BallFour4

After forty-one cruises dating back to the original Carnival Mardi Gras we finally went to Alaska on the Quantum last month. We also took binoculars, the 300mm lens and knowledge from reading the reviews about proximity to the glaciers and what to expect. Amazing ship, amazing vacation. Just go.

Don't approach the terminal from the west side. Come down Broadway or jump over to Strand Ave and go past the terminal and come in Harborside from the east. This works like magic. Also, check out the Port of Galveston Express Parking here https://www.portofgalveston.com/91/Cruise-Parking--General-Information This gives you a easy walk to and from your car, no busses, no crossing Harborside and you are headed home quickly. We self-debark and have been in the car as early as 8:05 AM on the past three cruises. The lot is by Terminal Two. .

iMessage requires internet or data plan enabled cell service to work. Your Dream cruise might have been an anomaly, or you left data roaming on. Not long after the ship leaves port phones are out of range. A third party (usually Cellular at Sea) pays Carnival a hefty sum to operate and maintain a satellite based service to couple cell provider signals.That isn't cheap. One option is to turn your phone on Airplane mode, subscribe to the WiFi plan and use iMessage. Only one device can be logged into each single plan. Another is using other services like WhatsApp to communicate. The shortcoming is you can only reach others that use the app. My wife and I cruise a lot, and we use iMessage, each of us with our own plans. I need it for my company and I don't argue with her why she wants her own. Forty years of marriage, pro tip. Check your phone display and see what is visible. .

I'll try one more time Elaine. We have never had a problem for early access beyond being questioned if we were platinum or diamond. Once we showed our status we were able to access our cabin. Pre-Covid we were able to stay there, and once we returned to cruising the option to drop luggage was no problem. The staff members we've encountered were dancers, tech crew and more. When you say "hundreds... and no one has ever complained" that is a blanket statement. I gave you the actual experiences from cruises aboard the Liberty, Freedom, Glory, Breeze, Triumph, Valor, Vista, Magic, Conquest, Ecstasy, Elation and Imagination. The rest were before the early access option was in place. I have little care if you don't believe me, we are just three short of fifty years cruising with Carnival and Royal Caribbean so we might have missed something... See You At Sea.

The Seawall sites like the San Luis and the resort site like Moody Gardens are great, but since you described a winter visit then check out The Tremont. It's within walking distance the Strand area and is really, really nice. All of the top tier sites like the Galvez and the prior are great to visit, but based on your time go with the Tremont. Just my opinion! .

Yes, I guess you're right. We have only seen them on most of thirty-six cruises on Carnival. You also surely read this from my original post: ... if you are eligible, open the doors, drop your luggage and then get out of the way. Elaine, we almost always get lido deck balconies and are greeted every time by a crew member guarding the doors by turning people away. What you see and what I see might have been different. Whatever it is read all the text on my posts. Our experience goes back to the first one on the Mardi Gras in 1976. See You At Sea. .

Most, if not all the times the doors are closed and staff members are at the elevator landings to guard them. Those staff members are doing a once a cruise task, and are instructed to turn people away until 1:30. Make it easy for you and them by printing off the information allowing early cabin access for drop-off if you are eligible, open the doors, drop your luggage and then get out of the way. Remember, the crew members have their busiest day on embark/debark and what goes with that is a significant number of people complaining. See you at sea. .

Nailed it. We will be in your fine country in less than a month on the last stop coming home from Alaska. We've been to Halifax and St John on the Glory a few years back. We met some wonderful people with a great amount of Canadian pride. I taught them some Texas phrases... .

You'd have at least 90 min to spare. We should meet at Rudy's in Webster for barbecue. Have a great vacation.

About 2 hours depending on month and time of leaving the island. It's hard to understand why inbound traffic can be so variable, the sheer numbers of people that work on the island or bay area don't match up. What time are you looking at to fly? You know I am tempted to say "Rocket Man, it's going to be a long, long time."

