cheermomof2girls

We have an lshaped balcony booked, it's not directly aft but very close and I've heard they are longer balconies

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How raunchy does this get? I've never been, but trying to decide if I would want to check it out. I'm not a prude, but not sure how"out of my comfort zone" I want to get. Lol

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We try to take our "adult" vacation every Oct-early Dec due to the cheap fares, and needing a getaway about that time anyway! So far we haven't had any issues!

Thanks for sharing! We are doing the KETO WOE. We plan on indulging during our cruise, but hoping not to over do it. Although, I'm having a guys burger, with the bun. lol.

Interesting you had the same experience as me in Galveston. Last year on Freedom there were a bunch of porters but only one seemed interested in taking bags. He was loaded up. Other porters were standing around talking or sitting on benches. Finally a guy in this big bay door called me over and told me to put my bags by my zone number. It was a different experience because in New Orleans porters are always there looking to take bags.

Thanks for validating my experience. Once before I felt crazy because that seemed like such the odd experience. We have cruised out of galveston many times, and it's always been that way. I just take it to the big bay that has the luggage sign over the door. :)

We rarely see porters in Galveston when we get there, we see them when we disembark. Well, I see them, but have never been stopped by one or offered by one to take my bag when we get there. But I typically just take my bag to the room in Galveston and the guy there tells me which section to put it in. Some have suggested in the past that I should tip the man in there, but I dont think we typically do, and have zero issues. We tip the shuttle drivers, they always help upload our luggage and we usually tip $5 for 1 bag (it's a large suitcase) or more if the driver was really friendly. Some are not so friendly. We don't use a porter disembarking since we usually just travel with the one bag, it's not needed. Tipping is a personal choice and I dont think they will purposely lose a suitcase if you don't tip. But we always tip for friendly service.

You can always call and ask, or if you use a travel agent, see what they can do. Our travel agent was able to get some fees waived for us when we had to cancel and rebook, so sometimes they can waive the rules. :)

Does anyone know if they have rowing machines?

We play quite a bit, several hours each night. Ranging between 6-50 a hand at blackjack, but when I email after to see how many points we have, they always say none. Even though they do scan our card each time we buy in. Do you have to request to be rated? We get the casino rate of PZ1 or whatever it is. It's discounted fare, but no freebies or anything.

We cruise to disconnect but I keep my phone for HUB, taking pictures, etc. We buy the social media plan but don't really get on FB onboard, it's just a means to message our kids back home. If they are with us, we dont buy it.

We are not on that sailing, we are going on her in November before she leaves Galveston. It will be our second time. We really enjoyed the Valor. The ship is easy to navigate and all of the crew were super nice and fun when we were on in April 2017

We love Galveston but it's driving distance for us. We drove to NOLA once and cuised out of there, and wouldn't do it again. The hotels and parking were considerably more expensive than what we are use to paying in Galveston. We LOVE staying at the San Luis hotel in Galveston and can always find good deals. We go in the day before and enjoy the hotel. I forget where we stayed in NOLA, it was in the French Quarter and a very nice hotel, just not the same experience for us. We have young kids, so that makes a difference too.

I am glad that I got to sail out of NOLA and go down the Mississippi but I wouldn't do it again by choice. There was a lot of vibration and it was kind of a been there done that thing. I much prefer to just stare at the ocean.

So, all in all, if distance was the same for us, I'd chose by price/itinerary but give Galveston the slight edge. :)

Thanks! What size (or even a better a link) do they have a pouch with them to put the stuff in or is that a separate item.

This is what I use, no plastic pouch. That just seems cumbersome to me to have to take it in and out.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719D9F98?aaxitk=0l2mP877PAydRONXQtKlgA&pd_rd_i=B0719D9F98&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3930100107420870094&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=retractable+lanyard&hsa_cr_id=9809204360501

Any suggestions on what type of Lanyard to buy? This is our first cruise.

I like the clip on retractable lanyards rather than the kind you wear on your neck.

I dont know why the can't anyone cruise without drinking comment was even made- it wasn't part of the question, it's certainly not like you can't be served at all on day one, and the same could be said for, can't anyone cruise without over indulging in desert, etc. There is nothing wrong with drinking on a cruise, no risk of drinking and driving, etc. We drink way more on a cruise than at home, but are never sloppy drunk.

It's typical BAB prices, maybe a little cheaper. My kids both bought bears, an outfit, an accessory and got the included backpacks and I think the total was 100 for both. I think it would have cost more in the store, but we don't go often so I can't say. They saved up their money to go, so I let them buy whatever they wanted. It's the same machine as in the store, but crowded and I thought not worth the money but they enjoyed it. The "party" part is cute cookies and a few snacks.

