Galveston cruisers, your thoughts please on RCCL

[ssb]

We are bias to RCCL!

And have sailed MSC Orchrestra which was brand new at,

and Carribean Princess and Grand Princess.

 

It would though be hard to past up the Magic for a honeymoon

if its your first cruise considering it a brand new ship.

 

We have sailed Navigator built in 2003

which is sister ship to Mariner built in same year.

Both are Voyager "Class' and the Voyager "Ship" was built in 1999.

Voyager was largest cruise ship in world in 1999.

 

We love the Voyager and the Navigator.

Sure we will love the Mariner!

 

Might look at destinations for additional considerations.

 

Best Wishes

[jdotexas]

As a 7 time cruiser who has sailed aboard the Voyager and the Conquest, I think the food in the Main dining room are pretty much identical, now the buffet is a whole different story. The buffet on the Voyager is way better than on the Conquest.

The theatre and the dinning rooms are beautiful on Royal Caribbean, whereas on Carnival not so much.

Service was the same on both.

Conquest has the Outdoor screen on the pool deck is pretty cool.

Conquest passengers with balconies and better are treated like a preferred passanger upon boarding. All in all though I like the the Voyager of the Seas hands down better, but you can't go wrong with either choice. Good luck and may you find smooth seas ahead!

JD

[wrp96]

Wow Wrona thanks. I had no idea. I was just assuming it was enclosed. The kids never told me whether they used the Solarium or not. I just mentioned it as a possible option. I sure missed the boat on that one ... forgive the bad pun :p I think it was covered on the Rhapsody? :confused:

 

 

Yep covered on Rhapsody. On the Voyager class (and Freedom class), the original plan was to have it covered but when they went to design the roof they discovered it added too much weight to the top of the ship, changing the center of gravity. So no roof on the solarium on the Voyager class.

[Cats' slave]

I've never sailed on Carnival so I can't compare, but I have sailed on Celebrity, Holland, RCCL, and Princess. Mariner is by far my favorite ship.

[BonTXNY]

I've never sailed on Carnival so I can't compare' date=' but I have sailed on Celebrity, Holland, RCCL, and Princess. Mariner is by far my favorite ship.[/quote']

 

Good to know! I live in drivable distance to Galveston. The West Coast loss is our gain :D

[LoneStarJeffe]

My wife and I love Voyager! We will be taking our third cruise on her shortly (departing in 10 days). I think if pricing is equal, you should decide which cruise experience you want to enjoy long term. For us, we just felt the balance was right on Voyager. it is not party all the time but you can certainly party if you wish. It is kid friendly but not overrun with children. I like the design of RCL ships and the fact they never feel really crowded to me. Taking our third cruise to the same destinations shows we cruise for the cruise and not the destinations. I enjoy the Caribbean destinations out of Galveston but they are not a major factor in our decision to cruise from there. Not flying is our primary deciding factor. Because there are benefits of staying with one cruise line and building up loyalty credits. We tried several cruise lines and RCL just felt right. Others feel the same only about Carnival. It is all what you like. Carnival offers a very good product and so does RCL.

 

As far as Galveston, I live just north of Houston and so driving to the port instead of flying is a huge plus for us. I do not find flying these days at all relaxing or fun. So flying is not my preference to start a vacation.

 

As others have pointed out, fog can be a serious consideration for departing out of Galveston in the winter. But if you fly somewhere else, winter weather can still be a consideration so to me that is a wash and not a negative.

 

One factor not mentioned but I consider a plus for Galveston is Texans know how to have fun. I have always enjoyed my fellow passengers when cruising out of Texas. It is always a good mix of people and I really like that about cruising out of Galveston.

 

I have not experienced transportation from the Houston airports to the cruise ship port in Galveston. While it is a slightly longer drive than some other ports, I am not aware of any issues. Embarkation and debarkation have always been smooth unless there is weather or a customs full inspection which causes delays anywhere and not just Galveston.

 

No matter what you choose, you will be on a cruise! So you cannot go wrong. Best wishes.

