The deets: The cruise started in Galveston, Texas and the original schedule was to visit Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Due to high winds, we did not make it to Grand Cayman. This was a 7 day cruise on Royal Caribbean.
Saturday - Houston (day before cruise)
Nothing much happened this day other than flying in and getting settled in our hotel called the Drury Inn and Suites. It had high ratings on Trip Advisor. We bought Subway sandwiches at the airport before meeting the shuttle and ate them in our room after checking in. There was a refreshment area at the hotel that had a soda machine and we were able to grab some drinks to go with our sandwiches. The hotel not only provided a breakfast buffet but also a dinner reception with free drinks and light-fare like salads/soup/macaroni and cheese/hot dogs. Of course the food was simple but still cool that they did that for their guests. Soda and popcorn were available during the day.
Sunday - Galveston
We booked a shuttle that picked us up from the hotel to the port in Galveston. This was a bit of a drive and we talked with the other people in the shuttle, one couple from New Zealand (I think) and another older couple from somewhere else. :) Maybe Oklahoma? Anyway, because of Mardi Gras being celebrated that day in Galveston, traffic was ick but eventually we got to the ship. It was big.
Yeah, this was the only picture I got of the ship...
Checking in was a breeze. So much better than the last fiasco when I did the West Coast cruise. Because I was a repeat customer, I was directed to much shorter lines. It took perhaps 15 minutes to get everything in order and soon we were on the ship.
A quick picture of us in line....
In the center of the ship, is the avenue of shops and bars/restaurants referred to as the Royal Promenade. It's basically an indoor mall. Nearly all the stores/bars/restaurants were an additional charge. The only exception was a cafe that served pizza slices/sandwiches/desserts. Inside the RP was a Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop (which we visited once) and a place called the Cupcake Cupboard (which we visited nearly every day...hey don't judge! We were on vacation.) The cupcakes were soooo delicious and they had different flavors every day. My favorite was Orange. I do not know why we didn't take any pictures of those delicious cupcakes.
Here is a pic of the Royal Promenade...
If you notice the windows jutting out on the side, these are cabins. We booked one of these thinking it would be cool to look over the promenade and having a bit of extra light. This ended up being a huge mistake (I took full blame!).
Out on the decks...
Lunch time at the buffet...
Our Promenade View Stateroom....oh and please make sure the curtains are closed before you change your clothes or the cabin across the way is going to get an eyeful. Right Sara?
I believe this is the Adults Only pool. Hence the fancy bridge...
This is the main pool with the Jumbotron. This picture was taken on Superbowl Sunday so they were showing the game here. At night movies were being played. I know for certain Everest and that Tom Hanks spy movie was played.
Port of Galveston...so lovely....
More loveliness...
Dinner tonight was at a restaurant that required an added fee. I really wanted to try it. It was called Sabor and specialized in Mexican food. So they say...
Going into this I knew that most likely it was not going to be the same kind of food we were used to and so we did come out disappointed with our entrees. I ordered a chicken quesadilla and Sara had barbacoa tacos. These weren't so great. My quesadilla didn't have much flavor and Sara's tacos had fatty meat. BUT...they offered guacamole and chips and the guacamole was made table-side. This was delicious!
Our Mexican server making the yummy...
Then for dessert it was like a Mexican Dessert Sampler. Oh my gosh! This was just amazing. I can't remember all the items but based on the picture you could easily see the banana-filled empanadas, churros with chocolate sauce, flan, some kind of creme brulee, chocolate flautas and the best was some kind of bread pudding which Sara and I fought over.
We were stuffed at the end but we both agreed that we should have just stuck with the guacamole and the dessert sampler.
One of the servers playing his flute to the few of us that were in the restaurant. I think he played a Celine Dion cover...
Royal Caribbean has a partnership with Dreamworks so many of the characters from their movies were around to take pictures with. During the week they also had a parade....
During the first 2 days at sea we did a lot of wandering around the ship, watching the shows and eating cupcakes. On our second night we ate at the Main Dining Room but unfortunately it was just too dark for me and our next few nights were either at the buffet or at Johnny Rockets. JR was a flat price of $7 but all you can eat.
The cruise ship we were on also had a small skating rink and so there was a performance for some very impressive skating. That was fun to watch.
The big production show however was 'Saturday Night Fever Musical'. This was based on the movie and implemented songs by the Bee Gee's. I'm not familiar with the movie but knew the basics. The acting and singing were done very well and the dancing was phenomenal. I think 70's dance moves are just overall high energy and very fun to watch. Two thumbs up!
