Navigator of the Seas - Opinions on the Ship/Port Needed

[kopper36]

My dh & I are sailing the May 4th sailing, D2 category, oversized balcony $658 pp. It is a 6 day cruise. Sailing before schools release so should not have a lot

of kiddos running around…… We like sailing out of Galveston as we can drive to port and not have to pay airfare. We are from KCMO….

 

Wow krazy we are on the same cruise and driving down from KC area too!

 

In your experience, how long a drive to southern part of Houston? We are staying in a hotel there Saturday night after the drive and parking across the street from the port in a parking place called Galveston Park N Cruise on Sunday. See any problems with that plan? Appreciate your experience!

 

Hope to see you on the cruise!

[Gigi11111]

Navigator was our 1st cruise and will be our favorite.

You will love this ship.

[Ladysilver]

We loved the Navigator and have never had any problems at the Galveston port. I say GO FOR IT!!! :D

 

Happy cruising!!

[SRV FAN]

In your experience, how long a drive to southern part of Houston? We are staying in a hotel there Saturday night after the drive and parking across the street from the port in a parking place called Galveston Park N Cruise on Sunday. See any problems with that plan? Appreciate your experience!

 

Houston is 50 miles from Galveston. Freeway ALL the way. That said.... if you're traveling from Houston during "rush hour" traffic, you will experience a longer travel time. It CAN be a bear!

Some hotels in Galveston offer free cruise parking & shuttles to & from the terminal... just FYI.

Edited January 5, 2014 by SRV FAN

[kopper36]

Houston is 75 miles from Galveston. Freeway ALL the way. That said.... if you're traveling from Houston during "rush hour" traffic, you will experience a longer travel time. It CAN be a bear!

 

Some hotels in Galveston offer free cruise parking & shuttles to & from the terminal... just FYI.

 

Thanks so much for the tips Lynn. We are liking the freedom we will have with our own car being there and hopefully being able to just go across the street and be on our way home after disembarking. It's a lot of work researching and selecting what "feels" like the best options however fun at the same time. Strange - lol.

 

Thanks again!

-Jeff

[91354guy]

My dh & I are sailing the May 4th sailing, D2 category, oversized balcony $658 pp. It is a 6 day cruise. Sailing before schools release so should not have a lot

of kiddos running around…… We like sailing out of Galveston as we can drive to port and not have to pay airfare. We are from KCMO….

 

Hmmm...yeah I was looking at the "D2" category and it looks nice...wonder what changes they'll be making after the dry-dock. OK...I need to confirm my DD's school calendar and then make some reservations!

 

Thank you!

 

Scott

[SRV FAN]

Thanks so much for the tips Lynn. We are liking the freedom we will have with our own car being there and hopefully being able to just go across the street and be on our way home after disembarking. It's a lot of work researching and selecting what "feels" like the best options however fun at the same time. Strange - lol.

 

Thanks again!

-Jeff

 

Please note that I went back & corrected myself.... Houston to Galveston is 50 miles. But can easily take an hour or more in "rush hour" traffic.

 

We drive to Galveston ... have tried Galveston Port Parking, Hotel & shuttle parking & now we're trying EZCruise Parking (which has a shuttle). I've been told that the parking place directly across from the terminal has rough terrain to cross and hauling your luggage might be hard. :eek: So with my 82 yr old Mom being with us on this next cruise, we decided that may not be a good option for us. So EZCruise Parking is still close (just a few blocks) and they have a shuttle. but maybe next time we'll try the close (walk to port) parking.

[SRV FAN]

Hmmm...yeah I was looking at the "D2" category and it looks nice...wonder what changes they'll be making after the dry-dock. OK...I need to confirm my DD's school calendar and then make some reservations!

 

Thank you!

 

Scott

 

From all that I have read... within the categories ie: D...all cabins are similar, the only difference in them is location. Same goes for the E categories.

[91354guy]

OK...I just booked the cruise...June 1 - 8 in a D2 cabin... Now...I need to get to Galveston! Would the closest airport be HOU? (If yes...they'll likely mean us flying from LAX > DAL > HOU...yuck!

