Spring Break cruise out of Galveston ??

[osagegal]

My family is considering taking the Western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston on the Navigator. I know there will be lots of families with kids! For those of you who have cruised on Spring Break, were you able to enjoy yourself or was it just too packed! We're also debating whether to take the RCL cruise out of Galveston or the Princess cruise out of Houston? We will have our 12 yr old DS with us. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[petel]

My family is considering taking the Western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston on the Navigator. I know there will be lots of families with kids! For those of you who have cruised on Spring Break, were you able to enjoy yourself or was it just too packed! We're also debating whether to take the RCL cruise out of Galveston or the Princess cruise out of Houston? We will have our 12 yr old DS with us. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

IMHO: We've been on several spring break cruises out of Galveston and every one of them was great. Your 12yr old will love it. Enjoy :)

[crazy4themouse]

We sailed on the Grand Princess out of Galveston when my son was 10, and that was the one cruise out of 8 that he was actually bored. It was also during Spring Break, but it was as if they didn't expect any kids to be aboard. Everything involving the kids' programs seemed so last-minute, and the 10-12 year olds were literally in a windowless conference room, on the floor, coloring and doing puzzles. On every other cruise, I have to practically pry my son away from whatever activity they're doing in the kids' (now teens') club just to get him to have dinner with me. That cruise, we were together a lot. Normally that would thrill me -- but I could see the disappointment on his face.

 

Add to that the fact that even though this was during Spring Break, the average passenger age onboard was..advanced. It remains our least favorite cruise out of all of them.

 

I know it's the Crown Princess and not the Grand that is sailing out of Houston, so maybe that will make some big difference? But I would still recommend Royal 1000 times over Princess for families. We both can't wait to be on Navigator!! :)

 

just my .02,

-gina-

[SamboniMan]

We just went through this same process for the week of March 23, 2014: Navigator of the Seas out of Galveston or Caribbean Princess out of Houston - same itinerary. We have a 10 year old son. I posted to both the Royal Caribbean and Princess boards on here. By all accounts, Navigator has more to do for kids (and this confirms the research my son did as well). The Navigator was also less expensive. Story short, we booked the Navigator...

 

Hope that helps.

 

Stacey.

[WisconsinFan]

We sailed on Voyager when she was in Galveston. It was Spring Break, and yes the ship was busy but it wasn't overly crowded.

 

We had a blast. Our boys were busy the entire week.

[klingoncruiser]

Been doing these S.B. cruises for years. There can be some hooligans from time to time, but never really had a major problem with it. Enjoy the cruise. Both lines are good choices.

[AustinCruise]

Next March is going to be our first spring break experience. Sailing on the Navigator.

[osagegal]

Thanks for all the replies! I put 2 balcony cabins on hold for the Navigator, now I have to convince the Hubs;)

[TXMary]

I think you will have a great time (if you can convince your hubby!). We don't have any kids, but we took our two nephews on a spring break cruise out of Galveston on Voyager and we all had a blast. Sure, it was crowded and sometimes a little wild, but it was fun.

 

We also did the Grand out of Galveston. To be honest, it was kind of boring. I don't know if it was the ship or the time of year (January) or what, but it just didn't have the same pop that any of our Royal cruises have had. No complaints with Princess. It just wasn't as much fun.

[jbond]

You don't say where you live, but if you are flying in, one thing to consider is that with a Houston departure, you don't have the $80-$100 transfer each way to Galveston.

On the other hand, RCI does have a great kids program, you may not see him the whole cruise.:D

[Galveston Cruiser]

The Navigator will have a flow rider added while in drydock in February. Kids should really enjoy this.

If you are flying in to Houston, Hobby airport is closer to Galveston - 40 miles.

Bush Intercontinental is 70 miles.

[Snooksi]

Next March is going to be our first spring break experience. Sailing on the Navigator.

 

Same here!

[jamesr3939]

Did the Mariner two years ago during spring break (not my choice but brother and sister in law are educators so only time they could go) we had a great time. I didn't get the feel it was any more crowded that any other ship we have been on. Maybe, there were more young adults than at other times, but I didn't see anything any more unruly than other trips we have been on. Go for it! I think the ship security was more stringent on looking for alcohol in carryon. But that's OK with me.

[osagegal]

I was looking at the cruises going out of Texas because we are in Oklahoma & can drive to the port! I do need Galveston hotel recommendations but won't have to worry about transportation from Houston! It will be great to take a road trip instead of a flight for once! Thanks again for all of the advice!

[jamesr3939]

We stayed at the Holiday Inn by the sea wall. It was just OK. I liked being down by the seawall. I think if I was to sail from G again I would do something up closer to the port.

[Galveston Cruiser]

The only two hotels downtown are the Harbor House and Tremont Hotel.

 

Anything on Seawall Blvd. is no more than 10 minutes to the port as the Island is less than 2 miles wide and hotels are all located behind the Seawall from Broadway at Seawall to 69th St.

