Background: Our group of 6 adults (3 couples - all family members in our 50s and 60s) cruised on Voyager from Jan 13 to 20 out of the Port of Galveston. Since two of the couples live within driving distance of the port, we have previously cruised on Rhapsody and were anxious to compare the two ships. We were in two corner aft cabins (7688 and 8690) and one nearby interior cabin.

Embarkation: We arrived at the port about 11:00 AM and were surprised to find a large number of passengers already checked in. Once we finally got through the scanners and the check-in, it was not really clear where the line was for boarding, as people seemed to be stuffed into the terminal. Seating inside the terminal is very limited (I'd say maybe 200 chairs), so only the earliest arriving passengers had a place to sit while waiting to board.

We were very lucky and found ourselves standing against the wall near the head of the line when boarding finally began (late due to the ship's delayed arrival and a media event in progress). That part seemed to go smoothly, once it began, but I would have to say that the terminal is not really set up to accommodate the 3400 passengers that were reportedly aboard, along with the accompanying busses, cars, luggage, and so on. Read more