Warning: this review is long. And if you don't read every word, you'll never know what you were missing! Ha ha!

" Background Information My husband and I took our first cruise as a celebration for earning my Master's degree. We definitely wanted to sail from a (somewhat) nearby port so we wouldn't have to get on a plane. I detest flying, not to mention the added expense flying presents. So we sailed from Galveston. Since we drove, we didn't have to worry about hiring a car. We ended up at EZ Park because of the advice given on this board. It was certainly cheaper and it was easy getting from the lot to the ship. Getting back was another story. We waited in front of the port terminal for an eternity before the shuttle showed up. I guess that's what we get for staying on the second deck and getting off the ship last.

" Travel To Port of Embarkation Embarkation was exactly what I expected. The line was long because we dawdled at the monument. If we had followed advice given on this board, we would have arrived earlier, knowing we would have been allowed to board anyway. Even so, the line moved fairly quickly. I just wish we had checked more of our stuff. I had brought my trumpet with me for the talent show and between it and my suit bag containing our formal wear, things were starting to droop, if you know what I mean. We didn't have any trouble getting the bags we did check, although they did take their time getting to our room. We did have them in plenty of time to dress for dinner, however. Read more