*** The Galveston, Texas "Cruise Cam" Watch Group ***

[shmthaus]

DW and I have been visiting Galveston long before we started cruising, so cruising out of Galveston just gives us another reason to visit.

 

As much as we, the people, don't like most taxes, they are a necessity to a certain point. Now, if the alcolhol taxes were going to support the island and / or the port, then i wouldn't have a problem. But if the taxes are just going to the Texas coffers, then I'm not so supportive.

[mistshar]

Lots of negative stuff!

1. State of Texas taxing booze...and all the Galveston haters are in their glory.

2. Galveston looking at jacking up the parking tax. Just curious if this is in response to the popularity of the off site parking lots providing better service than the city sponsored lots...or simple greed for more money.

 

I, for one, will not allow these few small changes to impact our decision to sail from Galveston....two more booked for this year!!!!

 

Looking forward to Navigator after the dry dock!

 

We love sailing out of Galveston because we love Galveston. We are able to drive to the port and to us it is much easier than going to New Orleans.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Fog is more prevalent in February and March.

However, we all know about mother nature so it all depends on water and air temp.

 

Unfortunately it is the TABC (Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission) that receives the tax. So it is the State, not City or country that receives anything.

 

Thanks for everyone's support.

There are things I hate about the island, but then as we enjoyed a 12th Night party with a lot of friends last night, it is a great place to live:D

 

Wishing everyone a great year, lots of sail days and Y'all come visit:)

[TEXASMUNK]

We do need taxes. It is the way we support ourselves...schools, roads, law enforcement, etc, etc, etc.

 

But in the last few decades, our "leaders" use the words fee, surcharge, etc to enact new taxes....If companies must disclose details, why not our government?

 

No, I am not some revoluntionary, I pay my taxes...grudgingly, but I pay them! LOL.

 

Fog in November: a rare occurance...we have sailed multiple times in November and not had a problem. But it is totally a weather condition....Warm water, cool air, no wind....bingo...fog...We have run into it in December and January...but never to the point of messing up a departure or arrival date.

[golfpccc]

can't compare port canaveral to galveston.

The cruise industry is not the major business in galveston, however galveston is a destination point. Most hotels, inns and b&b's at texas destinations require a 2 night stay over weekends.

Furthermore, we are an island. The cost of building here and insurance is very high. There are also restrictions on where and how high to build.

The seawall area is already ruined by commercial property that was built in the 50's, 60's and 70's. We don't need anymore hotels.

 

I agree their is a problem with car rentals. However, franchises may operate however they see fit and apparently it does not pay to have one open in galveston on sunday. I do see it as a logistic nightmare due to the arrival and departure of ships and the number of vehicles required.

 

No one seems to realize the port gets no money from the city and is struggling to make improvements. Some of us want and feel the need for a container port and expand commercial shipping; but east enders do not want the potential noise and have successfully stopped any proposed expansion.

 

 

For those that don't like galveston, fine, go somewhere else. Every city, everywhere has problems.

We just get tired of being slammed all the time. It is a great place with lots to do, great people, architecture and history. We are just not a place to drive in the morning, board a ship, leave the next week back out in the afternoon.

 

Off my soap box now. Going to the port to pick up our cabin steward and friend to spend the afternoon with us.

 

 

like

[golfpccc]

I am so excited, just booked a cruise from Galveston! Hope end of Nov is a good time? When is the fog a problem???

 

Thanks,

Roberta

 

Any time is a good time to cruise out of Galveston!! Never know what Mother Nature brings us!! We cruise out of Galveston a lot from Sept. thru May and have experienced fog in Dec. Jan., Feb., Mar. and Apr. Have had 5 cruises affected by fog and only 1 time did we miss a port of call. However, that time was in Dec and we sat on the ship at the port until Tues a.m. at 10:30. We had a ball and no one had to worry about getting sea sick for the first 2 days...LOL.

 

Roberta, we are cruising on Nov 30 and Dec 7. Come join the roll call.

Edited January 5, 2014 by golfpccc

[BecciBoo]

I'm with Carla....that's life....my standard answer for complainers is:

Get a life, get over it, grow up, deal with it!

