There is something about embarkation day that still gets me excited, even after 52 cruises. But before I could get to cruise #53, I first had to get myself to Texas.
And that started very early.
I woke up at 3:00 a.m. yesterday morning to drive to West Palm Beach for my flight to Atlanta, where I would connect to Houston. I’m not sure anything good should begin at 3:00 in the morning, but apparently cruises are the exception.
A Coca-Cola Crisis in Atlanta
During my Atlanta layover, I decided I needed something to wake me up. You would think finding a Coca-Cola at the Atlanta airport, in the hometown of Coca-Cola, would be the easiest thing in the world.
You would be wrong.
The first three places I tried only had Pepsi! Thankfully, I finally found salvation at Auntie Anne’s, where they had Coca-Cola AND I decided to try my very first Auntie Anne’s pretzel.
I chose the sweet almond pretzel, and let me tell you, it was very, very good.
It will not be my last Auntie Anne’s pretzel.
With a Coke and pretzel in hand, I was ready for the next flight to Houston.
Houston to Galveston, With a Couple of Necessary Stops
Once I arrived in Houston, I met up with my coworkers Anne, Shannon and Regina. We picked up our rental car and started making our way toward Galveston.
But you can’t drive through Texas and pass a Buc-ee’s without stopping, can you?
This particular Buc-ee’s was HUGE. I picked up some saltwater taffy, which I absolutely love, along with a Buc-ee’s T-shirt. Right behind Buc-ee’s was a Tanger Outlets, so naturally we ended up making another stop. I found a shirt at Old Navy on sale for $15.
I’m counting that as responsible shopping.
Then it was finally on to Galveston and our hotel for the night, the Grand Galvez.
The Grand Galvez
I was honestly a little shocked when we pulled up. I knew the Grand Galvez was a historic hotel, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as beautiful as it is.
The original Hotel Galvez opened in 1911, built as Galveston was reestablishing itself as a vacation destination following the devastating hurricane of 1900. Over the years, the hotel became known as the “Queen of the Gulf,” and its guest list has included presidents, celebrities and countless visitors coming to enjoy Galveston.
Franklin D. Roosevelt even used the hotel as a temporary “Summer White House” while visiting Galveston in 1937, and during World War II, the Coast Guard used the hotel as its wartime headquarters.
Walking through the Grand Galvez today, though, it doesn’t feel like you’re staying in a museum. It’s historic, but it’s also comfortable, beautifully restored and just a little bit quirky.
One of my favorite details is the wallcovering throughout the hotel. At first glance, it looks like elaborate tropical wallpaper, but it’s actually fabric. The walls feel upholstered. Look closely and you’ll find flowers, tropical foliage, monkeys and even owls hiding in the pattern.
You know I noticed the owls.
And then there are the ghosts.
Yes, Apparently My Hotel Was Haunted
The Grand Galvez embraces its reputation as one of Galveston’s haunted hotels, and its most famous ghost story is that of Audra, the Lovelorn Bride.
The story goes that Audra was staying at the hotel while waiting for her fiancé, a mariner, to return to Galveston. When she was told his ship had been lost at sea, she was devastated and eventually took her own life in one of the hotel’s turrets.
Except her fiancé hadn’t died.
He survived and later returned to the hotel looking for her.
Guests and employees have reported unexplained happenings around Room 501 and the fifth floor ever since, and Audra isn’t supposedly the hotel’s only permanent guest. There are other stories involving a little girl, a ghostly nun and assorted things that apparently go bump in the night. We were staying in room #551!! 😵💫
Naturally, I took plenty of pictures of the hallways.
Did I see a ghost?
No.
Did I sleep incredibly well in a supposedly haunted hotel?
Absolutely.
The bed was wonderful, and I slept for about eight hours, which is probably the most sleep I’ve gotten in quite a while.
Before that happened, though, we headed over to The Spot for dinner. I ordered a shrimp po’ boy and waffle fries. It was good, although there was a LOT of bread, so I mostly ate the shrimp and a few fries. I really wasn’t very hungry by that point. I was tired. For around $20 with a Sprite, though, I thought it was a perfectly decent meal.
Then we went back to the Grand Galvez, and I crashed.
Good Morning, Galveston!
This morning I woke up rested and opened the curtains to one of those views that makes you remember exactly why you love traveling.
