BallFour4

We have both. And agreed for travel from ATX. I travel a moderate amount for my job and Clear is what I describe as a necessary luxury. Houston Hobby at 6:30AM on a weekday is packed with flyers and I can get to my gate about ten minutes after arrival at the airport. We carry off all our luggage. I took four cameras, a ham radio and marine radio. I'm that geek... We went to AWAY suitcases and they (so far) seem worth it. On the SWA flights this summer if you were in Group C they gate checked your bags. We pay the Early Bird for personal travel. .

We literally walked off at 7:30 AM. We went all out and got The Key but not one person checked it. Cabs were plentiful, we arrived at Sea-Tac before 9 AM. You’ll make the flight. We have Clear and that took 5 min. TSA Pre was about 20-30 people deep. Not to promote this, but the process was far too simple. We’re platinum on Carnival and are done with short cruises from here in summer months and when school is out. My wife taught 40 years and those trips look and sound like summer camp. I doubt we will make diamond with Carnival. .

We were booked on SWA leaving around 2:15 and that spiraled downhill. I changed our flight twice for the Denver connection to make it back to Houston Hobby. I travel some for my company and we used points, so hence the connection. Air travel has not been so glamorous this summer. We love your city, our daughter and SIL live near Zilker Park. .

Here are some from a couple of our cruises on the Breeze. Enjoy your vacation. https://photos.app.goo.gl/d6DHtHHjYrjNobtd9 https://photos.app.goo.gl/xkvSndMucQ9N4lnt2 .

Cruise forty-one, fortieth anniversary and a great cruise on the Quantum. We live on the Texas Gulf Coast so most of our trips originate from Galveston. This trip has been a bucket list item for a decade, but taking care of elderly parents, careers, life, etc. got in the way. I stopped writing reviews over a decade ago as they generated comments polarized around opinions. 😃 Instead here are my photos. Enjoy. Quantum of the Seas https://photos.app.goo.gl/9DDb9oNyvUYtfMWQ9 Juneau https://photos.app.goo.gl/YVTvPtu5WqVKvMfH8 Sitka https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xjz6YnvVEBLPrb5k6Ketchikanhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/yHD7Cmk4GMnNQers7Victoriahttps://photos.app.goo.gl/GWfQkxgDkmxH16mN8 Seattle https://photos.app.goo.gl/9TW4ZTZATa5aAryd9

We took 10x50 Vortex brand. I have a lightweight pair of 7x35 and once we compared the extra power was worth it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V3L47LB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Here are some images of the ship and ports: Quantum of the Seas https://photos.app.goo.gl/9DDb9oNyvUYtfMWQ9 Sitka https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xjz6YnvVEBLPrb5k6 Ketchikan https://photos.app.goo.gl/yHD7Cmk4GMnNQers7 Victoria https://photos.app.goo.gl/GWfQkxgDkmxH16mN8 Enjoy the trip! .

After forty-one cruises dating back to the original Carnival Mardi Gras we finally went to Alaska on the Quantum last month. We also took binoculars, the 300mm lens and knowledge from reading the reviews about proximity to the glaciers and what to expect. Amazing ship, amazing vacation. Just go.

Don't approach the terminal from the west side. Come down Broadway or jump over to Strand Ave and go past the terminal and come in Harborside from the east. This works like magic. Also, check out the Port of Galveston Express Parking here https://www.portofgalveston.com/91/Cruise-Parking--General-Information This gives you a easy walk to and from your car, no busses, no crossing Harborside and you are headed home quickly. We self-debark and have been in the car as early as 8:05 AM on the past three cruises. The lot is by Terminal Two. .

iMessage requires internet or data plan enabled cell service to work. Your Dream cruise might have been an anomaly, or you left data roaming on. Not long after the ship leaves port phones are out of range. A third party (usually Cellular at Sea) pays Carnival a hefty sum to operate and maintain a satellite based service to couple cell provider signals.That isn't cheap. One option is to turn your phone on Airplane mode, subscribe to the WiFi plan and use iMessage. Only one device can be logged into each single plan. Another is using other services like WhatsApp to communicate. The shortcoming is you can only reach others that use the app. My wife and I cruise a lot, and we use iMessage, each of us with our own plans. I need it for my company and I don't argue with her why she wants her own. Forty years of marriage, pro tip. Check your phone display and see what is visible. .

I'll try one more time Elaine. We have never had a problem for early access beyond being questioned if we were platinum or diamond. Once we showed our status we were able to access our cabin. Pre-Covid we were able to stay there, and once we returned to cruising the option to drop luggage was no problem. The staff members we've encountered were dancers, tech crew and more. When you say "hundreds... and no one has ever complained" that is a blanket statement. I gave you the actual experiences from cruises aboard the Liberty, Freedom, Glory, Breeze, Triumph, Valor, Vista, Magic, Conquest, Ecstasy, Elation and Imagination. The rest were before the early access option was in place. I have little care if you don't believe me, we are just three short of fifty years cruising with Carnival and Royal Caribbean so we might have missed something... See You At Sea.

The Seawall sites like the San Luis and the resort site like Moody Gardens are great, but since you described a winter visit then check out The Tremont. It's within walking distance the Strand area and is really, really nice. All of the top tier sites like the Galvez and the prior are great to visit, but based on your time go with the Tremont. Just my opinion! .

