CGBCruiser

Thank you very much for the response. I was thinking it was a case of it being made out to be much worse than what it actually was. I am sure I am largely hearing the negative because people don't share the good experiences as often as they do the negative.

 

Thank you again.

I actually think we haven't had as much fog this year as we normally do because the weather has been cold. Tampa is fogged in today as well...it doesn't just occur on the Texas Gulf Coast! And yes, you are right about people loving to share anything negative.

By default of other ships known deployments and timing of deployments,

and staff member on Independence,

saying it coming to Galveston,

And with new ships available to other ports.

It's looking that way .

We shall see soon???

Yep! You are usually on the money about this stuff! :)

Also see thread on CC

On RCL forum

For even more information on Galveston

 

Deployment schedule: let the guessing begin! ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)

You were right! It's on the front page of the CC website! Doesn't say which ship, just a bigger one which will be deployed after $10 million in enhancements to the cruise terminal.

Do you have a reference for this?

 

I use immodium for my patients all the time, the only exception is if they have c. diff. Viruses are generally eliminated by the immune system, not mechanically. My gastroenterology buddy next door confirms there's no contraindication to anti-diarrhea meds in norovirus.

 

If I'm wrong I'd really like to know so I can stop giving the wrong advice. I hope you can point me to your source.

They used to believe that you had to "shed" the stomach virus through your intestines. That is no longer the case. Your own immune system gets rid of the virus in a couple of days. So, I believe you are giving the correct information.

The Port of Galveston has signed a 5 year agreement with RCCL:D

$10 million for port improvements approved.

Today in Galveston County Daily News!

YEAH:)

That's great news!!!!

It spreads SO fast and is very hard to contain. At the Christmas holidays our family got it and it knocked us down one by one for 24 hours at a time. We only had two out of 14 people that didn't get it. Plus, you're contagious for up to 2 weeks after you get over the symptoms. That's how long you shed the virus. We bleached everything, disinfected everything we could think of but it still spread! I can't even imagine trying to disinfect an entire cruise ship.

Thanks . Have bought wine in various Targets during our travels, so fingers crossed the Humble store stocks wine and also the hotel offers a shuttle.

 

Many thanks to all who offered supportive replies.

If not Target, there should be plenty of places in the Humble area where you could purchase wine and/or liquor. Have a great trip!

Thanks for the suggestions.

Caribill

Maybe because I wanted to get my wrists slapped, maybe because I thought 'Gulfport Departures' meant all cruise lines, or maybe in error !!!!!

You're in the right place...Gulf Coast Departures. There is a Target in Humble which I'm pretty sure is within 5 miles of the airport hotels. I buy wine at Target down here in SE Texas. Check to see if they have it there!

Ekkk how is April cheaper then May?! Would have thought May would be more expensive due to spring break cruisers?!

Spring Break is in March.

Hobby Airport is not in the best part of town, so suggest not staying there.

 

The Towne Place Suites is relatively new and looks nice.

Better to wake in the morning looking at the Gulf of Mexico than a parking lot:)

As long as they will shuttle you places, not a problem. Taxis are not expensive.

Nice to go downtown to the Strand and Post Office Sts.

Lots of restaurants on the island from inexpensive fast food to expensive white table cloth.

Check out Galveston.com for restaurants and their menus.

Great advice! :)

In the winter you can even get some good deals at Moody Gardens Resort. We stayed there in November for the Holiday Half Marathon. Loved it! The Harbor House is close by the port...walking distance! Of course, I love The Galvez, but it's pricey. So many places to stay, it's really up to you. You know there is LaQuinta, HI Express, Holiday Inn, Sheraton Four Points, etc. All would be fine to stay at prior to a cruise!

I'm not sure I would ever do a Houston itinerary again We were on the first repo cruise that brought the CB to Houston. It's a very, very long and narrow channel (someone said 37 miles??). There were tankers right next to us going the other way all the way in. We were lucky that we had no fog that day. There is nothing at all around the terminal area to do or see. IAH was over an hour ride and $130 cab fare which I consider steep. Couldn't even rent a car. If I were to do it again, I would book an evening flight to be sure. We had a noon flight and although we made with walk off, it was close. The terminal and staff were excellent though and very accommodating.

