dctravel

You sign up at the bar at the Pig & Anchor (8 aft). Just ask a bartender, if you want to sign up in advance, or show up at the scheduled time. It was offered at 11 am and 3 pm on sea days.

We paid Galveston Limo directly for a spot on their shared shuttle. It was not a private transfer.

You are very welcome! Always happy to contribute, since I learn so much from others on CruiseCritic!

This! The card is coded in their system exactly like sparks1093 noted. I would also point out that if you are gold or higher, your free drink coupon for the last night is coded the same way. Just go to a bar and tell them you want to use your free drink coupon (after 5 pm). It works on nearly any drink (I think the stated limit is $12.50, but my wife got a slightly more expensive drink and the whole thing came off).

We just used Galveston Limo roundtrip from Hobby to Galveston for four of us. We flew in the night before and stayed at an airport hotel with a free shuttle. We then used the free shuttle to get back to the airport in the morning to meet our shuttle. On the way to Galveston, we arrived back at the airport and saw a Galveston Limo bus sitting in the pickup area, but with no driver. We went to sit near the bus, expecting a driver to show up. As it got closer to our pickup time, still no driver, so I called the Galveston Limo office. As I was connecting with them, our driver called us to see if we were there. He turned out to be a van behind the bus! Once we connected with him, we were on our way without any further issues. Oddly, we were the only cruise passengers on the shuttle, but we were dropped off first, so no issues there. On the way back, we booked an 11:05 shuttle return, since our flight was at 3:40 pm. We got outside the terminal at about 10:30 and hung out in the shade waiting. About 10:45, I saw a Galveston Limo driver with one of their big charter busses. I went to make sure he wasn't our driver, and he looked up our shuttle and told me to look for a mini-bus at spot 5. No Galveston Limo vehicle ever showed up at spot 5. I called the office again and was told the driver was stuck in traffic (it was truly awful getting into the port area). At about 11:10 (so after our shuttle time), we got a call from our driver about 11:10 asking if we were still going back to the airport. It turns out that the shuttle was a different big bus parked at a different location. Not a really big deal, but made me a bit nervous.

Both Grand Turk and Amber Cove offer area in the port area that you can use. In Grand Turk, there is a pool and a beach and in Amber Cove there is a pool. Both ports have restaurants where you can buy food and the ships general offer the ability to rent a cabana at extra expense. When my kids were about the age of your kids (6 and 9), we visited both ports and opted not to do an excursion at either. In Amber Cove, we swam, played giant chess, and ate in the restaurant for a few hours before getting back on the ship to play in the water park without the crowds. In Grand Turk, we did the same thing, but spent more time on the beach (which is literally next to the pier). In Nassau, you will probably want to book an excursion. The port area has recently been redone, but I haven't been there is a while, so cannot give any guidance on that. Check on the Caribbean forms for Nassau specific information and recommendations.

Not only is there water in the juice/lemonade/ice tea machines, but there is also water in the fountain self-service soda machines (you can get the water for free, you have to pay for the soda by the ounce) and in several ice/water machines located all over the ship. We thought it tasted fine too. We brought our own reusable water bottles, and just used the cups provided to fill up our bigger bottles (they don't want you putting your bigger bottle under the dispenser). One note about the free 1.5L bottles for repeat cruisers. Our experience on the Jubilee recently was that you have to go to a bar to get it (1 per person). We didn't realize that until nearly the end of the cruise, so we ended up only getting 1 of the 4 bottles that we could have gotten. Oh well!

