Background Information: This was a first cruise for my husband and I, and it was for our 25th anniversary (a gift from our daughter). We had never even seen the ocean, much less go on a cruise before. So this was going to be a real treat!

Travel To Port of Embarkation: We left early Sunday Morning, 4/15, and drove from Denton, TX to Galveston. It took about 5 1/2 hours to drive, and that's with stopping at I-Hop in Ennis for breakfast. We decided to spend a day touring Galveston since we had never been there before. Galveston is very commercialized. All along the beach are restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops. It's pretty dirty if you ask me, but it was our very first glimpse of the ocean. We decided to rest in one of the umbrella/beach chairs, but quickly learned that it costs money to sit in those chairs. A man came by and asked us to either pay $10/hour or $15 for the remainder of the day. We politely left. Plus, for a tourist town, I thought people could have been a little more friendly than they were. Everybody just seemed so rude. Many shops were closed, everything seemed old. It's a tourist town that has been let go.

Hotel Info: We stayed overnight in Galveston at the Comfort Suites Inn, and I was very disappointed in the room. The TV didn't work, the bed was hard, and there were cracked tiles in the bathroom floor. Just not a good experience for the $114 we spent. When we complained about the TV, we were told that it was the service, not the TV. Funny thing is other guests didn't seem to be having the same issue. We had a coffee pot in our room, but the coffee was horrible! Nevertheless, when we talked to other people on the ship, they had similar experiences at their hotels as well. So, once again, a tourist town that has been let go. Read more