We're a family of four (parents early 40s, kids 3 & 5). We arrived a day early and took Galveston Limo from the airport. Spent the night at the Hotel Galvez. Had breakfast at hotel next morning and swam at the hotel pool and walked along the beach. Hotel was great.

Took the noon hotel shuttle to the pier. Only takes a few minutes drive. Had to pass the Carnival ship/pier. They must have gotten off late, cause it was chaos getting past their ship. Shuttle dropped us off right in front of the door. From previous postings, I knew our check-in would go more smoothly if (1) we all had passports instead of just birth certificate, which we did; (2) there is a special line for suites, and (3) complete the check-in online before arriving (SetSail Pass) - this REALLY speeds up the process. The kids were given special wristbands that they had to wear for the entire cruise, which had the number of our muster station. This is in case they are in the kids club during an emergency - club staff will get the kids to the proper muster station. The embarkation process went very smoothly and quickly. No wait in the suite line and the other lines were very short.

We got onboard by 12:30 but were asked not to go to rooms till 1:00, so we went and had lunch at WindJammer. Food is fine, not as good as the Dining Room, but buffets are always great for traveling with small kids. Then went to open house in the kids club and then found our room. We had a carry-on with us so we were able to change into our swimsuits and spent some time in the pool and hot tubs. Luggage arrive before muster drill. Junior Suite with balcony was great for our family. Highly recommend it if you are traveling with small children. The extra room makes it so much more manageable and the balcony was great to be on when 3 yr old took afternoon naps. Read more