alfaeric

We recently finished a side by side pair of cruises on the Allure and Radiance. And transportation was.... interesting and frustrating... Two months ago, we booked all of our trips but one with Blacklane- IAH to Galveston, Galveston to JSC, and JSC to IAH. And assumed getting a taxi to our one night hotel would be easy. Getting to Galveston was a breeze- they were right there, and the long ride to our hotel was easy. Problem #1, taxi from the Allure to anywhere. When we got off the Allure, there were no taxis anywhere to be seen. We had just got in the taxi area as a bunch apparently left- as there was one couple that was waiting. After about 20 min, one showed up for them, and by then there was a pretty decent long line waiting for a taxi. It was just over a mile to our hotel, so we walked after calling a taxi company and them telling us that 1) they had nobody available, and 2) they could not enter the port. What???? Getting the taxi from our hotel to the Radiance was reasonably easy, but there was a decent wait. Problem #2- the day before the Radiance arrived back in Galveston, Blacklane canceled our trip. Claiming that they had nobody who could come out. Seriously? We made this reservation well in advance, so it should have been easy for them to make arrangements for ONE driver. We didn't find out until the morning of arrival, as communications on a cruise isn't that great. They KNEW we were on a cruise, and this sudden cancelation left us in a terrible position. So based on that, I'd totally avoid Blacklane for any transportation- as they can not fulfil a reservation made well in advance. Terrible. Problem #3- getting a Lyft. We tried to call a taxi, but they could not commit to a specific time. We went out, and the handful that were there were demanding the same price as a limo transfer. And we had heard that Uber does not have the permission to get to the port. So I tried to book with Lyft. They showed a handful of cars around the port until I actually asked to reserve it, and then it went into a loop. At one time, we kind of got a person, and then they canceled and it went back into a loop. Forgive me lyft, but you should be able to tip off your drivers that a ship is coming in and that you are the ONLY ride share that is allowed to pick someone up. But that's not the actual problem. We were literally standing next to a driver who was a Lyft driver. Right there at the port. He was logged in and was available, we were logged in and were asking for a car. And in spite of all of that, he was NOT given any of the rides that people were trying to get. In the end, we made private arrangements for that driver to take us to our JSC hotel. Come on Lyft- you can do a lot better than that. The next day, Blacklane did pick us up at the JSC hotel, and we got back for our flight home. But with all of that struggle, I really don't want to sail out of Galveston again. And for sure we will never use Blacklane again- as reservations mean nothing, apparently. Royal needs to do a LOT better with ground transportation for their guests if they want us to fly in and cruise there.

Sucks that you had a bad cruise. And in the over 50 cruises we've been on, nothing like that has ever happened (knock on wood). But if that's the straw that breaks the camel's back, so be it. Funny about the price, though- that's an insane price to pay for 4 nights. $300/nt pp in a balcony is way higher than the price we would pay for a JS, and is bordering on an GS limit (depending on the cruise). We just did 10 night in a GS that was less expensive per night than 4 nights in a tiny balcony. Let alone $100/nt pp for drinks. I can't even get through our free 6 a night, so 7 is impossible a day to us. Still, the faster people decide that they don't want to cruise anymore, the quicker prices will get back to normal, and you can get a last min cruise for a decent deal.

In an age where fuel prices are a massive unknown, yes, I see massive ships as the only ones Royal will build. Big ships are way more efficient per passenger than smaller ones- a decade ago, we talked to the chief engineer of the Allure, and he pointed out that it used just barely less fuel than the Freedom on the exact same itinerary. With 50% more passengers. And I'd expect that the engines and fluid dynamics on the Icon is even better than that. That being said, considering the popularity of the itinerary (they sell out really quickly) there will always be a ship that can transit the Panama Canal. Just as a guess, it's considerably less expensive to transit the older locks than the new ones, so all of the previous Panamax ships will continue to sail. Aka Radiance ships.

We enjoyed the new menu, mostly. On a 10 night cruise, we saw 9 of the menus- the English inspired one was repeated. There was a new Asian inspired one- and it being brand new, they seemed to still be working out the bugs. Favorite was the Mexican inspired one- the two soups were great. But I do also recognize that it can be inconsistent- just like the old menus.

Just off the Radiance- sometimes service was good, but others not so much. Like in our cabin- there were places where we just could not get good wifi. And when nobody is around, it's pretty darned good out in the centrum or theater- but add people, and it basically stops working. I don't think the wifi was set up to be used with massive amounts of people that have an app.

