sidekick3_cruiser

We've sailed out of Galveston the past 5 cruises, which happened during the months of May, December, and February, and I've only experienced fog there once, which was on my most recent trip (mid last month on the Vision OTS). The night before the cruise there was a lot, but the departure day was as clear and sunny as could be. On the final sea day heading back, the captain actually announced he would be speeding to Galveston for an early arrival to beat the heavy fog. When we arrived I could definitely see why, and I read somewhere here that it delayed the next sailing. So I will probably stick to either summer months or December sailings myself.

As far as the Liberty itself, I sailed her twice in a row (not B2B) for a reason - absolutely LOVE her. The ship is huge, plenty to do, the water slides are AWESOME and there are plenty of food options. All the staff were much friendlier than the people onboard the Vision. It is a clean and wonderful ship and I really don't think you could go wrong with Liberty.

We have cruised out of Galveston the last 3-4 times with another one booked for October and though it could be better I have no real complaints. Last week, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on the beach for $100 and got a decent room with a balcony (that had a gorgeous ocean view) and free weeklong parking (can go up to 15 days I think) AND roundtrip shuttle included. Last couple times we snagged Moody Gardens and the Hilton for about ~$150, but I can't remember if their shuttle/parking was free. Those 3 hotels did not require a minimum 2 night stay.

The port could use some improvements but overall we have no issues there. I've always gone by shuttle, went straight to the baggage drop area and left our luggage, and then breezed through checkout. You walk in, and security is immediately to your left, and there's usually so many open lines that going through it is fast. Then you walk/elevator up the stairs and there are clearly guided check-in lines with attendants who help guide you to the next available agent to check in. There is plenty of seating available while you wait (we went at 12:45 and had no wait time) with vending machines if you get hungry or thirsty.

Disembarking is quick if you carry your own bags out, and if not, you pick up your luggage in a designated area on the way to customs. It's all pretty self-explanatory when you're there and in my experiences there, it's all been a piece of cake. The very first time I went, I was on Carnival cruise and my luggage was put in a different zone than it should have been so I had to look a little harder, but since then I've had 0 issues. For what it's worth, on our Vision cruise that ended yesterday, we left our cabin at 7:45am, and with the 15-20 minute shuttle ride included, we were back in our car at 8:30am. I'd say 45 minutes total is not slow.

Liberty is my favorite RCCL ship so far out of the 3 I have been on (2x Liberty, once on Navigator and once on Vision), you will not be disappointed with what all she has to offer. We were missing a lot of her amenities on the Vision! But, her prices were at least 3x what we paid, so you get what you pay for, and we just wanted a small getaway.

Either way, Galveston may not be the neatest, most modern departure port, but in my experiences it has done the job more than well enough and the Freedom class ships are a great option for that port.

Thank you everyone for the responses! This is all good news. I also find some motions to be nice to sleep to, so as long as it's not strong enough to create any seasickness then it is OK in our book. So far it sounds like I made the right choice to grab that room.

Hi everyone. We just booked our first Princess cruise which is also going to be our first Alaskan cruise, and it'll be onboard the Emerald Princess. Super excited because it was a very minimal cost difference to go from a balcony on RCI to a mini-suite here on the Emerald.

We originally booked D620 to be closer to midship, but I saw quite a lot of threads stating that D733 and D732 are highly sought after for their balconies and to my surprise, D733 was available. I called Princess and made sure to switch as fast as I could.

The threads I found were anywhere from 2 to 8 years old so I just wanted a more recent answer - it will have a tub, correct? And has anyone had any issues with staying in the back of the ship? Admittedly I don't think we've ever been anywhere but midship so I am just wondering what to expect. To us, if there is no tub and the "ride quality" is worse, it is not worth the larger balcony and we would rather someone else enjoy it. But if the sailing is smooth, the tub is present AND the balcony is bigger...then why not. :)

Any help is much appreciated.

No worries about the questions!

