Casino Cruises in Galveston, Texas USA Today

This cruise was the most horrible I've ever been on! I'm going to outline a few of the problems, and the narrative the rest. Mind you, I've been in almost constant contact with Carnival and they choose to do nothing to remedy the situation! Hubby and I cruised out of NOLA in April, immediately booked another for sons Senior trip in May, out of Galveston on the freedom. Minutes before embarking in Galveston, I'm notified the credit card I used for previous cruise had been compromised. Embarkation process was slow and unorganized, with guests being yelled at by staff, an altogether different atmosphere than NOLA. Very bad, not vacation-y or enjoyable at all. Problem #1 After 4 hours, our luggage was finally delivered to our balcony state room, where I find my brand new hard case suitcase to be split across the bottom with a wheel hanging only by a few pieces of plastic. Inside, my husbands $1300 Invicta reserve Watch was damaged to the point of not working, not to mention the huge scratch across the face of it. Guest services was notified. They directed us to purchase a new piece of luggage in the Port of Cozumel up to $200 and we would be reimbursed. We took 1/2 our day in port, paid $80 for taxi to take us to some "mall" and got a pos piece of luggage for an outrageous amount. The guest services manager refused to reimburse me for the taxi fee. They said that my husbands watch and any other contents wasn't their problem. Thanks Carnival. Got our $$ now your customer service is non-existent. I see. Problem #2. We had all gratuities removed from our account and chose to disperse them on our own as cash. When I went to guest services to do this, the agent and the manager spoke to each other, thinking I couldn't hear them, about how I am "grumpy" when I asked him why they called me grumpy, he stuttered a bit, giggled, and said they had said country. Haha. I know exactly what they said. They just didn't expect to get caught. Problem #3 Two days after embarkation, the credit card I used on this sailing was compromised. This card has never been used for anything other than sail and sign on this ship. And it stays in a protected sleeve, so I know it wasn't scanned. So, simple math says to me... card A number used on carnival cruise 1 was stolen + card B number used solely on carnival cruise 2 was stolen = carnival cruise lines has a security issue somewhere within their credit card system. However, I'm the only one that can do that math. No one at Carnival WANTS to admit any fault. They also don't want to compensate me for any of the trouble I've had to go thru due to any of their employees short comings, fraudulent activity, or disrespect. Think twice before you give them your credit card number! And if you choose to do so, be sure to check and double check every single charge that comes thru that card account for the next few months!! On a side note, I spent over $8000 in the casino and $6000 on jewelry on the cruise in April. On the cruise in May, I spent over $14000 in the casino!!

Hello everyone! We cruised on Liberty of the seas out of Galveston, TX July of 2018. Some things might have changed a little. It has taken me awhile to get around to this, I had a hard time finding information when we went so maybe someone will find this useful. Formatting may be an issue, on mobile. Links at bottom.
Tips: -If you get a sun burn don’t go to the spa. They will give you a “milk protein” it smells like baby powder, is $80 a tube and makes the burn worse.
-Tipping is highly encouraged. From the guys who helps you park, take your bags, charter boat staff, excursion leaders to staff on the ship.
-Auto gratuity was $14.50 per person per day, there isn’t a way to prepay.
-There was a scavenger hunt that started on embarkation day, fill everything out and get a small prize-see guest services.
-Visit the shopping desk on embarkation day (4:30-7). You will get a checklist for a free charm bracelet through diamonds international.
-Register your big purchases with the shopping desk for the RC guarantee
-Take your passport into Mexico, they do 8.9% rebates for Americans.
-Pool towels have to be scanned out with your card. If it isn’t returned they will charge you $25 per towel, house keeping will not take pool towels
-Wait till the last sea day for shirt deals in the gift shop. We got a 2/$20. Get to the shop early, they sell out quick. All jewelry in the center of the pomade will be 1/2 off
-If you wait till you get on the ship for drink packages and ask around. They will have a coffee only punch card, beer only punch card in addition to the plans online. Beer buckets (buy 4 beers get 1 free)
-Best frozen drinks are on the pool deck, strongest drinks are in the casino.
-Skip the casino until the last sea day. We got a free $10 credit to use in the casino, you can spend it all or play a couple slots and cash out.
-Only got 3 towel animals in our room during the cruise. I wanted more, just a personal preference.
-Most classes during sea days will be packed and they never have enough supplies. Just go to the pool instead.
-There will be photographers insisting on pictures while you are eating in the main dining room. They have to meet a quota every night.
-Ask fellow passengers for a family photo. Most will be happy to take your picture if you return the favor.
