theotherchad

We've been sailing on bigger ships the last few times and it has been quite a while since we last sailed this class, so my memories are fuzzy and things may have changed over the last decade. Any info on entertainment on Voyager class in general and Mariner of the Seas in particular within the last 6 months or so would be greatly appreciated. Production shows, royal promenade shows, pub singer, lounge bands, solo musicians around the ship's public areas, cooking demos, Ice carving, anything that falls under the entertainment umbrella. Thanks in advance! I know that Cruise Critic folks are a wealth of knowledge on just about any cruising question.

Put in my vote for Mod. A very nice place to hang and get a good cup of joe.

I am probably a few years out of date. I was told that Flores founded all the Yaga's related groups (which, I guess he sold) as well as Tola Mo Bettah Market. Could be that my info was not well sourced. I do know that quite often, we run into Mr. Flores at the bar at Tola. We have met quite a few locals over there on Sunday afternoons.

I don't really see a need to avoid Landry's restaurants. It should be noted that they are a local business even though they have restaurants and casinos nationwide. Also, their Pleasure Pier draws thousands to the island annually, so it could be argued that the Landry's organization actually benefits family owned restaurants and businesses. I think you can have a balanced perspective. Galveston Cruiser and I have been going back and forth on this thread about the virtues and failures of various mom and pop places as well as those owned by Fertitta. One interesting thing about the island is that a lot of the other locally owned businesses are part of small local empires. The Flores family own Yaga's as well as Tola Mo Bettah Market, Yaga's Sportswear and I believe 3 or 4 other bars. Dennis Byrd, owner of the Spot, has increased his business footprint by adding a couple of hotels. You can't talk about Galveston without including the Moody family and the Mitchell family, both of which have had a positive impact on the island for decades, the Moodys in particular for well over a century.

I have heard good things about Rudy and Paco's and Katie's has become one of our go to places in the last year. I really should have mentioned them. I'm glad I haven't been to Gaido's in a decade if it is as pricy as you describe these days. The last time I was there, I was not impressed and the place seemed kind of shabby to be that expensive. I'm thinking that if you don't consider The Steakhouse at the San Luis too pricy, then Gaido's must be really gouging on price. Also, in another post, I recalled that we have enjoyed the Black Pearl as well. Huge portions at reasonable prices. Any opinion on the food at the Huli Huli Hut? We've only stopped in for drinks.

One note on the Black Pearl. The food is good, but the portions are HUGE! My wife and I ordered two appetizers and a muffaletta sandwich and it was WAY more than we could eat. and I'm a big eater.

Yeah, we have found a vast difference between some of them. Ironically, their flagship Landry's on the seawall has never been good for us. We have given them multiple chances over the years, but gave up on them sometime shortly before COVID hit. And as to Fish Tales, you hit the nail on the head. Good view, so so food. I'm not terribly picky when I'm on vacation, so they've always been adequate, but never excellent. Rainforest is super gimmicky and silly, but it can be fun if you've got littles with you (and prepare to lay out dough in the gift shop if you have grandkids), and the food has always been on the good side of just ok. Never terrible, but never great. I'm curious. As a local, what's your take on Gaido's?

I can give you a review from a few weeks ago. We absolutely love staying there in general. The service is good, but we've never really tested the limits. The bar gets quite crowded, so expect to wait for a drink a bit in the evenings, but we still love that bar. The property, as you noted, is really beautiful. They recently completed a renovation of the pool area, but I haven't seen that yet. The rooms are comfortable, and I believe they are almost done with all the room renovations. Please note, the rooms on each floor right in front of the elevators are extra spacious, but have a section of wood flooring on the elevator landing that really amplifies noise, so you will hear it every time someone gets on or off the elevator. We had one of those rooms last time. They also have a cute little boutique called LoLo's. We really enjoyed the food in the Monarch, the hotel's restaurant and the Sunday Brunch is a family tradition for us. If you plan on any weekend spa appointments, book in advance, as they do fill up. We love all the changes that the recent renovation has brought.

Never be surprised about what Tilman Fertitta owns. 🤣 It's a lot of stuff.