As I wrap up this review, I wanted to end with some final thoughts. First, we had a VERY easy disembarkation, minus a hiccup with the shuttle pickup. When notified on the app, we chose a late disembarkation time (9:25 am) because we had a later flight from Hobby (3:40 pm) and had booked Galveston Limo at 11:05 am to take us back to the airport. The luggage tags (group 16) arrived in our cabin in the afternoon of our last sea day and we had to have our luggage out by 10 pm. On our final morning, we had to be out of the cabin by 8:30 and the dining room "closed" at 8. We set our alarms () to request a table just before 8 and we check out of room before we went to breakfast. Breakfast was great as it had been all week, and we hung out out our table for a while before moving to the Pig & Anchor. Not too many people back there, but do note you cannot hear announcements of boarding groups in either the Pacific Dining Room or the Pig & Anchor. We were alerted on the app when it was our time to go, and we walked off the street and were on the curb in about 15 minutes. There are two lines once you pick up your bags, one for passport holders and a second for those with birth certificates. Cannot comment on the birth certificate line other to say that it looked longer than the passport line, and in the passport line, we never stopped moving except to use the facial recognition system. The hiccup with our bus is that we couldn't find it. We knew where it was supposed to pick up, but when I first saw a large bus, I asked the driver if it was for us, and was told no, you will get picked up in a smaller but in parking space 5. We stood at that spot waiting and nothing showed up. Just as I was about to call the Galveston Limo office, I got a call from our driver wondering where we were. Turns out he was in a big bus, 3 parking spaces away. No major deal, but would have liked better communication. Ride to Hobby was uneventful, minus the bus having to turn around at one point as a slow moving freight train blocked the road he was on. Some final general thoughts: 1. We had a really great time, maybe better than we expected. We never planned to cruise for spring break, rather to travel overseas. Unfortunately, the world had other plans for us, so the cruise was a "consolation" prize. It was way more than that. The Jubilee was beautiful and it was awesome to get cruising again for the first time since the pandemic. 2. Very minor, but we really missed the Towel Animal Zoo/take over. On our past cruises, it had occurred on the last sea day, so that's when we went looking for it on Lido. When we got up there, nadda. We weren't the only ones looking. It certainly didn't lessen our trip, but something we always enjoyed. I asked John Heald about it on FB, and he noted that it did happen, but on the first port day! Oops, missed that completely. Oh well, I'll know to look for next time. 3. We thought the food was generally very good. Some meals were a bit better than others in the MDR, with the Emeril's specials the clear winner over the week. Once we got our allergy issues solved, the food was consistent and tasty. We also really loved all the choices all around the ship. We loved Shaq's, enjoyed Guy's burgers, my son loved Blue Iguana, and we all enjoyed the variety at Street Eats. I also really liked the Schwarma and coastal pizza. We were underwhelmed by Cucina at lunch and didn't try Chibang because the menu just wasn't what we wanted. We didn't buy any food this trip. 4. The brewed on board beer is really excellent, especially the bock beer (Big Mike's) and the pilsner. I also love that $1 from the American Pale Ale is donated to a veterans charity. The brewed on board beer can be found at bars all around the ship. 5. I don't drink many mixed drinks, but I did really like the Highland Smash at the Steakhouse bar. My wife didn't love the Dr. Inks or Alchemy Bar drinks on this cruise (felt that they were weak), but did love the drinks in the Pig & Anchor (especially the Watermelon margarita). The kids loved that the Gold level (and above) free drink coupon on the last night (after 5 pm and loaded to your Sign & Sail Card) included soda, something we didn't buy for them during the week. 6. We had such a good time that we are now booked on the Carnival Firenze Christmas cruise from Long Beach. New ship and new itinerary for us! I am sure that I am forgetting something, but let me know what questions you have and if I remember something else, I'll post it in the next few days! dctravel

After three port days, it was great to have another sea day as we headed back to Galveston. As I noted in my last post, we had Bolt reservations for earlier in the week, but they were cancelled because of high winds. I should note a few things about Bolt: (1) when we made reservations through the HUB app, they were doing a buy three-get one free thing, so we paid $45 total for the four of us. Don't know if this is permanent, or just for now, but I appreciated the savings. (2) when our original reservation was cancelled by Carnival (because of the winds), we were refunded immediately to our Sign & Sail account. (3) Bolt is so cool! We really enjoyed the ride. You get to go around twice and the turbo boost adds excitement to the ride. Nothing like zooming around 17+ decks above the water :). Otherwise, we spent our last sea day much like our first two. Woke up, played mini-golf, ate Sea Day Brunch, did activities (Q&A with Louie, trivia, Bingo) and then found chairs to read, have a sea day beer, and go on the waterslides. After dinner, we saw Celestial Strings (Louie noted it was the #1 rated show in the fleet). We liked it, but didn't love it. Liked Dear Future Husband better. We ended the night in the Pig & Anchor for last drinks.

The only choice when we booked was AI, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It wasn't cheap, but it also wasn't over the top, especially because our first two choices were already sold out. We didn't notice a lot of crew, it felt more like we were surrounded by families, many not from a cruise ship. At least one family set on the edge of the club with their own chairs and started to play music. The staff came over unprompted to ask them to lower the volume. It didn't bother us, honestly. I'm used to the beach in NJ (where I grew up) and folks bringing music with them. We talked a bit with folks from the NCL Joy, but there seemed to be very few cruise passengers, comparatively (at least based on towels 🙂).

Thanks. That was my gut. We were in San Juan on Christmas Eve in 2001 and almost nothing was open (except the casino!). Figured it might be similar. Ship excursion it is, if we decide to get off the ship!

We were just in Costa Maya and went to Pez Quadro (we tried to get in at Jamie's Blue Reef first, but they were sold out. Pez Quadro is at the 40 Cannons Hotel. They are AI for alcohol and other drinks and each person gets to order once off their beach club lunch menu (different than the hotel lunch menu). We found it to be a great place. Sure there were vendors walking around, but we just said "no thank you" and they moved on without any bother. The beach was clean, the beer kept coming (or sodas for the kids), and the portions for lunch were big and tasty. I would go again.

Book early when you have made your decision. Several places were sold out when I inquired in early February for our late March cruise (we booked very late for us).