[satxdiver]

The OP did not specify which week but the ship will have a lot of kids aboard particularly if it is the week most TX secondary kids have free. Your DS will have a lot of friends to hang with most likely. The TX universities take the following week sometimes meaning older "kids" will be on board - actually young adults.

 

As for where to stay besides G, you might look at the Clear Lake area (Webster etc) of Houston which is a short drive from the island. The hotels there are more reasonable and nicer since they are used during the week by business people working at NASA or its many contractors. There also is a large number of really nice restaurants serving about any type of food you want. Add in a large shopping center and it is great.

 

Since you are driving which we have done many times, you will need to park your car. We like many use EZ Cruise which is one block from the terminal. They will take you to the terminal and pick you up. Advance reservations are required at ezcruiseparking.com. Their lots are very secure.

[jbond]

We stayed at the Harbor House. Very close, a few minutes walk from the cruise dock. We could see the cruise ships from our hotel window. Close, walking distance to Willie G's, Fisherman's Wharf and Joe's Crab Shack. Nice, small hotel. Friends stayed at the Tremont. Very nice, more "old fashioned", beautiful foyer. Further from the dock, but they provide a shuttle. If we ever sail out of Galveston again, I think we would give the Seawall a look at.

[Llmtax2000]

We did a spring break cruise on Princess a few years back -- and I agree with the poster about the lack of kids activities (and kids in general). My 10 YO DD was without playmates in board -- I think we spotted less than 25 kids anywhere near her age the entire trip.

[Jimnbigd]

...I do need Galveston hotel recommendations but won't have to worry about transportation from Houston!.

Stay anywhere between Houston and Galveston, near I-45. If you stay near Hobby Airport, you'll be about 45 minutes from the ship. Of course, if you stay in Galveston, your hotel might let you park there for the cruise, and some even provide shuttles. If you decide to park at the cruise, try EZ Cruise. http://ezcruiseparking.com/

 

Consider stopping at Sam's Restaurant in Fairfield, Texas (exit 197 on I-45) -- great buffet.

http://www.samsrestaurant.com/

 

And stop at Buc-ees in Madisonville. You'll see lots of billboards for them.

http://www.buc-ees.com/index.php

[Clarea]

Our experience has been that it's difficult to find a nice hotel on Galveston Island that will give you a single night rate on the weekend during Spring Break. Once, in January, we were able to stay at the Harbor House on the Saturday night before the cruise. A couple of years later, we wanted to do the same thing during March, and every place we tried had a 2 night minimum on the weekend. We ended up staying near Hobby that time.

[TC1957]

While there are a great many nice places to stay on Galveston Island, you can stay in Alvin for about half the price and it is only a 30 minute drive if you have your own vehicle. The island hotels that offer free cruise parking are shrinking in number. Besides, since it is Spring Break it may already be too late to get a hotel on the island. We are sailing out of Galveston in April and some hotels are still unavailable.

 

If you do stay on the island, I recommend The Gumbo Hut...EXCELLENT gumbo! If may well be the best I have eaten...and I am Cajun so that is saying a lot. :eek:

 

Our first cruise was a Spring Break one out of Galveston. There were a lot of families but to be honest, we were told the Solarium was less crowded than normal because of the age restriction...families stayed together. So take the kids and let them fight the crowd at the outdoor pool. You can grab a lounger in the sun inside the Solarium and enjoy the relative peace.

 

When you really boil it down...the ship only holds so many passengers so you are really only concerned with the adult-child mix and I don't think you will notice the difference.

[Galveston Cruiser]

I have read from other posters that by using one of the discounted hotel websites they were able to book for one night on weekends.

Sometimes it helps to call the hotels direct and they will let guests have one night.

It is typical during the summer, Lone star Bike Rally, Dickens on the Strand and Mardi Gras that a two night minimum applies on weekends. Most other weekends, the hotels are flexible.

[pcur]

We were on the Voyager out of New Orleans during Spring Break 2012. LOTS of kids and no problems with crowds until the last day. The Promenade was a zoo!

 

Only issue was embarkation day on an elevator when my husband gently reminded a 12 yo boy that it is customary to push the button AFTER people get on!! :D

[05mak05]

I was looking at the cruises going out of Texas because we are in Oklahoma & can drive to the port! I do need Galveston hotel recommendations but won't have to worry about transportation from Houston! It will be great to take a road trip instead of a flight for once! Thanks again for all of the advice!

For hotel recommendations, you can check http://www.tripadvisor.com We've stayed at the Sheraton Four Points using Starwood points and have had very nice rooms. However, they do not serve a free breakfast. Last Christmas, we were at the Hampton which is right across the street from Walmart & also across the street from the water. For our next cruise, we've booked the Hilton which always gets good reviews. One year we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express close to NASA. The traffic was awful. We'd rather stay in Galveston, relax and enjoy some of the good food. If you like Mexican food and margaritas, we can highly recommend "The Original."