Looking one direction from my hotel room, I could see the morning sun shining over the Gulf of Mexico.
Then I looked out the other direction.
There she was.
Mariner of the Seas.
I could actually see the ship sitting at the port, waiting for us.
That was a pretty great way to start embarkation day.
After staying at the Grand Galvez myself, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to clients sailing from Galveston. In fact, I think spending a couple of nights here before or after a cruise would be a wonderful addition to the vacation. You get the history and character of Galveston, you’re directly across from the Gulf, and you’re only a short distance from the cruise terminal.
I would happily stay here again.
Time for Cruise #53
We checked out and started making our way toward the ship, but there were a couple more errands first.
We made a Target run because I needed sunscreen, then stopped at Starbucks so Anne could get her coffee. After returning the rental car, we grabbed an Uber to the cruise terminal.
I have to give Royal Caribbean credit here. Check-in was super quick. Everything went incredibly smoothly, and before long we had met up with Christine and Shellie and were walking onboard.
And just like that, cruise #53 had officially begun!
We completed the muster drill and headed to the buffet, where I found some really good Indian-style chicken with jasmine rice.
And, perhaps equally important, I had my first Coca-Cola of the day.
I bought the soda package for this cruise. I suspect Royal Caribbean may regret that decision before the week is over.
Eventually our stateroom was ready, and I’m really pleased with it. We’re in balcony cabin 6582, and it’s a great cabin.
Of course, apparently I can’t even get through embarkation day without doing a little work. Before we sailed away, I booked a Virgin Voyages cruise for one of my clients. I am so blessed that I have such amazing clients. ❤️
There was something amusing about sitting in my Royal Caribbean stateroom booking someone onto Virgin Voyages, but such is the life of a travel advisor.
And Then Came the Dolphins
Sail-away from Galveston gave us one of the best moments of the day.
As Mariner of the Seas made her way out toward the Gulf, we passed through several pods of dolphins. We could see them swimming and playing alongside the ship. I love seeing dolphins play in the ocean!! (Or the Gulf of Mexico!)
It was so cool.
This morning I had been standing at my hotel window looking at Mariner of the Seas in the distance. A few hours later, I was standing onboard that same ship watching dolphins play in the water as we sailed away from Galveston.
I don’t think that feeling ever gets old.
Name That Tune…Eventually
At 6:00, we all met up again for Name That Tune: ’70s Hits.
We figured we’d be pretty good at this.
And we were…sort of.
They would play about two seconds of a song.
Two seconds!
The frustrating part was that we recognized almost every one of them. We’d hear it and immediately think, “I KNOW THIS SONG!”
Unfortunately, knowing the song and remembering the actual title of the song are apparently two completely different skills.
We did surprisingly well, but not nearly well enough to win. Still, we laughed a lot, and that’s really the whole point. I kept hoping they would play Car Wash by Rose Royce. I love that song.
A Surprisingly Good First Dinner
Dinner tonight was better than I expected.
I started with escargot and a crab cake, then had the aromatic Indian chicken saag for my entrée. Everything was really good.
Dessert may have been my favorite part, though. I had the Boston cream pie, and it was perfect. Light, creamy and with just enough chocolate without being overly sweet or heavy.
It was a really nice first dinner onboard.
Unfortunately, my sciatica has been giving me a pretty rough time today. There are plenty of things happening around the ship tonight that I could go explore, but sometimes you have to listen to your body.
So instead of seeing what else I can squeeze into embarkation day, I’m calling it a night.
Besides, when I think about everything that’s happened since that alarm went off at 3:00 yesterday morning, I think I’ve packed quite enough into the last two days.
I’ve flown from Florida to Texas, discovered my love for Auntie Anne’s pretzels, hunted down a Coca-Cola in the actual hometown of Coca-Cola, shopped at Buc-ee’s, stayed in a beautiful (and possibly haunted) historic hotel, watched the sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico, saw my cruise ship waiting for me, boarded my 53rd cruise, booked another cruise for a client, sailed alongside dolphins, failed to become a ’70s music trivia champion and finished the day with a really good dinner.
Not a bad start to this adventure.
Now I’m going to enjoy that balcony cabin, get some rest, and see what tomorrow brings aboard Mariner of the Seas.
Cruise #53 is officially underway.
