bus man

And while it would have been nice for them to announce something about the power outage, they probably had nothing to announce but "Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out." With that sort of thing, usually the problem is fixed long before the cause or nature of the issue is determined. And really, you "feared the worst"?? Where on earth have you been, where the lights went out in public and the crowd just immediately freaked out? :confused:

"Sorry, folks, the power seems to be out" would have been a welcome start. It would at least show that the terminal authorities were interested enough in the welfare of their guests to communicate with them, even if only to tell us what we already knew. A follow up of "We're working as fast as we can to get the power back on, and we thank you for your patience" would have been great too. A little bit of communication goes a long way.

Crowd behavior in a potential crisis situation is of more than passing interest to me, as I happen to be the Fire Marshal in my high-rise office building. I've never been in a disaster, thank God, but I've read plenty about them -- not lurid novels, but scholarly accounts of actual events written by the likes of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Fire Protection Association. When disasters have struck places of public assembly, there have often been panics, and they usually start when the lights go out. To be sure, there was no disaster occuring at the terminal. But when the lights went out, I didn't know that the power failure wasn't the start of a disaster -- and neither did anyone else there. That's why my first instinct was to fear the worst, and mentally prepare myself for what I would do. Thankfully, there was no panic or disorder of any kind. But again, in the first couple of seconds, in the almost total darkness of a huge, very crowded room, I didn't know that.

Just curious, but how much of the beautiful, fascinating, historical island itself did you actually get to see? Did you take your kids to see Moody Gardens, or the pirate exhibits, or to look for seashells? Did you drive around and see the gorgeous architecture all over the island? Or did you just go straight to the cruise terminal, later than you should, having done zero research as to it being Holy Week in Mexico, and from all that decided that you're never sailing from Galveston again?

I truly do regret that I didn't get to see but a tiny sliver of Galveston. We did visit Moody Gardens, and loved it. But time simply did not permit more extensive sightseeing (we only get so much time off work, and the kids off school), and I wish it could have been otherwise. You will search my posts in vain for any disparaging remark about Galveston itself; my issues stem entirely from its port. I liked what little bit of the city I saw, and would welcome the opportunity to explore more of it.

The fact that Holy Week is a major vacation period in Mexico was completely unknown to me. Yes, I suppose I should have researched this more carefully. But it simply never occurred to me, and if you don't know what questions to ask, you're not likely to ask them. I knew that it was my kids' spring break, and I knew that it was not the spring break for Texas' schools; but that's as far as my research into that issue took me. Live and learn, as they say.

I've been wondering . . . suppose a hurricane is bearing down on an island. The day before it hits, an evacuation order is given. At this time, there are several cruise ships in port. Would those ships ever take aboard evacuees from among the island's population before departing, or would they simply take their own passengers aboard and then split?

I don't believe the Port "planned" for the power to go out to disrupt everyone:rolleyes:

 

Unfortunately, nothing in life is 100% guaranteed. Stuff happens.

 

Of course you are correct, stuff does indeed happen. The power failure was inconvenient, to be sure. (Let's see how patient YOU are if you've already been waiting for two hours in line, and you've got two tired, hungry, impatient young children with you -- and then you're plunged into an hour-long blackout.) But it wasn't the end of the world. What annoyed me was that during the entire one-hour duration of the event, not once was there any message of any kind relayed by anyone in authority (or, for that matter, anyone period) as to what was going on and what was being done to address the issue.

As you are a building manager, you can surely appreciate the need to keep people informed when the building you are managing is housing several hundred people and is totally dark except for a couple of small emergency lights by the exits and the glow of hundreds of cell-phone screens. And you know -- or you SHOULD know -- that power failures in crowded, auditorium-like buildings have been known to lead to panic and even stampedes (fortunately, nothing of the sort happened here), and therefore, timely information can be critical.

So you will never sail from Galveston again?

Does that mean that if there is a car accident on a nearby interstate highway, you will never drive on that highway again?

Does that mean that if a store is out of milk you will never shop there again?

Does that mean that if the Post Office loses a birthday card, you will stop celebrating your birthday?

Those that know Galveston, enjoy sailing from Galveston!

I gave a more detailed review of my experience in the Gulf Coast Departures board. (I don't know how to link to another post, but the thread title is "Not Impressed with the Port of Galveston.") The power failure was only one of several incidents that accumulated during my three-hour tenancy in the port terminal building, the totality of which has led me to the conclusion that the Port of Galveston is not right for me.

