Which cruise out of Galveston?

We are looking to take a 7-day cruise, balcony cabin, in April out of Galveston. It will be my husband (46), myself (34), and our four year old son. (We have three other children 14, 12, 9 that will NOT be cruising with us.)

As far as I know our options for cruise lines are RCI, Carnival, and Princess (out of Houston). I'm struggling to make a decision on which line to book with.

Carnival -

Cheapest

I've not cruised carnival before but know many people who have.

RCI-

Most expensive.

I've cruised this line in the past and was very satisfied.

Princess-

Costs is half way in between Carnival and RCI

I don't know much about this line at all.

I've cruised on RCI and Disney in the late 90's/early 2000. From what I've been reading, things have changed.

I think I would prefer RCI over Carnival but I can't justify the $1000 price difference. I don't know if Princess is a line we would be interested in at all??

What would you say is the pro's/con's to each line?

I know Carnival and RCI have a lot of activities for our son that I'm sure we all would enjoy but it's not a requirement for us. We have season passes to Six Flags and go frequently. So the surf simulator or water slides aren't deal breakers for us. We want to have fun... send our son to the kids club occasionally but also spend a lot of time with him. We plan to eat in the MDR every night at the late seating as we have found that was what worked best for us when cruising previously. We also eat late dinners at home. My husband enjoys drinking while I do not drink. I would say what I want the most out of our vacation is to eat good food and to relax.

Check your dates for Princess, both Princess and NCL are pulling out of Houston in April. I've heard that the port wants to increase the industrial side of things (rumor). Also, have you checked NCL prices/amenities? Freestyle eating may be helpful with a toddler/preschooler.

Personally, I don't like Carnival that much. RCI was OK but since I've only been on Monarch for a 3 day cruise at a weird time of year, my experience may be off.

Thanks for the reply.

I didn't realize until after I posted (even after weeks of searching) that NCL was out of Houston. So I did start looking into them as well.

NCL and Princess will have their last cruises right around that time. I didn't understand why they didn't have anything listed after April but then I saw they were pulling out of Houston. Would it be bad to go on one of their last cruises?

NCL has an offer right now where we could choose to get free drink programs for two people, or $50 credit per excursion per person. That's a pretty good deal and the price is $2700, which is about $600 more than Carnival but still cheaper than Royal. The "perks" would make it about the same price as Carnival if hubby and I purchased the drink program, which we probably would not. Also, 3rd and 4th guest are free on NCL and for some reason when I checked the price of four per room it dropped the total price down to $2600. I thought maybe we would invite my mom to go if we went with NCL.

I'm really leaning towards NCL or Princess now. Carnival and Royal seem too big with too much for us. I am not keen on the anytime dining only because one thing I liked about my past cruise experiences was sitting with the same people at dinner and the waiter knowing what you want and how you want it every night. But oh well, times are changing.

Hi I suggest you read the departure forum on Galveston. That port is subject to crippling fog that results in ships being delayed entering and leaving the port. For our cruise several years ago we were delayed boarding 12 hours while waiting for the incoming cruise to dock and disembark their passengers. It also means our arrival was delayed four hours. In both cases many people missed flights. During our delayed departure we bought day passes at a nearby hotel and used the pool and restaurant. I don't know if this is still an option. Make sure you have a plan for significant delays in and out of this port.

And "last cruise" is just the last cruise out of that port -- the ship is simply repositioning to another loop. There should be no significant difference for you !

We are Carnival and Princess cruisers. Carnival does a great cruise, especially if you are looking at a newer ship like the Breeze. We find Princess to be a notch above - less Walmart, more Target if that makes any sense. I personally will not pay the extra $ for RCI - and I cruised them once in 2000 and found their food mediocre at best, and the staff indifferent. Those of us that like Carnival (and to a lesser degree Princess) feel that the staff is the friendliest at sea.

As for late dinner, I would encourage you to reconsider that with a 4 year old. If he wants to go to the kids clubs, their primary evening programs are from 7-10 and he will miss them. I would go early or ATD. I don't have any experience with NCL and the freestyle but I am not sure you are going to get that personal attention at dinner you are looking for. At this point, I would say Princess would probably win out on that point for me as on our most recent cruise over Christmas, we found that the change to the American Table meant that the staff did not have the time to get to know you as in past cruises.

I truly don't think you can go wrong with any of them however. Its more about what type of ship you are looking for, ports and having your expectations in line with what the cruise is "known for."

I would compare the ships. Our 4 year old loved the magic. It has a great layout that's easy to navigate, the little kid slides are great along with camp ocean and the Seuss activities. The Breeze, which is comparable, may be there by then.