First "Live Report" From the Galaxy

[carkosh]

Ok, all you lucky Galaxy future cruisers, as promised here is my first "live report" from the Galaxy. I don't know how many of these I can make in the next 10 days as it's .75/min for internet access.

 

Anyway, we got to the terminal in Galveston around 2 p.m after eating at our favorite Galv restaurant, Gaido's, which I highly recommend to those staying in Galv pre or post cruise. As this was Galaxy's first time into Galv the check-in was a little hectic....the line was about 1 1/2 hrs long. Their excuses were that it was tough getting the previous pax debarked & the computer system went down. Anyway after being told that there was no Suite line to check in we waited in line for about 15 min until my wonderful hubby found someone who could direct us to that line which obviously did exist. From then on it was a quick 10 min for us to check in & board.

 

Ok, I got my only complaint in early because I have no complaints left lol. So far we love this ship, love our RS & butler, love our balcony, our wait staff, our tablemates, the dining room food & so on. We are in Cozumel now, Hubby & one of our friends went down to the marina to see the yachts & are coming back in a little while to pick up the "girls" & head back out to eat lunch.

 

That's really all I have to say now but I'll be back on periodically to do somemore reports. I can say that so far you future Galaxy cruisers can look forward to a treat!

 

Carol

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi Carol.:) Thanks so much for posting your 'live' report and glad you are enjoying things so far, albeit with a bit of a disorganised start. I suppose it will take them a bit to sort themselves out.

 

Keep Galaxy warm for us and if you get a chance to check in again, please do.

 

Phil

[etoile]

Hi Carol! Thanks for sharing your experience. I used the computers on the Galaxy for 14 minutes last month and was charged $10.50 for the privilege, yikes! I'd advise planning out what you want to say ahead of time...hopefully you're a fast typist! Have a wonderful time!

[RockyTopMom]

Carol: Thanks so much for posting. I have heard that you can write your message in "word" and then copy it to this board so that you are not online as long, i.e. cheaper to post.

 

Yikees! Did it take until almost 2:00 p.m. for Galaxy to unload their previous passengers & luggage? OMG, I sure hope not, a lot of us will be missing flights home. Sure hope they get this embarking & disembarking problem fixed real soon.

 

Some of us are interested in the time frame / how excursions are going to be done in the Canal itself. If one takes an excursion, when do you get off the Galaxy, do you return to the ship at Christopher Pier, etc? Will you miss going back through the locks if you do take an excursion here?

 

Hope you are having a great time and ENJOY.

[KimberlyBear]

Thanks for checking in with us. I am on the next cruise and am waiting anxiously for time to arrive. I am surprised check-in was taking that long as I have used the terminal before when on the Rhapsody. Hopefully celebrity will get the kinks worked out by the next cruise.

 

Have a great time.

 

kimberly

[luv2cruise123]

I am also very interested in previous poster's concerns about excursions in the canal. I don't want to miss "anything"! Have a great time-we'll be on her Thanksgiving Day!

[luv2cruise123]

Do they have a "package" deal that would be any more economical than the 75 cent per minute rate. I'm afraid I will HAVE to be doing some email checking on our cruise daily. Also, do they have laptop rentals for your cabin and if so, how much?

Thanks so much again for any and all info!

[chessbriar]

You get off the ship after you pass through the Locks. You tender from the ship in the lake and the excursion returns you to Christobal Peir

[bob278]

There were no packages on the transatlantic that offered any savings. I didn't try, but not sure I've seen where Word is available on their PC's to try to compose and then cut/paste to save time.

 

The trick we've used on several cruises is do a fast e-mail check (and maybe a quick read of threads we have some interest in on CC) from the ship, but use an internet cafe to do any serious posting. We found one in every port we looked. Usually within a block or two from the ship. Prices range from $2.00 for 15 minutes to $6-8 for an hour.

[ecslady]

Carol - Thanks so much for your live posting. If it makes you feel any better, I always have an internet bill on cruises - and usually a big one, too! Just can't get away from the conveninece. I'm spoiled :D .