Oh, and to give a serious response to your first point: there is an intersection in my town in which I was involved in an accident that sent me to the hospital, and left my car a total loss. I continue to drive through that intersection every single day.

OP here. Captain Marvin's turned out to be a great choice. Everyone was very nice and friendly and things ran like clockwork throughout the day. There was never any worry about not getting back in time. The crew of the boat heading out to Stingray City let my kids -- and me -- take turns at the wheel. They got some great pictures of us in the water, so we decided to go ahead and cough up the $62 to buy the CD.

My son (age 7) saw a certain stuffed turtle in their Waterfront office where we started off the day's touring, and he couldn't get his mind off of it. We did not see any others of that exact type in any other stores. But then he started worrying that someone else would buy the one at the office before we got back at the end of the tour, and he wouldn't be able to have it. Our guide (sadly, I can't remember his name) radioed the office, had them locate the turtle in question, and asked them to put it aside so it would be there when we got back. The smile on my son's face when he was reunited with his little friend, and I bought it for him, was priceless.

Thank you all for recommending Captain Marvin's!

We'd like to visit both Discover Mexico and Chankanaab on our upcoming visit to Cozumel. RCI has a tour to both places, and the description implies that the price includes transportation. Does anyone know if this is at a fixed time, or if you can go from the pier to Discover Mexico, and then from there to Chankanaab, and then from there back to the ship, on your own schedule?

 

The Discover Mexico website also lists a combo ticket. This one says that it includes admission to both parks and transportation between them. I assume that transfers to and from the ship are your own responsibility. Is the transportation between the two parks done on your own schedule, or at fixed times?

 

We'll be traveling with two young kids (7.5 and 5.5), so it would make a difference if one or the other of these options would use regular buses for which we would not need booster seats. I am assuming that if we use taxis, we would need to provide booster seats, correct?

 

Thanks for any information you can provide!

Now that I've done it, I'm going to answer my own question. :D

We got the combo package through a private vendor. Yes, transfers to and from the ship are your own responsibility. You go to Discover Mexico first, then Chankanaab. You go through each park on your own schedule. When you're done with Discover Mexico, they'll show you into a waiting taxi and send you on to Chankanaab.

We did not need booster seats for our kids, but we did have them wear seat belts.

We were late getting on one afternoon and only got a note of a snack before muster drill so I know how tough that can be...had to be worse with No food

No food since breakfast, and two young children added to the mix, and yeah, it wasn't fun. Thankfully we were able to distract them with the games on our iPhones.

This was my first cruise out of Galveston, and it will be my last. Fortunately, the cruise itself was great. But it sure got off on the wrong foot.

It's all good, not a problem at all. I hope you had a good time there!

 

 

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Yep, it was our best day. My kids LOVED the Turtle Farm.

I sailed out of Galveston on the Navigator of the Seas on April 13th. We (my family and I) got there just before 1:00 p.m., and after a few minutes, were assisted by a bored, listless, not particularly friendly porter. And then we joined the looooooooooooooooooooooong line that stretched all the way across the entire front of the terminal.

When at long last we finally got inside the building, what did we see but another painfully long line, snaking its way through the building. It took us a full two hours to get nearly to the head of the line . . . only to have the building's power go out. There was a collective gasp from the crowd, and for a moment I feared the worst -- a panicked crowd can get ugly in a big hurry. But thankfully, there was no panic, just resigned acceptance. However, not once did anyone in authority attempt to inform us as to the nature of the outage or its expected duration.

Finally, an hour later, the power came back on, and we were checked in by an exceptionally friendly RCI agent. (She was the lone bright spot in our check-in experience.) When I asked her why the wait was so long, she said it was because there were so many Mexicans checking in, and their paperwork often needed extra attention. (I later found out that our passenger count included about 1,800 Americans and about 1,700 Mexicans. Is this typical?)

When at last we were allowed to board the ship, we followed the direction of a staffer who was sending people out onto the dock, to board through the lower cargo gangways. But then another employee came up and angrily demanded to know what the first one was doing. We were told to go back and join the line heading up the "regular" way up the escalator. And so we did, and ended up getting stuck waiting inside the boarding walkway, tantalizingly close to the ship. I looked down onto the dock to observe a tractor pulling a line of luggage carts, with suitcases falling off on either side. At last the driver noticed, and stopped . . . only to have another cart come along and run into him, spilling some of his own load.

