OKLandShark

21 hours ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

I'm in Oklahoma, too (Tulsa area) and the drive to Galveston isn't too bad at all.  I've also done two cruises out of New Orleans, but those are smaller ships and New Orleans isn't the best place to take such young kids before a cruise.

 

Liberty is a great ship (she sails out of Galveston year round).  She's not quite the same as the Oasis class, but there's definitely a ton of things to do for both the adults and the kids (and you can drive there).  I've never cruised with such young ones, but the Adventure Ocean facilities seem amazing from everything I've seen about them.  Liberty has a great kids' pool, too (I wanted to play in it but didn't have a kid with me so didn't have an excuse).

 

I never posted my Harmony of the Seas review, but I'm just gonna say that it was an amazing ship that felt just a bit too big.  You go for the ship, not any of the ports.  I didn't mind having to make reservations, but it was a bit inconvenient because you couldn't easily change you mind at the last minute.  Especially for the comedy show.  But you have small children so aren't going to the comedy show anyway.  But the aqua show is something everyone should see at least once.  It was incredible.  One of the best shows I've seen anywhere.  Food and drink were great.  It was a fabulous ship for all the young 20 somethings in our party (and they did party).  But I missed the pool in the Solarium and hated the crowded Windjammer.  Jaime's Italian was incredible and our Central Park Balcony rooms were gorgeous and peaceful.  So, pros and cons.

 

That's why I suggested Liberty.  It's got water slides, rock climbing, mini golf, ice skating, a character parade (and maybe breakfast?), and enough variety to keep you and your kids busy.  It doesn't have the aqua show or zip line, but it's far easier to get to for you than FLL or MIA.

 

I took my elderly parents in 2016 and it was, honestly, even too big for them.  But they don't do all those activities.  They prefer seeing the sea, dining, listening to good music.  Relaxing.  So the radiance class is a better fit for them.  Which makes sense, right?  Every class has a different vibe to it and the larger ships seem to be more about the ship than the sea, imho.  That's not a criticism.  I'm looking forward to be able to take my kids (those 20 somethings) on the Liberty at some point. Just, different strokes for different folks.

 

If you have any specific questions, I'm sure someone on this board will have an answer!

 

Cool Thanks for all the info!  We are in Broken Arrow!  You are right, the drive to Galveston is a pretty easy and simple drive for being 9 or so hours!

Thanks to everyone! All the  info has been and will be hugely helpful!  Very informative!  You guys are awesome!  

I think when we get it decided, it will be either the Liberty of the Seas from Galveston or try out one of the Oasis class.  Just not sure yet!

Thanks again!

Sorry about not mentioning that we are a family of 4.  2 daughters aged 9 and 3.  I really did not have any ship in mind yet, as we are recently got back from the Vista in October and are planning for next fall.  As for the entertainment and food, we enjoy trying all that is offered, which is all part of the experience.  

Thank you to all that responded and any more info is always helpful!

HBE4---Do you have any more info about how the restaurants are set up for the inclusive and for-fee restaurants charge??  

TIA  

Hi All!  As the title reads, we have cruised 6 times with Carnival and once with Norwegian, but we are wanting to try out Royal.  I haven't researched very much yet, but I wanted to ask everyone what their advice was for Royal.  What are the things with Royal that are "must see"  or "must do" as far as ships, amenities and/or restaurants and dining options, etc.  What are you recommendations for the ships?  I have seen all the amazing advertisements for the new Symphony of the Seas and the other recent ships ,which all look awesome!   What about some of the other ships.  I live in Oklahoma, so I don't really have a preference on the embarkation port, We have sailed from Miami and FLL as much as we have from Galveston.  

What are the things to be aware that you may not have liked as much as you had hoped to with Royal that you may have liked on other cruise lines?

Thanks for your help!

Just off the Conquest 6 day and there were no special theme nights. The formal nights were Monday and Thursday nights. Never went to the gym, not sure on that question. And for Nassau, a lot of people got off the ship from what I could tell.

Hope that helps!

Hello all,

Looking for the Fun Times from the Conquest 6 day Eastern Caribbean from Port Everglades that someone may have posted recently or found a link to. I have searched, but have not had any luck.

