right. It's not complicated... once you're actually aware that there are different types of driver licenses. 

Call me crazy/stupid/whatever, but I think the inconsistencies in DL's is confusing. I had googled "does Texas have enhanced drivers license" and gotten confusing results (I shared a pic within this thread). Is it my fault that I didn't do more digging? Sure! But, instead, I grabbed hubby's birth certificate as I was packing. Glad I did! 

Then there's passport cards vs passports. My husband will renew his passport. As for the kids, I am in decision paralysis. 

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Listing out the various scenarios would just confuse people more.  If people book on their own, they take on that responsibility.  If they use a PVP or TA, then the knowledge is not needed. You removed the lack of by using someone who KNOWS.

My first PVP did nothing beyond book my rooms. Never responded to emails. 

So I tried a TA for my upcoming cruise (when we will have passports) and she couldn't book us ANY of the rooms I saw online. So I had to book online myself. 

Hey, look! More inconcistencies!

Also, I wonder why carnival cannot note this during the online check in process? It has our state of residency in its system. Can't it note the handful of states with an EDL. 

I don't intend to blame Carnival, but this would be helpful for the occasional traveler. 

I wonder how often people are turned away at the terminal when they bring the wrong travel documents or the wrong state ID... As we did. 

I'm so grateful for the nudge to bring my husband's birth certificates. 

7 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

I ask because Texas doesn't offer an Enhanced Driver's License.

Yes it's Texas. 

I have a sinking feeling right now. Back when I was planning, I googled and found this (attached) which I thought was adequate at the time.  Glad I packed those birth certificates. Wow. 

Glad to learn from u rather than at the terminal. 

FYI, if they do the EDL have them also bring a birth certificate. For whatever reason, the gal at the Galveston terminal wanted both for my husband on our March cruise. 

Also, the birth certificate line on the way out had a quarter the amount of people! Just saying!

That said, we are renewing passports now that we have a booking in January. 😜

Can it go to another continent? 

In Texas, school ends in May and starts the 2nd week of Aug. 

Try staying in Tha Havana area on a Vista or Excel?

And, even as a mom, I can't stand to be in a hot tub full of children. I never got in the hot tub on our last cruise and if I did it would have probably been on serenity. The few times that one of our kids would go in the hot tub my husband would sit in there with her.

After the last fire, did she immediately get repaired or did she sail with a half burned tail? Any photos? 

8 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

I agree. I think it is because it is out of the way and many people forget about it.  I know every night on Mardi Gras, we would head to the Fortune Teller Bar and every night, we would say we needed to try emerils before the cruise ended, and each day we forgot about it until we went to the bar again.

Hahaha same. We never got around to eating there. 

It seemed really under utilized! 

Is anyone booked on this new ship? I considered it but the reviews are terrible! Bad food, bars closing early, grumpy service. It seems like you have to do yacht club to have a decent experience. 

Hello Fellow Texans! Galveston is my homeport. We live in DFW. How do y'all stay up to date on cruise ships comings and goings and new itineraries from the Galveston port? Is cruise critic your best bet? 

Yeas all those things... And pictures they take of u

13 hours ago, gluecksbaer said:

Are school breaks that inconsistent? 

Spring break is a guessing game. I have looked at trends in past calendars but it's always the 2nd or 3rd week in March. As for Christmas, some years we get a full week before Christmas and almost no time off in January. Other years, we are out a few days before Christmas and then don't go back until January 6-8. Some years get a full week at Thanksgiving! 

At least July is always available. 

5 minutes ago, Indiansbaseball said:

Strange…. 18 cruises with Carnival and there has always been a trash can in the room, usually under the desk area and one in the bathroom. Love the pizza ! 

Yes, we had a trash can in one bathroom and in the common area of the stateroom, but the common areas of the boat has no trash cans. The bathrooms that offer paper towels have a small bucket (labeled for paper only)if there isn't a small trash integrated into the counter/cabinet.

Yes, that pizza is good! I wonder if it's the same recipe on all carnival ships???

23 minutes ago, KKB said:

Curious--you couldn't play Pickleball anytime? 

 

Have sailed Princess & NCL out of Galveston--each time the drink package began as soon as we were in international water, an hour or 2 after departure.

Is Carnival different?

