5 in OK

On 1/6/2020 at 2:31 PM, Joe817 said:

Good tips all the way around. Thanks! One question: How crowded was the Dream on your cruise? We sailed on her last July and the crowds were overwhelming. I guess that's one of the reasons we stayed on our cove balcony so much. 

I never heard the number on board but the crowds only bothered us on sea days.   Wonder why it felt so crowded for you? 

We arrived back in Galveston on Thursday from a 5-day cruise on the Dream.  We were delayed leaving by about 6 hours due to fog.  This exact same thing happened a couple of years ago on the Breeze - fog.  It's a cuss word in Galveston they hate it so bad.  So - lesson learned.  From now on we will ONLY cruise out of Galveston during warmer months when fog isn't so common.  Hats off to our captain though, the itinerary was only changed one hour (we arrive in Cozumel at 9:30 instead of 8:30 a.m.).  We were very much impressed!!!

 

Here are some things we learned - we wish we had known before this cruise:

 

1.  When you get the email from Carnival that states the boarding process has been delayed due to fog and to come 6 hours later - DISREGARD it!!!  As soon as you see that ship pull in head to the pier.  We arrived at 6:00 p.m. as they stated and they said they actually started boarding at 4:00 p.m. as soon as the ship was cleared.  So we sat in our hotel lobby for two hours longer than needed.  WOW!

 

2.  If you have FFTF and you can manage it -  take your luggage on with you if your boat is delayed for any reason.  When we were on the Breeze two years ago we did not get our luggage until mid-night.  Very stressful.  Also - you can carry on large luggage (ours is that largest Samsonite soft-sided and it went right through the machine with no problem).  We walked onto the ship, walked to our rooms and dropped our luggage and went right up and ate our first Guys Burger - granted it was dinner-time instead of the traditional lunch time but it was still delicious!!  

 

3.  Gift cards are awesome and we typically use them instead of a credit card on our account.  Whatever we don't use from the gift card balance we cash out in the casino.  If you only use gift cards now you are sent to an additional line on your way in.  This is probably not as big of a deal at a normal boarding time but by 6:15 we were pretty spent and then were sent to another line.  Once we showed him our gift cards ($400) and assured him we would go to guest services to put them on our card he stamped us through.

 

4.  My TIme Dining - if you have My Time Dining on our next cruise beware of the changes.  Typically, we line up around 5:30 p.m. for dinner.  They throw open the doors at 5:45 and you are warmly welcomed into the dining room.  This cruise was different - the doors stayed closed and at 5:40 a couple of ladies came out to explain to us that we would need to check-in on the ap and come back when our table was ready.  If you said you did not have the ap you were allowed to stay in line where you were and ushered in and assigned a table the old fashioned way.  We always request a table by a window and then request the same one each evening.  Our table assigned to us from the app had us in the middle.  We stopped to ask if they could change it - they were pleased to help us but it took a moment to make the change.  Lesson learned - do NOT take your phone to dinner and just get in the line on the right (for non-ap users) and be seated normally.  IF you plan on arriving after 6:00 p.m. and there is a line - defninely use the ap - log in, request a table and then sit in the atrium until your phone dings that your table is ready.  Very convenient for those folks!!!

 

5.  Dive-In Movies.  If there is even a HINT of rain snag one of the wicker chairs up under the awning on deck 10 (of the Dream) - half-way through our movie it started pouring - hard!  Everyone ran for cover except for a few of us sitting in those coveted wicker chairs (with cusions!) - we enjoyed the rest of the movie (although we had to go down to 10 and get blankets as we got a bit chilly).

 

6.  Dive-In Movies - the popcorn is TERRIBLE but free.  We started bringing our own shaker full of salt/butter (our favorite is "Flavocol" from Amazon - cheap and makes the popcorn so much better!!)  We also share with anyone sitting around us - fun to do!

 

Hope these small tips help.  (=  

Happy Cruising!!

4 minutes ago, SJCSuzy said:

I've taken my 26in rolling suitcase onboard when we left from Long Beach. Assuming they have they same size scanners yours would probably fit.

 

I hope the cruise is fun and makes up for the stress of today!

 

We're boarding the Vista next Saturday so we're keeping our fingers crossed!

 

Suzy

Thank you for the info!  And I will send only good thoughts your way for a clear day for sailing next week!😊😊😊

Thank you!   Anyone put a large Samsonite through the scanner? 