Sorry for the break! Busy weekend prevented me from spending a few minutes to continue my review. Our third port was Cozumel. Anyone who has cruised in the Caribbean has probably been to Cozumel before, and we are no exception. We did Chankanaab with the kids when they were little (4 and 7). It was fun, but we already snorkeled and went to the beach on this cruise. This time, we were looking for something different. Nothing with Carnival was hitting the spot (pun intended, as you will see). In doing research, I read about a Cozumel food tour with Cozumel Chef. After inquiring if our allergies could be handled (they could!), we booked it. What a great tour. We paid online in advance ($90 adult, $80 teen, and $40 child (6-12) and got information from the company about where to meet and when. Just as a note, the tour runs on Cozumel time. For our cruise, Cozumel time and US Central time were the same, so no issues, but if you visit during US standard time, make sure you keep a device on ship time! We met at the Mega Soriana supermarket. This is a short cab ride from Carnival's pier. We had not trouble getting there. We went a bit early so we could explore the grocery store. Glad we did, as I do love grocery stores and see the types of things that are available. Our group had a total of 6 people--the four of us and one other couple who was staying at a resort on the island. Our guide Erin had rented a taxi for the day and off we went into Cozumel. We made a total of 5 stops--two taco shops (first was pork, second was shrimp), the local market, a fish restaurant where we had fried whole snapper and ceviche, and a bakery for dessert. At each stop, we were offered a beverage (soda, locally made drinks, or beer). I drank mostly a local beer that isn't sold in the US (Indio). So good. All of the restaurants we visited were family businesses, often located in the front of a building that also served as the family house. The tour was about 3 hours long, and when we got back to the grocery store, I was able to arrange with the taxi driver to take us back to the port. We then had time to shop before getting back on the ship. We had reservations for Bolt (which hadn't been running all week because of high winds), so we didn't want to miss that!

Our second stop was Costa Maya. This port baffled me at first. The family didn't find any of the Carnival excursions appealing and we were at a loss of what to do. Additionally, because we booked late, several potential activities were sold out. This included renting a golf car. The Red Shirt guys were sold out, as was another company recommended by them when we emailed. Ok, so we weren't renting a golf car. Reading through Cruise Critic and other places, it sounded like a beach day would be a good choice. Resortforaday.com doesn't have any affiliated resorts in Costa Maya, so we started looking into beach clubs in Mahahual, which is a $4pp cab ride from the cruise pier. We first contacted Jamie's Blue Reef--Sold Out. They recommended Maya Chan (farther cab ride), but they were sold out too. Finally, we found Pez Quadro Beach Club at the 40 Cannons Hotel. This was a winner! I emailed them and Francisco got back to me right away. Pez Quadro is all you can drink and a single order off a menu per person. We reserved two Pez Quadro Packs ($95US) and two teen packs ($45US). The difference is that the teen packs do not come with alcohol. All packages come with a lounger and access to the bathrooms at the hotel. You have to bring your own towels from the ship. The total was $280. You pay a 30% deposit by credit card. I asked them to charge me in Pesos, so the bill came to ~$72 on the credit card (with no foreign transaction fee) instead of $80 (savings for me!). You pay the balance ($196US) in case upon arrival. When we got off the ship, the hardest part of the excursion was finding a taxi. Pez Quadro gave us instructions to exist the port area and keep going, but it also looked like the sidewalk ended, so we ended up in the cab line for the port. This was a mistake. We were ignored in the hot sun for about 10 minutes before I listened to my son who saw people walking out of the port and getting cabs farther up. We did that, and were quickly on our way. Took about 15 minutes to get to the hotel. Once we arrived, we asked for Luis, and he showed us to our loungers, showed us the drink menu, how to order food (through him), and took our first drink order. Such a beautiful place. Shallow water, clean. Yes, there are hawkers on the beach, but we just kept saying "no thank you" and they left us alone. Frequent, but not aggressive. After swimming, reading, throwing a ball we brought, it was time for lunch. We flagged down Luis and ordered. My son (dairy free) got chicken tacos, my daughter a chicken quesadilla, and my wife and I each got a nacho/taco combo. The food was quite good. Wish I had grabbed a picture of the menu. This is a different menu than what is available in the hotel restaurant (the food might be the same, but the beach club menu doesn't have prices, one item off the menu is included in the price. Luis kept the drinks flowing the rest of the afternoon. It was easy to order and I enjoyed the Mexican beers! When we were ready to leave, we used the bathrooms to change (not ideal, but workable), the foot shower to wash off the sand, and then the front desk told us to walk half a block to the right to get a taxi. Found one right away (they wait there), and off to the port we went for $4pp. I meant to say this before, but I have never seen such big speed bumps. I cannot image riding over them with a golf cart! Walked through the port shopping for t-shirts, checked out the duty free, and then got back on the ship. It was a really good and relaxing day!