I live here and I don't want to go down the channel to the Gulf. With that said, it's a pretty long trip down the river from New Orleans to the Gulf too! I might do the trip if the ship was very much worth it, but with RCCL's NOS sailing year round I'd just do that.

I've lived down here in the Houston/Galveston area for 35 years. If you live close to the sea, there is a possibility of fog. However, the past year has not been bad at all. And yes, it is more likely to happen during the winter months as we live in a subtropical climate here and although cold fronts do make it down this way, it doesn't stay cold for long and the winds return from the South. The Carnival Triumph was delayed this past Monday getting into port. We have also experienced fog in Florida, both on the East and West coast.

Southwest does not charge change fees, but United is $200 and most others charge as well. And yes, the airports are further inland so foggy weather doesn't interrupt their operations often at all. I was in Houston last night and it was foggy in downtown. Worried about making the hour drive home but was all ok. A balmy 81 degrees here today with LOTS of humidity!

Are taxis readily available at the Princess dock? We dock at 7am on a Friday and need to meet our tour at the Ala Moana Hotel at 8am. Is there much of a line? How long is the trip? Would I be better off scheduling a driver to pick us up?

 

Thanks!

Taxis are readily available, but just because your ship docks at 7 a.m. doesn't mean you'll be off in 30 min. and to the Ala Moana Hotel by 8 a.m. You could be cutting it pretty close.

Megabus is a good option, plus you will save gas and parking unless you have a large party

 

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The Megabus ends up in a not so great part of Houston! Then you still have to get to Galveston.

You still have to get from Houston to Galveston which would cost more than driving from Dallas.

You are absolutely correct!!!

Thought it was about the same as Phoenix to LA/San Diego. That really seems like the best and most efficient way to me.

It's only 288 miles!

It's only about a 5 hour drive from Dallas to Galveston.

We were on a POA last month. We rented a car in Kauai and drove to Waimea Canyon and then on up the mountain 4 1/2 miles to Kalalau Lookout. I got some beautiful pictures! We drove back through the town of Waimea. There were several little places to stop and eat and shop. Then we drove to Poipu Beach which was nice. Actually got to see a sea turtle on the beach and some seals as well. The next day we just opted for a ship's excursion...the river cruise down the Waimea river. Don't do it. At least we had a great bus driver who took us to a couple of extra places, but it was not worth the money.

Thanks for photo

and welcome back triumph

For the economy is Galveston!

It is great for Galveston's economy! Glad to see Triumph back in port. They've got several new venues, a Guy Fieri's Burger place, the Blue Iguana cantina, the Alchemy Bar, and a couple of others. Also new carpeting throughout the ship, new beds, linens, etc., and of course, everything spiffed up. John Heald is in town to give it the big send off today. They have special gifts for every cabin today also. My TA friend said that Triumph is booked for the entire summer...that there was nothing available.

We just returned from a 7 day Hawaii cruise on NCL. That was our first time on NCL and maybe the last. I was not impressed to say the least. However, getting to see 4 islands in a week was great. I've got some beautiful pictures!

We snorkeled in Kona a couple of weeks ago. The water was pretty cool, but didn't need a wet suit. The waves were pretty fierce and it kicked up some "junk" in the ocean. It was at a coral reef, but pretty deep. I kind of wish we had done the Molokini Crater, but I think we would have had the same problems with the surf. It was great for surfing but probably not the best conditions for snorkeling! Had a great time though and enjoyed the sailing too!

dalgirl,

Thanks for your input and your review. I know that this ship is probably not something I should judge the whole NCL line by. I had already heard the negatives and positives before sailing. We actually liked the freestyle dining...we never had to wait on a table. Just getting served in an efficient matter seemed to be an issue on this ship. Actually some of the dining crew seating us got lost and didn't know where to seat us. Weird! That happened to us twice. I think I expected more out of the refurb and thought more was going to be passed on to passengers. I did let my TA know about the conditions of the cabin and my disappointment with it.

I totally agree with you about feeling a little disconnected with the cruising experience. I love sea days and definitely missed them. We didn't dance either...we were too darn tired every night! We had some first time cruisers with us and tried to explain to them that this was not a "normal" cruise experience. But, so glad we got to see as much of Hawaii as we did and wouldn't trade that for anything.