So..... we've been fogged in here in Galveston today.  Same thing happened to us 3 years ago at Christmas on the Breeze (we lost Belize due to the delay - so sad - think we would have learned our lesson - but never again a winter cruise from Galveston - WAY to stressful way to start a vacation ).  They have notified us to disregard all boarding times and just show up between 6-9 p.m.  Bizarre - I am picturing utter chaos.

 

So.... when we did this 3 years ago our luggage didn't arrive until after midnight.   Could we possibly carry on our luggage - they are large samsonite ones - just one each....

 

Appreciate the input - pretty frustrated down here in Galveston. 

8 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

BOOMER!!!!

My husband says to yell SOONER right back to you!😀

Okay -thank you!   He could totally sit in the bar and watch it (he is a preacher so that will be an adventure😂).  

 

When, if ever, do they project it on the big screen by the pool?

I apologize if this has been asked and answered - couldn't find anything current during search.

 

30th Anniversary Cruise was booked a year ago.  We leave on Saturday, December 28th. 

 

 Spouse discovered OU plays in a bowl game on the day of departure (at 4 p.m. - sail away).   Any suggestions on what, if any, is the best way to try to  allow him to watch this game?   After some research on Carnival - there does appear to be any wifi plans available that allow streaming.

 

Thanks in advance for any input.  He will get over it if he can't watch it but I would like to accommodate if possible. 😊

This same kind of thing happened to us a couple of years ago on the Breeze.  Our entire family went - we had four rooms.  My nephew backed out the day before.  He was sharing a room with my 23 year old son.  I posted and got advice to definitely NOT cancel as they could reassign his room based on occupancy.  This was not an option as I had worked to get all the rooms on the same deck and my nephew would lose the money whether we reported or not.  When we checked-in we weren't all together and told them more would be arriving later.  They called my son on his cell phone around 3:00 and asked where the other person in the room was as he had not checked in .  My son told them honestly that he started wavering the day before and that he had begged him to go ahead and come but had not heard from him all day.  They called again at 3:30 and said that they tried to call him and he didn't answer so they were marking him as a no-show.  My son agreed and then enjoyed a room to himself for the entire cruise.

 

Hope that helps.

On 1/20/2019 at 5:03 PM, JohninDC said:

Howdy from a transplanted Okie (Major county, west of Enid). 

 

We used Eagle Ray a few years ago and were happy.

 

Not as good as a boat tour to the reef, but snorkeling from the shore at the Money Bar is pretty good - no admission fee and great facilities.

Always good to meet a fellow Okie!  Thank you for the tips!

Hello!!  We have always done Nachi but were a bit disappointed the last time we were there.  So - we were going to see if we could find a reputable private snorkeling tour for 3-5 hours on the day we were in Cozumel (Carnival Dream).  Any suggestions out there?  There are literally fifty on the web.  Tried Tripadvisor - narrowed it down a bit but really just need a word-of-mouth suggestion from someone who has done the private.  Trying to keep it around $500-600.

Day 5 – Cozumel – Thursday

 

We woke up to more rain. We have been pretty lucky on our past cruises so far – this one…not so much. We were just praying it would blow over. We docked at the first dock – the downtown one. We had never docked here before so we were excited about the new adventure. We waited a bit to get off to see if the masses would be cleared. Seems like everyone was waiting for the rain to stop as well. When we walked down we still had a short wait until we got off. It was now sprinkling so we popped up our umbrellas and started looking for a taxi stand. The downtown pier is quite different from the other one (the one with the pyramid). We had to walk all the way through a mall - upper and lower decks before we could get to the taxi stand. We understand this is intentional to get everyone to shop on their way back but it was quite a hike. We made it to the street – hailed a taxi and were on our way to Nachi Cocom. This is our 5th trip to Nachi – only 100 people are allowed in and with 5ships there that day we were in port. Lots and lots of people!! We arrived to Nachi to start our relaxing day. The rain held off for about 4 hours. We were able to get our snorkeling trip in (only $38.00 per person and only 8-10 people – it is the reason we use Nachi!!). We saw sting rays, a sea turtle, tons and tons of fish and a 6 foot nurse shark (that one spooked me a bit). We headed back via taxi ($20 each way) and did some shopping – the rain was relentless, we were so glad we were in the two level mall!!!! We did all of our shopping and were back on the ship by 4:00 (we had until 5:30 p.m.). We showered (it is always so nice to get to come back to a hot shower after a full port day!!) and just rested for a bit before getting ready for dinner. Dinner was wonderful – relaxing and calm! We were sad to say we only get to come to the Chic Dining Room one more night after tonight’s dinner. Our waiting trio has gotten to know us well and anticipates our favorites even before we ask. We were sailing by the time our salads were served. We were heading north to Galveston! Tonight’s movie didn’t really interest (Maze Runner) us so we headed to the comedy club. He was really pretty funny again tonight(Jeffrey Jena – PG show). We were so tired we weren’t functioning well so we called it a night and headed to bed. We were so glad the next day was a sea day. We were going to sleep in and relax!! The Atrium was cranking up tonight – it was as if our door was open it was so loud. We were so glad we had our fan – we turned it on and were all three asleep within moments. Even with the rain we loved Cozumel!

