Where in the world: Cruises from Galveston

I’ve been selling cruises for 35 years now and, oh my, how they have changed in those years.

The ships have gotten bigger and bigger with more out of the box entertainment and activities.

Carnival has a new ship that has a roller coaster that goes out over the water! I believe I will pass on that adventure.

Royal Caribbean has rock climbing, surfing, bumper cars and water slides.

There are other more sedate activities for seniors and those not into rock climbing. The casino stays busy while at sea and cruisers can also enjoy bingo, trivia and a library stocked with great books and table games. There are nightly shows in a large theater, as well as music and dancing in more intimate lounges. There are swimming pools and saunas, massages and facials. There are gyms with plenty of exercise equipment. Take my word for it, you should never be bored on a cruise!

For those who just like to be left alone, there are seating spaces in the public areas for reading a good book or ‘people watching’, which could entertain you for hours. For complete solitude, you can sit on your private balcony watching and listening to the waves.

Cruising for Texans in the past meant flying or driving to Florida, but now we are fortunate to have cruises out of Galveston, which is only about a four hours drive from Rusk. You have your choice of four to seven night cruises on either Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Either of these cruise lines offers a great time with fine dining and activities for all ages.

Carnival currently has three ships sailing from Galveston, Vista (4,977 passengers), Valor (2,974 passengers), and Freedom (2,974 passengers). The itineraries are mostly Western Caribbean visiting ports of Cozumel, Costa Maya and Progreso in Mexico, Montego Bay in Jamaica, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands or Roatan in Honduras. There are normally three ports on seven night cruises, two ports on five night cruises and one port on three night cruises.

With the arrival of the Carnival Dream (3,646 passengers) in May, Carnival will add an Eastern Caribbean itinerary with ports of Key West in Florida, Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas and an occasional eight night cruise that also includes Carnival’s private island , Half Moon Cay.

Royal Caribbean operates two ships from Galveston with a third coming in May. Liberty of the Seas currently cruises seven nights alternating itineraries of Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth (Jamaica) and Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. This is a large ship with a maximum capacity of 3,634 passengers.

Vision of the Seas, which arrived in March, cruises with a four night itinerary to Cozumel with two days at sea and a five night itinerary to Cozumel and Puerta Costa Maya with two days at sea. This ship is about half the size of Liberty of the Seas and carries a maximum of 2,048 passengers.

Similar in size, Enchantment of the Seas will arrive in May to replace Vision of the Seas.

If you’ve never cruised before, Galveston departures with four, five or seven night cruises are very convenient ways to test the waters. Check it out to see if you like it, and I think you will. No cooking, washing dishes or making beds! They even turn down your beds and put a chocolate on the pillow or a cute animal made from towels. All the food you can eat from a main restaurant with table service or a cafeteria style restaurant, plus hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza at pool side.

Feel free to email me if you have questions about cruising.

“Life is a voyage of discovery” ~unknown