Carnival Valor 2017 4-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 1 Part 1 June 22, 2017 Galveston, Texas
Scheduled Departure: 4:00pm Actual Departure: Around 5pm
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Day 1 Part 1 June 22, 2017 Galveston, Texas
Scheduled Departure: 4:00pm Actual Departure: Around 5pm
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!
Weather Delay Due To Tropical Storm Cindy:
Unfortunately, the Carnival Valor was not able to arrive in Galveston on-time the morning of our cruise. This was due to the Port of Galveston being closed to marine traffic because Tropical Storm Cindy was creating high winds and rough seas. Although Galveston was not directly hit by Tropical Storm Cindy, the high winds and waves created dangerous conditions that were not safe for the ship to dock. When I saw Carnival's text alerts come across my phone I was disappointed, but I knew I would still have a good cruise no matter how bad the weather turned out to be (spoiler: the weather got much better). When the first text alert came across my phone, we were on our way to Galveston. The original text alert essentially told cruisers the Port of Galveston was closed and Carnival had no information on when check-in & boarding would occur since everything depended on the ship's arrival time. Carnival's alert said an update would be provided no later than 10am.
After arriving in Galveston, I used my phone to begin watching the Carnival Valor's online tracker. When the ship started moving at a slow speed, I had a good feeling it was going to be able to finally come into Galveston! I continued to watch the tracker closely and when the ship got close to docking, I went outside by the Harborhouse Hotel to get a view of the ship. Since it was pouring outside, I had to watch from a covered area to keep dry and protect my camera. The ship was being assisted by a tug because of the weather. Here are a few pictures I took of the ship arriving in Galveston:
Unfortunately, the Carnival Valor was not able to arrive in Galveston on-time the morning of our cruise. This was due to the Port of Galveston being closed to marine traffic because Tropical Storm Cindy was creating high winds and rough seas. Although Galveston was not directly hit by Tropical Storm Cindy, the high winds and waves created dangerous conditions that were not safe for the ship to dock. When I saw Carnival's text alerts come across my phone I was disappointed, but I knew I would still have a good cruise no matter how bad the weather turned out to be (spoiler: the weather got much better). When the first text alert came across my phone, we were on our way to Galveston. The original text alert essentially told cruisers the Port of Galveston was closed and Carnival had no information on when check-in & boarding would occur since everything depended on the ship's arrival time. Carnival's alert said an update would be provided no later than 10am.
After arriving in Galveston, I used my phone to begin watching the Carnival Valor's online tracker. When the ship started moving at a slow speed, I had a good feeling it was going to be able to finally come into Galveston! I continued to watch the tracker closely and when the ship got close to docking, I went outside by the Harborhouse Hotel to get a view of the ship. Since it was pouring outside, I had to watch from a covered area to keep dry and protect my camera. The ship was being assisted by a tug because of the weather. Here are a few pictures I took of the ship arriving in Galveston:
Carnival Valor Sailing Into Galveston
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View Of Carnival Valor & Pier By Harborhouse Hotel
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A little tug accompanied the Valor as it arrived
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The temperature standing outside was cold and I got a little wet running back to the car. I anticipated Carnival's alert to come any second, but it seemed to take forever. Finally, I looked at my email and found an email alert was sent that told cruisers the ship had arrived and boarding times were pushed back by one hour. Carnival ships out of Galveston now operate on a staggered check-in system. While completing online documents and paperwork, each stateroom is required to select a check-in window. These time windows indicate the time a stateroom's occupants can begin arriving at the cruise terminal to check-in. The goal of this process was to reduce crowding and lines. All cruisers were told to add one hour to this originally scheduled time. However, the cruise terminal did not strictly enforce the staggered check-in times due to the ship's delay. Regardless of the delay, I was excited the ship was docked and I would still be able to get on. This was my 12th cruise on Carnival, but first time sailing on the Carnival Valor.
Carnival Valor At Terminal 2
Parking and Arriving At The Cruise Terminal:
There are several parking lots to choose from that are located in the area surrounding the cruise terminal. For this cruise, we used Lighthouse Parking and paid $50.00 in cash. The parking lot had a shuttle that took us from their parking lot to the cruise terminal. The Carnival Valor was docked at the Port of Galveston's Cruise Terminal 2. All of my other Galveston cruises had used Terminal 1, so it felt different using Terminal 2. After being dropped off by the shuttle we crossed pick-up and drop-off traffic to check-in our luggage. The area surrounding the cruise terminal was crowded because several of the ship's previous cruisers were waiting for transportation and incoming cruisers were trying to drop off luggage. After ten minutes of standing in the middle of confusion, a luggage porter came with a cart and took our luggage. I do not blame Carnival or the port for this confusion because I understand the ship's delay complicated the entire process for the cruise terminal. In order to check-in our luggage we had to show our boarding passes.
