This is the fifth time cruising for my husband and I and the first time cruising for my two sisters and my sister's two children aged 9 and 7.

We usually book more expensive cruises and have been a fan of Royal Caribbean and so our expectations going into this cruise were low.

Galveston Pier embarkation went smoothly. We booked a reservation for parking through Lighthouse parking for $35 for the duration of the cruise. They offer a free shuttle to the pier. We arrived at around 10am hoping to get onto the ship early however despite being one of the first groups onto the ship we were not able to board until around 12:30pm. Once on the ship we ate lunch at the Lido buffet and then found our bags at our room around 1:30pm. Read more