Don't think we'll take another cruise out of the Galveston port. First, parking is ridiculously expensive/ total exploitation. Second, most of the Eastern Caribbean ports -businesses have learned how to exploit the tourists. Third, the "second largest coral reef" - it's all DEAD. Nothing to see here.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Overall, the embarkation process went very well. Disappointments: 1) Many warnings to adhere to our selected embarkation time. Yet, when we arrived, it was not crowded at all; could have arrived earlier. 2) the parking fee ($25/day) is blatant extortion.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food in the main dining room was, overall, excellent. Only complaint with our main dining room experience was with the bartender: he was extremely "frugal" with his pours. For example, a glass of wine was barely 1/4 glass. EVERY other bar on the ship served at least a 1/3 glass pour. When we complained, he tried to charge us for a "double". We enjoyed one specialty restaurant (150 Central Park). Everything about our dinner there was beyond excellent! Ambience, food, drink, service - all exceeded expectations.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
1) The main pool areas: get there early to claim a chair; music -way too loud. Solarium: great relaxing, quiet space for adults only. 2) Various onboard activities (e.g., napkin folding; towel animals; etc.) were appreciated. Could have been offered more frequently. Also, it seems as if there was a movie theatre on the ship, but only one movie was offered on one evening.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The onboard entertainment was a mixed bag: 1) Most of the music offered was quite good; problem- WAY TOO LOUD for the small venues. There is no need for sound amplifiers in a small bar where patrons want to enjoy the music, as well as converse with friends. 2) The ship's sign-up process for main entertainment options needs to be greatly improved. By Day 3 of the cruise, ALL sign-ups for the multiple entertainment options were full. Yet, if we went as unregistered patrons, most all were able to attend because of the open, available seats. 3) The on-board Comedy shows: While some were labeled as 'family friendly" , MOST were not, and they were extremely vulgar. True comedy does NOT have to include coarse and vulgar language. CLEAN up these acts.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
For the most part, all of the service personnel we encountered were efficient and pleasant. Exception: some of the personnel at the "Guest Services" didn't seem to be fully aware of the questionable situations we asked about.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Yes
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Overall, cabin was comfortable; plenty of closet, drawer, and nook spaces for personal items. Complaint: Bed pillows were awful - very 'firm" ( like sleeping on a padded brick!) Fortunately, our housekeeper was able to procure a couple of soft pillows for us. Recommendation to future travelers: BRING YOUR OWN PILLOW.
Took the "Roatan by Land and Sea" excursion. First, it was appreciated that our guide spoke clear English. Second, however, the 'land' experience was too long; the 'sea' experience should be expanded. Third, the snorkeling ship personnel were excellent with regards to their attention to those snorkeling. Fourth, Not good - EVERY tour provider (bus driver, land guide, boat guides) expected individual tips.
NEVER want to see Costa Maya again. The ship to shore pier is ridiculously long. Being "oldies" (i.e., in our 70s), walking 2 + miles in 85 degrees/ 80+ humidity to get to our scheduled excursion - NEVER going to do that again. Oh! Sure - there is a pier tram! ONE tram that can transport about 15 people for the hundreds of cruisers trying to get into the port. Ridiculous! NEVER going back to Costa Maya.
1)Took the 'Atlantis Submarine" excursion; NOT worth it. All the ports on this cruise touted "the second largest coral barrier reef". Didn't mention that virtually ALL of the coral was dead; sea life around these "coral reefs" is minimal. 2) The shops in the Cozumel port have long since learned that the tourists have money to spend. Hence, there are NO "bargains" at the port stores. Even the bars' prices often exceed those prices on the ship. 3) Never need to visit Cozumel again.
We chose to disembark on our own. At first, we were dismayed that our scheduled 8 AM departure had a LONG line of like- minded travelers. Was amazed that the ship's - and border control - processes got us out on the street so quickly
Seems overall you had a nice trip. Always pick your cruise based on the stops. And parking at $25 a day, although crazy, is on par with most ports these days NJ just bumped there’s to $30. 🤷🏻♂️
Interesting, thanks for a detailed review. I agree with several comments but question others.
I agree with RC comedy being foul. Carnival does comedy better with the Punchliner having clean shows earlier.
I cruise out of Galveston because I can drive. If you are parking I imagine you drove too. The parking is expensive but not as expensive as a flight.
Costa Maya does do much for me either.
All of these stops were western not eastern Caribbean. As a scuba diver I can tell you there are some great reefs in Roatan and Cozumel. However, yes some reefs are stressed or dead from increased temperatures.
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