SweetPea0517

We are looking for a beach place for snorkeling, can anyone provide some information on this place?

On 2/14/2020 at 9:49 PM, ssb said:

Landry’s owns the properties and operates the franchise for each . 

wow, I didn’t realize that!  
 

We ended up eating supper at Salt Grass Steakhouse.  The restaurant is nice and we went early to get a window seat.  My seafood was good but my DH was disappointed in the flavor of his Filet Mignon.  He was really looking forward to trying some Texas steak so I am not sure if his expectations was set too high or not.  
 

We had breakfast at Miller’s Seawall and grill, that was the best breakfast we had in a long time!  They serve breakfast all day which is nice so you don’t have to worry about what time it is when you get there.

Our last night in Galveston we went to The Original Mexican Cafe.  The staff at this restaurant was very nice and the food did not disappoint.  

I wanted to come back here to let everyone know we went to Tabyana Beach through Carnival’s excursion and it really enjoyed it!

It was nice how the staff helped us with what worked best for us, they moved some chairs for us to sit in instead of the lounge chairs.  We didn’t find the people selling their items annoying, you will have to tell them ‘no’ every time you walk by one and just keep walking but that didn’t bother us.

The area and beach was so pretty we would go back to this place again.  We really liked being able to go out multiple times snorkeling unlike when you do a boat snorkel trip.  The local people will go out with you if you want them to show you some of the areas.  
 

Thanks again for sharing your information!
 

Thanks!

We are getting ready to try our first cove balcony, hoping for the best!  We have only done the regular balconies and loved them.  Lots of good info shared here thanks.  

I have another question on Tabyana beach excursion with Carnival.  Since the excursion does not include food and drinks, do you run a tab or pay as you go?

1 hour ago, cruisemein said:

Casino is open, but because of Texas state laws cheers and DOU are not available until the following morning

ok we was not aware.  Thanks

On 11/7/2019 at 4:36 PM, cruisemein said:

Not until the second day for Galveston departures, just like cheers.

Why the next day from Galveston?  Is the casino not open the first day?

On 1/20/2020 at 8:47 AM, ssb said:

Spot up stairs at Rum Shack in Palapa 

Good to know!

On 1/24/2020 at 2:24 PM, dperki1 said:

My mom can't walk up a hill and take that long walk either. However there is a Taxi area inside the port for 2.00 will take you to the area over the hill outside the gates to meet your tour.  This is what we did when we took Victor Bodden's tour. 

that is perfect!  Thanks for letting us know!

On 1/13/2020 at 11:24 PM, cksv said:

Uber is probably the most convenient option. We took one from our hotel next to HOU Airport to the port in Galveston and the cost was $38. I imagine it would be a bit more from IAH though. Perhaps check flights on Southwest into HOU as it’s 30 minutes closer to the port?

do you know if you can Uber from the Galveston port to our hotel near Hobby without much problems?  We will not be in a hurry to catch a flight so didn’t want to schedule a shuttle.  I wasn’t sure if it would be hard to get one if we are not off the ship right away.

On 3/28/2019 at 6:53 PM, Loucat said:

I vote for Wet Lizard! We have been there multiple times and always came away having eaten tasty food.

Wet Lizard has an upstairs restaurant, so if you keep your eye on the upper level, you cannot miss it. There is not too much on the second level of most of the port stores. There is also another on the pier level right across from the upstairs restaurant. We like to walk upstairs and get a table overlooking the crowds. Love their conch or shrimp ceviche! Anything else on their menu is also good. Service is always friendly.

Is stairs the only option to get to the upstairs restaurant?

14 hours ago, JBSteelerfan said:

https://www.galvestonrestaurantweek.com/restaurants/

 

Here is a link to the upcoming restaurant week (actually 2 weeks!) activity in Galveston.  Most have menus posted for the specials dining, others say coming soon for their menus.

14 hours ago, JBSteelerfan said:

 

Saltgrass is very good.  It is a chain restaurant, but it is one of our favorites.....not outrageously priced, but still very good food.  Without alcohol, should easily be able to dine for 2 under $100.

Thanks for sharing the menu!  I am glad to hear you like their food at Saltwater, my DH wants to try some Texas filets while we are there.  Once he gets his belly full of steak we will probably move on to another place for drinks, we are open to any suggestions.  We usually like to watch the action on the beach and water when we sail out of Florida, but since this is our first time in Galveston I just don’t know what to expect since it is not as warm there.  

On 1/13/2020 at 7:10 PM, ssb said:

 

When will you be in ?

Restaurant  Week is next couple weeks . 

What is you’re price range and type of food . 
 

look at 

Rudy and Pacos 
Number 13

Gaidos 

Steakhouse 

Shearns 
Riondos 

Trattoria La Vigna

Porch Cafe 
Willie G’s has good happy hour 

 

 

 

Can you elaborate on the name of the steakhouse?  I had looked at the Saltgrass Steak restaurant but would like another opinion.  I searched for Galveston steak houses but there are several so I am not sure which one you are recommending.  We do not want to spend $100 on a meal for 2 though!  