 

No one is excluded from anything Mother Nature has to deal out...just ask the people on the east coast right now who are freezing to death...would they complain bitterly and say, we hate New York? Don't think so. This isn't the first deep freeze, heck in the 1780's the Hudson froze over and one could walk from NYC to New Jersey. Look it up. So we have fog in Galveston sometimes...so some car rentals can't see outside the box...that's just the way it is....everywhere. I just don't understand all the angst....must be a generational thing....people are just so self centered these days.

 

Personally, I just look at it as another adventure. We've sailed a couple of fog days, once the ship didn't leave the pier until early Monday morning about 2. I was up to witness it, thought it was cool with the fog...what else am I gonna be doing if I stayed home...nuttin honey!;)

 

Nothing is going to keep me from sailing outa Gal. I've been visiting our coast since I was a itsy bitsy little girl...so KEEP CALM AND CRUISE ON!:D

[vettecruiser1]

Just got off magic. They are only taxing texas residents. After clearing customs there are people that ask you about if you bought liquor or tobacco and they are looking for those boxes of booze. We were given a letter on the ship that if you are not from texas then to state this and show ID and they would let you bypass the duty line. This line is right before you get outside. By the way I thought this was going to slow the process down but today was the fastest I was off the ship 15 minutes. Out of room at 7:30 in car at 7:45.

[mcca2]

We love sailing out of Galveston because we love Galveston. We are able to drive to the port and to us it is much easier than going to New Orleans.

 

Its fine sailing out of Galveston, its another thing sailing back in. I just got off the Navigator this morning and it was complete chaos in Terminal 2. The crowd were almost ready to riot. We departed the ship at 9.00am and it took two and a half hours to clear customs. It was a mess with little to no communication or direction. I don't know who is at fault because they all blame one another, but many elderly people needed help and to be able to use the restroom. There were many families and children and foreign visitors, and only 10 Customs people. Four of the posts were for US passports but only three were open. It was a horrible way to end what had been a wonderful cruise.

[mcca2]

Off my soap box now. Going to the port to pick up our cabin steward and friend to spend the afternoon with us.

 

Hey Mary try and find out what the h--l is going on at that Terminal. Its a compete disgrace.

[mistshar]

Its fine sailing out of Galveston, its another thing sailing back in. I just got off the Navigator this morning and it was complete chaos in Terminal 2. The crowd were almost ready to riot. We departed the ship at 9.00am and it took two and a half hours to clear customs. It was a mess with little to no communication or direction. I don't know who is at fault because they all blame one another, but many elderly people needed help and to be able to use the restroom. There were many families and children and foreign visitors, and only 10 Customs people. Four of the posts were for US passports but only three were open. It was a horrible way to end what had been a wonderful cruise.

 

I'm sorry you had a horrible ending to your cruise. I hope they have everything working more smoothly when we go in April.

[SRV FAN]

Someone posted earler that the Navigator was leaving sometime after 6PM today to head off to dry dock.... I looked at the Galveston webcam this AM & she was there, but now, it "appears" (I may be wrong), that she is already gone (3PM). Can anyone confirm this? Not that it matters...just curious! :)

And last April when we returned from our sailing on the Mariner....the disembarkation process was just as it was descibed earlier today.... horrible. I have sailed from a few ports & once with Carnival in Galveston & have never experienced the intense wait to get off of a ship.... hours. Not sure what the issue is, but it sure needs to be addressed. If Carnival can get people out of the terminal in a timely fashion, why can't Royal?

IDK.... it's not gonna keep me from cruising from Galveston or with RCI... but sure would be nice if they'd get it together.... and make it a PERFECT week! Just my .02 worth... :cool:

Edited January 5, 2014 by SRV FAN

[Cindy]

She is to leave sometime after 6pm. We have 2 of the crew members at our home this afternoon; they have to be aboard by 6.

 

Can't compare Port Canaveral to Galveston.

The cruise industry is not the major business in Galveston, However Galveston is a destination point. Most hotels, Inns and B&B's at Texas destinations require a 2 night stay over weekends.

Furthermore, we are an island. The cost of building here and insurance is very high. There are also restrictions on where and how high to build.

The seawall area is already ruined by commercial property that was built in the 50's, 60's and 70's. We don't need anymore hotels.

