tncap

Would you all recommend it even if you are NOT a foodie? I thought the tour of the kitchen might be interesting...

Absolutely! I'm definitely not a foodie and have enjoyed it a couple of times. Very much looking forward to booking it on the Vista where they will have a true dedicated space for it in the galley.

Also note that on cruises out of Galveston, you won't have the option of purchasing it on day one.

Having sailed on both and from both ports, I would pick New Orleans easily. It is a great place for a pre- or post-cruise stay. The hassle of getting to/from Galveston from either Houston Hobby (HOU) or Bush (IAH) should be taken into consideration as well. I can't complain too much about Galveston though as my next cruise is out of there.

That being said, I prefer the Freedom over the Dream, but only slightly. In this case I would definitely choose based on departure port.

Definitely looking forward to booking either the Miracle or Splendor repo cruises when they are released.

Is this a good enough experience for someone who's a moderate foodie and pretty damn good chef in her own right? Or might it be not what we'd experience on a newer ship?

The answer to both questions is yes.

It is a great experience on any ship, but a greater experience on the Dream-class ships.

I would do it for sure if she's a foodie.

In answer to the actual question, no, it is not buffet style.

It is very quiet (more quiet than Nachi Cocom for sure). The food and drink are nowhere near as good as Nachi. In fact, when we ordered a cocktail they would ask whether we wanted alcohol in it or not. :rolleyes:

The property is beautiful. I am glad I did it once but it isn't something I would do twice.

It appears they do not operate on Tuesdays or Wednesdays or I would use them in a heartbeat.

have you found a workaround with uber?

My only suggestion would be not to enter the destination address until you are in the car. That's my general rule of thumb with them anyway. It's always been my experience that drivers will never refuse a $60-70 fare.

You're definitely in a position to be upsold to a better room. I never use a PVP and have gotten the call/e-mail several times.

Have Hotel Continental booked for 2 nights next October. Not sure how the original recommendation came about, but everyone else in the roll call seemed to be staying there.

Was this thru the ship? If not, do you have the name or a link?

It is called the Skyline Drive Tour through Carnival.

Enterprise allows one ways from Hobby to Galveston, but they charge a $100 "drop" charge on top of the price.

In September, I am taking Uber to Galveston and renting the car there. Will come out cheaper and I won't have to wait around for a shared van. Plus the last time I sailed out of Galveston, I returned the car to Hobby the morning of the cruise and took the cruise shuttle back down. Wasn't convenient at all but definitely doable.

We are booked at Days Inn west/seawall...Galveston. Have been here before on another cruise and it was just fine.

 

They have refundable and non/refundable room rates. Nice breakfast, nice rooms, quiet hotel, shuttle service or taxis to ship. We will be there in October.

We have 20 rooms booked there for the Freedom cruise leaving Labor Day weekend. Glad to hear it was decent.

Good stuff, thank you both!

Or maybe more people are using other outlets like Facebook.

 

Before Facebook came along, the RSVP Roll Calls on CC were a LOT more active than they are now. Back in 2009 we had 110 people at the CC meet-and-greet; we have not had anything like that since, it is more like 30-40.

I would be willing to bet that the website traffic for Cruise Critic in general has gone down because of this, which is why promoting Facebook groups on here is not allowed. I've suffered my fair share of 3 day bans for violating those rules so I've come to accept it. It is understandable.

But I will say that I have personally experienced much better participation in meet & greets organized through social media.

Also, the Red Frog Bar.....I've read some reviews there is games in there, how much do they cost to play?? Do you hand the bar tender your S&S card??

Games like foosball are free. Games like beer pong you pay using your S&S card. I think beer pong was $6/pp.

Isn't Miracle going to Tampa and Splendor to the west coast in early 2017? I know a charter cruise is available for Miracle out of Tampa in February or so and some of the Hawaiian ports have Splendor listed for dates in 2017.

We are doing an almost B2B our of LA on Carnival in December. Both the same cruise but 2 different ships. They are only 4 day cruises but with the past passenger rate, they were a steal. Couldn't resist. We will have one day between cruises. Made for a very affordable 8 day cruise experience. :D:D

I'll be on the Imagination with you. Will be the first leg of my first B2B.

The HR Director on the Conquest explained it something along the lines of passengers (for the most part Americans) feel much more comfortable being waited on/catered to by foreigners. That was an interesting angle I hadn't thought of before he said it.

Anyone here have an experience with Norwegian air?

They are the cheapest I'm looking at. I am spending 4-5 days in the UK prior to the transatlantic and I am finding one ways from Los Angeles to London Gatwick for under $400. And on the Boeing 787 at that.

I can't fly home to Nashville round-trip for that price.

Part of the fun of cruising from NOLA is staying there pre- or post-cruise. I don't believe any hotels in the Quarter/CBD/Downtown offer airport and port shuttles, and definitely not on a complimentary basis. Taxis in NOLA are plentiful and cheap.

I like the Crowne Plaza on Canal. It is right next to Bourbon Street and you can get it pretty inexpensively on Hotwire or Priceline, generally.

I just moved to LA and will be cruising from Long Beach for the first time later this year. Looking into shuttles from Burbank, I'd rather not spend ~$120 round trip. It seems a park 'n cruise hotel in Long Beach will be my best bet, for around that same price.

Are there any recommendations other than Maya for 9 nights of parking (B2B 4 day cruises plus the night prior)?

Most roll calls for cruises have moved to social media. They cannot be promoted on Cruise Critic due to the Terms of Service.

Ashby (a buddy of mine from Nashville) is taking a break from cruise contracts for awhile.

The Freedom still boasts two of my favorite cruise directors in Jen Baxter and Wee Jimmy, depending on when you sail her.