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If I want to avoid Harborside and continue on Broadway what street would I turn on to enter Lighthouse covered parking lot?

So many great reviews going on right now,  but I have to say yours is my favorite!!

1 hour ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Today is just slowly moving. Usually my days seem to fly by and before I know it, the kids are running off the bus. Pre-cruise departure day, time creeps by. 
Everyone is packed, car snacks have been procured, documents ready… let’s go clock. 

I'm not even packed yet and I'm heading to Galveston in the morning also 😆

It will be fun reading your take of a cruise that I am on also.

I've read all your reviews, hope to see you on the ship!

I will also be on that priority tender at HMC. Last time I was there it rained ALL DAY,  fingers crossed for a bright sunny day.

Has anyone stayed at the Quality Inn on the seawall in Galveston recently?

I have a reservation for one night pre-cruise coming up and was hoping to get a first hand opinion of the facilities. Any comments welcome.

5 hours ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Carnival Dream 8 nights from Galveston. It’s sold out or I tell you to come on. 😉

I’ll be on this cruise too!

2 hours ago, 1kaper said:

When we got off in March, we were one of the first group off.  There weren't many options for a Lyft and it took a few minutes to get my ride accepted.  
We did end up getting one. 

During our stay in Galveston I chatted with a few of the drivers while on rides.  From what I understand a lot don't feel it worth it to drive as most people getting off the ship are staying another night and don't go far.  I thought it would be the opposite, lots of people looking for rides, so lots of people looking to drive.  But I guess they don't make much money on the short trips. 

That's odd, I think we waited less than 5 minutes when we got off the ship.

Yes, I used Lyft to the port from Hobby and back last October, very easy and quick.

Very impressive reporting and pictures! I would still be at the first subway fresh off the plane trying to figure out which train to get on.

2 minutes ago, STXcruiser1981 said:

DANG!!! I already pre-paid for parking at the port... But maybe if uber/lyft is cheaper by the total I can still cancel it... I did not know they offered free parking here anymore!!!

I had to ask about the parking, it's not advertised anywhere, but I do have a text from the front office manager confirming if you stay 1 night the parking for duration of cruise is complementary.

I used Lyft from Holiday Inn (seawall) in February and it was around $8 before tip.

2 hours ago, STXcruiser1981 said:

 

Hotel

Being that this cruise is out of my “home port”, I could have driven down the morning of. But who wants to do that if it can at all be avoided? I would probably be too tired and after boarding be either a zombie or asleep before sail away!! NOT how I want to start my vacation!!! When cruising out of Galveston, there are many choices for hotels/B and B’s, or rentals available on the island but, the question is how much do you want to “pony up” to stay there or close to the port? Usually I stay somewhere just outside of Houston the night before and mosey my way across and down to the port on cruised day. This time I will be staying on the island, due to the construction they are experiencing some long, long travel times between Houston and the island. Now, I am NOT one that has to have the fancy hotels will all the bells and whistles. My requirements are simple this trip:

1.       On the island

2.       Breakfast included or something close by

3.        A clean room

4.       Something for dinner close

5.       Not too far from cruise parking

6.       Good AC

7.       Comfy bed

I don’t pinch pennies but I am not going to spend over $200-250.00 for a place to simply lay my head for 8 hours… If this was a situation where I was staying a day or two pre-cruise like I normally do then I would have picked a hotel with a beach view and probably spent a little bit more for a different room.

 

So I started looking around checking with all the usual suspects… Expedia, HotWire, etc. trying to find a “deal” that fell in the parameters I was looking for on this trip. I put a few on a watch list to see if the prices would change up/down etc. and thought that I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do. About 4-5 days of watching and I caught a price drop/sale on Expedia for a beachfront hotel. It has some mixed reviews… But from reading I get the feeling that part of it is simple… People are setting too high of expectations for a budget hotel and some are expecting 5 star service at a place that is just not set up or run that way. Now granted, it’s not a “fancy” 5 star hotel, but it does have 3.8/5 stars on Expedia and it’s near the beach, has a breakfast that is included, and I got a queen beach view room for a grand total of $90.00 +/-. SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beach view is not the same as beachfront here… it looks like beach is across the street and some rooms have better views than others so no skin off my back.