 

I agree their is a problem with car rentals. However, franchises may operate however they see fit and apparently it does not pay to have one open in Galveston on Sunday. I do see it as a logistic nightmare due to the arrival and departure of ships and the number of vehicles required.

 

No one seems to realize the port gets no money from the City and is struggling to make improvements. Some of us want and feel the need for a container port and expand commercial shipping; but East enders do not want the potential noise and have successfully stopped any proposed expansion.

 

Texasmunk: a service is provided, a fee is paid. Ships pay a fee to dock. Do you consider that a tax? Oh well, not worth the discussion.

 

For those that don't like Galveston, fine, go somewhere else. Every City, everywhere has problems.

We just get tired of being slammed all the time. It is a great place with lots to do, great people, architecture and history. We are just not a place to drive in the morning, board a ship, leave the next week back out in the afternoon.

 

Off my soap box now. Going to the port to pick up our cabin steward and friend to spend the afternoon with us.

 

Thanks! Well said on everything else!:)

 

 

Its fine sailing out of Galveston, its another thing sailing back in. I just got off the Navigator this morning and it was complete chaos in Terminal 2. The crowd were almost ready to riot. We departed the ship at 9.00am and it took two and a half hours to clear customs. It was a mess with little to no communication or direction. I don't know who is at fault because they all blame one another, but many elderly people needed help and to be able to use the restroom. There were many families and children and foreign visitors, and only 10 Customs people. Four of the posts were for US passports but only three were open. It was a horrible way to end what had been a wonderful cruise.

 

We've had two really bad Royal Caribbean disembarkations in Galveston. Both were at the end of holiday/peak time sailings with many non-US citizens on board. If you were on the Belize/Roatan itinerary, that seems to make things even worse.

 

Hopefully, with RCI back in Galveston year-round, things will get better at Terminal 2. I have not experienced anything like that returning to Galveston on Princess or Carnival. I just don't think there are enough USCBP agents for the number of passengers. Unfortunately, it leaves a really bad last impression.

 

I still love cruising from Galveston!:D

[Cindy]

Someone posted earler that the Navigator was leaving sometime after 6PM today to head off to dry dock.... I looked at the Galveston webcam this AM & she was there, but now, it "appears" (I may be wrong), that she is already gone (3PM). Can anyone confirm this? Not that it matters...just curious! :)

 

I think she's just hiding behind the Magic right now.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Cindy

[Galveston Cruiser]

First: Sorry for everyone's delay. ICE checks ALL passengers coming from Roatan due to the drug situation. So blame ICE, they have a habit of screwing everything up by taking 5+ minutes per passenger. That adds up!

 

There were also a lot of foreign Nationals (534 from Mexico) due to the holiday week. That accounts for some of the delay.

 

Second: The Navigator is still here. Crew had to be back by 4pm. She is to sail around 8:30 tonight. Earlier if all the provisions, equipment etc. is loaded. They are also taking off stuff, glass tables from cabins are a gone and to be replaced with something else.

 

We had the pleasure of having Adrian and Rohan (cabin stewards) at our home for dinner this afternoon. DH (Lee) took them shopping first, then on to our house. He took them along Seawall Blvd as they had never seen the other side of the island except from Walmart.

What a great afternoon with two wonderful gentlemen:)

Edited January 5, 2014 by Galveston Cruiser

[shmthaus]

I think it is so cool that you opened your home to two of the crew and showed them some Texas hospitality.

 

Can't wait for Feb 23 when we sail on Navigator.:D

[JTexcruise]

Its fine sailing out of Galveston, its another thing sailing back in. I just got off the Navigator this morning and it was complete chaos in Terminal 2. The crowd were almost ready to riot. We departed the ship at 9.00am and it took two and a half hours to clear customs. It was a mess with little to no communication or direction. I don't know who is at fault because they all blame one another, but many elderly people needed help and to be able to use the restroom. There were many families and children and foreign visitors, and only 10 Customs people. Four of the posts were for US passports but only three were open. It was a horrible way to end what had been a wonderful cruise.

 

Wow....that is crazy! We got off the Navigator today at 8:30 am & cleared customs 45 minutes later. It was slower than last time we disembarked but really not that bad. Sorry you got stuck like that but please note....many passengers got off in a reasonable amount of time. BTW overall the cruise was great & we got lucky with the weather :-) The biggest snafu on the trip had to do with evening production show cancelations due to motorized back stage technical problems. I am sure there will be a thread started on that soon.

[SRV FAN]

Wow....that is crazy! We got off the Navigator today at 8:30 am & cleared customs 45 minutes later. It was slower than last time we disembarked but really not that bad. Sorry you got stuck like that but please note....many passengers got off in a reasonable amount of time. BTW overall the cruise was great & we got lucky with the weather :-) The biggest snafu on the trip had to do with evening production show cancelations due to motorized back stage technical problems. I am sure there will be a thread started on that soon.

 

It depends on your Crown & Anchor status for getting off the ship... higher levels get to go early. Also, if you have early flights booked, you get to go early. If you are part of the "herd", you get to wait & wait & wait. Our friends are Diamond, they got off at 8:00am & were in their car headed home within 30 minutes! We were still sitting in the theater.... for hours, then finally got off the ship only to stand in line for over an hour to get our luggage.

 

Also, I read that if you have sailed to Honduras, they check everything much more in detail. Not sure which itinerary y'all were on this week, but that could explain some of the delay.

[JTexcruise]

It depends on your Crown & Anchor status for getting off the ship... higher levels get to go early. Also, if you have early flights booked, you get to go early. If you are part of the "herd", you get to wait & wait & wait. Our friends are Diamond, they got off at 8:00am & were in their car headed home within 30 minutes! We were still sitting in the theater.... for hours, then finally got off the ship only to stand in line for over an hour to get our luggage.

 

Also, I read that if you have sailed to Honduras, they check everything much more in detail. Not sure which itinerary y'all were on this week, but that could explain some of the delay.

 

We did the Roatan, Belize, Cozumel itinerary this week and did the self assist disembarkation (group E). This service is available to all regardless of status as long as you can bring your own bags off the ship.

[maggiecharlie]

The distance from the airport is not the issue. Port Canaveral is about the same distance from MCO as Galveston is from HOU. However, for fly-in cruisers, Port Canaveral is far superior to Galveston. There are mutiple rental car agencies open every day of the week with shuttles to the port. There are multiple hotels available at reasonable prices with no 2 day stay requirement on the weekend.

 

My impression is that Port Canaveral welcomes and promotes the cruise business, whereas Galveston just tolerates it.

 

In my opinion Port Canaveral and Ft Lauderdale have their act together. Galveston does need some help with getting passengers in and out of the port.

[BecciBoo]

Now disembarking is another story...first week in Dec. 2011 was our last cruise out of Galveston and we did the "herd" thing. Stood on outside deck for 45 minutes! Decided that was the last time we ever try to "early disembark" along with the rest of the ship! Last few cruises we've had Diamond concierge escort us down...no problems...guess reaching Diamond DOES have it's advantages.

 

But you know, it's kinda like having a baby...time dims it all and soon you forget how painful it was:D I'd jump on her this evening if I could!:D

[Galveston Cruiser]

Have sailed numerous times out of Galveston, Status has nothing to do with disembarking time. At one time, disembarking times were issued according to flight schedules. They no longer due that, but issue numbered luggage tags. Our last cruise we were #15 so the D+ did not get us a higher tag number.

 

The problem still lies ICE. The bottleneck is in the terminal. Have heard from ICE they arrive early at Carnival with a full contingent. At RCI, they start later and agents are moved from Carnival to RCI later in the morning after the backlog has started.

It is correct that ICE performs a complete passport check when the ship return from Honduras. This has been told to us by several agents. Thus creating further delay.

[enidcruiser]

How long is it going to take for the NOS to be in refurb? I know what all they are going to do but not sure how long it will take.

[Clarea]

How long is it going to take for the NOS to be in refurb? I know what all they are going to do but not sure how long it will take.

I believe Navigator returns from dry dock on Feb 5.

Edited January 5, 2014 by clarea

[dschultz56]

We've only been on 3 cruises, 2 out of Galveston but most recently out of Port Canaveral on FOS. One things we noticed about departure at Port Canaveral is they have baggage carousels like you would find at an airport. I think that sped up people getting their luggage. In Galveston everyone is walking around the luggage trying to find theirs instead of just standing and waiting for it to come by. A big difference in disembarkation for us.