You'd make it with no problems. Self-debark, have transportation ready and make sure they take tollway or at minimum Loop 610 around the east side. January is a ghost town on the freeways up until 2 PM or so, and as long as fog isn't around you'd make IAH by 10 AM. I've lived here all my life, and rarely had a problem before noon. We have taken friends from here in Galveston to IAH on weekend mornings in 90 minutes. After mile marker 17 inbound the freeway construction is done except for access roads. Make sure your airfare is changeable, and you would know about fog the evening before by watching the weather. .

The consistent answer is this is inconsistent. My wife and I are both platinum and we were allowed to bring two other couples with us to tender. .

When you live a couple of miles off RWY 17 at Ellington Field in Houston you get to see the F-18's during air shows, the NASA T-38's and the Texas Guard Unit. 126.050 on the 2 meter Kenwood rig. K5BLU. .

For high school graduation in 1976 my dad saved for a long time to take my family on the Mardi Gras for a seven-night trip from Miami. The dining room seating process required you to go and select a table, then pencil in your name on a chart they had on a wall. You were given a colored ticket with the table number. We had ten in our group, and the tables seated eight. My fellow eighteen-year-old cousin and I signed up at a table with all girl’s names. Yes! That night we had the disco era bell bottoms and Brut cologne working as we made our entrance. The eight "girls" were all older women, the youngest in her early forties. We had a blast with them. Years later when the Celebration came here to Galveston I took my parents on a five-night trip to Cozumel and Calica. Calica must mean gravel pit in Spanish, and we took a bus to Xcaret. My parents were amazed. Now forty-one cruises later my wife and I still enjoy every one. .

That really hurt Shorne... by definition I guess old is when you make noise sitting down and getting up. 😁 Appreciate most of my observation is from Carnival. That skews the curve. After 36 on the funnel folks we are returning to Royal for Alaska in a few months. It will be only 6 with them. They have expanded their market here in Galveston, so it's time. .

I am not sure what parameters you would include, but perhaps yes in the long term. Cruise lines make their highest profits on alcohol, casino, shore excursions and the spa. While there are exceptions to every one of these as we cruise more often a number of us don't spend our dollars on these items. Then mix in a higher level of expectation about a diamond or platinum gift, a past guest party, etc and you might start to see why we are perhaps harder to please and spend less. Second, mass market cruise lines will take a significant amount of time to recover from Covid loss. The sweet spot for spend per passenger isn't in the over sixty group (hello 64) with my remarkably unscientific research being the last morning bill tucked away in the slot by the cabin doors. We've seen some cruise bills that looked like a small novel folded up from cruisers with cabins nearby that don't stare at AARP members when they look in the mirror. This is my opinion, nothing more. I could be exactly right or may need a carbon monoxide detector for brain function loss. Your call. See You At Sea. .

This! Here in Galveston we have a narrow inlet that feeds Galveston ports all the way to Houston. The ship traffic is always present and the dolphins are plentiful. After twenty years of owning a mobile DJ service as a side gig I have heard about 7000 miles of Cupid Shuffle. See You At Sea. .

I can make (and have) that drive 9 out of 10 days in 90 minutes or less. The traffic on a January Saturday mid-morning is not a factor. I also use the Beltway 8 system around the east side, across the ship channel bridge and then on to I-45. The most traffic has been restricted so far this year is down to two lanes. I spend time at UTMB hospital for my job, and often have someone with me that flies in to IAH. I have little at stake. The rub is that one time. Even in January cruises can be a little expensive, so you can guess my answer. Fly in the evening before, get south of downtown and pick a hotel in the League City, Webster or Texas City area. Arrange for transportation early the next morning and drop your luggage off, walk across the street to The Strand and enjoy your vacation. If you see two gray-faced golden retrievers walking please stop their owners. We will be glad to have a cup of coffee with you. See You At Sea. .