-For money on the cruise take the amount you are thinking and double it. This covers souvenirs, gratuity and tipping. Shopping will be pushed on the cruise, unless there is something specific you want, don’t feel pressured.
-Keep track of on ship expenses as you go. The last sea day or second to last go down to guest services early and request a copy of your bill and dispute any charges now compared to later with everyone else.
-Book excursions before boarding. Everyone who didn’t will be in line to do so on the ship and you will wait in line for hours just to find out everything is filled. When you get to your room, if you don’t have a ticket for an excursion, then it was cancelled and the money has automatically been credited to your account
-On disembarkation day we were told to be out of our room by 9am. The morning of we didn’t get breakfast and were kicked off of the ship at 7:15. Pack a granola bar per person and save it for the last day in case this happens. We self assisted and luckily packed the night before. Make sure you do this as they will not give you time to get your things together.
-Being kicked off, we were through customs and driving out of parking by 8:30.
-On disembarkation day, take an elevator up. Everyone is taking them down and you will be waiting a long time to get on. You will get further quicker. What goes up must come down.
-The treadmills in the gym overlook the ocean
-On the ship there is mini golf, shuffle board, and ping pong. In the library there are cards and board games.
-On one of the nights in the MDR, lobster tail was included on the normal menu. Any other night it is $30 extra.
-New York strip was included every night.
-On deck 5 we had pictures with shrek, puss in boots, and king Julian. Though I think they aren’t doing this anymore.
There is a lot of information so I split it up, here are the links If you are interested.
Boarding tips https://www.reddit.com/royalcaribbean/comments/auf0kb/rcc_tips/?st=JSJPJ5R7&sh=f757aa17
Boarding day https://www.reddit.com/royalcaribbean/comments/auf6vt/boarding_day/?st=JSJPLEY6&sh=59e3d59c
Sea days https://www.reddit.com/royalcaribbean/comments/aufdbn/sea_days/?st=JSJPKXKJ&sh=20ea0332
Ports https://www.reddit.com/royalcaribbean/comments/aufilb/belize/?st=JSJPJZOA&sh=e830d331
Drinks https://www.reddit.com/royalcaribbean/comments/aufqwa/drinks/?st=JSJPWGJ6&sh=d5a14666
Pictures of daily schedule, Dolphin exhibit and few others. https://imgur.com/gallery/hYmxcws

Hi all,
I am a 30 year old male from California and I am looking for someone who would like to join me on a 7 day Carnival cruise on the Breeze, leaving Galveston on August 26 and returning Sept 2. I originally had it booked with my younger brother but he is now unable to make it.
While cruising I enjoy dressing up for dinner and shows, listening to live music and playing in the casino. While in port I usually enjoy leisurely walking around town but am open to more adventurous excursions when the right one shows up.
It's my hope that we will get along enough to spend some time together on-board and while at port. I will be playing in the special poker tournament they are hosting on the ship. I will be occupied with that for several hours each day, so we will naturally get plenty of time alone.
Your total cost for the cruise would be $500 including taxes and gratuities. You would be responsible for your own transportation, excursions and on-board spending.
If this sounds like something you are interested in please shoot me a message. I would love to video chat a few times to make sure we get along. Looking forward to hearing from you!!
PS: I have 3 more cruises booked later this year that I will also need a cruise partner for. If we get along and you have a flexible schedule we could turn this into a reoccurring experience.

It’s taken me a while to decide to share my experience. It happened over the summer of 2017, and I still haven’t wrapped my head around it. To protect identities, names will be altered.
During the first week of July, my family and I went on a cruise with some extended family. We drove up to Galveston, Tx to board the ship. We boarded July 1st and returned July 7th. Myself, My mom, we’ll call her Tammy, my dad, we’ll call him Mark, and my sister, we’ll call her Sandy we’re all boarding when we heard weird noises the first time. It sounded as if it was a loud crash, and several loud, agonizing moans. We figured it was the ship turning on their accommodations or the ship doing some type of self maintenance and just chalked it up to weird but nothing to worry about. Everything was fine for the first few hours.
Those have you that have been on a cruise, you know that when you board and get accommodated you will stay ported for about 3 hours while everyone else gets accommodated. So while we were waiting to sail out, my sister and I went to our room while my parents stayed on the top deck looking watching people board (we had a room that was down the hall from our parents). Our rooms were on the level above the very last level of the ship where the hospital and the maintenance area was. I think it’s called the hull of the ship? Anyway, while we were getting our stuff put away and checking out the room, Sandy had mentioned that she heard a loud banging coming from the deck below. She didn’t know what was under us so I explained and we decided it was the ship being cleaned up.
