Musings from from Regal Princess, Nov 5-12, 2023

[BlerkOne]

A funny thing happened on the way to the ship - a ginormous biker rally was taking place in Galveston. Not sure of the final tally, but hundreds of thousands attended. Not as big as Sturgis (yet), but getting there. Who knew (a rhetorical question)?

 

 

 

 

 

[BlerkOne]

https://lonestarrally.com/

 

 

 

Much took place along the seawall, but also near Harbor House

[BlerkOne]

I overpaid for a hotel to make sure I made it to the island. Many bikes were still on the road toward Galveston with the same or more leaving the island. And a number on the side of the road, broken down or perhaps just waiting for others to catch up.

 

I made it to a food truck I've wanted to try on the island

 

 

[BlerkOne]

[BlerkOne]

I parked the next day at the Express Lot which is adjacent to terminal 28. I took a back way to get there and didn't have any issues with traffic.

 

The traffic issues I had were at last a million people waiting to check in

 

[BlerkOne]

The hold up was everyone arrived early 🙂 and security was swamped

 

Pro-tip - have your medallion delivered to you and be green lane via the app, or else you will have another line to wait in. I breezed through the rest of check-in and boarded the ship immediately. I didn't expect my cabin to be ready, but it was.

 

One on the ship, I found the typical elevator gridlock but not even close to what Discovery Princess was a couple of weeks ago. Stairs it is.

 

I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to cruise from Galveston. I know not all cruise lines are the same, but the drink packages don't work for anything on the ship until after sail away. Not even bottled water from the bars. Alcohol choices were limited AND you got to pay.

 

 

 

[BlerkOne]

Only the tip top shelf stuff was available

 

[WdSc]

Hope you are having a wonderful time! What's the weather been like? I've been checking it as we are on the Nov. 19 cruise and wondering if it's as bad as the forecast looks.  

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, WdSc said:

Hope you are having a wonderful time! What's the weather been like? I've been checking it as we are on the Nov. 19 cruise and wondering if it's as bad as the forecast looks.  

Thank you. Weather has been great. Now in Cozumel and humidity is rising. I think it will start raining this afternoon. I think next week will not be as good, but weathermen make a living out of being wrong.

[Paula_MacFan]

Was the first formal night Monday or Tuesday?  We'll be on the Regal soon 🙂  Thanks!

Edited November 10, 2023 by Paula_MacFan

[BlerkOne]

You can easily see the mainland today

 

 

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Was the first formal night Monday or Tuesday?  We'll be on the Regal soon 🙂  Thanks!

Monday. Next is Tonight I believe. But it varies depending on when seadays are. Tomorrow is a seaday,  but they don't like to have the last night of the cruise.

 

[BlerkOne]

Pro tip: The interent on the ship seems stable, but I find the speed disappointing for being the latest and greatest.

 

The Medallion app works fine on iPhone and can be garbage on Android. It's because of the latest release earlier this month. Consider not updating the app if it is working. Last I asked, they still don't have a fix, but there are workarounds for many Android phones like Samsung and Google. I now have it working on all 3.

 

[fun_one]

That rule about not being able to use the drink package until you are in International waters is ridiculous.  Last time we sailed Princess they gave us a $25 credit but that is not nearly enough when you have at least 4 hours before you sail away and another hour until you are off shore.  RCCL and NCL do not have that rule and even though the selection is limited, you can use your drink package as soon as you board.

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, fun_one said:

That rule about not being able to use the drink package until you are in International waters is ridiculous.  Last time we sailed Princess they gave us a $25 credit but that is not nearly enough when you have at least 4 hours before you sail away and another hour until you are off shore.  RCCL and NCL do not have that rule and even though the selection is limited, you can use your drink package as soon as you 

Cruise lines don't make Texas laws. If it is a problem for some, I suggest they fill their tank before boarding. You can pre-order bottled water for your cabin at prices cheaper than Carnival.

 

I believe they did give me a $25 credit which more than covered my consumption. If you are Elite the minibar should be stocked.

[BlerkOne]

Looks like it is clouding up a little. At least from my Poncho's Perch.

 

 

[fun_one]

3 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The hold up was everyone arrived early 🙂 and security was swamped

 

Pro-tip - have your medallion delivered to you and be green lane via the app, or else you will have another line to wait in. I breezed through the rest of check-in and boarded the ship immediately. I didn't expect my cabin to be ready, but it was.

 

One on the ship, I found the typical elevator gridlock but not even close to what Discovery Princess was a couple of weeks ago. Stairs it is.

 

I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to cruise from Galveston. I know not all cruise lines are the same, but the drink packages don't work for anything on the ship until after sail away. Not even bottled water from the bars. Alcohol choices were limited AND you got to pay.

 

 

 

 

41 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Cruise lines don't make Texas laws. If it is a problem for some, I suggest they fill their tank before boarding. You can pre-order bottled water for your cabin at prices cheaper than Carnival.

 

I believe they did give me a $25 credit which more than covered my consumption. If you are Elite the minibar should be stocked.

I understand the Texas Law that you can only serve "certain" liquors before you are in International waters but the Texas Law does not state that you can't start the drink package prior to being in International waters.

[Dreamscaper]

15 minutes ago, fun_one said:

 

I understand the Texas Law that you can only serve "certain" liquors before you are in International waters but the Texas Law does not state that you can't start the drink package prior to being in International waters.

It must be a state thing - we were on the Regal for the sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Galveston the cruise prior to this and had no problem using our drink package before we sailed out of FL.

[Dreamscaper]

Enjoy your cruise!  We were on the cruise prior to yours as it repositioned into Galveston.  Hope your weather is better than ours was (we still had a fantastic time!).

 

 

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, Dreamscaper said:

It must be a state thing - we were on the Regal for the sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Galveston the cruise prior to this and had no problem using our drink package before we sailed out of FL.

It is 

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, Dreamscaper said:

Enjoy your cruise!  We were on the cruise prior to yours as it repositioned into Galveston.  Hope your weather is better than ours was (we still had a fantastic time!).

 

 

Thank you. Love bumps in the sea! 

[BlerkOne]

I decided today was the day for lunch at Alfredo's.

 

 

[BlerkOne]

[BlerkOne]

[BlerkOne]