 

You should have a wonderful cruise, as we did - just got off the Galaxy repositioning - and she was doing just fine. Enjoy!

 

Please let us know about the Panama Canal excursions as many of us are booked on the upcoming cruises, and are wondering - should be stay on the Galaxy for the whole day or should be do an excursion in the canal?

 

Thanks for keeping us posted.

[davehau]

Hi Carol!

 

It's great to hear you are enjoying Galaxy! She's a great ship, with a phonemenal crew.

 

luv2cruise8137 - When I was on the Galaxy a few weeks ago, they did offer some discounted packages... believe it was 70 cents a minute if you bought a 100 minute deal, and 60 cents a minute for a 200 minute pack. You had to buy the package ahead of your use though. Couldn't use the net for 4 days, then try to retroactively apply a package deal. I'll look through my paperwork and try to confirm that info as soon as I get a chance. I used the wireless access on my laptop and loved it. A client's site had some problems, so I worked up the fix, then sat in the lounge and ran my FTP client to load it in a minute or so. Will teach me though, to never look at the net while on a cruise ;)

 

Dave

[cruisinjudy]

On Infinity we were able to compose in Word for free and then cut and paste to email, but on Mercury i asked and was told that wasn't available. Hi Rockytopmom!

[Victorian]

I'd like to know if any Celebrity ships are tendering there. :confused:

[SusieQT]

 

It's great to hear you are enjoying Galaxy! She's a great ship, with a phonemenal crew.

 

luv2cruise8137 - When I was on the Galaxy a few weeks ago,

 

I used the wireless access on my laptop and loved it.

Dave

 

Wireless access is available on Galaxy? In the internet lounge, or in staterooms?? We are in a RS, this would be great news!!!!!

[etoile]

Wireless access is available on Galaxy? In the internet lounge, or in staterooms?? We are in a RS, this would be great news!!!!!

Here is information about wireless access on Century class ships, taken from http://www.celebrityatsea.com/index.aspx?value=4 ...

All Century class ships have WiFi hotspots in Michael's Club and Rendez-vous Square. Wireless cards are available for rent if you do not already have one. Please stop by the Computer Center on Deck 6 to learn how to get your personal laptop connected. The same internet rates apply.

[davehau]

SusieQT -

 

As etoile said, (thanks etoile!) It is available in Michael's Club and Rendez-vous Square. They actually have two Access Points running in Rendez-vous Square, so you have a choice of networks in case one is a bit weak in that rather large space. I also found that I was able to hit them from the area above the Martini bar, on Deck 6, which could be nice when Rendez-vous Square might be in use and crowded, such as during the Art Auctions. I meant to try it in the small seating area immediately outside Micheal's as well, but forgot to. I sat in on one of the free classes just for the heck of it, and the instructor seemed to suggest he was also on wireless from the Movie Theater, so it may be available in a larger area on that deck.

 

They have it set up well, and on my Apple Powerbook, I merely turned on the built-in Airport card, and within seconds had my choice of two access points. Like in a hotel, you open a browser, try to connect to any site, and a login window comes up for you to enter your login name and password you set up previously in the Lab. Connect was not super-fast, but wasn't too bad either. You need to stop by the Computer Lab and have them activate your account for wireless access, but after that it's smooth sailing. Oh yeah... make sure to disable any pop-up blockers, because the timer and logout buttons function in a pop-up window, though the tech also told me you can bring them up by entering 1.1.1.1 in your browser, as I recall.

 

Very nice setup!

 

luv2cruise8137 - I found the brochure :

 

Internet minutes are available at 4 different rates:

 

* $ .75 a minute with no package.

 

* 100 minutes for $70. Extra minutes are $ .70 per minute.

 

* 200 minutes for $120. Extra minutes are $ .60 per minute.

 

* 500 minutes for $250. Extra minutes are $ .50 per minute.

 

Package amounts are charged upfront and no refunds will be made for unused minutes. All additional minutes are charged at the same rate level.

 

 

 

Dave

[etoile]

That was the brochure I left at my parents' house - thanks for posting the rates, davehau! :)

 

I'm glad to hear they have a timer for the wireless connections. I wish they would use one on the regular workstations too; I didn't see anything that indicated how long I'd been signed on to the Internet.

