1st Time Royal Caribbean/ Galveston Questions :)

[lindseylu8]

We are going on our first RC in the fall. We have done 2 Carnival cruises, they port out of LA so we can just drive there so they were just quick& easy (& cheap) vacations. We wanted to try RC so thought Galveston wouldnt be too difficult (were in AZ). Well (I didnt do my research obviously) you cant fly into Galveston, so you have to fly into Hobby then get a hotel, then get a car to the port. Then I see Galveston has banned Uber. Sorry I digress lol, here are my questions:

 

• Is the $100 taxi ride our best option?
  
• Is Hobby better to stay in or Galveston?
  

 

The cruise we are doing is the Roatan, Cozumel, Belize. Any feedback on any of these exercursions that we have picked out:

• Roatan: BOSS Underwater Adventure Observer
  
• Cozumel: DELUXE BEACH BREAK AND PLAYA MIA WATER PARK
  
• Belize: JAGUAR PAW CAVE TUBING & JUNGLE TREK WITH LUNCH
  

 

And my last questions (for now):

 

• I know with Carnival, we could bring on 1 bottle wine/champagne each. Is this allowed at RC?
  
• Is the drink package worth it? I am going back & forth on this
  

 

THANK YOU for all of your feedback & any other thoughts/tips are also greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

[Clarea]

With Royal, you can bring on two bottles of wine per stateroom.

 

With regard to transportation/hotel/airport options, I would also look at the Gulf Coast Departures forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=414

[lindseylu8]

thank you for the info & link!

[wolfganghowell]

We have cruised with friends from Arizona out of Galveston several times. They too have done Hobby and haven't had problems. They arranged a shuttle in advance. Don't stay by Hobby - go to Galveston and have a nice night there. Hobby is in a junky neighborhood. Most of the hotels will have a shuttle to the port or cabs will be cheap - Galveston is not that big.

 

As for your excursions, I would dump Playa Mia. it's too big and crowded. Much better and cheaper options would be Paradise Beach and Nachi Cocom.

 

have fun

[lindseylu8]

Thank you for the tip! We would def like to avoid crowded. Will check that out!

 

Are rum runners still getting through or are they getting confiscated? We have used in the past without issue.

Edited May 3, 2016 by lindseylu8

[wolfganghowell]

rum runners won't work and your luggage will be in the naughty room.

 

if you average 5 adult beverages per day and throw in some bottled water, the drink package is well worth it.

[stleda124]

We are going on our first RC in the fall. We have done 2 Carnival cruises, they port out of LA so we can just drive there so they were just quick& easy (& cheap) vacations. We wanted to try RC so thought Galveston wouldnt be too difficult (were in AZ). Well (I didnt do my research obviously) you cant fly into Galveston, so you have to fly into Hobby then get a hotel, then get a car to the port. Then I see Galveston has banned Uber. Sorry I digress lol, here are my questions:

 

• Is the $100 taxi ride our best option?
  
• Is Hobby better to stay in or Galveston?
  

 

The cruise we are doing is the Roatan, Cozumel, Belize. Any feedback on any of these exercursions that we have picked out:

• Roatan: BOSS Underwater Adventure Observer
  
• Cozumel: DELUXE BEACH BREAK AND PLAYA MIA WATER PARK
  
• Belize: JAGUAR PAW CAVE TUBING & JUNGLE TREK WITH LUNCH
  

 

And my last questions (for now):

 

• I know with Carnival, we could bring on 1 bottle wine/champagne each. Is this allowed at RC?
  
• Is the drink package worth it? I am going back & forth on this
  

 

THANK YOU for all of your feedback & any other thoughts/tips are also greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

 

 

Uber is almost always cheaper. Download their app and do a fare estimator

[George C]

On drink package, 5 drinks is about the break even point, if you will drink 6 or more get the package, prices have increased recently, premium package covers anything up to 12 dollars, if you order something over 12 you just pay the difference so if drink or wine is 15 you pay 3 and tip on 3. WE like just going downtown and hitting restaurants and bars and shops in Cozumel, Roatan had a real nice Dolphin encounter .

 

Do not miss the ice show, Saturday night fever play or Derek Lewis in the pub.

[wolfganghowell]

I don't believe Uber is an option from Hobby to Galveston.

[stleda124]

I don't believe Uber is an option from Hobby to Galveston.

 

 

Hobby Airport to Galveston I just got a quote on app. Up to 4 people 49-59 dollars

 

 

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[JasonTehGreat]

Hobby is an airport in Houston named after William P. Hobby.

 

If you want to reduce costs consider a hotel in Texas City. I just moved from this area. Texas City is generally cheaper than Galveston for hotels. I'd also consider renting a car instead of the $100 taxi. You'll pay about the same but have use of the car for dinner, etc... as well.

 

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[lindseylu8]

Hobby Airport to Galveston I just got a quote on app. Up to 4 people 49-59 dollars

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I read Uber pulled operations from galveston because of regulations requiring too much paperwork/ background etc for drivers that "did not fit with their business model" Maybe drivers are still venturing in. They are being ticketed, i guess, if caught....Uber is awesome so hopefully that will work...

[jdc2204]

Keep it stress free and consider this option.Fly into Hobby the day before, shuttle to Galveston. Stay over night in Galveston hotels. The Stran is a nice walking area of Galveston and a evening meal. Get a hotel transfer to the dock the morning of your cruise. The porters will take care of you. RCI does a real good job of getting you on board. Customs can sometimes be a little wait. They have to clear the ship. However,That's not RCI fault.

We did Major Toms Cave tubing and rain forest hike in Belize. Would do again.