By the time we'd gotten on board and dropped off our stuff in the cabin, it was almost time for the muster drill. We ended up not getting a single bite to eat from when we had breakfast at our pre-cruise hotel until we had dinner on the ship.

This was my first time cruising out of Galveston, and it will be my last.

At least I do have a happy ending to report. When we came back, I took the advice I had learned right here on Cruise Critic and procured a porter. In less than 10 minutes after getting our luggage, she had gotten us around the huge line, cleared through customs, out the door, and into a taxi. She earned every penny of her tip! Big thank-you to my fellow Cruise Critics! :)

OP, I must apologize. I saw your post just before my Western Caribbean cruise, and since I would be visiting the Turtle Farm, I told myself that I would get you that stingray. Well, I did indeed visit the Turtle Farm . . . but I just plain forgot. Please forgive me, and I hope someone with a better memory will come through for you.

On the third night of my Western Caribbean cruise on the Navigator, a passenger experienced an unspecified medical emergency. (I heard someone say it was a heart attack, but this was not confirmed.) The ship made an unscheduled stop at Grand Cayman, which was the nearest island, and the passenger was off-loaded onto a boat and sent ashore. As the boat pulled away, the passengers lined up on deck to watch broke into applause.

My prayers for the recovery of the individual affected. I was glad that, if it had to happen at all, at least the ship was close to a port with adequate medical facilities available. I also thought it was kind of neat to see the lights of Grand Cayman (I've never been there at night before) with a full moon overhead.

As it happened, the ship returned to Grand Cayman two days later for its scheduled stop. I wondered if the passenger was well enough to get back on board and thus get an already-paid-for ride back home, instead of having to be evacuated by air; but I was not able to find out.

I had a hump cabin on the Navigator (Deck 9) and I didn't think the balcony was any bigger than any other. What I liked about our cabin was the proximity to the elevators and stairways.

I'm now 3 for 3 making Grand Cayman. Woo-hoo!

Our tour guide said that in the prior week, they had missed four days worth of business due to rough seas . . . as the prior posters experienced. I would like to think that the local government would be spurred by the economic impact of missed ships to build a pier, but I suppose there's a compelling reason why they haven't.

Suppose that will delay sail away. Enjoy the cruise

Yep, we left two hours late. Didn't get to eat anything before dinner, so we were all pretty famished by then. But it was all uphill from there!

On the ship at last. Western Caribbean, here we come!

Power back on after being down one hour. In line to board now.

I've been waiting from 1:00 to 3:00 to board the Navigator at Galveston. Near the head of the line and the terminal power went out!

I'm 2 for 2 making it, once in January and the other in October. On that latter one, they rushed us getting out because a hurricane was approaching; the ship was actually turning around to leave as the last tenders came along side.

I'm REALLY hoping to make it 3 for 3 next week, as my kids (who have not yet been) are eagerly anticipating the Turtle Farm and Stingray City.

Ive heard so many mixed reviews about this ship that it has made me second guess myself.

I've sailed on the Grandeur twice now, and loved her both times. I'd go again in a heartbeat. She's been recently refurbished, so she should be better than ever.

All of my cruises thus far have been during times when most schools are in session, yet I've never been on a cruise that has been completely devoid of kids. There have always been a few, here and there. My cruise two years ago was in late April, after most peoples' spring breaks; yet I do recall seeing a few tweens aboard.

That said, your DS is at an age when most parents don't want to pull their kids out of school. So it's more likely that most (all?) of the other kids would be younger than one's he'd want to play with.

It's always possible that you'll get a few homeschooling families, or one or two who were willing to pull their kids out of school to get a good rate on the cruise.

Failing that . . . have you cruised before? If so, then at least your DS will know what to expect of the experience, and be prepared accordingly. Personally, I can't imagine ever being bored on a cruise ship . . . but then again, I'm a few years north of age 12. :)

You can always bring his favorite electronic device, and if he's bored out of his mind, just let him sit in the cabin and play on it all day. Not much of a vacation, IMO, but it sure beats a surly teenager!

Why not compromise? You're going to be concerned about the car, and want to get on the road as soon as possible on return.