We were on this sailing, and we probably passed each other many times during the cruise, as we also did the YTD in the Chic dining room, and usually arrived at 5:45 and were seated by the window. It was my husband and I, and our 2 kiddos (10 year old boy, and 7 year old daughter).

 

 

I bet we did see you!!! That is so funny! We were on the right as you walk in - which side were you guys on?

Day 4 – Grand Cayman – Wednesday

 

We woke up at 5:45 to go down to eat at 6:00 a.m. The buffet opened early due to the early port. It was already busy when we arrived at 6:05 with lines about 10 people deep at each station. While eating breakfast it started to poor –heavy rains - kind of depressing but we were determined to enjoy Grand Cayman. We know how these tropical rains work – they just blow over right??! Well…. Unfortunately, not today….We finished breakfast and had our hot chocolate and then headed down to shower and get ready. Since we were FTTF(Suite pax also get priority tender) we followed the directions delivered to our room and went to Deck 3 and sat by the FTTF Sign. Around 7:30 a.m. a cruise employee came to get us and walked us down to Deck 1 to board the tender. We literally by-passed thousands of people. FTTF life is very good. We arrived to the dock around 7:50 a.m. When we got off we started to look for transportation. I had done my homework and found that they do not have “Taxis” in Grand Cayman – they have vans that hold up to 10 people. Some locals tried to get us to board their vans for $8.00 each. Since we had done research we knew to keep walking and ask where the local transportation hub was. After a couple of turns (it’s only 3 blocks from the dock) we arrived a the public transportation hub and boarded a van to the Turtle Center for $2.50each!!! It took us about 15 minutes and the driver was super-friendly. Along the way we picked up some locals riding to work. They were nice too. The taxi dropped us at the Turtle Center at 8:15 a.m. We specifically did not do the ship’s excursion to the Turtle Center because of the sheer numbers of people that goon those tours. We arranged our tickets through the internet and got our own ride so that we could arrive early. For the entire first hour (8:15 -9:15) we had the entire park to ourselves. Due to the on-and-off again sprinkles there weren’t any locals there and the cruise ship people hadn’t yet arrived. We put on our snorkel gear (they provide but we bring our own – convenience and more sanitary) and fins (they do not provide fins) and got in the lagoon and swam with the sea turtles. It wasAMAZING! Definitely more than we imagined. There were maybe 40medium-sized turtles swimming. They did not swim to you but were fine if you swam around them. My daughter got some amazing footage on her go-pro. We swam for maybe 40 minutes and then got out and went over to the area where you can hold baby sea turtles. We were the only ones there and all three got in and held turtles. This one was on the bucket list. Literally amazing moments shared with my family. It started to rain hard again so we then got back into the lagoon to swim with more sea turtles – couldn’t even tell it was raining when we were snorkeling. When we came up for a break the cruise ship passengers were arriving. There was now over 100 people waiting to hold the sea turtles. We snorkeled for a bit longer and then got out and dried off. Then we went to theAviary (we purchased the blue wrist bands that gave us full access of the park)and to see the giant alligator. Then, we bought $5.00 worth of turtle food and went to another area where you could feed the turtles and take pictures as they swam close to eat. By now the cruise folks had moved to on to another area so we stopped to hold the turtles once more. Then we went to eat in their restaurant. It was only 11:00 a.m. but we were starving! Following lunch we went to the hatching area and admired the baby sea turtles – precious! We shopped in the gift shop for a bit(expensive but very nice clothing!) and then headed out to wait on the public transportation to come and pick us up. Our next stop was Eden Rock/Devils Grotto – a place to snorkel right by where the cruise ships dock. You need to have your own equipment – or be willing to pay to rent from the local stand next to the reef. We arrived at Eden Rock around noon – we were doing great on time as the last tender was at 3:15 p.m. We snorkeled for about an hour and then walked 6 blocks to the shopping area nearest to the dock. We ate at Haagen-Dazs (deliciousness and my favorite ice cream in the land) and shopped. We bought most of our souvenirs from Grand Cayman as we hadn’t been there before. Reasonable prices and lots to choose from! They have a giant shopping area(similar to Cozumel) right by where you dock. We got in line at 2:30 p.m. and were back on the ship by 2:45 p.m. We were exhausted so we showered and rested for a bit and then headed down to dinner. – it was elegant night again – minus the lobster. Table cloths and prime rib – we enjoyed dinner. We loved Grand Cayman - BestPort Ever! We had a blast! We went to the comedy club after dinner and then back to the rooms to get our packs ready for Cozumel. We were docking at 10:15 a.m.

