LuCruise

16 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Haven't stayed there but I can tell you that it's walkable to all the restaurants in Brickell.  It's south of the Publix that is on Coral Way/13th street.

 

That Publix also has a liquor store and a pharmacy outside of the store.  A Walgreens is right next door. 

Thank you.  That's exactly what we were hoping.  We looked at another one and although it was "Brickell", it wasn't walkable due to a having to go along a road with no sidewalks to get to the good area.

Homewood Suites itself has a good reputation .

In the past we have stayed at Hampton Inn Brickell before when cruising out of Miami.  When looking a month ago, it was very expensive so didn't book it for our Dec cruise (and now it's sold out).  For the time being, we booked an airport hotel but there isn't much around it.  Today I was looking and saw Homewood Suites Downtown/Brickell.  It looks nice and also seems walkable to the Hampton Inn, where we know there are good restaurants and Publix nearby.  This is just for the one night before the cruise.

Anyone stayed here and has any feedback?

Also, anyone know if the sofa bed is a decent size?

Thanks.

15 hours ago, Biker19 said:

At this time she’s the cheapest because of where she sails from. 

I started to respond with the same thing, but then stopped as I noticed that Allure 2026 is same thing...Harmony is leaving out of Galveston, which seems cheaper over Florida departure.  From own booking, am looking at Dec 2025 and Harmony is the only Oasis class ship that is decent price.  It's about $1500 less than Oasis and Allure same dates/stateroom, where these are out of Fort Lauderdale.  To us, Galveston is a bottleneck but we still booked it and will see what we decide.  

Having said that, it looks like Allure 2026 is out of Galveston too....but the $800 difference could be 2025 vs 2026 with cruise prices rising in general.

1 hour ago, ssb said:

Royal Caribbean transfers between IAH and Galveston are not that expensive. 

 

How does that work?  I haven't seen anything in the cruise planner as an option.

Am looking into options for a Royal cruise (Harmony of the Seas).  Is the shuttle option in the cruise planner?  Or you book it separately?  (Not seeing it in cruise planner if it shows up there).  Sounds like uber is better but looking from cost perspective.

1 hour ago, marshalltp said:

 

Size of ship sometimes doesn't directly relate to amount of fun.......smaller ships have their own charm.

Yeah, and I've heard lots of great things about Rhapsody.  My kids enjoy the ship activities (cruise planner trivia, etc) and also enjoy swimming and the gym....but are not lie in a beach chair and read people.  So more options of things to do on Harmony. Plus, more eating options.   Having said that, if we end up on Rhapsody, I'm sure we'll still have a great time.  

1 minute ago, Colorado Buffalo said:

Ubering to Galveston most likely. Galveston Limo back to IAH.

 

We are staying at Tremont House. Certainly not cheap but using credit card miles so no big deal.

It's one of the nicest hotels on the island on the historic Strand in downtown near walkable restaurants and shops. Harbor House is another one to look at if you want to stay downtown.

Be careful looking at hotels near the gulf. So many of them are getting terrible reviews for being, dirty, rundown and roaches. If not staying downtown I'd recommend the following- San Luis Resort, Moody Gardens Hotel (not near the Seawall) the Hilton, Holiday Inn Resort (not Holiday Inn Express) and finally Townplace Suites (however to me it's by itself with nothing walkable) 

17 minutes ago, marshalltp said:

Lots of ways to get to Galveston from IAH......as above somene said Galveston Limo.....there is also Galveston Express.  You can also use Uber/Lyft.  It is about 70 miles.  As we are doing in a couple of weeks, and looks like you are planning, I would travel into Galveston the night before and stay on island.  Harbor House and Tremont are higher end hotels albeit a little pricey, but you can walk or take tram alot of places for dinner/drinks etc.  Both are an easy walk to ship in morning (a bit farther to RCCL than Carnival) even with luggage.  Staying on Seawall side you will find lots of Springhill/Holiday Inn/Fairfields etc but would need an uber across the island to the ship.

 

Size of ship sometimes doesn't directly relate to amount of fun.......smaller ships have their own charm.

Thank you both. Have noted these and will check out these hotels.

Definitely roach-free and clean is a priority.

18 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I would stay by the airport at a hotel with airport shuttLe and take one of several shuttle options directly to the port next day BUT  I suppose the big question is how late in the day do you arrive and do you want to do anything particularly in Galveston. 

Yeah, since this is for Dec 2025, I won't know for awhile, but did look at this Dec for an idea of pricing and flights.  For the way there, ideally we would get there late morning/early afternoon (about a 4 hr flight for us).  For the way back, we'd prob pick a later flight in afternoon to not stress over fog or transportation times.

As for doing anything in Galveston, we're pretty low key on travel day so probably wouldn't do any touring or anything...just need a place to sleep and grab a meal nearby.