Yes, I guess you're right. We have only seen them on most of thirty-six cruises on Carnival. You also surely read this from my original post: ... if you are eligible, open the doors, drop your luggage and then get out of the way. Elaine, we almost always get lido deck balconies and are greeted every time by a crew member guarding the doors by turning people away. What you see and what I see might have been different. Whatever it is read all the text on my posts. Our experience goes back to the first one on the Mardi Gras in 1976. See You At Sea. .

Most, if not all the times the doors are closed and staff members are at the elevator landings to guard them. Those staff members are doing a once a cruise task, and are instructed to turn people away until 1:30. Make it easy for you and them by printing off the information allowing early cabin access for drop-off if you are eligible, open the doors, drop your luggage and then get out of the way. Remember, the crew members have their busiest day on embark/debark and what goes with that is a significant number of people complaining. See you at sea. .

Nailed it. We will be in your fine country in less than a month on the last stop coming home from Alaska. We've been to Halifax and St John on the Glory a few years back. We met some wonderful people with a great amount of Canadian pride. I taught them some Texas phrases... .

You'd have at least 90 min to spare. We should meet at Rudy's in Webster for barbecue. Have a great vacation.

About 2 hours depending on month and time of leaving the island. It's hard to understand why inbound traffic can be so variable, the sheer numbers of people that work on the island or bay area don't match up. What time are you looking at to fly? You know I am tempted to say "Rocket Man, it's going to be a long, long time."

You'd make it with no problems. Self-debark, have transportation ready and make sure they take tollway or at minimum Loop 610 around the east side. January is a ghost town on the freeways up until 2 PM or so, and as long as fog isn't around you'd make IAH by 10 AM. I've lived here all my life, and rarely had a problem before noon. We have taken friends from here in Galveston to IAH on weekend mornings in 90 minutes. After mile marker 17 inbound the freeway construction is done except for access roads. Make sure your airfare is changeable, and you would know about fog the evening before by watching the weather. .

The consistent answer is this is inconsistent. My wife and I are both platinum and we were allowed to bring two other couples with us to tender. .

When you live a couple of miles off RWY 17 at Ellington Field in Houston you get to see the F-18's during air shows, the NASA T-38's and the Texas Guard Unit. 126.050 on the 2 meter Kenwood rig. K5BLU. .

For high school graduation in 1976 my dad saved for a long time to take my family on the Mardi Gras for a seven-night trip from Miami. The dining room seating process required you to go and select a table, then pencil in your name on a chart they had on a wall. You were given a colored ticket with the table number. We had ten in our group, and the tables seated eight. My fellow eighteen-year-old cousin and I signed up at a table with all girl’s names. Yes! That night we had the disco era bell bottoms and Brut cologne working as we made our entrance. The eight "girls" were all older women, the youngest in her early forties. We had a blast with them. Years later when the Celebration came here to Galveston I took my parents on a five-night trip to Cozumel and Calica. Calica must mean gravel pit in Spanish, and we took a bus to Xcaret. My parents were amazed. Now forty-one cruises later my wife and I still enjoy every one. .

That really hurt Shorne... by definition I guess old is when you make noise sitting down and getting up. 😁 Appreciate most of my observation is from Carnival. That skews the curve. After 36 on the funnel folks we are returning to Royal for Alaska in a few months. It will be only 6 with them. They have expanded their market here in Galveston, so it's time. .

I am not sure what parameters you would include, but perhaps yes in the long term. Cruise lines make their highest profits on alcohol, casino, shore excursions and the spa. While there are exceptions to every one of these as we cruise more often a number of us don't spend our dollars on these items. Then mix in a higher level of expectation about a diamond or platinum gift, a past guest party, etc and you might start to see why we are perhaps harder to please and spend less. Second, mass market cruise lines will take a significant amount of time to recover from Covid loss. The sweet spot for spend per passenger isn't in the over sixty group (hello 64) with my remarkably unscientific research being the last morning bill tucked away in the slot by the cabin doors. We've seen some cruise bills that looked like a small novel folded up from cruisers with cabins nearby that don't stare at AARP members when they look in the mirror. This is my opinion, nothing more. I could be exactly right or may need a carbon monoxide detector for brain function loss. Your call. See You At Sea. .

This! Here in Galveston we have a narrow inlet that feeds Galveston ports all the way to Houston. The ship traffic is always present and the dolphins are plentiful. After twenty years of owning a mobile DJ service as a side gig I have heard about 7000 miles of Cupid Shuffle. See You At Sea. .

I can make (and have) that drive 9 out of 10 days in 90 minutes or less. The traffic on a January Saturday mid-morning is not a factor. I also use the Beltway 8 system around the east side, across the ship channel bridge and then on to I-45. The most traffic has been restricted so far this year is down to two lanes. I spend time at UTMB hospital for my job, and often have someone with me that flies in to IAH. I have little at stake. The rub is that one time. Even in January cruises can be a little expensive, so you can guess my answer. Fly in the evening before, get south of downtown and pick a hotel in the League City, Webster or Texas City area. Arrange for transportation early the next morning and drop your luggage off, walk across the street to The Strand and enjoy your vacation. If you see two gray-faced golden retrievers walking please stop their owners. We will be glad to have a cup of coffee with you. See You At Sea. .

Ok. I'm 64 and had my first one in 1976 on the Mardi Gras out of Miami for high school graduation with ten members of my family. Those days were skeet shooting and golf off the aft deck. The bars were all cash, and if you had cash you were served. I did, and I was. Lots of time passed since then, Number 41 booked to Alaska this summer. .