Yes, BLVD is good, but the post I was replying to asked specifically about the Pleasure Pier. If someone wants to know specifically about locally owned or non-chain restaurants, I will answer that question, but that wasn't what they asked. With regard to the fact that Landry's (Tilman Fertitta) owns pretty much half the restaurants on the island, that is absolutely true, but some of those restaurants are also really good. They are definitely not all equal. We have tried a bunch of them over the years and have noted that Bubba Gump in particular is not good. Fish Tales is nothing special, but it's generally pretty ok. Fisherman's Wharf has been uneven at times, but generally good. Grotto has always been excellent. Willie G's has good food, but usually outstandingly bad service. Among our favorite local places, Millers Landing is the one I always mention first. The Porch Cafe out on the east end is a great brunch spot. The Spot (in particular, the four attached bars) has very average food, but good service and it's a fun place to hang out. Riondo's over on the Strand is outstanding for local Italian food. If you're looking for craft cocktails, Daquiri Time Out (also known as DTO) is excellent. Like most tourist areas, Galveston has a lot of places that are adequate but not great, but there is a lot of excellent food to be had if you do your research.

Yes, I highly recommend Millers Landing. Best shrimp and grits on the planet. Also, right across from the Pleasure Pier is Fish Tales. I would recommend Fish Tales over the Bubba Gump place on the Pier. The Monarch Restaurant in the Galvez is also quite good.

I'm glad that some experienced cruisers answered this question with all seriousness, but the only issue I have ever had with the specialty restaurants is being able to eat everything without exploding. By the time I get a starter, salad, entree and dessert, it's all I can do to waddle out without fainting.

I don't know if anyone else has noted this, but I was told by a crew member that (at least on Royal Caribbean) that in addition to the normal chlorination level of the hot tubs (which handles most of the germs, every night, they are not simply emptied and refilled in the morning. After they are emptied each night, the are refilled with Hypercholrinated water that is far to concentrated for human safety and comfort, and the water is thoroughly circulated through the pumps and jets. Then, they are drained and refilled. This is considerably more than is done with typical land based hot tubs at hotels or at private residences. I feel safe enough.

I'm curious, where do you get this info? I'd like to get some updated info as my next cruise approaches. Thanks in advance!

This is some info that is very valuable. I'm sure that info is available if you read all of the things, but there are a lot of things to read to get to that conclusion. We can wake up at the hotel, set those reservations and finalize our dinner plans for each respective night. Again, what a great resource Cruise Critic's boards are! I'm a believer in planning well, but when it comes to cruising, sometimes the needed planning can be a bit burdensome if you don't know all of the things about all of the things, if you know what I mean!

Boom! Now that's some out of the box thinking. This is a great tip! Just so I'm clear, though, they will not refund your credit card onboard, they will simply credit you the equivalent funds for onboard credit? That works for me, because we never have trouble spending enough money onboard. 😁 Thanks to everyone for their info. This is good info to have, and the sad thing is, usually, this kind of specific info can only be gotten from cruising and then getting the experience. We have been on many cruises, but not for about 5 years and this is the first time we've prebooked anything other than a wine package. We had also not done the ultimate dining package before. We just booked our specialty restaurants when we got onboard and ate in the MDR or other included dining on the rest of the nights. I began to wonder if the folks not in the know and using the app way in advance of sailing were going to be out of luck because I saw posts where some other folks (perhaps even more clueless than me) were complaining that they weren't able to book the things they wanted. Great to have such a good community of knowledgeable folks here!

The Hibachi looks fun, but it's not on our "must do" list. Thanks for the info, though!

We're on the Allure for this one, but I figure we'll be able to get all the restaurants we need reserved. The real trick is scheduling early enough to make the late shows or late enough to go to the early shows without being late for dinner.

Thanks, I was just beginning to figure that out. Now, the follow up question. Has anyone had an issue getting any reservations made once they're onboard? Are all the best times booked up by embarkation day?

We booked the ultimate dining package shortly after booking our May 2023 cruise. Now, at less than 45 days til boarding, we tried to start making our dining reservations. But the first reservation we made, they charged our credit card. We canceled that reservation and we will be reimbursed for that charge, but it's still really irritating. Can anyone share some info on what might be going on here? Are you not able to make dining reservations ahead of time if you have the ultimate dining package?

Hey, we're sailing on that one too! Have you been over to the roll call thread?

The thing I can't get over about the OP's account of this cruise is that the staff were surly, resentful or absent. In something like 14 cruises, I can only recall a handful of crew or staff members who were anything less than helpful and cheerful and eager to please. And of those, none were really rude or dismissive, just not up to the usual high standards. I have also never experienced a dirty room. Not once. I'm not saying that they didn't have this experience, but it is certainly not typical of the cruises I've experienced with RCCL. Others have noted though, that the fact that it was a 4 day cruise may have had something to do with it. Maybe the crew get fed up with all the crazy trashy drunks who go on those short partyfest cruises (not meaning everyone on the short cruises) and the service goes downhill.

All sensible points!

What is Blue Planet? Is that an Aqua Theater show?

I'm curious, what was the issue with the Quantum class?