Following the check-in of our luggage, we proceeded to the opposite end of the cruise terminal to signs that read, "Check-In". Two ladies were standing outside the doors telling everyone to have their boarding passes and travel identification ready to show inside. After walking through the cruise terminal's doors, we proceeded into a large room that had passport scanners and security machines. The first area of the process was passport scanners. We had to show our boarding passes and get each of our passports scanned. The machines were a little slow so this took longer than I anticipated. However, there were several machines going so there was virtually no line. Following getting our passports scanned, we were directed into a large room with several check-in desks. We did not have to wait in line to be helped. The lady that checked us in was extremely friendly. She looked at our boarding passes, collected our health questionnaires, and gave us our Sail & Sign cards. This process took no more than 5 minutes. Following this part of the check-in process, we followed the terminal staff members' directions to go up an escalator. The escalator brought us to a large area filled with chairs. The area was segregated into numbered zones. Our boarding pass was stamped with a zone that we were supposed to sit in. The priority guests and Faster to the Fun guests sat in their own zones, away from the regular cruisers. Since we were not traveling with a priority cruiser this cruise, we sat in the regular cruiser section. Our zone for seating purposes was Zone 1. The waiting area had vending machines as well as restrooms.
There are several parking lots to choose from that are located in the area surrounding the cruise terminal. For this cruise, we used Lighthouse Parking and paid $50.00 in cash. The parking lot had a shuttle that took us from their parking lot to the cruise terminal. The Carnival Valor was docked at the Port of Galveston's Cruise Terminal 2. All of my other Galveston cruises had used Terminal 1, so it felt different using Terminal 2. After being dropped off by the shuttle we crossed pick-up and drop-off traffic to check-in our luggage. The area surrounding the cruise terminal was crowded because several of the ship's previous cruisers were waiting for transportation and incoming cruisers were trying to drop off luggage. After ten minutes of standing in the middle of confusion, a luggage porter came with a cart and took our luggage. I do not blame Carnival or the port for this confusion because I understand the ship's delay complicated the entire process for the cruise terminal. In order to check-in our luggage we had to show our boarding passes.
Following the check-in of our luggage, we proceeded to the opposite end of the cruise terminal to signs that read, "Check-In". Two ladies were standing outside the doors telling everyone to have their boarding passes and travel identification ready to show inside. After walking through the cruise terminal's doors, we proceeded into a large room that had passport scanners and security machines. The first area of the process was passport scanners. We had to show our boarding passes and get each of our passports scanned. The machines were a little slow so this took longer than I anticipated. However, there were several machines going so there was virtually no line. Following getting our passports scanned, we were directed into a large room with several check-in desks. We did not have to wait in line to be helped. The lady that checked us in was extremely friendly. She looked at our boarding passes, collected our health questionnaires, and gave us our Sail & Sign cards. This process took no more than 5 minutes. Following this part of the check-in process, we followed the terminal staff members' directions to go up an escalator. The escalator brought us to a large area filled with chairs. The area was segregated into numbered zones. Our boarding pass was stamped with a zone that we were supposed to sit in. The priority guests and Faster to the Fun guests sat in their own zones, away from the regular cruisers. Since we were not traveling with a priority cruiser this cruise, we sat in the regular cruiser section. Our zone for seating purposes was Zone 1. The waiting area had vending machines as well as restrooms.
Embarkation and Boarding:
After waiting in the terminal for a little over an hour, a lady came over the cruise terminal's intercom to let us know boarding was about to begin. She explained the boarding process and what to expect once onboard the ship. After making announcements, she initially called for priority guests and then shortly afterwards called for Faster to the Fun guests. Following all of the guests with early boarding privileges, our seating area zone (zone 1) was called. We raced to get our Sail & Sign card scanned and then were directed to the gangway. Guests that wanted an embarkation photo taken could do so before entering the gangway. The photos would be available for sale in the ship's photo gallery. We did not get our photo taken because we were starving for lunch and wanted to make up the time we had already lost on the ship due to the weather delay. Here are some pictures I took walking up the gangway to get on the ship:
After waiting in the terminal for a little over an hour, a lady came over the cruise terminal's intercom to let us know boarding was about to begin. She explained the boarding process and what to expect once onboard the ship. After making announcements, she initially called for priority guests and then shortly afterwards called for Faster to the Fun guests. Following all of the guests with early boarding privileges, our seating area zone (zone 1) was called. We raced to get our Sail & Sign card scanned and then were directed to the gangway. Guests that wanted an embarkation photo taken could do so before entering the gangway. The photos would be available for sale in the ship's photo gallery. We did not get our photo taken because we were starving for lunch and wanted to make up the time we had already lost on the ship due to the weather delay. Here are some pictures I took walking up the gangway to get on the ship:
View Of The Ship's Sides From The Gangway
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Front View Of The Carnival Valor - Taken On Gangway
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Back View Of The Carnival Valor - Taken On Gangway
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View As We Crossed From The Gangway To The Ship
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View Of Back As We Crossed Over Gangway
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On Deck 3 - About To Enter Ship's Atrium
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Finally Onboard The Carnival Valor!!