As the night went on, we finally sailed out. During the sail out party, Sandy I decided to do some exploring of the ship. We went around to the casino and the shopping areas and we found the gym and the nail salon, then we decided to go down and check out the hospital area. I’m a clumsy person so we did this jokingly as she said “I’ll probably be in there twice before we leave.” We take the elevator down and we see it looks drastically different from the rest of ship. We assumed it would as most people don’t come down here. It was all concrete with all doors leading to all concrete rooms. Almost like a prison.
We walked passed several employees who had this look of absolute dread and dissociation on their face. Almost as if they were in a trance after seeing the most horrifying thing in their life. After deciding we were weirded out, we went back upstairs to find Mom and Dad. We explained to them what happened, and both of them being firm believers in everything spooky, creepy, scary, supernatural and believing the unbelievable they decided to keep and ear and an eye out as well. My dad being a conspiracy theorist tried to make light of the situation at dinner and told us about a conspiracy theory he read where cruise ship employees are hypnotized and cruise lines are the new MKUltra experimenters. We laughed and called it a night after dinner.
I’m an insomniac, but my sister is not and she can literally fall asleep on the most uncomfortable surfaces so when she couldn’t sleep at 1 am, I found it a little odd. We were watching an episode of family guy on the cruise ship TV when we heard the scream. This awful, blood curdling scream. We walked out of our room to see if something was happening in the hallway, and we saw our parents door open. My dad had heard it too, and he came over to check on us. My mom was up in the casino with some friends she made on the ship, so she didn’t hear a thing. He said it sounded like it came from the floor below. We should’ve left it alone, but we didn’t. We ventured down to the floor below, and what we saw was NOT what we had seen hours earlier. Instead of all concrete, the walls were all black. Almost looking like black velvet. We saw a dim flickering light at the end of the hall, so we walked toward it. We heard the screaming 2 more times, each time we heard it made us stop in our tracks. As we peered into the room, what we saw was horrifying.
It wasn’t a weird mind control experiment, it was a straight up exorcism. The girl on the table was an employee, I had seen her in the casino earlier. They were beating her and casting out whatever demon they thought was inside of her. The screaming was because they had whipped her so bad that they cut her stomach open. Her entrails were almost exposed and she was turning white from lack of blood in her body. We watched her die. We watched them pronounce her. We watched as she sat up from the bed and attacked the priest. We watched as these god awful teeth extended from her mouth. We watched as she ripped the throat out of the priest. The door slammed as she was coming towards the other ministries in the room. We immediately turned around and ran back to our rooms.
The next day, we didn’t talk a word about it. 2 days went passed before we heard moaning coming from the same area around the same time. This time, my mom heard it too. All 4 of us went down to the basement, and this time we were greeted with something more horrific than the exorcism. We saw creatures in cages that we recognized as the employees. We watched and realized that each one would be exorcised. We saw the head of the woman hanging up on the wall: a warning to all those that tried to resist what would happen to them.
The employees weren’t human. When we got home, we looked into it deep deep deep into the dark web and we found a website specializing in the truth surrounding cruise ship employees. Since it was a dark web website, I won’t be sharing it. On this website it told us that most cruise ship employees are from different countries and most of them are kidnapped. They go through a ceremony where demons are casted into them as a form of control. During the day, they are kept inside the body, making the employee a shallow shell of their former self. Going through the motions of what they’re trained to be. At night, they must go through the exorcism process in order to stay under control. The demons can be released, but the release is the horrific tragedy we witnessed the first night.
The demons are out there. So think about that next time you want to sail out.

Some observations on two ships I inspected on a recent weekend - enjoy!
SATURDAY: Carnival Vista. Big, beautiful, and bold. Boarding at the Atrium, the ship was rocking & rolling with up-tempo music creating a typical Carnival party hearty atmosphere. The main pool was already well utilized with guests soaking up the rays with the live steel drums maintaining the party atmosphere. The casino is huge. Entertainment options abound on this ship and even the most hyperactive among us would be challenged to hit all of them in a 7-night itinerary. Water park, IMAX theater, ropes course, sky ride elevated bikes – Havana Lounge, Red Frog, Blue Iguana – production shows, comedians … the list just goes on.
While activity options abound at every turn, my exploration uncovered plenty of areas where guests seeking a quieter, gentler cruise experience could relax in peace and comfort. Grab a good book and head toward the adults-only Serenity enclave … I also found the aft pool area to be peaceful and almost totally deserted during my tour.