Wednesday - Jamaica (We skipped Monday and Tuesday due to sea days remember?)
This morning we disembarked in Jamaica. It was cloudy and a bit cool but it didn't rain on us until we were sailing away from the island.
Excursion today was at Red Stripe Beach. This beach is only for cruise passengers on the Royal Caribbean ships so not very many people. Although secluded, the beach had adequate bathrooms, changing rooms, bar, grill and a couple of stores selling the usual Jamaican paraphernalia (really anything with Bob Marley's face plastered on it).
Hanging out at the beach...
The RCL ships dock in Falmouth, one of 3 ports that cruise ships dock in Jamaica. Once you get off the ship, you enter this gated 'village' which is pretty much a bunch of shops and and outdoor market area. Near the end is an area where people meet up for their excursions. It's organized and clean but overall this is definitely not the authentic Jamaica.
We lingered on the beach for a couple of hours then took the bus back to the port where we dropped our bag off on ship and went back out to do some shopping. This was not my favorite as the temps and humidity turned up and I was already not feeling well. Pushy sales also added to the discomfort. It was an experience.
Our view during dinner that night as we sailed away from Jamaica. We were seated outside but the rains came down and had to rush indoors....
As I mentioned before our Grand Cayman stop was cancelled so we spent another day on the ship. We did Harry Potter trivia, Sara watched Christian Texans sing about Jesus, we listened to live music at the pool while having endless cones of ice cream (the cheap stuff not Ben & Jerry's), and I also visited the spa for a facial.
Friday - Cozumel
For Cozumel we decided to do another lazy beach day. This was not an excursion we purchased through the ship. We simply disembarked early and went through the maze of markets to get to the taxis. A van (loaded with other passengers) drove us to a beach club. The beach is public but by paying a small fee (I think it was around $6), you can utilize the beach club's facilities like their restrooms/showers/pool/paddle boards and kayaks. Because this is a popular place, we got to the beach very early and we had our pick of loungers. Servers are all around and we were given an extensive menu of drinks and food to order. Oh, I forgot to mention is that they request each person to spend at least $10 each. This was not a problem at all.
It was just nice to sit and relax while our food and drinks were being brought to us. Also on this day, I was finally over my illness and so really enjoying it. Beautiful day and beautiful weather.
For an additional $15, you have free use of these. They looked super fun and kids were all over them...
Empty now but when we started to gather our things a few hours later, people were already staking out our chairs since nearly all of them were filled...
Saturday - Last Day
Did our usual of just hanging out and watching some of the daytime shows.
More character meets...
Okay so this next picture was taken on the balcony of our cabin. Yes, we moved. This is what happened. Our original stateroom was right above a bar. One night we heard live music and cheering/yelling until 3am. If it was just one night then no problem but the other issue was the pop music piped in at the Royal Promenade which was played 24/7. The bass beats could easily be heard in our stateroom and loud enough to keep us awake. At 4am on Friday morning, I went to the Guest Services Desk and complained. They moved us to another cabin right away which happened to be a balcony. Oh to hear the waves instead of that terrible music was so nice! We did have a slight snag later on with a miscommunication in regards to switching cabins but overall the cruise ended much better. It was for only 2 days and we didn't use the balcony as much but that was okay since sleep was needed.
Last minute pics on the decks...
I just noticed that I think I'm wearing the same shirt in every picture. Yikes!
Also that night (since it was my birthday) we ate at another another restaurant (added fee) which specialized in Italian food. Seriously, so much food! We had bread, appetizers, side of pasta and filet mignon. The only thing lacking were the desserts which Sara had a cannoli ("too bland") and I had the tiramisu (too bitter with the coffee flavoring). But our waiter was nice to look at so we didn't mind. Overall, a delicious meal.
Sunday - Go Home!
We got up, dressed, collected our bags and they kicked us off. Shuttle to Houston and then flight back home.
Final Remarks: I'll be honest and say this was my least favorite cruise so far. This had NOTHING to do with the company. Sara had to deal with a lot of things from me including me being sick for a few days and I'm so glad she was able to venture out on her own to enjoy her vacation. The Caribbean cruise style is not the laid back, relaxing kind that I've done in the past. The ship was also too big for me with too many people.
But on the other hand, I had a great time in Cozumel and the shows were outstanding with the magicians/comedians/ice-skaters. The food was delicious and the service outstanding.
And of course I had crazy Sara there to keep me company the whole time!
Happy Travels!
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