12 minutes ago, Colorado Buffalo said:

Are there going to be four of you ?

 

We are going Memorial Day Weekend. There will be four of us.

We are flying in the day before the cruise on a Saturday and plan on Ubering

and will most likely pay between $90- $140 for all of us combined.

 

I'm using Galveston Limo on the way back so I have a guaranteed ride.

Right now they are having a Summer Special at $28.00 each way. 

I actually might check with them about using them from IAH to my Galveston hotel.

Only issue would be on a shuttle that probably will be dropping off all over the place.

The Galveston Limo does stop at HOU first but that's it when going back to IAH.

Thank you.  Yes there are 4 of us. How come you picked uber over Galveston Limo when you arrive - since it's not direct? Uber seems less hassle as it's just you and you call when you arrive...but probably more expensive?

What hotel are you looking at?  That is the next piece to figure out.

Here's the dilemma:  We booked a refundable cruise on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas with our kids for Dec 2025.  We love Royal but I worry the ship will be too basic (i.e. boring) for our kids who will be 16 and 20 for this cruise.  (As a point of reference, this past Dec we went on Odyssey, and Dec 2024 we are on Icon).

I've been watching other Royal ships for our date and Harmony of the Seas dropped enough for our "ok" price range so I also booked it as refundable (but still about 1K more than Rhapsody).  On Rhapsody we have 2 interiors. On Harmony we have a single promenade room.  

DH wants Rhapsody for the easier travel, two rooms and a simple ship, but I'm thinking we should do Harmony with our kids.  

The biggest worry/negative for Harmony is that it is out of Galveston Port vs Florida.  We are from Toronto, Ontario and there are direct flights to IAH airport but not HOU airport.  Thus, my post...how difficult is it to fly into IAH an then get to the port?  We always come in the day before and return same day ship returns. 

For hotels, we could stay near IAH (which I've read isn't a good idea), near the port or somewhere in between to split up the uber or however we get there. 

Any advice, or "it's not as bad as it seems" is appreciated (as need to convince DH on Harmony....lol) .

Thank you.  Looks like we got the third photo then due to the Royal photo person not fully removing our original selection.

DH, myself and our daughter who is 14 are diamond status.  On our last cruise, we selected our photos onboard and were told that you have to be 21 for the free photo so we selected two photos..  We selected the email option.  It's a bit complicated but when there we selected the wrong photo and they manually came over and fixed it for us so we could select the correct photo.

When we got home and we receive the email to download the photos, the system let us pick 3 photos.

Wondering if the "extra" photo was due to them not correcting the photos correctly?  Or did our DD who is 14 actually get a photo and the person onboard was mistaken?

21 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Wonderland menus are the paint with water to reveal. we've eaten at Wonderland many times on 5 different ships.  Same menu as I recall.

Short ribs are the best entree. The World is the best dessert. None of the seafood apps or entrees have any nuts. I don't think your hubby will have any issues. He can eat around the peanut butter in the World dessert if it's too much.

Thank you!  As mentioned, peanuts are not an issue.  They are a legume...not a tree nut.  (Personally I can't wait for that dessert!).

Good to know about the other dishes. He of course will ask specific questions (and I think he should say something but that's him). 

Thanks for the replies.  We're looking forward to going there as it seems like a neat experience.  I'm sure DH will ask specific questions, especially if they go over the menu as it was noted above.  (Not allergy related but DH and I also don't eat meat and DD wants to avoid shrimp).

8 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I realize that and not being critical - just was suggesting that would be the only sure way to know instead of hoping someone here knows for sure.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

No worries. Thanks. 

Yep...not asking if he should let the servers know.  Just asking if any known foods have the tree nuts listed.  

Thanks. Peanuts are fine for him. It's the tree nuts that he needs to avoid in amounts. 

We have a reservation at Wonderland for our upcoming cruise.  My husband is fine with peanuts and coconuts.  Almonds are fine, but he cannot have other tree nuts (e.g. walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, pistachio).  He's fine if a drop gets in his food, or if cooked at the same facility, but cannot have a handful of them or if they are an ingredient in a dish.

He prefers not to mention his allergy as he's done that in the past and then the waiters will not serve him things even though they are fine.  He'll just read menu items and order based off the description, and then ask specifically if any doubts.  He carries Benadryl with him.

So my question is...are there any dishes with tree nuts he needs to watch for?  He took a look at a sample menu and it seems ok, but thought I'd ask here for those that have dined there.

Thanks.

On 2/29/2024 at 4:04 AM, Scottdalfonso said:

Our early dining on Oasis a few months back was at 5pm... it was WAY too early, missed the sail away on day 1, had to rush back if we wanted MDR dinner on port days... late (or mid if it becomes a thing) dinner from now on!! 

