txjim09

I've parked in the uncovered area in the north lot a couple times, great location. I recommend finding a spot on the east side of the lot (nearest to the parking lot main entrance) as it is closest to the terminal exit. I can state that the Suite area of the terminal is wonderful! Grab a seat and someone will be by to check you in shortly. After that, grab coffee and pastry and enjoy your time until boarding starts. Disembarkation seemed efficient and immigration has the face scan cameras for those with passports. Grab your bags, face the camera, and head for the exit. I've only been through twice but never saw the Texas tax collector scanning for passengers holding duty-free bags.

I suspect we're on the same cruise (Jan 20?) and the person in our group responsible for Santiago transportation booked the airport pickup through Viator. Sorry, don't know the exact one but I convinced him how nice it is to have someone holding up a sign with your name! He also booked Santiago-San Antonio using Viator, the Traslado Santiago a Puerto de Cruceros trip. I was tempted by the Transport/Tour combos from various sources (including Tours by Locals, by typical go-to) but we will have 2 days in the area pre-cruise. I looked into Princess transfers to the ship but the web site only mentioned airport pickup. I asked a Princess person on a recent cruise who seemed to confirm that but I'm not sure they were well-informed. We're staying at the Sheraton Santiago Hotel and Convention Center pre-cruise, it had reasonable prices and in a good location. One of our new cruisers also noted that it was close to an Irish pub which, it seems, is one of his weaknesses!

Hi, I'm glad this came up because I've been looking for an opportunity to ask you a question about the Sky, it applies to this as well. In MIL equipment I've helped design, we have what's known as a Battlefield Override. If essential equipment is overheating or some other safety system is triggered, an operator can override automatic shutdowns if an essential mission is close to completion or continued operation can save lives. Warning: Uninformed speculation ahead!!! In the case of the Spirit, one would thing that overriding the shutdown and, perhaps, one azipod would have reduced or eliminated injury and perhaps reduced demand on the cooling system. In the case of the Sky, I seem to remember statements from you and others stating perhaps that, although suboptimal, oiling was still occurring and total starvation was not an issue. One would think that overriding the shutdown of at least one system would prevent what was reported as drifting to shore. I admit that my memories of your statements could be way off base but, coming from someone who is more knowledgeable of avionics than marine systems, overriding the shutdown of at least one system would seem warranted if the ship lost control in critical situations. So, how far off base am I?

I did not get an e-mail for the Jewel cancellation yet but did get a response from customer support stating pretty much the same thing. I contacted them because it seemed unethical that a cruise I booked on Oct 31 was cancelled 4 days later. They had to know about the change and took my money regardless. Worse still, I cancelled a GS on the Harmony (at a great price) for this cruise. Prices now have pretty much doubled. Had to pay additional $200 to transfer the booking to the Jewel. Even though I did not ask for and did not expect additional comp beyond refund, the response from Royal strongly implied that they saw my statement as a request for additional credit or perks. I was hoping to get something addressing the fact that they sold a cruise they knew would not sail.

Nadja was there in January, I hope she's had time off since then! We had Nadja and Nadia back then and both were extremely helpful.

I did and the server must have been down, I resent it and received the automated response. I also received a second e-mail a few minutes later: Dear James, Thank you for your request for an onboard credit as part of the Carnival Corp & plc. Shareholder Benefit Program. Carnival Corp is implementing a more automated onboard credit request process in partnership with Stoerks. Please go to www.stockperks.com/carnivalcorp for all details about the program and how to apply for your onboard credit via the Stockperks app. Thank you for being a CCL shareholder! We look forward to welcoming you aboard. Kind regards, Ana Commercial Compliance Support 24303 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355 Looks like my first e-mail triggered this response. No indication on whether my first request was cancelled but went ahead and downloaded the app and sent the same stock info originally sent to Princess. Received a message verifying my ability to participate a couple hours later and officially requested credit. Not a fan of downloading an app that will be infrequently used but can appreciate the reasons behind it.