As soon as you board, hook up to the App, and you can make reservations. Just did that on the Allure having all of the pre-boarding shows "sold out" and every show was open OTHER than the comedy show.

The way we read it, some of them are happy to rebook everyone at the end of the day, and others need to have you check in as you leave, or contact them if you miss the dinner before. It's kind of annoying, and I really wish they let you reserve via the app- it's not as if they can't filter out who have access or not. It would be a whole lot easier if you miss one night for any reason. We had a recent cruise on the Allure where we missed one night, and then the next night wanted to experiment with the new menu. The next day, we forgot to walk up there (as we didn't have a number, and the reservations number does not do CK), so could not get in that night.

Not sure this helps, but our recent cruise the Radiance suggests that the core problem isn't starlink as much as it's the wifi routers on the ship. Once we got connection, the speed was decent, but getting that in our cabin was really tough. The other indicator was that wifi access when it got crowded in spaces was really, really poor. So everyone using the app at the same time (or at least being connected all of the time) really, really hurts performance. Basically, this means you have a double problem...

Even before covid, my spouse and I would not want to sit with some random person in a love seat.

Unless you force or demand to be a random 3rd in a love seat, I don’t think you are.

I wish I had gas, lol.

Not during the normal live bands, and some of the bands do popular dance music.

Yes, those chairs.

So we were sitting in the Centrum in one of the love seats. As a quick overview, the Centrum has individual seats and love seats normally arranged around a table in 4s. It was quite crowded with a band playing, and a large group next to us. All of a sudden one of them asks to squeeze in with us. While it’s a comfortable seat, we still think it’s just for two unless you are your own group. So we say no, and they get upset telling us they are seats for free and start to argue. That ends and we get up to dance for a while and another of their group goes and sits in our couch. We have left stuff there to return to after the song so it was clear it was taken. When we come back to sit, they tell us that it’s a seat for three and argue about it. For your group, fine, but I really don’t see that you should impose on us. Then they get mad at us. Seriously? We get glares from them the rest of the time. Even before the pandemic, they are love seats for 2 nominally. 3 if you all know each other- not to force you way to sit with people you don’t know. Geez.

In a GS on Radiance right now, can’t hear a thing above us.

When we got off the train, we could not figure out which bus to get on. Eventually, we found a nice bus driver who took us to where the ship was boarding. That also meant that getting off was east- bus to the station, and back to Rome.

Meandering off topic, you can make reservations via the app as soon as you board. We did that last week on the Allure. OP, have a great cruise- we had a little bit of an adventure getting from the train station to the port in Citiveccia.

Later embarkation is what we always do. Works like a charm. You can still eat a late lunch when you board as an option.

We carry everything on, and just schedule our boarding time to be close to 1pm so that we can directly go to our rooms. Easy. After rushing to get on a few times, the fascination was lost vs the time it took for the luggage to be delivered and to unpack later in the day.

Just remember one thing- all shows but the comedy club are not really sold out before the cruise. So once you get on board, fire up the App and make your reservations. We just did that last week on the Allure. Worked like a charm.

I see this was moved to the general board for Galveston, but it is a specific issue to Royals new terminal. It’s still a work in progress for leaving the terminal.

We waited for a while for one, and they didn’t show. There is a taxi stand, but there wasn’t any waiting around. One couple got there before us, and said that one came and left without anyone. Thankfully, it was a short walk downtown for us. Just be aware that there may not be taxis like there are at most other ports. If you can walk out to harbor side road, the other companies on the island can pick you up there. And there are shuttles that take you to the distant parking lots which should take care of that walk.

To answer the title question, yes there is. And it’s really nice! And a good place to shower off the sand and take a nice clean dip before returning to the ship.

Yes. It’s set up for either an espresso or longo shot of coffee.

Wish I could help more, and we are happy we are not in Michigan right now- as far as I can tell, we will lose our fridge. And the shooting up in EL has been tough in A2 as well. I really don’t understand why people think it’s their business about other people- masks, who they love, etc. If they would focus on themselves more, maybe they will be more happy instead of lashing out. But I honestly think you will be ok for the short time in FL. But one observation I have seen this week on the allure is a veggie option every night, and it’s not a salad. Granted, it’s one dish. So hope there is some new things you will enjoy.