Trying to figure out the elegant evenings for a steakhouse reservation. I figure one night will be either the first day after being in Nassau or the second day after being at Half Moon Cay.

Thanks,

We have cruised Carnival twice and RCI once with another Royal cruise coming up in a few weeks!

 

While there are a lot of similarities, we definitely like Royal better but will book whatever line and itinerary suits us. In our opinion, Royal had better entertainment, better buffet food, much more pleasant decor, and better ship layout overall. Their adult only solariums are enclosed and very nice compared to Carnival's "serenity" areas.

Thanks, that is what we have read and heard from a few friends that have also cruise with both Carnival and Royal.

Ooooo, best of both worlds: Jewel of the Seas AND San Juan! There's a JoS review in my signature if you want to see some pictures of her. I really loved that ship!!

I liked the review for the Jewel, it was great and the pictures were amazing!

Thanks again to everyone for their opinions and info, they have been very helpful!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and tips! I look forward to trying Royal!

Just a suggestion but don't ask whether you are allowed to wear shorts for dinner.

Good thing is I never wore shorts to the dining room on Carnival, my wife and I always dressed up both formal and casual for the main dining room and treated it as a nice date night! No worries on that! :)

Hello all,

As the title states, my wife and I are thinking of trying Royal for the first time for a Southern Caribbean from San Juan on Jewel of the Seas and would like some helpful tips and advice on Royal after really only cruising on Carnival. Any info helps as far as experiences great, good or bad!

Also looking for info on places to stay in San Juan before the cruise and tips on getting to the port from either the airport or hotels.

Thanks for the help!

Thank you TrueTexan! I appreciate the response!

Hello all,

We are driving to Galveston in October for a cruise on the Breeze. We have a hotel for the Friday night and Saturday night in Webster near NASA. I have been browsing the threads and have noticed talk about the traffic on the morning of the cruises. Our plan was to drive from Webster between 8 AM and 9 AM and find a place to breakfast on Sunday morning and then go drop off our car at Park-N-Cruise then head to the cruise terminal.

My question is would it be better to stay in Galveston that Saturday night to help avoid some traffic or would be OK to stay with our current reservation and just drive from Webster on Sunday morning(maybe just a little earlier or later)

We have only cruised from Galveston once, but we had the bus transfer from the airport that time.

Also, any suggestions for other fun things to see or do while in the area on Saturday and breakfast places for Sunday??? (We will also have our 7 year old daughter on this cruise)

Thanks in Advance!

So far, we have kept the sail & sign cards, ship maps, the Capers/Fun-times daily itineraries from the ships. We also try and pick up a magnet from every port we go to and from each ship with the ships details.

1st pic is leaving Miami on the Valor in 2012 and the 2nd pic is arriving in Key West the next morning!

Ship - Getaway

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9232

Stateroom Category – Mini Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Port Side, Mid Ship

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – No, Noise from sugarcane Bar and Waterfront below. Is it unbearable, not really unless you are a lite sleeper!

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – View is Good with the exception that the Waterfront roof is right outside the balcony and the life boats are also right off the line of sight from the waterfront roof. YOU CAN NOT LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN TO SEE THE WATER!

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Size is in the small size, very tight with 2 chairs and a small table.

Was wind a problem? - No, very little wind in this location

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - No and no problem with soot.

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No, pretty nice layout for 2 people with the king bed.

Any other comments? - The bathroom is very spacious in the mini suite, it has a full size shower with multiple water jets, sliding glass door(no water all over the floor like the smaller showers with only a curtain)! It also has a sink with two faucets, large mirror and toiletry tray above the sink and plenty of storage under the sink.

Thanks for the Review, the pictures and details are a great help for our upcoming Getaway in September!

Thanks, again!

...Scary part we can only go every other year...

That is same for us, usually every other year. And we get very excited when the days finally get to the single digits!

Like others have already said,

We would be dancing everyday til we stepped on board!

Enjoy your cruise!

My wife had always wondered about this b/c she was disappointed when she didn't get any stamps on our first cruise. But, then again we didn't know about CC when we went(hard to believe, huh?). Now we can get our passports stamped and have a cool little free souvenior(sp)!

Thanks for the info