[Jimnbigd]

Actually, Mariner is larger at 140,000 compare to Magic's 130,000 tons.

 

Mariner and Voyager are larger, but oddly the Magic holds more passengers (3610). Voyager/Mariner each hold 3114.

Maybe that's one reason Carnival ships seem more crowded to me -- more people in less space.

[bilyclub]

It helps more than the review posted by the guy who refused to pack formal attire and was PO'ed that he couldn't get lobster on the buffet on elegant night and thus won't sail RCCL again...

 

Thanks, y'all. Sounds like the ships are more similar than different and that a cruise is what you make of it. Magic will be bigger than Mariner, but Mariner will probably have less pink. ;)

 

 

Magic is not bigger than the Mariner.

 

You beat me...

[Kellie Poodle]

I will be sailing for the fifth time on Voyager of the Seas. She is a beautiful ship in really good shape (last sailed on her a year ago) and she has one of the friendliest crews on the high seas.

 

I am retired from the financial industry. I could pay less and cruise with Carnival, but purple dining rooms interfere with my digestion.

 

I am looking forward to sailing Mariner. From what I can see the cabins are a tad larger and there is a Chops, which DH would just love.

[hollon]

I actually loved the mariner, leaving out of p.c. over the voyager in galveston, even though they are sister ships to me the entertainment was better on the mariner and cruise director was better, etc, just my opinion...

[stewpapa]

We've done both the Conquest and Voyager out of Galveston. They were both great cruises and beautiful ships. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose the Voyager. I thought most things were pretty much equal, giving an edge to Voyager for the Dining Room experience and even the Buffet. We had an aft balcony on the Voyager which we liked very much. If there is a big price difference, we would go on Conquest again to save money, but the Voyager was the better experience for us.

[krogerwalledlake]

I thought I read that Voyager was moving back to New Orleans next year. Look at the itinery for this Cruise. I think you have like 4 days of cruising out of 7. Not much time in any ports.

[satxdiver]

The VOTS is the first ship of the voyager class while the MOTS is the newest and last ship of the series. I have sailed on both as well as the AOTS. As far as layout, they are identical. There are cosmetic changes but that is it. To me it does not make any difference which voyager class ship is in Galveston a few months each year.

 

Carnival is replacing both their ships at the Galveston port with two brand new ones. The Magic will be doing 7 day cruises and I hope to sail on it after it arrives. The big thing is that it is there all year.

 

The major Houston airport is 55 miles to the north and one must go through the center of Houston to get there. It is a time consuming and expensive trip. That to me would be a real negative point. However I drive since I don't live that far away from Galveston. My main complaint about Galveston is the sad shape of the cruise terminals. Access is a nightmare and parking leaves much to be desired. I use EZ-cruise which works out.

[enidcruiser]

We have only sailed Rhapsody out of Galveston but we love RCCL and have sailed out of 3 other ports on their ships. Of course we would prefer Galveston since it is only 1 1/2 hours from home. Since Voyager/Mariner in 2012 only cruise out of here from Nov through April, it limits our choices of time of year.

I like the comments about the comparisons and that people have been very honest but not harsh about their opinions. Thanks everyone for the great information. I hope this all helps the Original Poster with the information they were asking for. It helped me.

Thanks

Julia

[soakedbythesea]

Looking to book a honeymoon in January of 2012, departing from Galveston.

 

I haven't seen much on the boards about the Royal cruises out of Galveston, although they're just getting started again for the season.

 

I have done the Conquest, so while it's a different ship, I have a reasonable idea of what to expect from them.

 

I don't know much about Royal's cruises out of that port. What few reviews I've read are are either cranky people with axes to grind or VIPs who think RCCL can do no wrong. I figure that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

But for our date, the itinerary is the same and the price is roughly the same. So, without this thread degenerating into a shouting match about how Royal is the Mall of the Seas and how Carnival is a bunch of low class hooligans, tell me about the onboard experience on a Royal ship out of Galveston. Are you nickled and dimed to death? What kinds of things are there to do? Is there enough space in the common areas (pools & deck chairs, etc.) to do your thing without feeling cramped for space? Are the hot tubs actually hot, or just lukewarm? Did you have to wait in many lines?