Day 4 - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Tuesday

 

We picked the Secrets Adult Only Beach Escape for Montego Bay, Jamaica. We had read it would be best to stay with a "cruise" excursion at this port. The adult only definitely caught our attention as the cruise ship in June was packed with lots of kids off for summer break. We arrived in Jamaica and docked and received clearance around 9:45 a.m. We walked off the ship to the terminal area where the white signs were hanging to locate your excursion. We waited just a few minutes past the time to line up and we were off to load the bus to take us to Secrets. The ride was about 5 minutes to the resort. We were dropped off on the Wild Orchids side but had access to all of the areas of St.James and Wild Orchids. Here are some of the things I wish I had read about before going:

 

1. Walk the entireresort before deciding on which beach to hang out in for the day. It will take about 10 minutes to walk (on asidewalk) to all of the 6-8 beach areas. Each beach has a different vibe - find the one you like the best.

 

2. There is a hut that serves junk food type stuff (burgers, hot dogs, Jamaican Patties (beef and chicken - beef was the best - looks like a fried pie), nachos, pretzels, fried potato chips - fountain drinks. All free(everything food related is free). The nachos, pretzels and chips are self-serve - grab a gold triangle paper from the box and open it like a funnel - drop in your favorite foods and you are good togo. Cups are on the side with the ice and fountain drink machine. If you want cheese you have to ask - they dump it right on top of the funnel to drizzle down. No small plastic cups available for cheese....

 

3. Towels - there are towel huts everywhere - do not bring your blue Carnival towel. Your goal is to blend in with the regular resort members. Carrying your blueCarnival towel definitely singles you out. You can trade in wet towels and get new ones any time. The towel hut guys are very nice - just tell them how many and they'll give them to you.

 

4. Snorkeling -there's a company onsite called Captains Water Sports. They have a building in the middle of the properties where you can check prices and get information about kayaking, using the Catamaran, parasailing ect.... Most non-motorized water sports are free. They will communicate with the team at the tent on the water and you'll be good to go. If you bring your own snorkel gear there are literally hundreds of fish at the tip of the short pier down by the far end. There is a flag on the end (it was green when we were there, however, it changes with the conditions). Take a pretzel from the snack stand and break it up to small pieces - they will literally eat right out of your hand. Made amazing footage for the go-pro.

 

5. Jerk Chicken - I had read so many things about the Jerk Chicken Cart and how good it was. At exactly 12:30 p.m. the jerk chicken cart appeared on the main path (you cannot miss it - it's pretty big) . We went out to get in line (only 3 were in line in front of us) and the JerkChicken Guy puts a giant helping on a paper plate - douses it with spicy sauce and covers it with another white paper plate (saucer size). It was DELICIOUS!!! Tell him light on the sauce if you don't like it spicy. Tell him extra, extra light on the sauce if you only want it a bit spicy. You can go no sauce at all but it is just so delicious - don't be afraid to try it.