I only booked the room online via Hotwire, got there and found out all this *after* arriving, so it was not pre-arranged and I did not purchase any kind of cruise package. Basically, when we first got there I parked it in the parking lot by the water park (not a very far walk). But then on departure morning, I took it to the valet guys and told them I was doing the cruise parking and that was all they needed to know. From there it was valet parked the entire time and they had it pulled up front and waiting for me when our shuttle got back. I don't think the length of the cruise affected the pricing - it was going to be $50 either way.

Hope this helps again. :)

I just did it last month.

Valet your car when you arrive and let them know you're doing the cruise parking. They'll park it and give you the valet stub. Then let the front desk know when checking in and they will give you a one-page form (cruise details, car details, hotel room #, valet ticket #, etc.) and you fill it out, hold onto it and bring it with you to the valet desk on departure morning at 8:00 am. That desk is immediately to the left when entering the main doors. They will take the form from you and book you on a shuttle time, and shuttles start at 9:00 am. Then you just get on the shuttle, and when you get back to Galveston they ask that you call as you get off the ship so they can tell you when and where to expect the next shuttle. Garage parking is also free for guests, yes. So essentially you're paying for the valet part and shuttle roundtrip.

It was a $50 charge added to the hotel bill. Hope this helps!

I will say that the picture on RCCL's website is not accurate. The area is beautiful but the water is in no way blue like the photo. It is very clean and clear but the river/pools look brown.

I saw that you posted this review on RCCL's page for this excursion right before I actually found this thread...I think Royal heard you on this part because now the picture is different. :) Looks better and more fitting to your description to me!

Thanks so much for posting this! I believe you were the one that wrote the only review on RCCL's page for this excursion too, right? :)

I am most likely going to book this for my December cruise and it was nice to be able to see some real photos and opinions of it!

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

I did 5 Carnival cruises before my first RC cruise this last December. I can't think of any cons when comparing the two to be honest. It was all pros. Carnival cruises I found were similar prices, so there was no advantage to them there. We went on the Navigator of the Seas which had been refurbished in early 2014 and MAN did it impress us. Comparing it to the Carnival Magic (most recent Carnival ship I've been on) it felt so much more upscale, and more like it was worth the overall cost. The staff was excellent and I had 0 complaints about the food.

Go for it, you won't regret it!

You guys might have certain Royal Caribbean e-mail preferences that prevent receiving it. I am brand new to RCCL and did not even know I was subscribed...but anyways, I took a screenshot of the e-mail (rather, the page that popped up when I clicked the "Browser View" link within the email).

Guess this is the new Member's Cruise only with a different name!:rolleyes:

 

Can you supply a link please?

I tried a Google search and could not come up with anything, so I don't think this info has been posted "publicly" yet - by that I mean where anyone non-C&A can see it. But, the middle paragraph in the OP's last post is quoted directly from the e-mail sent only to C&A members. I'm sure it will be posted for everyone to see shortly - later today, maybe tomorrow?

Just got the mass e-mail from Bayley to all C&A members and within it he states that the newest Oasis class ship will definitely be named Harmony of the Seas. The quote below is directly from the e-mail.

And, let me take this opportunity to confirm to you first and officially, that our third Oasis Class ship will be named Harmony of the Seas which will be delivered in April 2016.

Yes, I know this has been posted before, but I did not see a thread regarding Bayley's actual confirmation. I only saw posts regarding shipboard announcements from captains/CDs. Forgive me if I missed another thread regarding his announcement, but I did search!

Anyways...I like it! :D

I found FTTF to be very well worth the $50. You will appreciate it. :)

If you're a little indecisive, like me, you'll cancel it only to later decide you really do want to have it, and it may not become available again. Then you'll REALLY be kicking yourself! :p

I absolutely LOVED Seven Mile Beach when we stopped in George Town while aboard the Navigator. We took a taxi to this fantastic restaurant called Alfresco's which has a beach entry spot right behind it. There were maybe 3 other couples there as far as I could literally see, and the food at Alfresco's was the best food I had all week. I did not want to leave that beach at all!

NOS is a beautiful ship. My personal favorite area was the solarium, I spent a lot of time there.