No, the sports court was always in use for other things. There was almost always 2 half-court basketball games and a soccer game going simultaneously on the court. Lots of teens on our spring break cruise. Perhaps if I had a group of aggressive pickleball players with me, we could have staged a coup. 

As for the drinking, I guess Carnival is different. We had slightly limited beverage menus that whole embark day. Drink packages start the next day. I cannot remember how it was when we cruised out of Galveston with Royal 6 years ago.

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

It's the chinese/mexican fusion concept. It's weird to me too. But it's the theme of the restaurant.

Thank goodness they didn't go crazy and melt cheese on top of the kung pao chicken.

39 minutes ago, mz-s said:

If you just bring a glass of wine into the dining room, you won't be charged corkage. Bringing in a bottle is what triggered the corkage fee.

I brought champagne and I was hoping that they would bring me a cold bucket for it. But they did not and it was late in the dinner before I remembered to ask for one. But I think I know that I will only bring glasses in the future to avoid that small fee

6 minutes ago, Roscoe13 said:

Yes, we ate lunch there and we both were served bowls of a combo of tortilla chips and won tons.  Salsa and Asian dipping sauce too.

I wonder why they only do this for lunch. I also wonder if I would have enjoyed my food there better had I gotten the lettuce wraps. Does anyone else think that it's weird to have corn and tomatoes in egg drop soup?

25 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

The Breeze will have an amazing thermal suite area compared to the Jubilee. It will have the famous thelassotherapy pool and the heated loungers in separate rooms not all crammed into one tiny loud space. Other special rooms and special showers also spaced out nicely. I thought when I booked Celebration since it was a new ship it would have the extra nice thermal suite area like I had on the Dream so I booked a spa cabin to have free access. Was I ever surprised and totally underwhelmed when I saw the thermal suite area, we only used it twice. On the Dream we purchased the week long passes and used it at least twice a day.

I heard from a woman on the ship to try Dream's spa! I wouldn't hesitate to book dream if they had a ropes course because my kids enjoyed that dang ropes course so much.

Part 2...

Thanks for reading! I enjoy hearing your responses. There's not much organization here, so thanks for bearing with me.

- One perk to Family Harbor was having a coffee machine a few steps away, and it made better coffee than in the Lido. It had options for lattes and whatnot, but I always got an Americano. I brought my own favorite creamer (nutpods) to put in the coffee, but I didn't even need it, it was so good. There was also a buffet every morning but I do not eat breakfast typically. This is great for families with kids under 6 or 7. I don't think we'll need this perk long in the future. I do wish we had kids old enough to qualify for the Havana area- that looked amazing! Our youngest need to be 12, however. FH did NOT include bottomless bubbles.That would have been great.

- Speaking of no trash cans, they seem to do well to prevent waste. The cups are all smaller than restaurants on land. The portions are normal (except in Bonsai Teppanyaki and Guys Burgers). They utilize cloth napkins even in casual dining. Candy straws are not my fave but the kids loved them. They come in three flavors- Chocolate, strawberry and Lemon Lime. I did bring a few straws from home but always seemed to leave them in the room. You really only require a straw for frozen beverages, which I rarely get anyway.

- The Hub app is good for planning your day, making reservations, and viewing your photos, but useless for staying in touch with other cruisers. I did not want to buy an internet plan for myself, but just bought it for 24 hours on two of the sea days for $25 or $35 a day. That said, I didn't really need it. Whenever I needed my husband and he wasn't already with me, I usually found him at a blackjack table talking to an old guy named Pops. He made lots of friends in there and lost $600 over the course of the cruise, but had a great time. Apparently there were a lot of elite gamblers on our ship and he liked hearing their stories.

- The hub app needs to add booking functionality! Do you think Carnival would cash in if their guests could plan another cruise while on a current one?

- I was hoping to play pickleball, but it was only offered one time at 9pm. CC please let me know what ships offer more pickleball? 

- You still pay a corkage fee even if you open your own bottle. It's only $15 and we weren't mad about it, but I see a lot of other cruisers recommend that you open your own bottle before taking it to a restaurant. We took a bottle to Cucina del Capitano on night 1. In Galveston, Cheers does not begin until day 2. 

- Here's where we ate each dinner:

---Night 1 at Cucina- great idea, very few people in there with us on night 1. Service was excellent and food was good. I have some picky eaters and they were all very happy here.