Ok. I'm 64 and had my first one in 1976 on the Mardi Gras out of Miami for high school graduation with ten members of my family. Those days were skeet shooting and golf off the aft deck. The bars were all cash, and if you had cash you were served. I did, and I was. Lots of time passed since then, Number 41 booked to Alaska this summer. .

Agreed. In our early days of cruising we attended some of these we avoid now. .

I'm surprised your wife lets you tell others. I would wager she gets bombared with questions that get worse as the cruise goes on. "Does this look infected?" comes to mind 😀. My wife is a retired teacher and she will rarely bring it up at dinner unless someone else had/has the same career. I am in health care sales and oh boy... I have been ambushed a time or two when I made the mistake of responding to an inquiring mind question. I had a guy ask me in front of his wife what she should do for hot flashes. You cannot make this stuff up. To the OP. the Never List: Art auction Slot pull Late night food choices Smoking areas Meet and Mingle Shore Excursion talks Debarkaton talks Evening entertainment where the guests are the featured act (it's been a while since anyone did that) Board late at embarkation Board late at port stops Spa offers Gift shop promotions (Invicata watches are less expensive on Amazon) Sleep late Care what someone else is wearing Care what others think about my shorts on casual nights Stay dressed up after dinner on Cruise Elegant nights Reduce or eliminate gratuities Leave luggage out the night before debarkation Cruise without a small fan Step off the ship in port without a copy of my passport, DL, AMEX and cash Not lay out clothes and flashlight near the bed Miss the chance to compliment those on the ship working hard to make my family trip memorable Not excercise. My wife is a fitness nut and I go with her See you at sea! .

The FAQ has changed in the past year regarding scissors. Here is the link (truncated) and text: https://www.carnival.com/help/3583#section-3 Prohibited Items Knives, scissors and open razors. Exemptions and other considerations: Ham radios/amateur radio equipment (I carry one, and also carry the manual and my license copy along with this policy in hard copy.) Personal grooming devices such as hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, shavers, and other electrical devices, such as fans (no larger than 12" in diameter), power strips, multi plug box outlets/adapters, and extension cords (without surge protectors) are allowed when used with proper caution. However, if such devices are determined to pose a hazard, they will be removed and returned on debarkation morning. See you at sea! .

We had one on the Glory to Canada to celebrate our 30th anniversary and it was great. Lots more space, a bigger bathroom and a change from lido balconies for my wife and I. .

From the Carnival FAQ here: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1380/kw/early cabin access Carnival’s Priority Check-in is an exclusive service designed to afford our VIFP Platinum and Diamond guests, and those traveling in deluxe suite accommodations, with special embarkation and debarkation privileges on cruises from the U.S and Europe. Priority Check-in is not offered for Carnival Journeys cruises. Minors traveling with parents in separate staterooms, may check in together. When completing online check-in, guests must select an Arrival Appointment that works best with their plans and follow that arrival time as we will not be able to accommodate guests who show up at a time outside the selected window. The guest's boarding pass will be stamped PRIORITY for terminal and Captain’s Lounge** access. Upon arrival to the terminal, guests must look for the Priority line to check-in. Once on board the ship, guests will be able to drop off bags in their stateroom, but we ask that they return to the public areas of the ship as our team will still be working hard to get the ship ready for the cruise. This has been our experience on two recent cruises. We opened the doors on deck 10, dropped off our luggage and went back on deck. Our cabin was ready by 11:45 AM on both. .

Want to take the subjectivity out of the thread? Here is the text and link: What if a guest has a letter from a doctor saying that they are allowed to use marijuana for medicinal and/or therapeutic purposes? Why is that prohibited? Marijuana on our ships is not allowed. While certain CBD products used for medicinal purposes may be legal in the US, they are not legal in all the ports we visit and therefore are also considered prohibited items. Guests will need to consult with their physician for other suitable alternatives. https://www.carnival.com/help/3583#section-3 .