 

6. The Buffet - Right where you are dropped off there is a huge International Buffet. They open at 12:30 p.m. each day. There are about 8 stations (grill, sushi, salad, sandwich ect...) . We went around 2:00 (we were full from theJerk Chicken). It was beautifully prepared, hot and plentiful - just wasn't our favorite place. We didn't have time to go to one of the restaurants, however, were informed that we were welcome to eat at any of them while we were there.

 

7. Beach Chairs -one word - plentiful! They were everywhere and mostly empty on the day we were there. There was ample umbrella shade and lots of ways to get out of the sun if needed.

 

8. Hammocks - we found a couple of hammocks - they were comfortable and well-placed to give you a view of the beach with shade and an amazing breeze!

 

9. Pools. There were so many! Maybe 4? They are beautifully designed with bridges and infinity walls overlooking the beaches. Just beautiful! We only swam in one of the pools - there were stationary bicycles in the pool - we got on and peddled fora while (then went and had another pretzel!).

 

10. Bob - he is one of the parrots on site. He stays up in the tree and visits with anyone walking by (he can say "Hello"). My daughter loved this bird - we went back to visit him twice during our time at the resort.

 

11. Beach - the beaches were LOVELY! So very nicely manicured. We really enjoyed the beaches and loungers the most. The water is crystal clear for snorkeling and just over-all fun!

 

Overall we would give this excursion 9 out of 10 - the only reason for the 9 is the price. It was a lovely, quiet day with plenty of space, chairs and shade! Lots to do, lots to eat and kid free!

 

We had an amazing time at Secrets and jumped on the bus at3:30 p.m. While on the way to the terminal it began to rain. We got off of the ship – waited for a few minutes and when the rain passed we did some shopping (very primitive shopping area) and then got back on the ship around 4:30 p.m. We showered and went to dinner – we watched sail away from Montego Bay from our favorite table. Following dinner we went to the room to get everything ready for Grand Cayman – our next port. We literally booked this cruise for Grand Cayman. We booked local to theGrand Cayman Turtle Center. We were just keeping our fingers crossed that the wind, waves and weather would permit us to tender. My husband and I went up to the shops and went to the Atrium to listen to the live entertainment. Guest ashore was scheduled for 7:15 a.m. so we went to bed early to get ready for the amazing day ahead of us.

Day 3 – Sea Day - Monday

 

I forgot to talk about our Suite. We have never gotten a suite – we usuallysplurge for a balcony but we went for the Suite as we were celebrating mydaughter’s senior year of college. WOW! It was amazing. The space is just unbelievable! I mean – my daughter could do a cart wheel inthe room it was so big! And theBATHROOM!!! Two sinks, a tub with shower(a real shower door – no curtains!) and a dressing area separate from thebathroom (with additional drawers, shelves and closets). I hope we can do a suite again - the perks of the suite are also nice!!

 

Okay - Sea Day #3 (2nd full sea day) - We will admit that by the end of Day 3 we were ready to getto our first stop – Jamaica. However, wesettled in and basically repeated all of Day 2’s activities. We did, however, go to the Sea DayBrunch. This is the second time we havehad it – but I will admit we are not fans. It’s a long wait in between when you order and when your foodarrives. We prefer the buffet or room deliveryinstead. Before heading up to Deck 10 tolay in the sun we stopped in the Atrium and my daughter and husband signed up forthe Bocce Ball Tournament. It took awhile (maybe an hour) but in the end they came in 2nd (Just barelymissed the ship on the stick!) and ended up with two nice medals. THEN we headed up to Deck 10. Our seats were vacant so we snatched them upand settled in. Around 1:00 we went toeat and then came back up until about 3:00 p.m. There wasn’t as much wind todayso even with the pool we were still getting hot. So we called it and went down to shower andrest and just enjoy the balcony. Dinnerwas delicious - every night Robert has our cheese plate ready to go! My daughter headed up abit early after dinner to get seats for “A Wrinkle in Time” which started at 7:00 p.m. –keep an eye on all of the movie times – they change each evening. Robert packed up her dessert for her to go (Lava Cake with2 ice creams) and we took it to her to eat while we watched the movie. Very, very strange movie. But – it was on my daughter’s list so weendured. After the movie we went down topack our backpacks for our first port – Jamaica! Woohoo!! We are excited about Montego Bay!!

Day 2 – Sea Day - Sunday

 

I personally love sea days. Takes all the pressure off of having to plan to get off the ship – you justget to hang out and do everything or nothing. Whatever makes you happy!!