---Night 2 was elegant night. We went to the MDR and were seated by the kitchen. It was so loud in there, even away from the kitchen. It had a chaotic feel to have servers walk by our table constantly. Next time I will wait for a better table. The lack of table cloths probably don't help the noise situation. That said, I ordered off the Emeril's menu and it was delicious. The kids ordered the same pasta they got at Cucina. We never returned to the MDR after night 2. Long meals are less fun with kids hehe...

--- Night 3 we ate at Guys Pig and Anchor which turns to a sit down restaurant at night. You're given a little sheet where you mark your choices. We loved this place. Even as Texans who are used to good brisket, the brisket here is great! I loved the pork and all the sauce choices. The Mac N Cheese is excellent. The vibe is fun with live music. It's a few steps away from 2 foosball tables and whatever that game is where you slide disks back and forth (help me out??). The bathroom and Swirls is also close. 

--- Night 4 we had Bonsai Teppanyaki reservations which is absolutely delish! Our server/cook was so fun but I wish he tossed food into our mouths. The saketini was one of my favorite drinks on ship. Definitely get that if you like coconut and umami flavors. If you go with kids, ask them to split their entrees!!!! We wasted soooo much food b/c our kids filled up on the amazing fried rice. The server asked us if we wanted a box but (obvs I couldn't warm it up) I said no. I hate wasting that much food. The dessert choice bento box is fun but the desserts were hit or miss in there. Thankfully they were all bite-sized. 

--- Night 5 we had Pig and Anchor again

--- Night 6 we had ChiBang. Meh. They put corn and tomatoes in egg drop soup. That should be a crime. I did enjoy my son's kung pao chicken a lot, but my entree was the mole chicken which tasted like absolutely nothing. I had read/watched that they bring you chips when you sit down but they don't do this. I had to ask and they acted confused. 

--- Night 7 we ate all over the place... some in the Lido, some at Coastal Slice. I had a reservation for Rudi's but I ended up canceling it b/c everyone had so many last-minute things they wanted to do elsewhere. 

-We had the Dr Suess Thing 1 and 2 breakfast on day 7. It was adorably decorated but they did not offer many character sightings at all. We only saw the Cat in the Hat and Thing 2. The music was so LOUD you couldn't think. The food was so colorful it turned off most of my kids. I expected the color but didn't know my kids would hate that. Despite my criticisms, we really had fun together here. I just don't think we'd do it again.

- We dislike the QRcode menus. We asked for paper menus everywhere we went and some restaurants have them and others do not. Our kids do not have phones- we're old school about phones and kids. Often we'd go to a restaurant and have only 2 tiny phone menus to share with 8 people. 

- I wandered up to Loft 19 to see what we're missing one early morning and it's gorgeous and the views are fantastic. That said, we had a couple of days over 90 on the ship so I don't know if most people want to lounge in an expensive cabana on hot days like that. They do have a pool but the views are limited from there. 

- I am resigned to know that my kids just don't love kid club experiences, they prefer mom and dad, which is great, but can burn us out sometimes. We tried with the camp ocean, following all the recommendations which included to go there on day one and night one. But this was a spring break cruise and there seems to be no ratio limits at all. My 4yo twins did not like camp ocean. One of them cried a lot and I had no way of knowing. Night one on spring break had too many kids in there. We brought the twins back later in the cruise to do a craft and left them in there for almost an hour and they never got around to doing the craft that was in the hub app, so the twins were disappointed. The counselor gave us the supplies for them to do in our stateroom instead. My boys loved checking themselves in and out of the kids club for the first few days but suddenly stopped and aren't giving us details as to why. I don't think anything bad happened, but they are 9 and 11 and enjoy going all over the ship together. They also did the ropes course a gazillion times. My 7yo daughter went to camp ocean twice and wasn't super impressed. My 13yo daughter never got the nerve to try CircleC. Mom and dad did get some downtime b/c my 13yo doesn't mind watching a movie with the little girls in the room every now and then. Yes, we brought 6 kids. haha...

- One surprise was how much I loved the photo opps! We got tons of adorable photos and I bought the most expensive package! No regrets!

I think that's all I've got for now... LMK if you have any questions. I think we may try Carnival Breeze next. Wonder what that'll be like after all the bells and whistles on Jubilee