The cruise terminal's gangway led us onto Deck 3 (Lobby Deck). We entered the ship through the atrium. There were many crew members around answering questions and giving directions. The elevator area was crowded, but we took the stairs to avoid the congestion and wait for an elevator. The Lido Deck was deck 9 so we climbed 6 flights of stairs to begin our cruise.
Lunch - Day 1:
The Carnival Valor's Lido Deck buffet is known as Rosie's. Cruisers had many different lunch choices including the Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy's Burger Joint, Ol' Fashioned BBQ, Pizzeria, Deli, and the Chef's Choice (Italian) buffet lines. I started my cruise with some BBQ from the Ol' Fashioned BBQ line and a Pastrami on Rye sandwich from the deli. The Ol' Fashioned BBQ had good smoked beef, but I did not like the potato salad. My pastrami on rye sandwich from the deli was good. Here are some pictures of the Chef's Choice buffet line that was serving Italian food:
The cruise terminal's gangway led us onto Deck 3 (Lobby Deck). We entered the ship through the atrium. There were many crew members around answering questions and giving directions. The elevator area was crowded, but we took the stairs to avoid the congestion and wait for an elevator. The Lido Deck was deck 9 so we climbed 6 flights of stairs to begin our cruise.
Lunch - Day 1:
The Carnival Valor's Lido Deck buffet is known as Rosie's. Cruisers had many different lunch choices including the Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy's Burger Joint, Ol' Fashioned BBQ, Pizzeria, Deli, and the Chef's Choice (Italian) buffet lines. I started my cruise with some BBQ from the Ol' Fashioned BBQ line and a Pastrami on Rye sandwich from the deli. The Ol' Fashioned BBQ had good smoked beef, but I did not like the potato salad. My pastrami on rye sandwich from the deli was good. Here are some pictures of the Chef's Choice buffet line that was serving Italian food:
Chef's Choice - Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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Chef's Choice Italian Buffet Line
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The Ol' Fashioned BBQ line was located on the second deck level (Deck 10) of Rosie's. For those that have previously sailed on the Carnival Valor, this is where the Fish & Chips used to be. The upstairs area of the lido buffet had several tables as well as a drink station for those that wanted to eat upstairs away from the crowd. There were no other cruisers getting BBQ when I walked upstairs. All items were served from behind the counter at this buffet line.
Ol' Fashioned BBQ Line - Deck 10
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Ol' Fashioned BBQ Menu
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Potato Salad & Slaw (I Think)
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My Plate of Ol' Fashioned BBQ - Chicken, Beans, Buns, Potato Salad, and Smoked Beef
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Those that have read my past reviews, know I love taking food pictures on cruisers regardless of the meal. This cruise was no different as I took pictures each day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner food items. Some of the crew members working the Lido buffet saw me taking pictures and wanted pictures of themselves with their fellow crew members. While I took their picture, I am not publishing those photos online. Here are a few photos of our plates at lunch from our first lunch on the Carnival Valor:
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Turkey Wrap From The Deli
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Bowl From Mongolian Wok
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Pastrami on Rye Sandwich From The Deli
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Burrito From The Blue Iguana Cantina
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Dessert - Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Dessert
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Afternoon Walk Touring The Outside Decks:
After eating lunch it was time to walk around the Carnival Valor. I started my first walk around the ship at the back of the Lido Deck (deck 9). The back is home to the pizzeria, a bar, pool, and hottubs. This area has a retractable roof that can be opened or closed depending on the weather.
After eating lunch it was time to walk around the Carnival Valor. I started my first walk around the ship at the back of the Lido Deck (deck 9). The back is home to the pizzeria, a bar, pool, and hottubs. This area has a retractable roof that can be opened or closed depending on the weather.