 

About us: she's in her mid 30's, and I'll have just turned 40 when we go. We don't drink much. We'd probably end up in a balcony cabin.

 

You should find either the new Carnival Magic or the seasoned Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas great with your bride. It does seem to be the attitude of the cruisers making their own magic. Being on a honeymoon, yall will probably think of things to do without needing formal entertainment to fill all of your moments anyway.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding - We wish you the best for a lifetime. One thing that we usually do is continue our honeymoon each cruise, even though we've been married for many years, have 6 children and 9 grandchildren.

Comparing the 2 ships is kind of like comparing time away from work, time to make new friends, sleep in, dance the night away, enjoy some of the onboard shows and activities, with interesting dining choices everyday.

We were even looking forward to our cruise on Carnival Splendor this year, but it didn't get back into service, so we went on Carnival Spirit and had a great time. May 1 we sail out on Voyager of the Seas last sailing from Galveston and hope we have as much fun as we did on Adventure of the Seas last year. RCCL usually treats CruiseCritic folks better and we look forward to getting a deal onboard VOS to sail back on Mariner from Rome next year. Shows on RCCL are a tad better it seems too.

Have fun picking the one you get the best itineray and enjoy sailing away with your bride to make memories wherever you go.

Nickled & Dimed - yup; wanna stand in line - some do, while others let the crowd disperse and then go to their table in the dining room a few minutes after the ones who show up early; pools & spas are variable on both - cramped - Yup, it's a cruise ship, so we're supposed to be packed in like sardines, which is why we all hope you have found someone you enjoy being packed in with for at least a week or so, but hopefully many years.

[firefly333]

Im looking forward to Mariner Jan 2012 myself, so I clicked on this thread naturally. Magic is actually more $$$ than Mariner, over $100 pp more!! I would never pay more for Magic, even if it is newer. Dream has lots of complaints about overcrowding. They put the hot tubs that jut out on promenade deck so they can see into the balconys of the next deck up. People paying for a balcony, unless they come on CC dont know about the lack of privacy and that you cant see down to the water.

 

Of course since I picked Mariner, you know my choice .. seems like a easy choice to me.

[mistergq]

Usually we sail from Florida, but 2 February ago, we sailed Voyager out of Galveston. It was an awesome ship and we will be back to sail from there again in the future. My only issue was getting a cab from the hotel to the port in the morning, but other that is not Royal's fault. If you like snorkeling, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel itinerary is a great selection for snorkeling. We will definitely be back.

 

As to which ship, I would sail RCCL. Don't be fooled by the age of the ship. Since RCCL start building Voyager Class, Radiance Class, and Freedom class, all these ships are still revolutionary to this day. These boats are not about how many passengers can we shove into a small space. They have feature and amenities that are top notch. You will not be disappointed.

[NovCruisin]

We went on our first cruise last Nov., which was our honeymoon as well! We are in our mid 20's

 

Are you nickled and dimed to death? Not really...the "extra" thing we spent money on was drinking and gambling (and we walked out with more money than we spent here)

 

What kinds of things are there to do? What you would expect...lay around at pool, gamble, eat, sleep, shoping, shows...etc

 

Is there enough space in the common areas (pools & deck chairs, etc.) to do your thing without feeling cramped for space? I honestly never felt cramped!

 

Are the hot tubs actually hot, or just lukewarm? Perfect and a few are really hot! I like the really hot ones!! One night when it was cold outside (like you don't even want to walk outside cold) my husband and I went to the hot tub and it was sooo romantic and nice because it felt so good because it was so hot in the hot tub but it was so cold outside and there was no one else outside because it was late at night and cold!

 

Did you have to wait in many lines? I only noticed a bit of a line in the WJC but nothing crazy and really WHATS THE RUSH anyways :p