I had one of the virtual balcony rooms - it was very neat, but I still much prefer the real thing. :p It's great if you get a good deal on one, as the picture is VERY clear (it's 4K resolution, which calls for very expensive cameras and TV sets to capture and display). I loved being able to shut the curtains and leave the sound on to fall asleep to the sound of the rushing water. The light peeking through the curtains in the morning when the sun rose was a great way to wake up. And this was all in an interior room! Very cool, if you are looking at interior or ocean view rooms, I would pick VB rooms above all.

Many times I had the chance to upgrade to an OV room for free or little cost, and I'm glad I didn't. I had cabin 1601, which had the PERFECT location in my opinion. It had only 1 cabin next to it (the other side was housekeeping closet, which we never heard a sound from at all). It was directly below the pool area, which I also heard NO noise from whatsoever. And it was a very short walk from the elevator/stairway to the room. My point with that is that the OV rooms I was offered for a free/minimal-cost upgrade were on Deck 2...away from everything. Very happy I stuck with the VB room.

When you look at pictures of the VB rooms online, cameras always make the screens look like they had a very blue tint...they do not. But I could not get a picture of mine without it looking like that (unless I got very close to it and then you couldn't see the rest of the room).

Hope this helps!

We loved our time on Navigator as well. As for prices it all comes down to supply versus demand. It's not predictable. The one thing that is certain is that prices are always higher for the months of June, July, August, as schools are out and families take vacation cruises.

In my opinion, trying to wait until the last minute to book for the timeframe you mentioned is highly risky. If you book now and the rate drops before the final payment date you can get a price adjustment. If you wait, the risk is that prices go up instead as your cruise begins to fill the cabins. Also, to keep in mind is that the ship is sailing out of Galveston so there are fewer options available from that port. That also contributes to higher prices, especially during the peak cruise season.

So true. But also (in regards to my 12/7 sailing) after seeing the big price cuts for "new bookings only" when it got close to sailing time, it now makes it really hard to book this one so early. My plan for my 12/7 sailing was to book early, secure a room, and get some good price adjustments. I tried every time I saw price cuts, and I only managed to get $100 back in the end. The rest of the times, I was denied because either my sailing was on a New Booking Only sale or because I was past final payment date and higher category cabins were not low enough to make them worthwhile upgrades for us (we are NEVER in the room).

I think it hurt the most when I saw those D3 balconies going for $1400 for 2 people after tax, and I paid $1300 for the interior room I had. But I was unable to get that price since it was new bookings only.

Just read a thread about Oasis summer prices where the OP mentioned that as of right now prices were $2000pp for an interior room. Many people chimed in with much better prices they paid for their Oasis/Allure sailings. It's a bit reassuring. I just hate the idea of paying $2250 for this room if it's gonna drop substantially for "new bookings only" when it gets closer to time, and especially if I'd be missing a chance for a balcony room for that price or less.

Sorry if this is confusing to anyone. But now I have other people wanting to book with me, and they're anxious to book (first cruise for them). So we are working hard to figure out if it would be worth waiting until closer to the last minute. They are ready to book NOW. :D

I see. Thanks for the responses so far. :) I know we never know when the "good" sales will be, and what reductions they'll bring, but I guess my question is more of: If I choose to book very close to sailing time, should I expect to be paying around the price it is now? At $2240 for an inside w/virtual balcony? It just seems like a ridiculous price because I paid $1468 for my 12/7 cruise, and when those were on a good sale they were less than $1000, and I missed out on that because it was a "new booking only sale". Are these normal rates people typically pay for a summer RCI cruise, or should it definitely be lower than that? If anyone who has sailed on Navigator during the summer can chime in, that would be great. I'd like an idea of what the prices might be.