[klingoncruiser]

Thanks for all the great info. We are on the Xmas cruise. I guess I will use the net in port more this trip. It is only .50 per minute on RCCL. I am a bit peeved that it is so high on X. Oh well, always cheeper on shore anyway. I will have my Mac along, and will look into the wireless thingy.... Thanks again for all the info.

[tawcat]

we are on this cruise april 14. want to book the peacock bass fishing trip, but so far i haven't seen it listed on the X site. does anyone know how far out i can book this as i want to book it as soon as i can, i kinda think it will sell out quickly.

[Bookit]

Karkosh,

 

Good of you to post to let us know your Galaxy "beginning"

 

Anytime we have cruised on RCI (in suites) from Galveston, we have had priority check in. This took only a few minutes. However, then we had to stand in line (sometimes over an hour) to BOARD. I do hope that Celebrity will not "copy" RCI's procedure in Galveston. It is irksome to spend so much more on a cabin ... and then not receive some of the perks, such as the priority boarding.

 

-- I am still regretful that SO and I had to cancel the trip (various reasons) ... sorry we weren't 'your neighbors' in the wonderful suites! Each day, I'm thinking of where the ship will be. Even though we have been to the ports (except Costa Rica), we were looking forward to being on the Galaxy!

 

Have fun -- hope you can post again, or a review when you return. If not the Galaxy for us (due to Houston/Galveston ships doing essentially the same itinerary!! :mad: ) -- we are looking at the Summit, as well.

 

:) cheers --

[carkosh]

Hi All, I'll try to answer some ?'s you asked:

 

Internet Packages: I just purchased the 100 min package for $70. I don't know if a laptop will work in a RS. I didn't bring mine so I haven't asked. If you go to Costa Maya (we left there at 1pm today) there is an internet cafe that charges .50/min, however, the keyboards are so funky that I spent more time hunting & pecking than actually checking emails or going to websites so I pretty much wasted time there (but that's just me!).

 

Excursions: We are on the domed train that begins at 10:30 am going down the canal. I will have to report on that later as obviously, we haven't gotten to the Canal yet.

 

Btw, the safety drill was Tuesday, not the afternoon we embarked. Don't know why, could've been that it was the first day Galaxy was in Galveston. This may have been just for this first cruise & won't affect the rest of you. I will say it was kind of weird not having one on embarcation day.

 

 

 

Bookit: I'm so sorry you had to cancel this cruise; it would've been so much fun to meet you (& wave at you 2 doors down).

 

Hope to post somemore later on in the cruise but right now my minutes are ticking away LOL.

 

Carol

[etoile]

Hi Carol! Hope you are having a great time!

Btw, the safety drill was Tuesday, not the afternoon we embarked. Don't know why, could've been that it was the first day Galaxy was in Galveston. This may have been just for this first cruise & won't affect the rest of you. I will say it was kind of weird not having one on embarcation day.

It was the same way for us on the Oct 18th trip out of Baltimore. We left at 8pm Monday night, and had the safety drill at 10:00 the next morning.

[ecslady]

Carol -

 

Thanks so much for the update. As I will be on the Galaxy - Panama Canal again in March, I can wait to hear what you say about the locks, Gatun Lake and the train excursion. Please keep us informed. We appreciate it. :)

[barbydaul]

Please Continue To Post Your Reviews Is You Can. If You Hear Anyone In Cabin 1203, Let Me Know How It Is. My Husband, Mother, And Myself Will Be Going Next March. This Will Be Our First Suite.

Can't Wait.

 

Happy Sails To You

 

Barb

[Jillc2]

Since we can't use our cells at sea, Internet was our option to stay in contact with house sitters and family. On Zenith there were NO package deals just a flat fifty cent per minute rate. Not bad, not bad at all. But the connection was slower than molasses and non of our emails ever made it off the ship. We went down to the purser's desk and told them our plight.....all internet charges were removed and we just didn't use the system anymore.

Dog and home were in good shape in spite on not being able to micro manage from afar.