 

I did forget to mention our room attendant – Achmad. He was fantastic. We tipped him a $20 upon arrival. He brought us our fan (we stopped by GuestServices the moment we got on to request one) and kept our ice bucket filled allthe time. We requested service both fora.m. and p.m. as we often shower twice when needed when we cruise. Achmad did a great job all week. We always bring movie-size candy (M&M’s,Twizzlers, Reese’s Pieces etc….) and layone on the bed each evening with a $5 bill to say thank you. That adds up to an additional $55 for theweek but they work so hard – just fun to say thanks. He never disappointed.

 

We got up early – not on purpose – we just went to bed too earlythe night before. We strolled down tothe buffet and filled our plates and proceeded to our favorite breakfast spot –first table past the sliding door on the back of the ship. It is super quiet and quite lovely. We bring our own marshmallows from home so welingered over a second cup of hot chocolate. Deliciousness. Followingbreakfast we walked around on Deck 10 – on the very back of the ship and foundsome nice, quiet chairs to hang out in – very back of the ship on Deck 10 withan amazing view of the wake left behind the ship. We went down to our room – changed into ourbathing suits and shorts, loaded up all of our “stuff” needed for a perfect sea day! We sunbathed for a while and then went downone flight to the Lido to dip in the “Adult Only” pool when we got hot. Much to our delight they were enforcing the “NoKids Allowed” policy. There was actuallya life guard on duty at all times by the pool! We had seen a Carnival employee hanging out around the pool the nightbefore during the Dive in Movie. He hada Carnival Fanny Pack on and a walkie talkie. We figured he must have been with Camp Ocean or something as he kept reigningin the out-of-control kids. But afterseeing another pool guard there on Day 2 at the Adult pool we put it togetherthat Carnival now has life guards. WeLOVED the life guard. He ran off five orsix unattended 7-10 year olds while were swimming for that few minutes. It was glorious! In the past the kids have kind of taken overthe ship. Not on the Freedom. It was wonderful! We are life guard fans!

 

Around 11:30 we went to check out lunch – specifically theBBQ place on Deck 10 (just a few steps from where our deck chairs were). Wediscovered that lunch was not served until noon each day. No problem! We went to our rooms – showered and changed and headed back up aroundnoon to eat. Following lunch we grabbedour second (of many) ice cream cones and did some shopping and visited theCasino. We spent the afternoon watchingentertainment and games in the atrium and headed to the room around 3 for aquick nap (we were STOKED about our Dive In Move that night – the Greatest Showman)and to get ready for dinner. Dinner wasamazing – It was elegant night - we were once again first in line and got Table112 again – the Lobster was delicious. Very nice! We went to the 7:45Heart of Souls Show in the Theater. Itwas okay – we aren’t huge show people but give it a try at least once acruise. We popped out early to get seatsfor the 9:00 p.m. Dive In Movies. Wewere lucky – found great seats and once again counted on the Life Guard to helpkeep the rowdiest kids under control. Itwas lovely! Following the movie wecrashed and counted our first full sea day as a great success!!

Great start! We live in BA too, small world! :D

Always good to meet fellow Tiger! [emoji106]

 

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How is that room? Specifically the temperature? That's the room we will be in when we cruise

 

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It was perfect! You will love all that space! There were cabinets that we didn't even use! The temp was good! Plenty cold at night - we had to turn it up a couple of nights because we were freezing! I read on here to prop the wooden door in front of the fridge then with a folded hand towel. Worked perfect! Ice cold water bottles!

 

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Carnival Freedom June 9, 2018

7 Day Cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel

 

 

Our family had a blast on the Freedom. I traveled with my husband and 22 year old daughter. This was her gift for her senior year of college. We all enjoyed this gift!