Galveston is the same. So, we usually do the steakhouse the first night for the free bottle of wine, plus it takes a while and we are TOO full to drink much. We drink the first night, just not as frequently as we do on the rest of the cruise since we are paying out of pocket. It doesn't bother me, but when we sailed on RC last year, it was nice that there is not the wait there. But I like the drinks better on Carnival, so I'll stick to just waiting a day. :)

My daughter has a severe tree nut allergy. I carry her epi pen and benadryl and put it on my special needs note. I also add it to the kids club and they give me a form to put what she can and can not have. Luckily hers is not airborne though, she has to actually eat it.

We don't order ahead from the dining room or anything and she eats from the buffet but we are mindful. I read all ingredients and if I'm not sure, she doesn't have it. She doesn't eat the cookies for risk of cross contamination. She never wants much from the buffet, she would eat guys burgers for every meal if she could. She is a huge burger fan, so that works out well since they are "safe" for her. She doesn't usually eat the deserts since they can have nuts that we dont realize, unless it's jello or something, but again, even without the allergy, she would live off guys and softserve.

She definitely doesn't feel held back or limited and I really don't worry. I just use judgement. But she's 11 and knows to ask, and avoid if there is any uncertainty. She started cruising at 8 or 9, and has always known that she has to double check. She loves Asian food, but knows there is often a risk of cashews, which is the nut that alerted us to her allergy, so she doesn't have anything from chopsticks. But she knows fried chicken, carved meats, bbq, blue iguana, etc are usually safe. The only thing that bums her out is the cookies. They are listed as possible nut contamination, so she doesn't eat them. But she would like to. Double ice cream for her. lol

The menu online is current. We just got off the Valor yesterday. We ate at the Steakhouse Friday evening and we were not disappointed.It was an excellent experience.More food than we could finish. We ended up taking the rest of our entrees and dessert back to our cabin. The service was great. The dress code was not enforced as some diners wore very casual clothes (children were in shorts). I mention this in case you are wondering about dress code. Overall it was a wonderful experience and great value for the price. Enjoy!

Is it the new menu or old? We have eaten at the Valor steakhouse about a year ago, and it was not very good. My daughter's fish sticks were the best thing out of four adult entrees. We have a trip planned in November and I am debating giving it another try. Your review makes me want to. :)

We have cruised mainly Carnival but did one RC. At first I liked RC a lot more, then as the day went on, Carnival won out. There were not many bars, so the wait for drinks was a lot longer on RC. I couldn't even get a drink menu at the pool bars. I did like the more laid back atmosphere at the pool on RC. And actually spent time lounging at the pool which I have never done on Carnival.

The casino on Carnival was a lot better, but yes, more smoky. We never watch shows really missed the comedy club on RC. I liked the late night snacks on RC, but missed guys and blue iguana. Our waiter on the RC was rude, but loved the sushi place and the waiter there. I did not enjoy the push for specialty dining constantly on RC.

And, our RC was the cheapest cruise we have taken. BUT I wouldn't hesitate to take another RC if the price was cheaper again, but I wouldn't pay more for it.

When we leave the house and head to Galveston. Our whole mindset seems to change knowing we are finally on vacation. We always stay the night before and love having a leisurely drive down and let the stress go.

We don't tip extra up front, but do tip extra if the service was great. For drinks, I usually add 1-5 depending on the drink, how often I frequent that bar, etc. For our kids sodas, they add .50-1 every other one or so, or more if it's from a bartender we have been going to a lot. For stewards, we give 20-60 at the end.

My kids have never had an issue getting a soda, the red frog bar by the pool is always the longest wait for them and I assume it's because we don't drink much from there. The bartenders usually get to know them because they are usually with us. We always try to be friendly and we do tip extra. The bartenders serve my kids quickly and sometimes dont give them a receipt to sign. My little one likes to sign, she feels 'grown up'. The bartenders we get to know give my kids extra fruit slices, etc and are always very nice to the kids. I tell the kids to add a dollar or two every few sodas to the tip line. I dont know if it makes a difference in future service from them. I do it to say thanks for the great service we have already received.

We always drive in the day before and stay at one of the hotels that offer park and cruise. We prefer the Hotel Galvez or the San Luis. We have stayed at the Tremont before and it was nice. We like to relax at the hotel, walk around the strand, etc so we really enjoy splurging on a nice room the day before and when we factor in free parking (or only paying for one night depending on how they run them), it's a great deal.

We have been on the Triumph twice and I would go again without hesitation. She's not my favorite ship, but she was our first cruise ship and we got addicted, so it obviously wasn't bad! Due to our schedules we can really only do 4-5 night sailings and have been happy with both Triumph cruises. The last one was better than the first. (Aug 2017)