Vista is currently sailing 6- and 8-night itineraries from Miami. This would be a perfect ship for families, for multi-generational groups traveling together, for any cruisers who prefer a high energy cruise environment with an array of activity and entertainment options. She will move to the Port of Galveston later next fall.
PROS: Loved the food, one of the best meals I’ve eaten on any ship anywhere; Havana Lounge; Kid’s program second to none; the prevalence of outdoor areas where a cruiser can connect with the ocean.
CONS: Not much of a fan of the ship’s atrium area which seemed rather cramped to me; casino area had definite lingering odor of cigarette smoke; and I really did miss the white tablecloths in the formal dining room.
Sunday, Holland America Koningsdam Classy, understated, elegant. Holland’s new ship may be the largest in their fleet, but it remains a mid-sized ship with an upscale, intimate atmosphere. HAL has moved to add touches of contemporary flare to their fleet, but they (thankfully!) still very much adhere to their traditional roots. No climbing walls or water parks on these ships where instead you can enjoy an afternoon high tea, a wine tasting event, or perhaps a hands-on cooking class led by a well-known chef.
Entertainment still abounds onboard … though far less “in your face” than zip lines and belly flop contests. Music is a resounding theme onboard Koningsdam. B.B. King’s Blues Club offers classic blues as well as pop favorites. Lincoln Center features outstanding classical presentations, while Billboard On Board features what you might expect – billboard classics. And yes, there is a good-sized casino onboard as well.
Koningsdam could be a clear choice for cruisers who appreciate a mid-size vessel featuring fine dining, exceptional wines, beers and whiskeys, and enrichment programs over frenetic activity. It is also a fine ship for families who prefer a more subdued family atmosphere. The ship has great kid’s programming and a variety of oceanview and interior staterooms designed specifically for families. Many accommodate as many as five passengers that offer split bathrooms that could have been taken straight from Disney’s playbook.
PROS: Great food, varied enrichment options and intuitive service on intimate mid-size ships. Elegant and refined shipboard experience – without a hint of stuffy. I didn’t detect even the slightest hint of smoke in their casino.
CONS: I found the suites I inspected to be surprisingly small, even cramped – though the bathrooms were large and beautifully appointed. Very much a contrast with some of the expansive suite spaces found even on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.
SO – Vista or Koningsdam – which brand of cruiser are you? These days there truly is a ship and cruise style for almost any traveler. We are available to help you sort through the lines, ships and itineraries to best suit your travel style, preferences and budget. Contact us today … we welcome your questions

I was aboard the Carnival Triumph on a cruise that left Galveston, Tx on 12/12/13.
While aboard, my wife and I played bingo. Sold alongside the bingo cards were pull-tab style prize cards where you could win various amounts of money. Attached to each prize card was a raffle ticket. The event host stated that the raffle ticket was for a $500 prize, which is why I purchased the cards in the first place. I purchased two of these during one game, and two during the last game for the $1000 bingo jackpot. After the last game was over, the event host offhandedly mentioned the raffle prize paying for a $500 bar tab, but it seemed to be a lighthearted suggestion and not a declaration of the official rules.
That night, my raffle ticket was pulled out of the bucket. I wasn't present for the drawing, but my father-in-law and his mother were. They called me up to the casino and told me to claim my prize, which up until this point I had been led to believe to be a cash prize or voucher of some sort (if you ask other customers who bought the same tickets, they were under the impression that the tickets were for a cash prize).
I walked up to the teller at the cash counter in the casino and told them my name. The teller congratulated me and told me to talk to guest services about the details of the prize. I went to guest services and talked to a representative named Brenda.
At first, Brenda had no idea what I was talking about. She called the casino boss(I was just there?) and (I assume) listened to the details of the prize. She returned to the counter and told me that all bar charges I had on my sail and sign account would be compensated. I asked her when they would be compensated and she replied that everything would be zeroed out after the bars closed that night, and gave midnight as a cutoff time. I asked if any charges made later that same night would be compensated, and she replied in the affirmative.
Very happy with my new $500 that I got to spend only on things from the bar, I head to the casino bar and proceed to buy my wife, brother in law, father in law, and grandmother in law everything that they could drink or take back to the room. I even buy a bottle of wine (Barefoot brand, $10-20 in any local grocery store) for $35 to take home because hey, free $500. I stopped at about $140 worth of charges, so nothing insane, just what my family could drink.
I head back down to guest services to ask if it's ok to buy bottles of wine from the bar with the prize money. I get Brenda again, who this time informs me that no, it's not $500 toward my bar tab up until midnight, it's $500 toward my bar tab up until the time of the drawing. This is brand new news to me- at no point was I told that the cutoff time was the time of the drawing. In fact, I'd been told two hours previous that the cutoff was midnight!