 

Thoughts?

 

Suggestions?

 

(Ahh...now I get to register for the cruise on the boards!!!)

 

Scott

[SRV FAN]

OK...I just booked the cruise...June 1 - 8 in a D2 cabin... Now...I need to get to Galveston! Would the closest airport be HOU? (If yes...they'll likely mean us flying from LAX > DAL > HOU...yuck!

 

Thoughts?

 

Suggestions?

 

(Ahh...now I get to register for the cruise on the boards!!!)

 

Scott

 

Hobby Airport is the closest to Galveston

[Clarea]

OK...I just booked the cruise...June 1 - 8 in a D2 cabin... Now...I need to get to Galveston! Would the closest airport be HOU? (If yes...they'll likely mean us flying from LAX > DAL > HOU...yuck!

 

Thoughts?

 

Suggestions?

 

(Ahh...now I get to register for the cruise on the boards!!!)

 

Scott

Yes, my first choice would be to fly to Hobby (HOU). Much closer to Galveston than Bush (IAH). Bush is also on the other side of the city of Houston from Galveston, so there's much greater potential for traffic problems getting to the port.

 

Try looking at Southwest to HOU.

[kopper36]

Please note that I went back & corrected myself.... Houston to Galveston is 50 miles. But can easily take an hour or more in "rush hour" traffic.

 

I did catch that and thank you. We are actually staying in a town called Seabrook which looks to be closer yet. Since we will be able to get an early start Sunday I think we should be set. Let me know if you think otherwise and we'll regroup.

[Alyrica]

Please note that I went back & corrected myself.... Houston to Galveston is 50 miles. But can easily take an hour or more in "rush hour" traffic.

 

We drive to Galveston ... have tried Galveston Port Parking, Hotel & shuttle parking & now we're trying EZCruise Parking (which has a shuttle). I've been told that the parking place directly across from the terminal has rough terrain to cross and hauling your luggage might be hard. :eek: So with my 82 yr old Mom being with us on this next cruise, we decided that may not be a good option for us. So EZCruise Parking is still close (just a few blocks) and they have a shuttle. but maybe next time we'll try the close (walk to port) parking.

 

Good call! We absolutely loved Galveston Park N Cruise for their proximity and covered parking however we were with a friend in a wheelchair so we had issues getting back to the car until a Good Samaritan came to our rescue. For those without mobility challenges I would recommend them though since it is hard to beat just walking across the street.

[jonbgd]

OK...I just booked the cruise...June 1 - 8 in a D2 cabin... Now...I need to get to Galveston! Would the closest airport be HOU? (If yes...they'll likely mean us flying from LAX > DAL > HOU...yuck!

 

Thoughts?

 

Suggestions?

 

(Ahh...now I get to register for the cruise on the boards!!!)

 

Scott

 

Southwest has nonstop from John Wayne(SNA) to ( Hobby)HOU

Edited January 6, 2014 by jonbgd

[mstelly]

Love the Galveston Cruise port, people and the food! We have sailed out of Galveston and numerous other ports, all have there issues, but I would sail out of all of them again -- because we are on VACATION!

[KOOLBEANS]

I love Galveston. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never waited long to get on nor get off the ship. Last October, I was thru customs and in my car within 25 minutes so shoot, that's not bad at all. Great place, people, and food and fun in the sun, or without sun.

[FloGaleRNTX]

Free bags on Southwest, too!! You can check 2 bags as well as take a carryon. I LOVE Southwest. I never do the Early Bird Check-In, and have always gotten a seat on the plane!! But then, I'm not that particular about where I sit.

 

My sister and I have cruised out of Galveston several times, and had fog only once. We were worried another time because there was fog the night prior to the sailing, but a cold front came in and blew it all away!! These were both February cruises.

 

The food in Galveston is amazing!!!

 

Happy cruising!

 

Barbara

[maitaiguy]

Reading through the four pages of this thread was great! I'm going to Galveston for the first time for the May 25 cruise on Navigator.

 

All the information is so helpful and exactly why I love CC so much.