We did Mia Caye private island in Roatan. Snorkeling right off the dock. Great place to relax and clean. Hope this helps. John

[PompeySailor]

Playa Mia Deluxe Beach Break

Difference of opinion here, just my 2 cents worth

Not disagreeing with wolf, just a different perspective:)

 

We have done 3 times and with the all inclusive drinks, umbrellas chairs and activities it is a well worth it day out.

Transportation both ways and shuttles run frequently back to the ship, so return at your leisure, obviously before final boarding

 

Large buffet and plenty of water sports and slides and pools for all ages.

The only charge was for snorkeling gear, $15 from recollection.

 

Agreed it can be busy if there are a few ships in port that day, as it is a popular excursion.

 

We book through RC everytime, some have done it cheaper DIY

 

Andrew, A&L_Ont covered in his recent review, and has lots of photos from their time there.

Worth checking out his review:D

 

We think it is good value for money

DW gets plenty of Rum next to the beach bar, so says it's a winner and DD is on the waterslides all day.

 

Happy Days!

Edited May 3, 2016 by PompeySailor

[foxgoodrich]

Maybe it depends on the time of year, but I haven't had much luck finding a Galveston hotel (that I wanted:p) without a 2 night minimum stay on the weekend. I'm sure there are some, and probably the Gulf Coast Departures board would be the best resource.

 

We liked Nachi Cocum for an all inclusive beach day in Cozumel. They limit it to 100 people, and it's not crowded. They have a website, so you can google it for info. We booked it privately, and I don't think it's available through Royal as an excursion. We took a taxi to get there and back from the pier.

 

On car rental - I haven't done this as we drive down from OKC - but a couple of years ago a friend was frustrated because she couldn't return the car in Galveston on a Sunday. Again, check the Gulf Coast board because that situation may have changed.

 

As others have said...you can bring 2 bottles of wine aboard per cabin. Have a great cruise!

Judy

[CruisinQueen2013]

Agree with the other posters on staying in Galveston, it's a nice area and isn't big at all. We even stopped by the local Target store (it's about 3 mins from port) and picked up some last minute things.

 

As for excursions, check out the port of call boards for each of those places, they are usually quite helpful as other cruise lines usually offer similar (if not the exact same) excursions just with different names so you can get more opinions. The only one I have done is Playa Mia and we had a great time. The buffet was actually quite good (much better than we expected) and despite there being 4 ships in port that day, it wasn't crowded. There is a beach area and also a nice pool and kids water park area. There are also a few stores to check out on the resort if you want to grab a souvenir. The transportation was quick and easy and we had a solid 4 hours at the resort which was plenty of time to enjoy everything. We would definitely do this one again.

[tonyweir]

We're on Liberty July 31. Coming from CA. We are flying into Hobby the day before and staying at the Courtyard Marriott by the airport as they have a free shuttle and breakfast.

 

I Googled transportation to the port and found a ton of limo and shuttle services. I did a little shopping and price comparison and came up with a decent price for our big group. They will pick us up at the hotel the morning of the cruise and take us to the port. They will also pick us up at the port when we come back and take us to the Space Center for a tour and then to the airport . The total was about $55 per person for the whole trip.

[George C]

We're on Liberty July 31. Coming from CA. We are flying into Hobby the day before and staying at the Courtyard Marriott by the airport as they have a free shuttle and breakfast.

 

I Googled transportation to the port and found a ton of limo and shuttle services. I did a little shopping and price comparison and came up with a decent price for our big group. They will pick us up at the hotel the morning of the cruise and take us to the port. They will also pick us up at the port when we come back and take us to the Space Center for a tour and then to the airport . The total was about $55 per person for the whole trip.

 

That sounds like a great deal, may do this before next cruise, thanks

[JaniceB]

We're on Liberty July 31. Coming from CA. We are flying into Hobby the day before and staying at the Courtyard Marriott by the airport as they have a free shuttle and breakfast.

 

I Googled transportation to the port and found a ton of limo and shuttle services. I did a little shopping and price comparison and came up with a decent price for our big group. They will pick us up at the hotel the morning of the cruise and take us to the port. They will also pick us up at the port when we come back and take us to the Space Center for a tour and then to the airport . The total was about $55 per person for the whole trip.

 

Which company are you using? Since we don't fly out until the afternoon the space center sounds fun.

[atnolan94]

Consider doing Starfish Island for you excursion in Belize.

[wolfganghowell]

I totally get that food is WAY subjective but having eaten the food at Paradise Beach, Nachi Cocum and Playa Mia - Playa Mia is a distant 3rd. Don't get me wrong - Playa Mia is nice, we have been there. But PB and Nachi have it beat hands down. I've also heard great things about Mr Sanchos. Playa Mia is known for having ship excursions end up there - hence the larger afternoon crowds.

[lindseylu8]

Thank you all so much for the tips & info!!! I will be researching all of your suggestions :) thanks everyone

[Luvmypups]

Another vote for Nachi Cocom in Cozumel. My suggestion for Roatan would be Maya Chan and for Belize it would be Goff's Caye. We book all of these independently.

 

 

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[AggieCruiser03]

Just my 2 cents...I've lived in Houston my entire life and you could not pay me to stay in a hotel by Hobby airport. The neighborhood around Hobby is not the best. A hotel is Galveston is really is your best bet.

[satchiesmom]

We're on Liberty July 31. Coming from CA. We are flying into Hobby the day before and staying at the Courtyard Marriott by the airport as they have a free shuttle and breakfast.

 

I Googled transportation to the port and found a ton of limo and shuttle services. I did a little shopping and price comparison and came up with a decent price for our big group. They will pick us up at the hotel the morning of the cruise and take us to the port. They will also pick us up at the port when we come back and take us to the Space Center for a tour and then to the airport . The total was about $55 per person for the whole trip.

 

I also would like to know what company you are using.