What would you do?

[John&LaLa]

I booked the Rhapsody for next April because of the itinerary. Is this a nice ship? I know it is small but other than that how is it.

 

I booked her for April as well and it got cancelled. :mad:

[ColoradoGurl]

I would avoid Galveston because they have different liquor laws (you have to pay a tax on liquor you buy on the islands once you get back into port and you also can't drink any alcohol that isn't sold in Texas until you're in international waters...or something along those lines). The liquor thing isn't a huge deal, but it's just something to add to the other thing that I didnt like about that port, which is that it's hard to get to from the airport and will cost about $100-$150 extra dollars each way and takes an extra hour and a half to drive there from the airport. Just seemed like a hassle and made it more expensive than just flying to Florida.

 

I personally would choose Navigator because I love the Voyager class ships and I love the southern route. It's also a nice way to do the southern route and also have time on the ship (if you like to have sea days). Usually the southern route is packed with back to back port stops and for some people that gets tiring. I like to visit new islands and try not to repeat any (or as few as possible), but once you've done a few cruises you're bound to have some repeats in there, so it's ok. Plus I hear Bonnaire is a must for snorkeling and diving.

[pspercy]

I will bet a week's pay that the Galveston haters flew in, got on a shuttle, turned left over the bridge and saw nothing but the ship/boat repair area.

They also did not get to go thru the revised pier area.

 

Interestingly, Ships out of Galveston get the highest ratings for friendly crew and friendly, well mannered passengers.

 

Ssssh, don't spoil it for the rest of us:D

[Cuizer2]

Hi guys! Just got back from our cruise on Jewel yesterday and looking through cruises for next year. I think we have it down to three,

 

Navigator of the seas out of Miami - 9 days- Haiti, Aruba, curacao, and bonaire. We have been to all ports except bonaire.

 

Rhapsody - 7 night - out of Tampa - cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Costa maya. Only one we've been to is cozumel. Being most recent on Jewel I missed the bigger ship feel so this may be too small of a ship for me

 

Liberty - 7 night - out of Galveston - basically the same itinerary as rhapsody. I've seen Galveston and said I never wanted to cruise out of that port so that concerns me never cruising out of their before

 

 

What would you do taking into account the islands I've been to and liberty out of Galveston?

 

The Navigator is one of my favorite ships and 9 nights beats 7 nights. However, you ask what would I do taking into account the islands I've been to and Liberty out of Galveston. You also mentioned you don't like the small ship feel.

 

So, if I'm just looking to go on a cruise, the Navigator. However, if I want to visit new ports, I would take the Liberty. In fact, I am taking the Liberty next month. I stay in Houston and take a limo to the port. So the only issue is it cost more to get from the airport to the water port. Other than that the only other issue is fog. Sometimes the port gets fogged in and that can cause delays in arrival and/or departure. And yes, I've cruised out of Galveston before, so I know what I'm getting into.

[davy jones]

To answer the question - Navigator. 9 days usually wins out over 7 for me.

 

 

Galveston doesn't seem to be getting much love here. I have never sailed out of Texas. Why do people seem to dislike the port?

[CanadaRob]

To answer the question - Navigator. 9 days usually wins out over 7 for me.

 

 

Galveston doesn't seem to be getting much love here. I have never sailed out of Texas. Why do people seem to dislike the port?

It is not so much the port(although fog had been an issue for some) it is ease of getting to port via transfer from airports. Personally considering liberty but adding in cost of transfer vs flying into Fl or SJU is a factor to include in pricing to make all things equal(if you care about pricing[emoji1] )

 

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[Clarea]

It is not so much the port(although fog had been an issue for some) it is ease of getting to port via transfer from airports. Personally considering liberty but adding in cost of transfer vs flying into Fl or SJU is a factor to include in pricing to make all things equal(if you care about pricing[emoji1] )

Also the fact that the hotels on the island can require a two-night stay on the weekends, making a hotel stay near the port potentially significantly more expensive than say Cocoa Beach.

 

Another factor contributing to the higher cost of transportation is that there is no car rental agency near the port that is open on Sunday and will take one-way rentals.

Edited March 15, 2016 by clarea

[CanadaRob]

Also the fact that the hotels on the island can require a two-night stay on the weekends, making a hotel stay near the port potentially significantly more expensive than say Cocoa Beach.

 

Another factor contributing to the higher cost of transportation is that there is no car rental agency near the port that is open on Sunday and will take one-way rentals.

What Bob said[emoji1] [emoji1]

Cost of hotel in Galveston > San juan

 

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[Cuizer2]

To answer the question - Navigator. 9 days usually wins out over 7 for me.

 

 

Galveston doesn't seem to be getting much love here. I have never sailed out of Texas. Why do people seem to dislike the port?

 

It is difficult to get to. Very limited rental car options. The cost of a taxi is so high that it is cheaper to get a limo. The close airport has limited flights and is far away. The bigger airport is even further away. Hotels on the island are expensive. Fog can cause major delays with both embarkation and debarkation.

[CanadaRob]

It is difficult to get to. Very limited rental car options. The cost of a taxi is so high that it is cheaper to get a limo. The close airport has limited flights and is far away. The bigger airport is even further away. Hotels on the island are expensive. Fog can cause major delays with both embarkation and debarkation.

Putting a positive spin so its not all gloom n doom about Galveston-to be fair if you're cruising in the summer there is less chance of fog :)

[Cuizer2]

Putting a positive spin so its not all gloom n doom about Galveston-to be fair if you're cruising in the summer there is less chance of fog :)

 

But then there is a bigger chance of getting run over by a longhorn ...

 

[colesc15]

So far leaning towards the 9 nighter. What's a decent price per night for a junior suite for a 9 night caribbean cruise? Right now it's about 220 a night

[cruiseapril]

Would do Navigator. We enjoy the ABC islands very much. Have been several times.

 

What excursions are of interest on those islands?

 

We have done an island tour (good) of Aruba and like to go up to Palm Beach.

 

Snorkeling is very good in Bonaire and they have a good island tour also.

 

In Curacao, we have done many tours- Blue Bay Beach, island tour, Fort Nassau, walking Willemstad.

 

So much to do on these islands.