 

Thank you all. I really would like a nonstop to Hobby and John Wayne on Southwest sounds like a great choice. Thanks Jon!

 

Now, where's my mai tai for sailaway???????????

 

Thanks again CC!

Edited January 6, 2014 by maitaiguy

[PuterMonkey]

We liked the Voyager class very much last time we sailed. :) It's a good size, has most of the amenities but didn't feel as crowded (to me) as the Freedom class.

 

The only thing I can say about Galveston is that it turned out to be a little more work and money than I expected to plan transportation. I've heard mixed reviews on the port itself but hey, in total that's less than a day of your entire vacation. I'm going to put myself on island time and just see what happens.

[debbs0723]

I live in West Houston and grew up all around Houston and Galveston. You should definitely fly into Hobby as you are already half way to Galveston at that point. Hobby is also a much smaller airport and very easy to get in and out of whereas IAH is huge.

 

Seabrook or Clear Lake area is very close to Galveston and I would highly suggest it if you are looking for a better bang for your buck on a hotel. Galveston has a few very nice and historical type hotels but that said you are paying for a tiny room. If you are just going to sleep there and don't care about hanging out in Galveston before the trip, stay elsewhere. If you want to spend the night in Galveston and enjoy maybe hanging out on the Strand the night before then it would be worth it.

 

I sailed on the Navigator last year with my parents. With all these megaships, it is referred to as a smaller ship but that is all relative. I still felt like the ship was huge. I went before any dry dock last March and had read complaints about it aging. I really looked to see what people were referring to and I honestly thought it was one of the most beautiful ships I had ever been on. At the time we drove from Houston to New Orleans Port to get on the NOS. It has a New Orleans theme throughout and we LOVED every single thing about it. If that ship wasn't pretty much going to the exact same ports as it did when we were on it I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to hop back on it. Have a great time.

 

Debbie

[cjdixon4]

OK...THIS is why I love this board! I'm in the initial stages of planning our next vacation and I was considering this boat in June 2014 (DD17 and single dad). As she'll be fairly fresh from dry dock and refitted...I'm ALMOST ready to book but now I have the question...what category? I know I'll be booking a balcony but not sure if there's any I should "stay away from" or "grab if you can find it"... Any suggestions?

Thanks!!!

 

Hi there 91354guy-

I'm the OP, and I finally DID book Navigator in November for me, hubby, and 4 cousins. We'll be on the 5/18 sailing to Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. We can't wait!!! As far as the category of cabin, I secured 3 of the D2 Superior Balcony cabins on Deck 7. They're in the forward part of the ship next to the elevators. I'm told I've got some pretty great rooms.

[Sat1]

In Roatan, ship docks port side to docks. In Belize, tied up 20 minute boat ride to shore on a tender. In Cozumel, RCL backs up to dock, which is some distance from the city. Oh, yes Roatan is 40 miles from the mainland. Enjoy, I did, and I'm an 85 year old widower!

[mailmama]

Stay at the Harbor House and eat at the Greek restaurant right around the corner. Both are fun and something different from the usual Florida departure ports. Do be aware of the fog which is worse in late winter/early spring. Saltgrass steak house is also fantastic. We love Galveston and the ability to walk around the historic area before ship leaves. Less cruisers and less hassle!

[Jimnbigd]

We were on the Dec. 1 Navigator sailing. Disembarking on Dec. 8 took almost 2 hours.

If you can, you should do the self disembarkation, where you take your own luggage and are one of the first to get off.

FYI...Texas residents now have to pay taxes on what used to be duty free cigarettes and liquor. :mad::mad::mad:

Edited January 7, 2014 by Jimnbigd

[DaNana]

We were on the Dec. 1 Navigator sailing. Disembarking on Dec. 8 took almost 2 hours.

If you can, you should do the self disembarkation, where you take your own luggage and are one of the first to get off.

FYI...Texas residents now have to pay taxes on what used to be duty free cigarettes and liquor. :mad::mad::mad:

 

My understanding that ALL will have to pay tax on these items. They didn't just hold you Texans hostage on this one! :eek: