galfromkazoo

Stockholm was by far the best port we ever sailed from. Easy Uber ride and quick to get on ship. Sailing through all the islands was beautiful. 
 

Favorite US port, Port Canaveral.  Easy in and out. We always rent a car and arrive a couple of days early so that helps  with the trip from Orlando. 

We did self assist last Saturday at Ft. Lauderdale. Estimated time was 8:15. When I turned on the tv at 7:50 to watch for our group to be called it already had been. We quickly walked off and were in a cab before 8:30.  My guess is our group was called around 7:30. 

We got off Adventure on Saturday.    Booked cruise rather late and only MTD was available. Much prefer early dining but what can you do. Made reservations for every night at 6:45 except only 7:30 available on formal nights.  Hoped to go to dining room as soon as we got on ship to see if we could switch. This has worked for us before but not this time. Ok. 6:45. First night line was huge but we were toward the front. We were seated before 7:00

and there was no one in either line when we left less than an hour later.  Service was great. Everyone in the reservation line was seated rather quickly and then they went to those without reservations.  The rest of the week we checked in and they told us to go ahead to the same table. We were always seated by 6:50. Everyone around us was at the same table or section as well, even a couple that was always in the no reservation line. Service was great and we were in and out in less than an hour every night.  We were told to come at 6:45 the two nights we had 7:30 reservations. Worked out great. 
 

The food was not good some nights but the service could not have been better.  MTD is not always a problem. People should not worry in advance. It may work out well just like it did for us. 

We usually use private transfers but being unfamiliar with Barcelona and a few other reasons, we used the Royal Caribbean transfer from the port to the airport after our cruise last May. It was fine. It did not take long for the bus to fill up and we were on our way. It was a good choice. There were a lot of taxi’s and with the long taxi line, the bus was probably just as quick. 

Packing cubes help keep many of the wrinkles out. Then I just hang what we are going to wear in the bathroom when we shower and the wrinkles are gone quickly. 

The answer to most COVID questions changes all of the time so I am not sure my May experience out of Barcelona is still helpful but for some reason the check-in person thought my booster was too long ago (I had two boosters) and they made me go to a separate area for additional

testing. I was finally able to talk to someone as I was entering the testing area and they agreed I was fine and they did not understand why they sent me to the testing area.  But they did tell me after they decided I was ok that if my booster was more than 9 months ago I would have to have had a test before boarding.  I had already tested on Friday for a Sunday departure. 

We were on the Wonder in May. Best cruise ever. But……if I had it to do over again I would have stayed on the ship in Marseilles and Palma. The ship is so big with so much to do and see that one sea day was not enough. I thought about sailing on the Wonder again when it returns to the US but it is so much more expensive and I am sure will be much more crowded so I think I would be disappointed. 
 

We booked this cruise for the itinerary and the Wonder swap ended up being an amazing surprise.  I thought it did not make much sense to go all the way to Europe to stay on the ship but I really regret not spending more time on board. 

I have been in many connecting staterooms and never had any noise issues. On our last cruise on the Wonder, I thought the connecting stateroom was empty until one night they were on their balcony at the same time we were. 

I know circumstances change all of the time but in late May, we did not have to wear a mask on Delta from Detroit to Paris but we did have to wear a mask on Air France from Paris to Barcelona.  Same for the flight back.  Air France required masks for Barcelona to Paris but no mask required on Air France from Paris to Detroit.  We were told it was because of the Spain requirement, not an airline requirement.  In Spain mask required on public transportation, including tour buses.  Air France handed out masks as you boarded if you were not already wearing one.

We were on the Wonder in May and the four of us used the ship WiFi to take our eMed tests. We did it at different times throughout the day on the sea day, Saturday, prior to flying back to the US on Sunday. None of us had any problems with the test. It was quick and easy and we experienced no WiFi problems.  Our results were emailed very quickly.   I sat at the desk and propped my phone on the back of the desk/wall which worked perfectly for the 15 minutes that you had to wait. I wasted way too much time worrying about the test. Watching a UTube video in advance was very helpful. 

1 hour ago, thear said:

Is there anyone who has recently disembarked in Barcelona, then headed home to the US? 

 

My family sails at the end of June and we are looking for different testing options for when it's time to fly home. We know about Emed but I worry about having the "live video" portion not work. We also know about the test site in Barcelona airport that we need an appointment for.

 

Are there any other options? Too much to hope that RC offers testing on the ship?

If you are flying home the same day you disembark I really think the eMed the day before is your best bet. You can’t check in for your flight until you have your test results. There were long lines for check-in at the airport and I heard that the testing was not going too quickly ever. We were flying home same day so we did eMed on the ship with no problem with the WiFi at all. There were 4 of us. If you have a day or two, there are a lot of testing sites. Just check google maps for the one closest to your hotel. That is what we did for our test to board the ship. 

We got home yesterday from two days in Barcelona followed by 7 days on Wonder. I debated going due to the issues mentioned above.  But then it dawned on me that many things could happen that could delay our return home. A broken leg, heart attack, even the flu and feeling too crummy to fly. Why am I worrying about getting COVID on the ship but not all the other things that could happen. Any time I travel I need to be prepared for something to go wrong. It happens to people all of the time. At least with COVID the cruise line would provide some assistance. If I broke my leg pre-cruise, I would be on my own to deal with it, even with travel insurance. 
 

We had a great time and I am so glad I went instead of staying home worrying about “what if’s”. 

We reserved an early morning tour that began with breakfast in a courtyard at the Vatican museums. We entered well before it was open for visitors, had breakfast and began our tour with a guide and headphones.  There were very few other people there. By the time we arrived at the Sistine Chapel, it was still almost empty. Friends who went on a “regular” tour could hardly see it due to the crowds. Of course, this was pre-pandemic and I am not sure what tours are currently available but this was one of our most memorable tours ever. We did the Scavi tour the following year and that was amazing as well. 

Last cruise before shut down was July, 2019 Baltic on Serenade of the Seas. Our first after the restart was December of 2021, Adventure from Galveston. Looking forward to next cruise on Wonder from Barcelona in May. 

In December we had You First Limousine pick us up at the airport and transport us to our hotel in Galveston and they were wonderful to work with. The driver met us at the airport and we walked to the car parked very close by. Vehicle was new and clean and driver made me feel very safe. They transported us from the port back to the airport at the end of our cruise.  I recommend them highly. 

We have used RomeCabs twice and were very happy with their communication and service. On our last cruise we had a day trip to Rome and took RomeCabs from the port to Rome and took the train back. The train was interesting and worked well. Not like the high speed train, definitely a local flair, but it got us there and was very inexpensive. We took a taxi from the train station to the port. 

17 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

We are scheduled to do this itinerary in February but departure time from Galveston is now later. We will arrive later in Costa Maya and therefore port stop will be shorter. 

Did the ship stay on CST? Are the scheduled port times local time or ship time?

 

The ship stayed on Galveston time and they told us to stay on ship time while at the ports.

Thank you.  This is very helpful.  We are planning a cruise out of Barcelona in May if all goes well.  We have all received our booster shots.

We had an aft balcony on Adventure over New Years. It had two loungers, two chairs and a table. We were on deck 7. The view was not great but we enjoyed the balcony. 

We got off the Adventure this morning. We had a great trip.  Some quick observations:

stayed at the Treemont House Hotel in Galveston. Excellent location and price I assume due to time of year.  Walked to ship from hotel. Hotel has shuttle but for 35.00 per person, the 5 minute walk was a much better deal for me. Easy walk for two older adults. 
 

Used You First Limo for transportation from airport (IAH) to hotel and cruise port to airport.  Could not have been more pleased. They were excellent with very reasonable cost. I was worried  that we would never make a 12:10 flight but we were at the airport and through security with almost two hours to spare. 
 

The ship was not crowded.  Elevators plentiful and mask wearing by most, most of the tIme. 
 

All activities seemed to be going. Made both port stops. Football everywhere all of the time. Many bowl and NFL games in bars and outside screen. Movies outside on screen as well. 

Live music in in all locations. Entertainment impacted by COVID cases in entertainment staff. Comedy show was great (two nights) Jackie Wilson, singer, was great. Holiday show by remaining singers and dancers with no orchestra was as good as it could be given the circumstances. There was one other production show scheduled but they had to change it to one of the singers doing a solo show. I give her a lot of credit for stepping in and doing that and she did a good job. I was impressed with how they rolled with the circumstances and still put on a show. The ice show was a no-go with only 5 of the 10 skaters available but they did put on two shows the last day with a new program put together by the 5 skaters. We did not attend. Enjoying one more day of sun. 
 

I do not know about the fitness center or sauna’s. Did not hear anything was closed but did not go there. Lots of activity in the whirlpool’s but they looked too crowded to me most of the time. Loungers were plentiful and you did not see a lot of chair hogs. They did not need to. Plenty of room for everyone. 
 

Main dining 5:30. Tables were well spaced and service and food good.    Breakfast and lunch in Windjammer but dining room was open as well. Always easy to find a table.  We are now spoiled. Windjammer open every evening for dinner. 
 

I am sure there were some cases of COVID among guests but everyone at the tables around us in the dining room were there every night and always saw the same staff. Last day someone in hazmat suit was cleaning the freestyle machine and surrounding area in Windjammer. I assume a kid tested positive earlier that morning with testing for all unvaccinated kids. 
 

Ship arrived a little late due to weather. The wind and waves were wicked that last night  but they warned us. We were still out of there and on our way by 8:30. Facial recognition for passport holders is amazing. Our first experience with that. 
 

We are next scheduled for Wonder out of Barcelona in May.  Hope that things are better and that will be possible. 

35 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

One of the above posters said there was not much entertainment on his cruise.  Has the entertainment improved on yours?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday music in multiple locations, football and movies by the pool, trivia, a lot of shopping and spa events. Pretty much everything I would expect for this ship. We will see how the next few days go but so far everything has been excellent. 

We are on the Adventure right now. It has been great so far. When we checked in, less than 30 minutes from arrival to Windjammer, we were told that the ship was at approximately 50 percent capacity. We received a letter in our cabin that informed us that the cruise before us had a 1.06 percent positivity. Ship left late but I am not sure why. 
 

windjammer food was excellent, no line and tables spaced apart. Windjammer open for dinner. Main dining room, early seating, was probably 1/4 of tables used and spaced apart. Went to the 7:00 show, comedy, and it was very good and definitely not crowded. Rarely anyone in the elevators at the same time except one time when I should have gotten out. Most people very friendly and following rules but there always seems to be the small group that thinks rules are not for them. At the show they told us that there were 338 under 17 but we noticed that a lot of them are vaccinated.  Crew helpful and all areas of the ship appeared to be open and well staffed. 
 

Glad, so far, that we did not cancel. Having a great time. 

Does anyone have recent experience getting off the ship, self-assist, in Galveston?  Flight was changed and I am worried that it is too early now.

I received mine this week - 30 days prior

Not sure cost but I have found that anything I hang in the bathroom with shower running loses its wrinkles pretty quickly.   The bathrooms are so small that the steam quickly fills the room.