 

Consider driving down to somewhere between Aberdeen and White Marsh and spend the night. There are abundant hotels (think Fairfield, Holiday Inn Express, Courtyard) in both locations. You're then looking at 30-45 minutes into the pier. You can probably save on the hotel. Yes, it'll be more expensive than either of your options, but I think you'll feel better about your car, and you'll be there the morning of the cruise.

Thank you all for your sound advice... clearly the "leave a day early" votes heavily outweighs the drive down the same day (my sole one vote... :( )

 

I think I will heed the advice given and drive down the night before and try the shuttle once.

 

We do appreciate everyone's input and taking the time to help.

Here's to blue skies and calm seas...

I like markeb's idea the best, though yours will work too. You can look at it as starting your vacation a day early, and taking your own sweet time driving down the day before without having to rush and stress. It'll help put you in the cruising frame of mind.

If you do choose to stay at the Best Western Plus, you might like to know that there are two good seafood restaurants nearby, both of them a short (driving) distance to the east on Dorsey Road. The first one you come to is Timbuktu (on the left) and the second is Gunning's (on the right). Personally, I think the food is about equally good at both, and I prefer the ambiance of Gunning's; but you'd do fine at either one.

Maybe you'd find something on eBay? I have old(ish) airline, bus, and rail timetables, but alas, no cruise line or steamship line ones. Sorry.

You could try what I do with my son: 3 hours (give or take) after I put him to bed, I scoop him off the bed, carry him into the bathroom, stand him in front of the toilet, and let him do his thing. This is in addition to wearing pull-ups. He pumps enough out during his bathroom visit that the pull-up is able to contain whatever else comes later on during the night. I haven't had to deal with wet sheets in quite some time now.

We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle with 3 young kids (two of my own, the other with friends traveling with us), all of whom needed booster seats. Our experiences were totally positive, all the way. The shuttles were on time in both directions, and the needed seats were provided without any problem. They even popped in a Disney video so the kids could be entertained on the drive.

If you need a car seat (not a booster seat), I can't speak to that. But based on our experiences, I would recommend them without qualification.

I'll go ahead and pile on with everyone else. My kids (now 7 and 5) have each taken 1 or 2 trips by plane each year, every year since they were 1 year old. And they love it! For them, everything about air travel is fun: watching the people at the airport, going through security (yes, really), getting to eat "airport food," watching the ground equipment do its thing, boarding the plane, feeling the plane move and take off . . . you get the idea. We've taken flights of up to 5 hours in duration, and never had any trouble to speak of.

I wouldn't worry about your kids being scared. More likely than not, it'll be one of the hightlights of their trip. I didn't take my first airline flight until I was 10 years old, but I still remember how amazing and exciting I thought it was.

Even if worst comes to worst, and one of them gets airsick . . . well, those little bags in the seat pockets are there for a reason. It's happened to my younger kid, twice now; but she gets over it, and the thrill of air travel remains undiminished.

The noro outbreak on the Explorer has brought back to mind a question I've had. Suppose, on the morning of your cruise departure, you wake up to find yourself nauseous, or having to, ahem, sit on the toilet for awhile. Then you go to the port, and you have to fill out the health form. What should you do?

If you tell the truth, you run the risk of being denied boarding. So there goes your cruise down the drain, and the people traveling with you have to decide whether to leave you behind or give up their cruise as well. Assuming you have trip insurance, would it cover the costs in this situation? And even if it did, you're still out the airfare, not to mention you'll probably have to pay a change fee and/or a higher fare to return back home earlier than you'd planned. In other words, you've probably just lost thousands of dollars, not to mention the vacation that you've been anticipating for months.

On the other hand, if you lie and manage to get aboard, you run the risk of infecting hundreds of other people, and ruining their cruise. For anyone who is not a sociopath, this has to be a very important consideration as well. Would it help if you self-quarantined yourself in your cabin, so at least your companions could still get their cruise? (And, you wouldn't have to deal with changing your return plane tickets.) After all, your stomach troubles could easily clear up in a day or two. Or, should you report to the infirmary?

There is a great financial incentive to lie, and a great altruistic incentive to tell the truth. What would you/should you/could you do in this situation? (Before you flame me, please know that this is a hypothetical situation for me; I've never yet been sick on departure day . . . knock on wood!)