 

Embarkation Day

We love, love, love Galveston – particularly HotelGalvez. We have stayed here for all sixcruises and just fall in love with it over and over. We drove down two nights early to just enjoythis amazing hotel. On Saturday morningwe were up early and looking at the cruise cams to make sure our Freedom shiphad docked. It was also a crystal clearday (we were fogged in for 2 days in Galveston back in December 2017)! We went down to Miller’s on the Seawall (ourmost favorite restaurant in Galveston) for an unbelievable breakfast and thenwere packed and had our luggage downstairs by 10:15 a.m. for our 10:30 shuttleride (free shuttle and free cruise parking if you stay at Hotel Galvez!). The valet folks loaded us up in the shuttleand we left right on time. We arrived atthe port at 10:35 to see thousands of people still coming off of theircruises. There were two ships in port –we were in Terminal One. After thedriver unloaded our luggage we walked down to luggage drop-off – tipped aporter $10.00 and he took our luggage away. We made sure he knew we were FTTF – and watched him put it in the FTTFarea. We splurged for a suite this yearso we received suite perks as well as FTTF perks. We received priority boarding with our suite,however, they do not get early luggage delivery so we purchased FTTF. There’s something very comforting about ourluggage arriving and getting unpacked. Then I can start to relax and enjoy my vacation! We were checked in and directed to thePriority Seating area for Diamond, Plats and Suite guests in about 10 minutes. They had cookies, lemonade, water andcomfortable seating. At 11:30 on the dotthey came and asked us to line up Plat, Diamond and then Suite passengers. We were led through the mass of peoplewaiting to board. We went straight toour room to find our room keys in the mailbox by our door - 7270. This is our first time to get the keys atour door – it was strange but very smooth. It definitely kept passengers out of the hallways that did not haveearly room entry as they had no way to access their rooms. We dropped our bags and headed to Guys forour traditional first burger. Then wewent to the lido buffet for dessert – followed by our first ice cream cone ofthe trip. Then we began exploring. We had been on the Triumph last summer – the Freedomis very similar to the Triumph – our favorite size ships! Around 12:15 we went back to our room to findone of our pieces of luggage had arrived by our door. We unpacked it and hung out on our balcony towatch for dolphins in the bay. They didnot disappoint – we saw three pods (probably the same one over and over). By 1:30 all of our luggage had arrived. We unpacked and then headed out for moreexploring. The Freedom is a lovely ship but she is showing her age. The ship was clean - always, always someone cleaning and polishing - but she is getting old.

Then it wastime for the muster drill. We alwaysdread the muster drill in June. Unlikethe Breeze (Christmas 2016) we had to go outside and stand in the heat by thelife boats. As always – we waited forthe late people to arrive. By 4:00 wewere finished. We headed back up to ourbalcony for sail away. By 4:20 we weremoving to start our amazing seven-day cruise. At 5:00 we started to get ready for dinner – we had Anytime Dining whichbegins at 5:45 (we love to get dinner out of the way so that we can enjoy allof the evening activities without bumping into dinner). If you get in line around 5:30 you are firstin the door and get to request your favorite table (ours is by the window ofcourse). So we headed down to the Chicdining room on level 3 – we get to listen to the entertainment in the atriumwhile we wait – always a nice treat! Wemet Alesia – one of the hostesses on the first night. She was amazing. ALWAYS made us feel welcome!! We were seated at table 112 (right by thewindow – perfect view every night!) and had Robert and his team – Egede andLito. They were fantastic. The first night we requested a cheese plateto be served with bread at the beginning of our meal. From then on our bread basket and cheeseplate arrived within moments of sitting at Table 112 with Robert! So much fun! Dinner took about an hour (quite a bit faster in Anytime Dining - I believe the last time we were in early seating it took about 90 minutes each evening) – delicious (we like the American Table - love having the water carafe right there on the table as we always seem over-thirsty on our cruises). Following dinner we changed and grabbed ourseats on the Lido for Pitch Perfect Three for Dive In Movies. We brought our own popcorn seasoning (theirpopcorn is a bit dry). Following themovie we were pretty exhausted so we called it a night and headed to our roomfor the night! AMAZING first day –everything went very smooth!

 

Day 2 – At Sea – coming soon!!!

Awesome overview! We are sailing on the Freedom soon - so much fun to read about it - thank you for posting!

 

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Great review! 😊👍

 

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Every cruise we've ever taken to Cozumel, Progreso, Costa Maya etc... showed the same 80% chance of rain every single day during our cruise (summer, Christmas and Spring Break). If all the days we've didn't in ports I only recall it actually raining once. Don't look at those forecasts - it will only make you sad and is totally out of your control. 😊

 

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Thank you for the review! 👍👍

 

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Excellent review, thanks.:)

Thank you! I always enjoy your responses to folk's questions throughout the threads!😊👍

 

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