Hi everyone. I just returned from the best cruise I've ever been on - my first RCI cruise, which was on the Navigator of the Seas. I've been on 5 Carnival cruises beforehand and now I don't think I'd ever cruise them again. Definitely more of a Royal fan. :D I am only 21 and this was the 2nd cruise I've booked on my own (rest were bookings made by my parents). So please excuse my beginner level knowledge here. :o

Anyways, I need help with figuring out the best time to book the next cruise. We are wanting to go on the Navigator again in July for a birthday cruise. Now, once I learned about the price drop guarantee Royal offered, I watched the prices on my 12/7 sailing like a hawk (we paid $1300 after taxes/fees, and $1468 after prepaying gratuities). Close to sailing, I saw that staterooms were going for MUCH less than we had paid, on occasion. In fact, we were in a Virtual Balcony room, and during the "Going, Going, Gone" sale, D3 balconies were going for $1400 after taxes and fees for 2 people. So just $100 over what we paid for a smaller room with NO balcony or real sunlight!

Needless to say we figured it is probably best to pick a ship and sail date, but not book the cruise until the last second possible. We don't care about cabin type or location so we won't be worried about missing a spot on the ship.

What I would like to know is - will we see substantial price drops on a July cruise? As of right now, a Virtual Balcony room on the sailing we picked (Jul. 19) is $2240 with taxes. :eek: I just wanna know, based off your previous experiences, if we will have to pay near that price if we book about a month or so before the sailing date? I know cruise prices drop as it gets closer to time, and the 12/7 sailing prices dropped a great deal, but I also know that summer cruises always tend to be more expensive because it's peak sailing time.

Another question I have is we are thinking about taking 2 other people, but as a surprise, and pay for their tickets as well. But, these 2 people are not very familiar with each other and we know they'd like separate cabins. So we are looking at 3 cabins for 4 people (my partner and I in one, the other 2 separate). I'm guessing it's going to be impossible to book their cabins at 125% rate for single occupancy? Are there certain sales that pop up that allow those rates, or do you just have to pick the right ship and sail date? We may split it up as 2 people per cabin but would rather not.

Any advice is appreciated. I am so anxious to have it booked, but like anyone else would like to have it booked for as low as possible. After watching all those price drops on our 12/7 sailing, we only received $50 back from Royal, despite other VB rooms going for HALF the price we paid (new bookings only). So we want to be sure we book at the right time, and know how to play it right if we bring 2 other people.

Thanks in advance :)

Also be aware of the terms of the current sale that provides said rate. Many times I've seen great price drops for my upcoming Dec. 7 booking (definitely after final payment), and come to find out they were "New bookings only" rates. Royal gave me a big fat "nope" on upgrading based on those rates, but I expected it.

I have learned that I will have to try and not book until the last possible minute, at least with RCI. At this time, I would not be surprised if your booking is now part of the same Thanksgiving sale that mine is, which has dropped prices considerably because it is "new bookings only." So, at least in my experience, you wouldn't be able to get an adjustment. If someone has been able to get an upgrade based on "new booking only" rates, I'd love to know...

Not exactly... My camera broke on the first day on the ship (the rest of the cruise we took pictures with our cell phones) and to me it looked like the standard bathroom. However, I do have pictures from my 2013 cruise on the Jewel and the bathrooms are almost identical (even face the same direction).

 

 

Awesome, thanks again for taking the time! :)

I was actually in the cabin that George_C came to the cabin crawl of.

 

My thoughs:

 

The screen does take up wall space where a love seat would normally be. They give you a comfy chair, but it's not quite the same.

 

The cabin we had, the screen faced forward so we could see where we were going, but you can't make out too much detail if it is far off.

 

When off at night, there is still a slight glow coming from the screen. The reason of this is that when you turn it off, you aren't actually turning off the screen, you are turning off the video feed from a network closet somewhere down the hall. It's not bright enough to keep you awake, but if your eyes are adjusted to the darkness, there is enough glow to not stub your toes on the way to the bathroom.

 

Sound quality is ok, it comes from the TV (Sharp, 80") but also there is a significant frame around the unit to keep people (like myself) from trying to mess with the display (like trying to play a movie on a giant TV) and that muffles the sound just a bit. You can hear the ocean noise and most of the time that is it. However, if you happen to be in your cabin when an announcement comes on in the hallway, you will hear a 3-4 second delay of the same announcement come from your VB. Apparently there is a delay from wherever the webcam feed is coming from. And the volume can be adjusted using the remote provided.

