theotherchad

We're looking at renting a VRBO in Galveston, and I have a question. When I input our check in and check out dates, checking in on the 3rd and checking out on the 5th, that would be two nights in a hotel. But when I search those dates in the area on VRBO, the pricing on the website shows the per day cost and calculates the total as 3 days. Is that just how VRBO works? They charge you for your check out day as well? I feel silly asking, but the website has zero sort of FAQ about something so simple and fundamental.

I don' t generally have any issues as we are on the island at least 6 or 8 times a year for the last decade or more (COVID first year excepted), but I have definitely encountered some gridlock and way more traffic than usual on those special event weekends.

I'm sure there are advantages to being local, but most people aren't going to have that info. We've either debarked or embarked during the Shrimp Festival once and during the Lone Star Rally once. Both times, it was a madhouse for us. Not insurmountable, but definitely inconvenient. We know our way around the island in general, but didn't have any special knowledge of alternate routes.

Yes, there has been not enough details, such as marmalade thievery and the like. These are the details I need! 😁

Not once you're at the cruise terminal and on the ship it's not, but getting around the island can be a bit challenging on those days.

You got that right! They used to toggle back and forth through about 8 or 10 ports and now, it seems they toggle between 3 or 4.

To be fair, I wasn't saying that Galveston was the friendliest demographic, just that many cruisers and cruise staff over the years have told me that it was friendlier than some other ports. But your experience is just as valid as theirs and I appreciate your input on the thread. Thanks for sharing!

I'm sure that is true, but I think that the biggest differences in the passenger mix (when sailing mass market) are in the length of the cruise. Basically, the shorter the cruise, the younger the average age onboard and the more party oriented the crowd will be. 7 day is the most average mix and any cruises over 7-10 days, the average age goes up dramatically!

Is it just general level of friendliness or is there more? BTW, I have lived in NYC in my youth and I did discover that, while New Yorkers and Eastern Seaboard folk in general are less likely to greet and smile at strangers, the actual friendliness of the people there is pretty much the same once you get to know them.

We've noticed a tendency to "dress down" a bit sailing out of Galveston, but there are a few of us Texans that still like to dress up! 😁

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone!

I inquired of the cruise director on his Facebook page as to whether there would be a lot of new crew, and his reply was that it was just the usual transition from those starting new contracts and finishing old ones. No significant change in the crew. I'm hoping that the crew will like us better than the Florida pax. A little healthy rivalry is fun! 😁

Very interesting stats! I wonder if the typical cruise length sailings out of those markets is a factor? I'm also curious for that info pertaining to non-Florida Gulf Coast sailings. I'm from there and we do sometimes refer to it as the Redneck Riviera. 😁 That aside, I'm not really looking for people to tell me "classy vs trashy" with regard to these ports, more the personality and the way the crowd may affect the relative popularity of various venues onboard.

I'm hoping that since the crew and staff will get a short break from the cones (what I'm told they call passengers sometimes), that they'll be rested and ready to be the happy, helpful folks we've always found them to be. 😁

I think all the issues you listed are an issue for some folks and not as much for others. I wonder how Galveston will stack up against some of the much busier ports like Miami (when we have significantly more ships than we do now) when it comes to how difficult all those factors are (parking, getting to the port, etc.). I've heard lots of horror stories and accounts of things being super easy. Everybody's experience is different, I guess. I would say that unless it's during one of the big holidays/festivals/biker ralllies, etc. I don't see an issue with there being sufficient restaurants, etc. On those weekends, though, all bets are off. Galveston is a madhouse during those special weekends.

We won't likely be going there either, because we have settled on Nachi Cocom as the vibe/price combo that we like best. Being as familiar as I am with the Royal Caribbean product in general, I can't imagine that they will curate anything like the mellow, laid back atmosphere we find at Nachi.

Did you note different venues (pool, nightclub, particular bars, etc) were more or less crowded based on those differences?

Yeah, I think you're right. By the way, interestingly, the cruise we're booked on is the first Mariner sailing out of Galveston after some time spent sailing out of Port Canaveral, but there does not seem to be a booking available for a repositioning cruise between Canaveral and Galveston. They are just going to sail without passengers in the 4 day gap between the last debarkation in Florida and the first embarkation on our island.

I do think we are seeing a huge increase in hotel capacity. The biggest challenge is the distance from the airports to the port. However, being close to Houston, I don't think infrastructure is a big issue, as Houston is enormous. Cruise activity is a blip on the radar for a city of 6-7 million.

I am sure that for the 7 day Oasis sailings, that's a factor, but we're on a 7 day (the only one) on the Mariner, a Voyager class ship. Same ports. Grand Cayman is tender only anyway and we've hit those other ports several times for Voyager Class Galveston 7 day sailings in the past.

In years past, Royal, when sailing out of Galveston on 7 day cruises was rotating which ports were on the itinerary for western Caribbean cruises. There were about 7 or eight options in the western Caribbean. Now, it's hard (impossible, lately) to find a Western Caribbean itinerary that goes anywhere other than Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan. I enjoy those ports but I would also like some variety without having to fly to another port. What happened to the Georgetown Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios/Montego Bay/Falmouth Jamaica, Progresso Mexico, etc stops? Does anyone know why Galveston sailings are almost entirely (with the exception of some Bahamas, etc Eastern Caribbean cruises which are almost all 8 or more day cruises) limited to only 3 cruise ports these days?

Details, my friend, details!

Yeah, we have found some anomalies over the years. Once, we had the same thing you describe regarding a ship full of folks from Arkansas. Turns out, Arkansas state laws requires that all school districts observe spring break on the same week. The only noticeable difference was that there were more kids and teens on board than we expected, as this was a date that did not coincide with Texas spring break. Still a great cruise! Another time, not sure why, but there were about 500 Mexican nationals onboard. Most were from the Monterey area. Apparently, there was a local travel agent that sold a bunch of people a package where they flew to Houston and sailed back to Mexico, then sailed back to Texas and flew back to Mexico. The only difference there was that Boleros was packed (and I mean super PACKED) every single night. Also, there was a kareoke contest with several tryouts, and the final was in the main theater. I was in the final and I lost (winner was determined by audience volume for each contestant) to a Mexican gentleman who sang a song by "El Rey" (IYKYK). I wasn't salty at all, because, honestly, that guy was an amazing singer! Side note? The folks from Mexico were easily the best dressed folks on the ship.

I'm sure that was irritating, but to be fair, at my age, everybody under maybe 35 looks like a 15 year old to me. 😁

Some may not need to pretend. 😁