11 hours ago, ABQrobin said:

As far as where to meet...

since you are on a Carnival ship...  Mahogany bay is built, run, and owned by Carnival.  No outside vendors can enter the gates.  

If you book the Carnival excursion you will meet in the shopping area, and board a bus there at their parking lot.  

If you book an outside vendor, Bodden or Rony's for example, you have to walk out the gate and down the hill next to the road to meet them.  They should give you that information if you book with them.  

Walking out the gate down the hill then back up it when we return is exactly what we can’t do😳. 
So we decided to just do Tabyana Beach since it is right by Infinity.  I really appreciate everyone’s input on this!

On 12/29/2019 at 8:00 PM, mom22frogs said:

Here's a link showing the snorkeling areas near Fantasy Island Resort. https://www.snorkeling-report.com/spot/snorkeling-french-key-roatan/  I haven't snorkeled there. When we were in Roatan before, we did the sloths, iguanas, and then went to I think Las Palmas, which is a beach area in view of the Carnival cruise port. It's not an area particularly known for snorkeling, but we had our equipment with us anyway and just went out. We enjoyed it so much, we went out 3 times! We would go just beyond the bouy line, through the sea grass, and there would be coral heads, fish, barracuda, etc. The food was quite good too, probably better than what I'm reading about in reviews of other beach spots. They were smoking the meats right there, so smoked hot dogs, smoked chicken nachos, etc. The bathrooms were clean and it felt very safe. The only peddler on the beach was a lady offering to braid hair, which I thought was reasonably appropriate.

 

Thing is, for that, we were just swimming out a short ways, and most of it was very shallow. I really don't have a sense of scale, but I'd be trying to figure out whether it's better to snorkel the french keys areas by swimming there or by boat. You don't want to get tired. Would you be by yourself and your dh staying on land? Super important reason to have a guide or be really close to shore. 

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g15070974-d14188834-Reviews-Las_Palmas_Beach_Bar_and_Grill-Dixon_Cove_Roatan_Bay_Islands.html  This is the Las Palmas I was talking about. Fwiw, I'd probably do the Tabayana or one of the ones the cruise takes people to. I'm looking for our next trip. Some of the beaches on that west bay area look gorgeous. The water around Las Palmas (and I suspect that east side of the island) is kind of green and weedy, not so pretty.

We decided to do the Carnival Tabyana Beach excursion.  Since it is just the 2 of us we don’t seem to be as brave to venture out that far from the port on our own.  I think the accident in Belize has impacted us some and we normally are with a group of people.
 

I am really glad you shared the information  on the other places, I have saved it in my notes.  My husband will be with me but he tires easy so I do need to pay attention to where I am at😊

Everyone has posted so many great options it is going to be hard to decide!!  I am sure this information will help other people too.  
 

Storing the luggage will be our first order of duty.  
 

thank you for all of the options.  

On 1/9/2020 at 9:40 PM, lake show cruiser said:

Hi, we are scheduled to go to Infinity in April with the transportation. We were told it was $20 per person for infinity day pass and $20 per person for round trip from Coxen Hole. (Royal cruise port). Where did you read bad reviews about the transportation? Thanks

 

There are some posts here in CC but there are just as many reviews of people having great experiences.  I don’t understand where we meet to get the transportation, meaning is it in the port or not.  Then I have not heard back from the one company I did email with my questions.  It was https://roatancruiseexcursions.com

I am not committing if they can’t tell me where we meet at🤷‍♀️

Lifes-a-beach - thanks for the picture that really helped with seeing where each place is listed.  I was reviewing more U-Tube videos to see the different places and I found this guy that walked the beach area so I could tell my husband will be able to Infinity and the other videos helped me with the decision to go to Tabyana with the ship excursion.  Thanks for your input!

I have read posts on these places but still have some questions so I can make a decision on which one.  We will be coming from a Carnival ship.  I have checked out the Utube videos on both places which really helped, thanks to the lady that suggested that!  I had originally planned on going to the Infinity resort but not comfortable with that plan since it is not a Carnival excursion and read mixed reviews on the transportation.  
 

Is Tabyana beach in the area with all of the boats that you need to watch out for?  

If we go to Mayan Princess resort how is the snorkeling there?  I understand it will not have the reputation as Infinity.  
 

Which place has the better lunch?  Calmer water? 
We liked the idea of all inclusive but didn’t want to sacrifice the snorkeling for it.  

Thanks for the great description of the different beaches!  This really helps with making our decision.

No, that is not what I was implying at all.  I was checking into other options since we do not fly out the same day we return.  

Besides Uber and Lyft has anyone used a private car service from the airport to your hotel?

Since we are not flying In the day we embark and not flying out on the day we return we need to make arrangements with someone other than Uber/Lyft.  Thanks!

I wonder if this has ever happened at Nachi Cocom before?  I just made our reservation for them last night.  I appreciate you sharing this as a reminder!

Thanks everyone for your information!