 

On the plus side, where the TV is positioned, the display is reflected in the mirror over the desk, which is then reflected on the 45 degree angled wall mirror of the bathroom, which then reflects off of the mirror above the bed. The result is that you can actually see the screen from anywhere / any angle of the room.

 

 

Feel free to ask other specific questions.

Thank you so much for the info and picture! It makes me happy with my decision to keep it. I will value the experience of new technology and the better location over the real window. Next time I will probably go with an OV after trying the new kind of room, but for this cruise this room will be perfect!

Do you happen to have any pics of the bathroom? :o

It's really a matter of what's more important to you personally.

 

Do you spend a lot of time in your cabin? Do you think you would spend much time gazing out of a port hole? Do you have much sensitivity to the motion of the ship?

 

As it stands, the cabin you have is a known quantity. The NOS is not a small ship and being centrally located would be a big plus.

 

After the pool closes, being below the Lido deck shouldn't be a problem. Moving from mid ship on deck 10 down to either a fore or aft location on deck 2 doesn't seem like much of an upgrade to me. Even if the cabin has a porthole.

 

Whatever you do, please don't base your decision on the hope that the "Upgrade Fairy" might come calling.

Thanks for the advice! I definitely know not to base my bookings on the chance of getting an upgrade, it was just a thought.

I think I will keep the virtual balcony room. I do not stay in my room very long at all except when sleeping, so the better location versus having a real view wins here for me.

And thanks to everyone else for the helpful posts (except for one of you...;))

Thanks for the replies so far! I think my biggest concern now is the location. A midship Deck 10 room sounds like a great location (just not sure of the noise level of being below the pool). But a forward or aft room on Deck 2 just sounds like a pain and far away from the action. It would require constant elevator or stair trips to get somewhere whereas the current room would not. On my last cruise we had a cabin in a similar location (Deck 9) and it was great to be able to quickly walk out of the room and straight into the action.

Pros and cons, pros and cons..

We had an ocean view on the Rhapsody and after a day or two ocean spray residue really obscured the view. Not sure how close to the water you have to be for this to happen. We had light but not so much of a view.

 

 

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What deck were you located on? This room would be on Deck 2 if I were to switch, so the spray sounds like a good possibility.

I am sailing on the Navigator of the Seas on December 7 this year as my first Royal Caribbean cruise. SO excited for it!

Been watching price drops and have had my rate adjusted once or twice. That was awesome. Now that I am past the final payment date, as we know, I can no longer receive a refund but instead move up a category if the circumstances are right.

Well, long story short, I am currently booked in an Inside w/Virtual Balcony room. I received $100 onboard credit for booking it during that kind of promotion. Now that the same promotion is back, I looked at prices for an Oceanview stateroom. I can get a guarantee room at no additional cost (or pick my own room for no additional cost, either). I should still receive the $100 OBC, and it would be a free upgrade from an Inside room to an Oceanview. But I just cannot decide what I want to do.

The Virtual Balcony rooms seem really cool, I love that they are still a brand new type of room and a real-time view of the outside of the ship would be awesome. Not sure how the sound works - if it's surround sound or if it is even of decent quality. The pros to having one of these rooms would be that if I were to turn it off, the room would be pitch black at night (something that helps me sleep easier, but is not necessary), and my room is a mid-ship with only one other room to the side of it (room 1601, seems there is not any stateroom to the left of it). It's on Deck 10, so I'm close to the action. But is it too close? It's right under the swimming pool/whirlpool area. Wondering if that would be an issue.

I would instantly jump on a "free upgrade" deal like this but I am hesitant. The OV rooms that are available are on Deck 2, and there are no midship rooms left. I'd either get forward or aft. BUT, I get a real, true view of the outside world and natural sunlight in the room as well. And I'd be in a guarantee room, so I'd have a (very, very slight) chance at an upgrade of categories. I think - not sure how Royal's "upgrade fairy" is. Plus, it would technically be a better bang for my buck, paying for an inside but ending up in an OV.

Just need some advice on deciding on what to do.