LoneStarJeffe

Where is the spill in relation to the port?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I believe it is further up the Houston Ship channel. Not near the Galveston port. But the clean up zone excluding ship traffic does appear to cover the port of Galveston. :(

Are you sailing today on Navigator or Magic?

All traffic stopped right now pending oil spill clean up. I am sailing on Navigator today. But the oil spill situation is pretty serious in terms of delay. I am pretty sure the cold front mid morning will blow the fog away but nothing is moving in the channel until the spill is cleaned up.

Latest on the spill:

KTRK: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?se...cal&id=9476801

Houston Chronicle: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te...ip-5341213.php

KHOU: http://www.khou.com/news/local/A-bar...251749321.html

Navigator and Magic are sitting off shore in a stack of ships waiting.

http://www.vesselfinder.com/?p=3325

I am fortunate I live in Spring, Texas and it is a a 90 minute drive for me. So we will just sit tight at home waiting until we know we can proceed and board. I feel very sorry for those on board Navigator and Magic right now. Chances of missing a flight continue to grow.

 

RCI just has too many berths to fill. Disney is the smartest cruise line of the bunch in that they realize they can't control the quality nearly as much and provide a great experience if they overexpand. Hence only 4 ships with a total of maybe 10,000 berths to fill, and they sail full despite the high prices because the demand is high for so few cabins. They can command the high prices and give good service and good food.

 

Expansion can truly cause a downward spiral sometimes. I think RCI needs to reduce the number of ships, or they will continue to make cutbacks.

Disney attracts because it sells something the other cruise lines do not. A Disney experience. I suspect the number of ships is based on the size of the audience willing to pay that premium for that experience.

I suspect RCL has run the numbers and repeat "loyal" cruisers as a group spend less on board per person than the same of people who have never cruised. It is not just filling the cabin, but it is revenue per person on board. Airline loyalty programs target repeat business travelers since they pay more per seat to travel when they must travel for business reasons. Cruise lines can only target vacationers who travel only when the price is right. As long as they can offset the loss of a loyalty program cutback by filling with those new to cruising RCL, the cuts will continue. At some point, a new balance will be found. The one thing loyal cruisers offer are early bookings and the chance for RCl to hold their deposits for a longer time.

I support voting with your dollars. And a healthy cruise industry financially benefits everyone since they keep investing in better ships and safety.

Leaving in a week and not seeing any improvement in conditions. :( I suspect the fog might be a factor next week as well unless a warm front surprises. I know fog is a risk in January and February but mid March? Winter just does not want to call it a season.

That said, I sailed out of Baltimore on a very cold day wearing a jacket and still enjoying sail away. Get me on board and I will be happy no matter the temperature!

The pay-per-view suite perk was in January of Radiance of the Seas. So very recent, although some perks are on a ship by ship basis. Enjoy your movie! It never hurts to ask.

 

The old perk used to be a library of DVDs that you could borrow. But I guess keeping that up to date is very expensive. Besides, no more DVD player in our suite. I guess everything is going digital.

 

Ps. We also hade the Playstation as well and no games.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I always also bring a deck of cards when I cruise. I love having an option for entertainment that does not require a power cord or batteries. :)

I want to thank those who gamble, buy art, play bingo on board, buy duty free stuff, drink alcoholic beverages, go on ship sponsored excursions, and buy photos for helping keep the cost of my cruise fare lower. And yes, I have helped keep others cruise fare lower as well. :)

Bottom line is, even at it's worse, PW's written contract clearly stated that ONLY the written terms on the contract counted and nothing stated by the auctioneer was binding. If you buy something based on a verbal statement and ignore what you sign on the written terms and conditions, then some ownership belongs to you regarding what happens. You cannot protect people from failure to read what they sign.

Welcome aboard. Glad you made it safely. Have a great cruise!

Subscribing. We leave in two weeks so I am looking forward to your posts.

You MUST stop at Buc-ees. Not the best for a sit down meal but great to grab and go. Cleanest bathrooms anywhere. Fresh coffee. Reasonable gas prices. Either stop coming down or going back.

I am very interested if the additional cabins and people have made a difference in the crowded feeling of the public spaces? I have sailed on Voyager class many times and loved the fact the public spaces rarely seemed crowded.

Please advise who is in the Piano Bar at Schooners as well if you can. Thanks!

