Texas Tillie

From my travel agent earlier today, there will be a sushi restaurant that may or may not be associated with Nobu. There will not be a casino. Patty

However, if the food, service, entertainment, etc. is inferior on the 5 year old ship, is the cabin size the be all and end all. Seems to me you need to consider the entire package. Patty

As is the norm, Vince is "spot on". I was on the Silver Muse last month and the room, cabin, suite (whatever you choose to call it) was lovely and spacious. That, however, was the only thing "better" than Crystal. Most things were worse, in some cases much worse. I went in knowing that the entertainment and enrichment would be inferior. What actually surprised me was how inferior the food and service was compared to Crystal. A very minor example, I ordered the same cocktail 4 nights in a row before dinner, 3 of those nights in the same bar. It was never the same twice. Hoping the new Crystal will be close to the old Crystal. We shall see (time will tell is getting a little shopworn 🤪). Patty

For some it's Feb. 13 and for others it's Feb. 1 and for even others it's Feb. 20........or so I read here. 🤓😱☺️

Uber is not allowed into the port as they won't pay the fee required.

No, it was Uber that was not allowed in. However, I saw somewhere recently that Uber has agreed to pay the port fee, but don't know if that's true. Also, there were reports of Uber entering the port and no one stopping them earlier.

The Houston area is HUGE and there is very little public transportation. Spending several days and not having a car will make getting around very expensive. The only real alternative will be Lyft/Uber. Not sure how far out 290 the Cypress Outlet Mall is located, but I'm sure it's at least 25 miles from downtown and probably more. You will not have buses and trains like the UK.

From what I've heard, he might be a little optimistic. It does seem that most who have been vaccinated that much don't get very sick. Will be interested on your Silver Moon experience since my Silver Muse experience wasn't good. Silversea seems to be much more ship specific on the experience, which is disappointing, as the experience should be consistent fleet wide. Patty

Are you aware that Uber isn't allowed into the port? They won't pay the access fee. If you use Uber you have to schlep your luggage from the gates to the port area into the terminal.

FYI - HOU (Hobby Airport) is in an so-so to iffy neighborhood. IAH (Houston Intercontinental) is in a more remote location but is nothing to write home about. Just want anyone sailing from Galveston the first time to be aware.

Tillman isn't part of the Maceo family except by marriage. I believe his great aunt was married to a Maceo. That being said, we know how those mafia "families" worked. Although, the Texas Italians weren't at the same level as those in New York, Chicago, etc.

Yep. What percentage actually pay, that's another topic.

Keith is originally from Long Island and I do not believe I've ever used that phrase in all of my 76 years, although all were in Texas. I'm an educated city girl! 🤪😆🤓 Patty

Since I check the Facebook Crystal Society page several times a day, as it always shows something new has posted, I figure I'll see it there first. 🤓 Patty

Keith, love your typos/autocorrects!! Were those saplings Texas live oaks? Patty

Don't know where you are suggesting getting on Hwy 6, but as someone who lives a little under a mile off Hwy 6 in Fort Bend County, all the traffic and traffic lights on Hwy 6 would seem to negate any advantage.

As a Houston native, my advise is don't stay near the airport. It' s a very iffy area. Without a car you are very limited. I've heard that the Children's Museum near the Medical Center, south of downtown is very good. The zoo is in that area too.

Not all agents are refusing to book with the new Crystal. Call around, I'm sure you can find one who would be more than happy to have your future business. Patty

Whatever floats your boat. Personally, I'd rather be in the "cheapest" cabin on any of the truly luxury lines than the fanciest "suite" on Royal Caribbean. Perhaps you might try that sometime and see the difference for yourself.

Sorry but suites on mass market lines should not fall under "luxury".

I reread what I posted and realized that I left out a word, they took 3 regular cabins and made TWO Seabreeze Penthouses.

They took 3 regular sized cabins and turned them into the Seabreeze Penthouses. Seems like that would be possible again on Serenity. Symphony might be a bigger problem as there are so many cabins without verandas. For those of us who are solo travelers, that might be good news as it might allow solo fares to be "reasonable".

There are any number of chain hotels/motels near IAH (Intercontinental Airport Houston) with free shuttles between the hotels and the airport. Be aware that this isn't the greatest neighborhood, although not the worst. Check out Google maps to see which hotels have places to eat next door as you don't want to have to walk far.

Then book a flight on Southwest into Hobby. It's much closer to Galveston, but also much smaller and therefore much easier to maneuver about. Look into the various suggestions of shuttles listed above.

It does include a precruise hotel for certain cruises. I have it on the Dec 2 Muse from Singapore. Assume it's because the flights from the US to certain ports are so long. I leave SFO on the 29th and get to SIN on the 1st. International date line and all.