We left Galveston not knowing that was the last we would see of our car (sigh). We parked at Lighthouse using the online discount. They had great service (even giving us updates after the hurricane flooded the lot).

Embarking was very painless. We arrived at 10:30 went right through without any lines. We were pooled into a waiting area, for 1/2 hour until the ship was ready, but walked right on. We had lunch on Lido deck and went right to our room on Panorama. This was the perfect location with kids. We had a small room with the 2 pull down bunks for our kids (age 6 and age 9). It was close to the pool (and ice cream machine for my son), just 2 floors up to the Camp Carnival) and right by the elevators. We went to the casino to get the free bungees. These were perfect for the kids to carry around their ship and sale card. We bought one soda card which we shared. Wait to buy it until you are at sea to avoid the taxes.

Room: We saved money on our room and weren't disappointed. The bathroom had plenty of shelves and storage so it didn't seem cramped. Even with four people and luggage we had plenty of drawer space and closet space that we weren't cramped. The room steward really did a great job. She was attentive and left the kids special treats each night (e.g. smiley face cookies)besides the fun towel creations. We requested the premium towels (which were softer)and she kept our cooler iced all week. Read more