Ignoring the posts by people with their minds made up discussing their position with other people whose minds are made up, I think there is a slow realization that the popularity of both traditional dining and formal nights is shifting. Neither will disappear but both are becoming more optional to an increasing number of people. I expect cruise lines will shift via the alternate restaurants to increasing theme nights such as the Prohibition Party on the Allure of the Seas. I think one formal night will be kept on seven day cruises but I think the two formal nights on a seven day cruise will be ending within a few years. The trend is away from just dress up and towards theme/role play parties instead of nights.

I will predict Renaissance Festival style theme parties to happen as well.

Of course, I could be wrong and they just convert the old main dining rooms into Windjammer II locations and we all eat in our swim suits. :)

Daytime, there is far more to do I think on Navigator. Rock climbing wall, Flowrider, and ice skating rink all of which are free. However, there is no question that Carnival has a more "party at night" reputation. But having had both my kids travel with us in their twenties, I can say they had a great time at night. If you just want to connect with other people your age, I think Carnival might have the edge. But if you weight the daytime activities and still a pretty good night life, I would go with Navigator.

Tips in general, will not be on ship until March but was on sister ship Mariner:

 

-If leaving between Oct-Apr, pack warmer clothes for 1st and last day

-If going during hurricane season, find a parking lot that is elevated just in case

-Put wine in carry-on

-On first day sign releases for FlowRider, rock climbing and ice skating

-Do most popular events as early in the day as you can

-They will handout tickets for ice show and tenders get to distribution area early if you want a preferred time. Don't understand but they don't seem to have a limit on the number of tickets people can pickup.

-Self disembark, so ensure all luggage is rollable.

-Find out the best way to get to studio B

-Order room service breakfast on port days

-Take stairs when you can

-Eat lunch in main dinning room

-Arrive several minutes early if you have Mytime dining

-Not many people use the hydro pool in the gym

-Pick sunning spot in the solarium wisely

-Getting back on at Cozemel was a zoo, be patient if you are in line they shouldn't leave you. They might have multiple lines for each ship.

-Shower facility at gym is nice

 

Being patient and having a "don't worry" attitude goes a long way. There are thousands on the ship and just one experience can ruin your day if you let it. Have fun.

-There is a bridge overlook on the deck right above the bridge where you can look down into the bridge.

-It is sometimes much faster to walk the promenade deck outside to get to where you want to go.

-Do not miss the Ice show or The Quest.

-Check and reconcile you SeaPass charges mid week.

-You can go out onto the helipad. It is usually very windy if the ship is moving but you should go at least once there when the ship is docked. If the weather is warm, it is not a bad spot for sail away but there is no drink service there. :)

-Stop and look at the small chapel they have above the Viking Crown.

-If you are not sure you want to stay for the entire show, it is easier to walk out of the balcony. Just do not sit in the middle. :)

-You can ice skate during some sea days when ice show rehearsals are not in progress.

-The Windjammer has food stations in the back and not just the sides.

Pier 23 cam is showing much clearer right now. I am hoping they can start getting in and docked sooner than expected. Magic's cam still shows fog so it is hard to tell.

Another messy day for cruisers. This throws off parking since lots do not clear out in time for the next group departing and thus traffic backs up. Local restaurants might benefit but once you are at the cruise terminal, there are little choices for food. On board it is not much better since most of the ship facilities will be closed and there is nothing but hurry up and wait in the public areas. It will be another long day. Hopefully the wind will pick up and blow it away allowing time to dock.

I love cruising out of Galveston. But this time year has a high chance of fog. :(

Across the street view of where the Carnival Magic docks shows it a bit clearer.

http://www.galveston.com/pier23videocam/

This time of year, the differences in temperature does cause fog. But after it warms up later in the year, it is a far less likely. I would say the largest exposure is January through March. We now have two ships sailing year round so you can certainly select a time of year less impacted by fog. I love the convenience of driving to port and feel that not having to fly reduces my risk of missing a cruise. However, there is a risk of the cruise itself being impacted by fog as happened last weekend. Fog was not a factor this weekend. The Carnival Magic was delayed arriving due to a medical evacuation.

Nice to Navigator unobstructed. :) I am glad she made it in at a reasonable time. Two weeks in a row with really long fog delays would not be nice. In five weeks, I will checking for my trip on Navigator. I wish a pleasant voyage to all sailing on her today.

Not seeing much yet on Magic's bow cam.

Pier 23 cam now showing pretty clear. Hopefully they can leave soon.

I just checked the Pier 23 cam and the fog is getting really bad. Looks like a long wait for them to depart. Hopefully there will be a point overnight when it clears away.

I am so sorry the original poster missed what was a a long planned cruise to celebrate a special milestone.

I think this is a good reminder that cruise insurance really needs to be considered if you have any kind of existing medical condition. It is a good idea in my opinion no matter what but especially if you have a known condition. Be sure to purchase within the waiver period. With insurance you do not have to rely on a cruise company to determine specifics of your case and if a refund is warranted.

Too many people think only around the odds of something happening and not the impact if something does happen. Think carefully about insurance as part of the cost of a cruise before you book your trip.

Larger than Voyager class is good.

RCL signing a five year contract and committing to a year round ship here is better.

The terminal finally getting improved is best! :)

It is not really seventies music. It is disco music. The music of seventies included some of the best and worse of popular music. But what RCL does is a disco night. I like the tradition but I am not married to it. If they changed it, I would not feel a loss. I prefer the Schooner piano bar to seventies night anyway. :)

I especially liked out of Galveston the Adult Day Care Kamikaze Karaoke that was on board on certain sailings. Derek Lewis knew how to make it fun. At some point, I hope he can return to RCL out of Galveston.

The math is pretty simple. There are more cabins to sell. Therefore you have to attract as wide an audience of potential buyers as possible. Cruise ships require huge investments and have high fixed costs to operate. They have to sell cabins and make incremental revenue while passengers are on board. Cruise lines have adjusted their offerings to attract more people and generate more revenue. Of course there are changes from the service and experience RCL used to deliver. The fact is people are filling their ships sufficiently to order new ones. So the experience they are offering is filling the cabins. If they instead switched to more formal wear and higher quality experience would they still fill the cabins? Probably not. I realize the OP is not complaining but just noting the change and expressing a personal opinion that something was lost with the expansion to mass market. I do not disagree. But that same mass market makes cruising more affordable and support more people experiencing cruising. I like the age mix on board. I am glad RCL is no longer just for the "recently wed and nearly dead". I cruise to relax and enjoy having as much or as little to do each day as I like. So what they offer, I like.

I am traveling in March and just checked at my donation center. There is still a one year deferral if you travel to Belize. :( I did not see a deferral for Cozumel or Belize City. This is always changing. If you can donate, be sure to do so before you leave.

I like to plan a couples massage for my wife and I on a sea day. I book that in advance sine the slots I want are limited for a couples massage. It is all about what you think is important. I cruise to relax and booking in advance saves me worries for something I truly want. If it was not that important, I would wait until I was on board. As others have said, there are discounts and such you can get on board. But if you know when you want to have it done and that is important to you, you might want to book in advance.

Royal Caribbean isn't done adding new things to Navigator of the Seas before she enters drydock next week for her refurbishment. New Navigator of the Seas deck plans show she will get a new specialty restaurant called, "Sabor Modern Mexican".

The Mexican restaurant is a departure from Royal Caribbean's previous Mexican specialty restaurant that first debuted on Allure of the Seas, Rita's Cantina.

The new restaurant will be located on deck 4, where The Dungeon night club used to be.

The new restaurant addition comes with this description about why the cruise line opted to develop a new offering, "Royal Caribbean International is furthering its commitment to total guest satisfaction by introducing a new specialty restaurant on Navigator of the Seas®. Sabor Modern Mexican provides guests an opportunity to enjoy creative yet recognizable modern Mexican cuisine and beverages with polished casual service in a contemporary setting."

The cover charge for this new specialty restaurant is expected to be $25 per person.

Interesting. I rarely need to spend $10 -15 per person for really good Mexican (well, Tex-Mex) food here in Houston. I think if it is good, people might be willing to pay. But they cover charge is pretty high for that type of restaurant, at least for those of us in Texas.

I am sure they are in discussions and want to open up for flexibility to use either Voyager or Freedom class ships here.

I do think we have an interesting opportunity and danger in 2015 with cruising out of Galveston and the Port of Houston both. There will be a wider selection of ships and cruise lines between both Galveston and the port of Houston but the market might also saturate and nobody sell enough cabins. Houston is a major air hub and a relatively easy reach from across the country but both Bush and Hobby airport airports are not close to the ports. Transferring from the airport to the ship are a real problem for many.

I think there is a high percentage of people driving to a cruise today compared to flying into Houston and then transferring. To sustain the higher number of ships and cabins in 2015, people will have to be willing to fly. I think the current drive in market is pretty much at capacity. We shall see.