Probably not related but my stockholder request email (from an account I've used several times in the past) just bounced. Message was " Recipient address rejected: Access denied."

Got to love Royal, received this e-mail today. Twist that knife a some more, guys!

We booked the Jewel Oct '24 transatlantic recently and sw this today: Also see that only the Oasis crossing is showing up today. Anyone else notice anything? I now see that it's departing from Amsterdam in August to Boston. Great looking itinerary....

I also see that they are close to finishing the deal to bring the Texas across the channel to a new home!

Any good BBQ joint here is just as expensive. The best ones are a lot higher

Last time we made that trip from Dallas, we took I35 to Hwy 6 through College Station to Hwy 290. Added about 30 minutes but avoided Woodlands congestion.

Adam Savage (half of the Mythbusters team) got to tour the Discovery Princess with the chief engineer, posted on Youtube. It was sponsored by Princess but still an interesting tour

The concierge is very helpful and it pays to get to know them early, starting with the e-mail you will receive pre-cruise. On the Allure, they escorted us to shows, disembarkation and tenders, all while taking reserved elevators or skipping lines. They made sure we knew what was happening around the ship and generally made sure we were comfortable in the lounge. They are not included in the tip pool and I made sure they understand how much they helped with an appropriate tip.

Very easy walk but limited places to cross Harborside Drive. The crossing is at 25th St, other areas are blocked by tracks or fences. Some work their way to 28th and take their chances but this is sometimes covered by people directing you back to the 25th St. crosswalk. Depending on the time you arrive, there may be police or security helping out with the crossing. There is an overhead crossing in the same area that I've never used.

I would also add that there are a couple luxury bus options from DFW to Houston. We had to get to Austin to fly to a cruise when local airports all but shut down and our trip on Vonlane was something I'd do again without hesitation. Redcoach is also an option. Seats on either are much more comfortable than an airline. Both have bathrooms and Vonlane provides a meal and alcohol for sale! Edit - misspelled "shut" above and was filtered out!

Just posted this in another thread: Hotels with parking/shuttles

I would pick my hotel based on price and location first, Lyft/Uber is always available.

I can't guarantee this is current but try: Galveston Hotels with Shuttles

Hi, are you cruising from Galveston and staying on the island? Some hotels do offer shuttles.

We chose the same flight. Plans are to arrange transport to the BA hotel we'll stay at after our trip to Iguazu Falls to drop of the bulk of our luggage, go to a blue currency exchange place then taxi to AEP. The hotel will hold the large suitcases so here's hoping it's carry-on only on Aerolinas Argentines. For the return day, we did book a service to take us to the Brazil side then transport us to the airport.

I do suggest the Gulf Coast Departures thread, full of parking info, but I'm partial to the North parking lot reserved the Port of Galveston web site. You're in your car and down the road before others find their shuttle bus. Lots of PoG discount codes floating around, check the Gulf Coast thread to see if any recent ones are posted.

Yea, I guess we were throwing credentials around a bit

So, getting back to the topic of this thread.... Yes, the app is sometimes problematic but my experience on-board is enhanced by it's use. I don't expect perfect delivery of drinks in crowded environments and there are times when an order seemed to be delivered to another ship but, all-in-all, the benefits outweigh the negatives for my usage. I suppose that being involved in technology from the days of punch-cards to retirement gives me a greater appreciation of what Princess is trying to attempt although I do wish they would hire better test engineers. As far as cruise critic goes, my main concern is that people don't seem to know that they don't have to jump into a thread they don't want to read! Really, no need to belittle the poster by saying "it's been discussed to death, look it up!" If someone feels compelled to do this, why not provide a helpful link? In another board I follow, there is a rule "attack the post, not the poster." I wish this was a rule here. Of course, the #1 rule was "Don't be a jerk!"

Design engineer of 45 years and person who has written apps here. Deleting cleans up behind-the-scenes corruption.