JK3003

Thanks, this is very helpful. Wow, they do it by the minute, I'm not used to that (did Royal Caribbean last year and it was per day). Are you able to hook up one device at a time (but can switch among different devices?)? Thanks again.

Can anyone explain the internet/wifi that can be purchased for use on board Island Princess? (this would be for a laptop we bring) I'm trying to find information on the Princess website but it isn't very helpful and I can't find any information on pricing and really need to know in advance. Any help would be very much appreciated! Thank you!

Are these machines front loading or top loading? Thank you!

So sorry to hear you had a terrible experience. And you're right that they do not follow the Deck schedule for self-carry. You said that next time you will say your airplane is at noon. Don't think it will make a difference. I told them I had a bus to catch at 10 am sharp so what did they do? Put me in group 27 which was scheduled to exit the ship at 10. Makes zero sense.

Have a great time, Jenny. It's pretty organized in the port and if you are in line to get out of the ship at 8:30, I can't imagine you having an issue.

Thought I would do a follow up in case someone reads this in the future. I had provided information at check in for the cruise that we had a 10 am shuttle to catch so when we got our group number, imagine my annoyance that we were group 27 scheduled to leave the ship at 10 am. Makes zero sense right? I immediately went to guest services and was told the earliest they could get me off the ship without self-carry was 9:30 (which obviously didn't work). So we self carried. We went to Deck 4 to exit at about 8:30 am and were actually out in the parking lot at 9 am (took an earlier airport shuttle as a result). A few tips: exits for self carry are on both the front and back of the ship on deck 4 and a very long line formed on one side (the back/restaurant side) but the front (theater) side line was MUCH shorter so check both lines. The porters were very hard to spot (we didn't use them) but if you intend to use them, be on the lookout to your right for guys in Hawaiian shirts in the second room with the luggage being unloaded (not sure how else to describe it...push comes to shove, ask a port employee, they're everywhere). Appreciated everyone's advice on this thread!

No, we were past that point in the line before we realized it. I don’t know how many were waiting for porters but we probably would have made that 10 am shuttle if we had.

Appreciate the insights!

I thought that it was possible to go and ask to get assigned an earlier departure tag number--am I wrong on that?

We just got off Liberty Oct 8. We also had a 10-10:15 am shuttle to catch. We departed as soon as our #4 departure tags were called at 9:15. It took over an hour to clear customs, we missed our shuttle. Thankfully, they put us on the 11 am shuttle. We still made our Hobby 2:20 pm flight easily. You might want to do the self walk off to ensure you don’t miss your shuttle.

Thanks for the info, did you use the porter service?

Oh that's right--fall back! Here I am thinking I'm getting less sleep instead of more. So glad someone else is actually thinking this through. LOL

All great info; thanks again!

We've narrowed it down to roundtrips using Galveston Limo or Galveston Express (both as group shuttles)--can anyone comment on their experience? Online reviews appear to be slightly better for Galveston Limo but both businesses have detractors. We're particularly concerned about not being late for a return flight out of IAH at 2:20 (would like to book to be picked up at 10 am). Appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

Thank you both for such quick responses!

Appreciate any insights on disembarkation. We will be on Liberty of the Seas in two weeks arriving Sunday in Galveston. Our flight out of IAH is 2:20 pm. I'm trying to figure out whether we should do the Express Departure (carry own luggage) or whether we would be ok without this. I need to get to a shuttle by 10 am. I understand that there is also a porter service available but that's once you get off the ship. While I don't want to be late, I also don't want to have a stressful morning getting up super early (ship set to arrive 6:30 am and it will be daylight savings time that day so we will be losing an hour of sleep as it is). So:

(1) should we carry our own luggage? If not,

(2) what group should we be in/by what time should we be getting off the ship in order to be done with Customs by 10 am? and

(3) at what point does one "buy" the porter service--once we get off the ship or is it something we sign up for in advance?

[by way of background, we will be taking a shuttle service back to IAH and it looks like the 10 am pick up is what we would choose (with a 2 hour ride, that gives us 2 hours at airport)...should I opt for an even earlier pick up time?]

Thanks for everyone's help!