I told the representative what she'd communicated to me earlier and she denied having said it. After I insisted that my claim was indeed true, she stated "I'm sorry that you heard only what you wanted to hear." I then asked for a copy of the game rules, or for a copy of a letter outlining my prize. She could not produce any sort of documentation regarding the rules of the game or the specifics of my winnings. I asked who I needed to talk to to escalate things and she said there was no-one, that nobody would talk to me about my complaint. At that point I walked away. During the latter half exchange she was rude and defensive. She kept trying to shift blame to me by asking irrelevant, unrelated rhetorical questions.
I get back to my room and tell my wife what happened. She comes back to the room red-faced with tears and very distraught. Same treatment by Brenda.
My wife asked about what Brenda had told me previously. Brenda replied. "Your husband misunderstood me. It's not my problem if he goes crazy blowing his money. That's his fault. I told him he will be paid back at the time of the raffle what he has already spent up until that point."
My wife tried to reason with her that we only had an $7.25 bar tab at the time of the drawing, and that the tickets we bought for the raffle added up to $20.
Brenda said, "It doesn't matter what you spent, that's all that is going to be compensated. Even if your bar tab was $3000 before the raffle drawing, you would still only get $500 taken off."
My wife asserts that the staff made out the raffle to be for a cash prize. She explained that the only reason we went and spent any money after the drawing was because of information relayed by Brenda to me.
"I did not tell him to do that. I told him that all of the money he spent at a bar before the raffle drawing will be compensated and it will go through the system at midnight when the bars close."
My wife insists that is not the case. She then asks, "What if I had won? I'm only 20 years old, I don't drink alcohol, and I had nothing on my tab. What prize would I get?"
Brenda answers, "You would get nothing. The prize is only for previous bar tab purchases."
My wife asks where these rules were posted, because no statements regarding restrictions were present at the raffle box or on the game pieces. No 'Must be 21 or older to enter', or 'Rules and restrictions may apply'. My wife, again, asks for a copy of the rules.
Brenda says "Hold on, let me make a phone call." She leaves behind the desk and makes a call. After a few minutes, she comes back to tell my wife. "I just contacted the game director (Never mentioned a name). He said he explained the rules clearly several times during all bingo games. You played bingo, didn't you?"
My wife answers that she was there while I played.
Brenda stated that my wife had to have heard the rules clearly several times.
My wife explained that at no time were the rules of the game clearly and explicitly stated during any of the bingo sessions we attended.
Brenda interrupts, "I don't know why you're getting upset, Mrs. Brewer. No one else is having this problem." which seemed to be a non-sequitur.
My wife explained that there was only one winner.
Brenda says, "It's not my fault you spent money you didn't have." My wife asks for another customer service representative.
She is denied speaking to another customer because "No one else will give you your money back".
My wife asks for a number to call or to speak to some supervisor or a higher up to report this problem.
Brenda rudely responds. "You can talk to any of us all day long, but no one is going to give your money back." My wife asks for a print out of the charges made to our card and walks away.
A few minutes after my wife gets back to the room, I head to the casino to talk to the casino boss to see if he could help. I asked him about all the details of the prize and what my current situation was, and he confirmed what the customer service representative told me during our second conversation. I asked for a written statement outlining the rules of the raffle, or for a letter outlining the details of my prize. He could not provide provide me with anything. The remainder of our conversation was, in so many words, the casino boss saying "So sorry, can't help."
The next morning we got a note under our door. It was a letter outlining the details of my prize, the one I'd asked for twice and nobody had been able to provide- a whole $7.25 compensated, for the single drink I'd ordered during the entire 5 day cruise prior to my "win."
I'm not much of a drinker. My wife doesn't drink alcohol at all. So, had I not been led to believe that the raffle was a cash prize, or that the cutoff time for the prize was midnight that night, I would have spent only $7.25 on alcohol consumption aboard the ship (I did purchase alcohol at the store- which will probably last a year or so). I would never have bought the raffle tickets or pull tabs.
Had I not won the raffle and gone through the worst case of "he said, she said," and had I not talked to the rudest customer service representative I've ever met at any organization (not an exaggeration) I would already be planning my next cruise with Carnival with my wife and one year old son. Because the rest of the trip was awesome. It only takes a minute to ruin the whole trip, though, and that's what I'm trying to have fixed here. All I want are my bar charges wiped away and for this ordeal to be behind me.