I enjoyed Triumph, but I was ready to try a longer cruise and different ports. I had planned on booking the Dream cruise that would sail about six months after I got off of Triumph. Then something unexpected happened. The NBA all-star game was relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans for the week I was planning on cruising. I decided to avoid the crowds and cruise out of Galveston for the first time instead.
Cruise Parking
Parking in New Orleans was pretty straightforward. You can park at the port or you can save money and park at one of two popular offsite parking facilities. Galveston was a little more complicated. They have parking lots all over the place.
I went with one of the popular options which was EZ cruise parking. Their covered parking option was kind of a joke. They give you a car cover to put on your car and call that covered parking. What if I brought my own car cover? Are they going to stop me from putting it on? “Sir you didn’t pay for covered parking.”
They do have a shuttle at EZ. But then they also have a park and walk option which is cheaper. It didn’t seem like a far walk so I went for the uncovered parking with the park and walk option.
I did not realize that Galveston had Mardi Gras parades. Apparently they do and they had one the day of my cruise. Streets that Siri was telling me to turn down were closed for the parade. After I parked I had to fight through crowds of parade goers with my backpack and rolling luggage. Risking my life like frogger trying to cross the four lane road between me and the port.
I make it across the highway of death and arrive at the port. In New Orleans I’m used to porters that want to work. In Galveston there was one porter working. The others were sitting around and talking. The one who was working was taking luggage for a big group and his cart was nearly full. I don’t know what to do with my luggage at this point.
All of the sudden I hear someone scream “hey, over here!” There’s a guy in these bay doors with a sign that says “luggage.” I walk over and he tells me just put the suitcase by the number that corresponds to my deck.
After squaring away my luggage I had a thought. “Did I lock my car?” I didn’t have a good answer to that question so I made the trek all the way back to my car with my backpack to make sure the car was locked before returning to the port.
Embarkation
Our cruise group had only two people from the state of Maine in it. They were fortunate to have their own check-in line at the Galveston cruise terminal.
Embarkation was a long process on this cruise. It probably took an hour and a half. This was before they implemented the system where you pick up your Sail & Sign cards in your mailbox, which really sped up the embarkation process.
Stateroom
On Freedom I got the same cabin that I had for my second Triumph cruise. Lido inside forward but close to the elevator lobby so you don’t have the long walk down the hallway. It’s very close to the laundry room as well. This would be the room I would try to book on every cruise from here on out. This stateroom was similar to Triumph but Freedom had refrigerators where Triumph did not.
This towel animal was happy to see me.
Freedom was very similar to Triumph. The middle section was a little bigger which gave you a bigger buffet. Mongolian Wok, and reduced buffet lines. On the promenade deck that extra space added a Red Frog Pub. Up above the buffet on deck 11 was the first BBQ place I’d seen on a ship. Other than that, I felt like I was back on Triumph a lot.
Dining
Freedom was the first time I ate in the Main Dining Room. On embarkation night I asked for my own table. They seated me at one a table for two that was about six inches from the next table for two. It was really a table for four in disguise.
We were still close enough to the port for me to stream internet audio on my phone. I had my headphones in and was listening to a basketball game I was interested in. The couple at the table next to me insisted on talking to me.
Finally I abandoned my basketball game and engaged them. They were first time cruisers from Alaska. As a veteran of everything other than the dining room, I was able to answer many of the questions they had about cruising.
I had strawberry soup, Mahi Mahi, and the chocolate melting cake I had heard so much about. It was good but I didn’t enjoy being forced into what was essentially a table for four when that isn’t what I asked for.
If I were to eat in the dining room again I would need to find a table I liked better and request it. That was the only time I ate in the dining room on Freedom.
Ports
The ports for this cruise are Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. Roatan and Belize will be new experiences for me. Cozumel I’ve visited on every cruise.
President’s Day
Debarkation
Debarkation was a nightmare. The ship had customs delays. I was told that was common for ships that stopped in Belize. But I’ve been to Belize twice since then and I have not experienced such a delay. They called my zone number at 10:30.
That wasn’t the end of it. The customs lines were the longest I’ve seen. It felt like the entire ship was in line at customs all at once. I probably got through customs around 11:30.
Thanks to my brilliant idea to book the park and walk option, I now had to walk back to my car.
I left this cruise not a very big fan of Galveston. Add on to everything the fact that you can’t buy cheers day 1 when cruising out of Galveston. It made me appreciate New Orleans even more.
At this point I’m thinking I may never cruise out of Galveston again.
