We had an interesting cruise

[MM27]

I just got back today from a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Galveston. The cruise was wonderful.

On Saturday we were sitting out on the deck (it was a sea day) and we stop dead in the water. Everyone was wondering what was going on and then we see this

Yep, it's the Coast Guard. They circled us several times and finally landed on the ship. A 14 year old girl had fainted and while I think there is a lot more to the story, that's all that has been released so far. She was airlifted to the hospital in Texas.

On Sunday morning, the day we were supposed to leave the ship, we get woken up by Guest Relations. They said that the Coast Guard had closed the ports of Galveston and Houston because of extreme fog and we would not make our 1 o'clock flight home. We stepped outside on one of the decks and you could literally not see a few feet in front of you it was so foggy.

We ended up not getting off the ship until close to 3 o'clock. The people getting on after us were supposed to set sail at 5, but didn't leave until about 10. The sad thing is, in that group someone had a wedding with about 300 guest (many were not going on the cruise but just attending the ceremony)

I must say that while it was stressful trying to figure out when and how we would get home, Royal Caribbean did a good job. They extended breakfast that day and provided lunch and snacks throughout the day. They put us up at a nice hotel for the night, and got us on an 8am flight this morning. I missed work today (1st day back to school after Christmas vacation) but that's not the end of the world

 

[Planogirl]

Interesting, these things that happen on vacations. I feel bad for the wedding party and hope that the girl is OK. I hope that you got the chance to visit some nice ports of call too.

 

[Kimmielee]

Glad you made it home after all the excitement. I bet it made this cruise more memorable? I hope the girl is ok and that the wedding wasn't totally a bust...

 

[MM27]

We had a great time. We went to Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya and had three full days at sea. So relaxing!

 

[Gina]

We had a great time. We went to Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya and had three full days at sea. So relaxing!

How scary, I hope the girl is okay!

I'll be on that same ship and same itinerary in 412 days! Just booked yesterday. If you feel like it at some point, do you think you could give me your thoughts on the sailing and the Voyager in general? I'm an RCCL newbie.

 

[MM27]

How scary, I hope the girl is okay!

I'll be on that same ship and same itinerary in 412 days! Just booked yesterday. If you feel like it at some point, do you think you could give me your thoughts on the sailing and the Voyager in general? I'm an RCCL newbie.

I love Royal Caribbean. I've also done a few NCL cruises.

This might sound really stupid, but my sister and I were totally not prepared for the weather in Texas. As a NJ girl who has never visited Texas before, I was under the impression that it would be warm. Who knew it would be colder than NJ? We were freezing on the day before when we got in. We stayed at Hotel Galvez in Galveston (it was beautiful) for our pre cruise package.

This was my first time on Voyager, but I'd been on the Navigator twice before and they are in the same class. I've never had three days at sea before, but there was so much to do all the time. One thing I noticed, which was not a bad thing at all, was that there were always deck chairs available. I've been on some ships where people save chairs and disappear for hours on end, but that just wasn't the case on this ship.

If you have any questions in particular, feel free to ask.

My sister and I had a Promenade stateroom on deck 8.

We did our excursions through the ship. In Cozumel we did a Mini Jeep and Snorkel excursion which was awesome. In Roatan we did a kayak and snorkel and in Costa Maya we did one called Jungle Beach Break, which was a day at the beach with open bar and use of kayaks, etc.

My only complaints: The casino stole all my money and a little boy won a free cruise at BINGO I was 4 numbers away from that cruise.

 

[~disneydiva~]

I went on that cruise and those places last Jan.! I had sooo much fun!

 

[m&m's mom]

I am really bummed RCCL will not be cruising out of Galveston this summer. That makes no sense to me.

 

[Stacerita]

Sounds like a very interesting cruise if you ask me. Very strange for that girl to be air lifted. Sounds more than just fainting.

 

[Jeanne B]

We had a similar Coast Guard rescue on our RCCL cruise last Dec...a woman had a heart attack when we were almost by Cuba, the ship had to go back a certain distance but it was also very windy so it took them quite a long time to land (they made well over a dozen passes, probably more, enough that people were getting concerned that they weren't going to be able to land). The woman was airlifted to Miami and they announced later that night that she was in the hospital, but stable.

Here's a couple of pics (majorily crooked horizon on the first one that I never fixed!! )

 

[ksjayhawks]

We were in San Juan last spring and should have set sail at 10 p.m. We waited and waited and finally at 10:30 an ambulance comes down the gangway, loads someone up and left. The family all got in an suv and followed, suitcases and all.

I love sea days--they are so relaxing! We were on the Rhapsody out of Galvaston two spring breaks ago and loved it. It had several more different entertainment options than the Liberty did during the day.

 

[Disneyadore]

I am really bummed RCCL will not be cruising out of Galveston this summer. That makes no sense to me.

Many cruises are being canceled and ships laid off.

 

[Kimberle]

I am really bummed RCCL will not be cruising out of Galveston this summer. That makes no sense to me.

Galveston was basically destroyed in a hurricane last summer. Just because it isn't on the news, doesn't mean the city is "ok".

 

[m&m's mom]

Galveston was basically destroyed in a hurricane last summer. Just because it isn't on the news, doesn't mean the city is "ok".

Well since the OP cruised out of there last week, I would not think that was it.
Actually they have not scheduled any RCCL cruises out of Galveston ever since their schedule came out a year ago.
I was also surprised the OP stayed in a well known hotel the night before so it must be OK.

 

[Keggy]

I am glad you had a great cruise overall. I love the Voyager class ships! We were disappointed when the Mariner went to CA and we got Freedom.

Kelly

 

[Gina]

The Voyager sails out of Galveston from December to April, then repositions to the Mediterranean for the rest of the year. It's a very common thing -- the Disney Magic does basically the same thing. It has nothing to do with Galveston itself.

As for our weather, it is extremely screwy this time of year. The past month or so has been even screwier than normal... 80 one day, 40 the next, then 75, then snowing... lol

I'm glad you guys had such a good time on the Voyager -- I can't wait to be on her myself¡


-gina-

 

[MM27]

Well since the OP cruised out of there last week, I would not think that was it.
Actually they have not scheduled any RCCL cruises out of Galveston ever since their schedule came out a year ago.
I was also surprised the OP stayed in a well known hotel the night before so it must be OK.

We were actually originally booked to stay at The Tremont House, but a few weeks back we were informed that they had a lot of damage during the hurricane and would not be ready for December. That's when they moved our reservation to Hotel Galvez.

We only went out for dinner right down the street from the hotel, but driving through Galveston, it didn't look good in a lot of places. Many stores, gas stations, homes, etc. looked gutted and had no trespassing signs outside. Many boats were resting on the side of the road and our driver told us that they were thrown up there during the hurricane. It was my first time there, but it didn't look "ready" for tourists for the most part.