BallFour4

Not sure why, but that's an anomaly. We've cruised from here a couple of dozen times since 2002 and they are everywhere. This morning they are everywhere.

Galveston Cruiser gives good advice. If it were me I would Uber to the Webster, Texas City or Pasadena area (77505) where there are many hotels five years old or less. Then the next morning it would be a short trip down. Out drive today from 45S and Beltway took under 30 min. Hotels off Beltway 8 and 45 South in Pasadena are very nice, lots of dining choices. Search Beltway and Crenshaw. A Home2, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn and others are close. Use your Hilton or Marriott points, less than the other in the city of Houston and fewer taxes. .

Kroger and CVS are a long walk! There are better options including The Cruise Stop at 2418 Strand. It's on the corner of 25th and Strand in sight of the terminals (except Royal). Your choice would be a 30 min walk at a brisk pace. There is a great Specs on 61st between the freeway and Seawall Blvd if you are driving, but also not within walking distance. .

From a total stranger, you two have been married at least twenty years. That's how it works. We celebrate 41 on the Icon in a few weeks along with a remission diagnosis for me. I carry around a grand and my wife probably has $7 bucks... .

Galveston is down the freeway in under 30 min. Everything with a funnel many times and few with Viking Crown lounges. The Icon in three weeks.

Fully aware of the FAQs after 42 cruises since the Mardi Gras in 1976. I stated our experiences, the same as others. Read the FAQ again. My wife and I received canned soda at the coffee bars where canned soft drinks are kept refrigerated. .

Not sure they would "bend the rules" with all the security cameras and a career at stake. It has been the norm for us on the last four cruises. We've been handed a cold can of soda from the coffee bar(s) at each visit. .

The invitations for over a year now state plat and diamond and their guest. The party even prior to Covid has declined in minutes and now is a group of officers and staff that often look like they'd rather be anywhere other than behind the lights. Sure, there are exceptions, this has been the norm for the past several cruises. .

Great price! Consider the week we are going in part of spring break and the price seems decent.

Booked a balcony cabin for two in March. Total cost with gratuities and insurance was $4100.00. Our friends from church tried to book in December and it was 10K... .

Beyond a doubt. Please don't be offended by my blunt reply, but never, ever. .

Great post. I'm the other end of the spectrum, but I'll sit with you and talk ports, cameras, technology, travel experiences. cars, music, where we grew up or whatever else. Let's space these out, my wife and I want to make the show! .

Every thread, every cruise line on Cruise Critic this comes up. Before I get to my answer both my wife and I have held US Passports since we were first married forty years ago. We've sailed on forty-three cruises and enjoyed every single one, the Icon is next. To the point. We've had personal experiences twice, once with family and once with friends in the past five years when a family needed to return home due to a death. Neither had passports, and they were delivered to the ships agent, documents were processed and both were airborne headed back to Houston before the ship left the port. No doubt there are situations I have read here and on media outlets, but almost to the case there are other circumstances like a hospital bill or something else to contribute to the delay. The bottom line is there are not as many absolute statements as one might think. See you at sea. .

Charles, I truncated your comment, hopefully I left the context. My option was for those that don't want to invest in an expensive phone. I carry the cheap phone with me on sea days and when the weather is bad. I love my iPhone camera, but also carry a Sony 6400 with two lenses, a Nikon 7500 and leave behind a nonsensical collection of cameras at home going back to a Nikon F2 Photomic. OK, I'm old. I just invested in a full frame Canon mirrorless and these are from the 6400 on the Quantum in June. See you at sea! .

In agreement with everyone above on the port side. Remember Left and Port have the same number of letters, that makes port and starboard easier to remember. For a bit of fun search on Zillow (or eq.) Fort Lauderdale real estate. Focus along the ship channel and Harbor Beach. Those condos at the entrance and homes along the water are in the stratosphere for prices... .

We booked a Chill Island Cabana. Yep, it's not a bargain, but after Chemopalooza 2023 The Icon is how my wife and I are going to celebrate. Just not $4400 worth! .

May I suggest checking Amazon for a pre-paid smartphone? I have a ridiculously expensive iPhone and once aboard the ship I power it off and lock it in the safe. I bought a Verizon Samsung Galaxy A03s a few weeks before the cruise and deleted all the unnecessary junk, installed (using my home WiFi) the Royal app and a few news and sports ones. During the cruise we use Whats App to communicate with our house sitters and a work colleague, but enjoy a cheap version of an iPhone touch with 32 gig of music from Spotify Pro uploaded in advance. It does take part of an afternoon to set the phone up, just select Airplane Mode and it's a small, cheap wonder. .

We were the third couple on the Quantum from Seattle last summer with the Key. They didn't care how many carry-ons we had, all were tagged and taken. As others have posted, the lunch was a window of time you could attend. For the Icon we purchased it again, and expect the benefit of reserved seating areas for the shows to be of value. We love the early self-debarkation from Carnival, and were only emerald on Royal, so the Key made that happen as well. Expense vs value? It's a personal call. .

A fantastic excursion in Halifax is a bike tour. With only a moderate level of difficulty for most we saw much of the city, the gardens, cemetery and city architecture. Walking around after made this one of our favorite ports.

I thought our upcoming cruise on the Icon would have the same thing, but I checked this morning and saw this. No, we didn't purchase the last one! See you at sea. .

Then FWIW is a song by Buffalo Springfield (1966) a classic.

I could not agree more or be happier for you. I did not add a thing to the policy, it was to inform those that have carried them in the past to know the chance exists of having them taken. .

Minor hiccup: Carnival has updated the Prohibited Items List and scissors are no longer permitted. Here is the text: Prohibited Items Knives, scissors and open razors. (Recreational dive knives are allowed but must be held in the custody of the Guest Services Manager or Chief Security Officer and must be checked out/in by the owner for dive excursions during the cruise. Large scissors used by scrapbook and quilting enthusiasts are at times permitted with prior notification from the Security Services Department but are held on board in the same manner as dive knives.) Here is the link: https://www.carnival.com/help/3583 .

There are plenty of choices for resorts along Seawall Blvd. The San Luis and the Galvez are top tier, and priced accordingly. The websites above are excellent choices for doing some research. Galveston has become a major cruise port, and the supply of hotels at all price points are yours for the looking. .

We might have stopped after number forty-one on Carnival. The first was the Mardi Gras in 1976 and the Breeze in 2022 was the last. Most of those were from here in Galveston with many 4-5 day trips. The common denominator for what you describe is shorter trips, school being out or summer sailings. My wife and I are fans of Conquest Class ships, having sailed on all of them from here, Boston and Miami. The Breeze was once a step up, but it had declined into a 110 decibel hip-hop party on Jasper Wades watch. It is hard to have an appetite for a Guys Burger with a crowd grinding on each other poolside. Hard pass.. The adherence to priority lines at Guest Services were also long gone, people saving entire rows of seats in the theater, and a few more annoyances. So what to do? We went back to Royal for cruise number seven with them on the Quantum to Alaska in June. The price was about 25% higher than a seven day from Miami on Carnival, and about the same as Carnival from Seattle to Alaska. The results were night and day. This was our first cruise since the Freedom of the Seas in 2012 and we were wowed. The ship itself is a destination. The newer Carnival ships offer the same, and the Jubilee looks amazing. Post-Covid cruises are back full, and lower price points are there for the looking. If you believe (and I do) that they attract a more rowdy crowd then it is up to the cruise lines to police the problem. Don't hold your breath. .