I missed meeting the Cruise Critic group at the Meet and Greet. I slept through it! I guess it was the time change...I just cratered that afternoon for about 1 1/2 hours!

NCL is going to be sailing out of Houston in the near future. I think it's the Jewel. Maybe I'll see if my TA can take me with her to have a look/see. We live just outside Houston so we often take cruises out of Galveston. NCL will be sailing Bayport cruise terminal built a few years ago but has been empty. Princess will also be using the terminal.

Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Would love to have met you all. - Charla

CGBCruiser-

I appreciate your honesty in your review of the POA. I am thinking about doing the Hawaii cruise in 2014, and considering NCL because it's a shorter itinerary than on other cruiselines. It also gives me an opportunity to spend time in Honolulu with family members who reside there that I haven't seen in many years. However....

 

After reading your comments about the ship, I'm really concerned. I think Pride of America is an expensive cruise to take for the accomodations to be unsatisfactory; even if you don't spend that much time in the cabins. For that kind of money, I agree that a really good makeover in ALL of their staterooms should be completed. You've got me really reassessing this trip. I don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but can you tell me some more about your experience on the ship, i.e. the food, entertainment, etc.?

The food on the ship was just OK. Pretty standard fare. We did eat one night in the Teppanyaki restaurant which was good, but we still had to send the soup back as it was cold! We gave up on the main dining room after three visits and just ate at the buffet the rest of the time which is something we never do! The main entertainment venue for the shows was small but it was OK. My husband liked the size, but I still like the larger venues. Entertainment was OK but again, nothing to write home about. We didn't spend a lot of time out late at night on the ship but I don't think many passengers did. Because it's a Hawaii cruise there were very, very few children and I'd say the median age was 55-65. We chose NCL because like you, we didn't want to do 15 days cruising and this definitely offered what we were looking for. The ports were great and I really enjoyed seeing all the islands. It definitely is more expensive, but they have to staff this ship with 80% Americans and everything they purchase comes from Hawaii so that makes the costs higher. The size of the balcony cabin and everything else definitely did not spoil our cruise, I just expected more and especially since they just did a refurb. The common areas were well kept and I understand from some of the crew that the stores onboard were given makeovers. Of course, you don't get anything duty free/tax free like we're used to getting because you are never in international waters. If I were to do the trip again I would probably find a cruise line that was repositioning to Alaska and cruising in Hawaii. Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas was in port when we were sailing from Honolulu. But, you still won't get all the port days that you do on this NCL sailing. The ship was definitely a disappointment for us, but we did have a good time. I hope I helped answer your questions!

Thanks so much for taking the time to write your review. We too were on this sailing. Also, we stayed at the Outrigger after we returned to Honolulu. I would recommend this hotel and it was very convenient to everything.

This was our first time to sail NCL and I don't think we will do it again. I was very disappointed in the ship. Of course, it is a very port intensive week and you are not on the ship very much at all, mainly just to sleep, however I was not impressed. Our cabin steward did a great job and most of the staff onboard was great. The service in the main dining rooms was awful. It was like total chaos in there each night and many times orders were forgotten or totally wrong. I thought that since the ship had been in wet-dock for two weeks that it would have gotten a good makeover. The only thing that was changed in the cabins was that they added a small flat screen tv. The carpet was old, the bed was old and worn out, the carpeting was worn out, the small sofa in the room was dirty and worn...I was shocked. I think they have allocated almost the entire $30million on their luxury suites that are still under construction. Also, on the pool decks the deck chairs were old and showing wear. All in all, I didn't think the ship was in good shape.

That said, we did enjoy the islands, especially Kauai. Had a great time while in ports (well, except for rain Maui but even then we found some sunshine and beach time!) with great friends. Totally agree with all you had to say about the islands!!

DW caught in middle of shooting at airport today...she would probably love to go on an 8 day cruise now. She is pretty stressed out over events at IAH.

 

Wish I had time to go on the 8 day sailing as I'd love to see Castaway Cay.

Scary!!! I watched that unfold on the news today. It could have ended so much worse. I know she must be pretty shaken up!