So I have some food choices for dinner after check in and a breakfast option IF the hotel breakfast is subpar. There is also a Starbucks close by. I will not be over indulging at breakfast, just putting something in my tummy to make it until lunch at Guy’s or some street taco’s from Blue Iguana and to have a base for which alcohol will be absorbed!! Depending on how my drive down goes and what time I get there I may do a walk about in Galveston to have a few drinks to kick start vacation, but with my MS after a 3-4 hour drive I might be having a quick dinner and calling it a night. I might make good time and have no issues or I might have to stop more than I do when I have the minions…  Every day is a roll of the dice and never know what I will face when I wake up. I am hoping for one of those GOOD days to where I will not be exhausted from sitting on my derriere and will have some energy to explore!  I know on a Sunday happy hours and things like that may be hard to come by but I’m banking on there being somewhere to hang out and watch the end of the Steelers/Lions game. I doubt I will be on the island before the game starts so I’ll be looking for somewhere to watch from halftime on… IF traffic doesn’t drive me up the wall getting there!!!

 

~Jay~

 

Curious to hear about your stay here, I have it booked for my October cruise on Dream. Also, they let you leave your car for no charge the duration of your cruise.

I used OBC to book an excursion on my upcoming cruise. If I cancel the excursion online will the $$ automatically go back to my OBC or does someone at Carnival have to handle the transaction?? I've reached out to my PVP but haven't gotten an answer. I don't want to hit the cancel button until I know for sure.

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Just a warning, that I have seen reports on here that newer "ceramic" curling irons will not work onboard cruise ships, due to the electronics in the curling iron.

I can confirm that Sam Villa flat iron did not work on Vista, but Revlon has worked on all other ships I've been on.

Quality Inn on Seawall

1 hour ago, MeganGC1983 said:

In room masks, Ukraine letter and Covid policies

Where onboard are the masks required?

I'll be getting on Vista when you get off. Last night Carnival changed our stop from Ocho Rios to Falmouth and shaved off 2 hours each at Grand Cayman and Cozumel, leaving little time to really do anything at either port.

Many are speculating that the ship is having issues and must sail at a slower speed. I'll' be anxious to hear from you how it is going next week.

Does the public beaches have lounge chairs and umbrellas to rent? What about drink/food service?

On 1/9/2022 at 8:05 AM, ssb said:

Uber can pick up/drop off on Harborside street outside terminals area. Lift and certain taxis are licensed to enter terminals area for more convenient service . 

Can Lyft let off and pick up right at the terminal area where the porters take your luggage? My mom has trouble walking very far.

Thanks 1Texansgo, I went ahead and booked it. The free parking for the duration of cruise was a bonus.

I'm thinking about booking Gaidos Inn for a pre cruise stay, I won't need the shuttle.

Has anyone stayed there recently? Pro? Cons? It's a good rate and doesn't require a 2 night stay.

It's been years since I stayed there so just trying to get some updated information on it.

We got a Lyft at Hobby to Harbor House earlier this month and it was less than $50, there was 2 of us.

Looking for opinions on the Carnival transportation to Hobby airport from cruisers who have used it recently.

I don't need it from the airport, just for the return trip. Flight leaves Hobby at 1:30pm, would the 10:00am transfer be reliable, or should I book the 9:00am?

Thanks, that worked

I always order a couple 12 pks of water for the cabin but I do not see it as an option on my booking.

Does anyone know if that is no longer available? I just got it earlier this month on the Breeze.

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

42 1/2 hours.

thanks, I sail on a Sunday, driving to the airport Friday, and have the PCR with Quest scheduled for Thursday am. I may try to get a rapid antigen test Friday before leaving town just to be safe.