Exactly....We could deal with 5:30pm but now it seems that 5pm is early dining (at least on Wonder and Harmony).  Since it's been a day in the sun, beach, etc.  I like to shower before dinner so with 5pm dinner, that means that our afternoon ends at 4pm.  We'll live with it for our upcoming cruise, but for Harmony I booked late dinner at 7:30pm.  My biggest worry though is that it'll be harder to book shows around it.  E.g. if shows are beforehand, then it'll be the same issue of our day ending to get ready.  Am hoping the 3rd option fits well in between and we are able to book, as that would be perfect.

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Hey Lu

 

Which sailing are you on, Christmas or New Years.  If it's Christmas we will see you on board.  While we drive to Florida we will most likely fly for this one.  We may actually drive about 6 hours and fly from Pittsburg as it looks like Southwest has direct flights from there to Houston (Hobby).  The last thing I want in the winter are connecting flights and Southwest is so much cheaper than AC out of Toronto.  We are actually doing the same thing in a couple weeks.  Driving to Pittsburg and catching a direct flight to FLL

We booked the Christmas one.  Nice...if we end up keeping it (over Rhapsody) then will be nice to see you on board again.  Good option to drive to another airport and then fly to HOU from there.  And if you're used to driving to Florida, then Pittsburg will be easy for you. 🙂 Will keep that in mind when searching for flights and looking at cost.

Have a great cruise on Odyssey again. 🙂

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Coming from Canada IAH may be your only choice. I am moving to florida and only could find SW flying from Orlando to hobby. I booked one leg and need a flight home nov 3, and sw only has flights until nov 2, so waiting to book 2nd leg of flight. I really didnt want IAH, so bit the bullet myself. Flights to iah appear cheaper but dont include luggage so cost as much as sw. .. or so I've convinced myself. 

 

I'm staying at a airport hotel. The same la quinta that was $57 last time now costs $110 to $120 (priced at multiple sites). It was a nice new hotel close to hobby but still I'm surprised. All booked except 2nd leg of flight. Prices for airport hotels seem to have gone up, not just Galveston. 

Thanks.  When looking at this xmas to get an idea, there are direct flights IAH and the price is cheaper. 

For Houston Hobby (HOU), there seems to be flights but not direct, and it's a bit more.

Yeah, gotta look at the final cost as luggage costs make the price go up.

I don't think we have SW from Toronto (my home location) but i see United, WestJet, Air Canada.

And yes, need to consider both airport hotel and getting from hotel to the port.  (We always fly in the day before).

Good luck with your move.

OP here coming back to my post with our dilemma of Rhapsody vs Harmony.  A couple days ago Harmony dropped to slightly less than it was originally so i bit the bullet and also booked a refundable room on Harmony.  (It's back up today so good I grabbed it).  Still not sure and the Rhapsody date may be better with our son's school/co-op schedule, plus the price difference so will hold onto both for now and can decide later.

Lots of time to figure this out but wondering...Is flying to IAH doable?  i.e. George Bush International airport?  Looking at this xmas flights, I don't see any direct flights for us to HOU (William P Hobby airport) ... plus flying to IAH is cheaper

Both?

So much fun!  Tried it on Symphony and loved it.  Went with my kids a bunch of times.  Unfortunately because of health issues I am going to avoid it going forward, but would go again if I could.

As for scary, the unknown can be scary.  So the first time for me, for those first few seconds were scary, but then easy peasy.  

We were on Odyssey in December and had a great cruise.

1.  As others mentioned, reserve The Book in the cruise planner when available.  Line up early if you are specific about where to sit.  We like near the front (as that's just us), but others suggest higher up so you can see everything going on as it's not your typical show where everything is on the main stage.

2.  When you board, book iFly, North Star if you want free spots (port days).  You can also book Laser Tag when you board (bring closed shoes).

3.  The 270 is a great lunch place for sandwiches, salads and specialty coffee.  The 270 venue is a wonderful place to sit when the windows are showing for the views.

Enjoy your cruise!

Mamma Mia on Allure is my favorite, but I'm biased as I've seen it 20+ times on land.  It's just a fun upbeat musical where you walk out singing the songs and are smiling.

Also loved We Will Rock You on Anthem.  Great cast when we went and it's a fun one too.  DD and I went twice.

Others worth mentioning:  The Aqua Show on Oasis was amazing.  Flight on Symphony also really well done.  And I enjoyed Hairspray on Symphony as well.  

Oh the flip side, I found Spectra's Cabaret enjoyable (as I like theatre and the actors were excellent), but "odd" is the best word I can use to describe it.

Funny as I was on Liberty and don't remember Up in the Air mentioned by OP.  Going again though in June so will watch for it.