Lido Deck AFT Pool & Deck Chairs
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Tables & Chairs Near The AFT Pool
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Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Machines By AFT Pool
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Another eating place at the back of the Lido Deck (deck 9) is the Seafood Shack. The Seafood Shack costs extra and serves different seafood items. Throughout the cruise I saw several people in line to buy food from the Seafood Shack.
Seafood Shack - Lido Deck (9) AFT
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Seafood Shack Menu
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Seafood Shack Counter Area
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Following touring the aft of the Lido Deck (9), we walked up the Panorama Deck (10). We walked from the back to the front of the deck. As I walked outside, I looked down at Galveston. The weather was nice and hot, especially when compared to the weather Galveston experienced just a few hours earlier.
Deck 11 Area - Looking At Ship's Funnel
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Looking At Galveston's Skyline
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Forklift Loading Luggage
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Walkway From Parking Garage To Terminal 1
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Looking Down At Parking Lots Near The Cruise Terminal
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Galveston Skyline
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After walking around on the Panorama Deck (11), we walked up one deck to the Sun Deck (12). The back section of Deck 12 is home to the jogging track, but there is also an entrance to the ship's basketball court and mini golf course located by the jogging track.
Jogging Track - Deck 12
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Birds On Railing Of Deck 12 - There were several birds all day flying around the ship.
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Looking Down At The Lido Deck (9)
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Carnival Valor Jogging Track - Deck 11
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Volleyball Court & Basketball Court Area - Deck 11
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Carnival Valor's Funnel
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After looking around on the Sun Deck (12), I walked back down to the Panorama Deck (11) to continue walking towards the ship's front. As we walked towards the ship's front, I noticed several areas for sitting and several deck chairs around the pool areas.
Sitting Area & Umbrellas - Deck 11
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Sitting Area - Deck 11
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Looking At Ship's Funnel & Seaside Theatre (Big Screen)
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At the very front of Deck 11 is a door that will take you outside. This area gives a good view of the ship's bow as well as the side's of the ship. This was one of my favorite outside deck areas. Later in this review you will see this was the deck I watched Galveston sail-a-way and Cozumel arrival from. The pier of the cruise terminal was bustling with activity. Several forklifts were being used to load luggage and other supplies the ship needed.
Looking Down At Ship's Bow From Deck 11
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Side View Of The Carnival Valor
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Side View Of The Carnival Valor & Cruise Terminal
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Loading Of Supplies
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View Of Gangway Below - People Were Still Getting On
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Looking At Railroad Tracks & Industrial Area
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Walking Around The Promenade Deck:
After standing outside for a while looking down at the pier, I walked from the Panorama Deck (11) to the Promenade Deck (5). The Promenade Deck (5) is home to King Boulevard Promenade. King Boulevard Promenade includes public areas such as Shogun Casino, Skybox Sports Bar, Dream Bar, Red Frog Pub, arcade, disco, Alchemy Bar, and the Eagle's Lounge (aft-lounge). There are a few other lounges that I did not mention here. Take a look at a few pictures I included from my walk around the Carnival Valor's Promenade Deck:
After standing outside for a while looking down at the pier, I walked from the Panorama Deck (11) to the Promenade Deck (5). The Promenade Deck (5) is home to King Boulevard Promenade. King Boulevard Promenade includes public areas such as Shogun Casino, Skybox Sports Bar, Dream Bar, Red Frog Pub, arcade, disco, Alchemy Bar, and the Eagle's Lounge (aft-lounge). There are a few other lounges that I did not mention here. Take a look at a few pictures I included from my walk around the Carnival Valor's Promenade Deck:
Ivanhoe Theater - Deck 5 Level
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American Atrium - Deck 5 Level
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American Atrium - Deck 5 Level
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Cherry On Top - serves candy and sweets for an extra charge. Located on Deck 5.
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Looking Inside Cherry On Top
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Looking Inside Cherry On Top
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Java Cafe - served coffee & sweets for an extra charge
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Internet Cafe - Middle Of King's Boulevard Promenade Of Deck 5
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Future Cruise & Loyalty Desk - Middle Of Deck 5
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Close Up View Of Internet Cafe Computers
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Piano Located In King's Boulevard Promenade
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Looking Towards Front Of The Ship From Middle of the Promenade Walkway
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The Red Frog Pub was empty during my walk through the Promenade Deck (5), so I decided to walk inside to take a look. I liked the tropical Caribbean feel this space had. The fake palm trees were nice.
Red Frog Pub Entrance (Located On Deck 5-Mid)
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Inside The Red Frog Pub
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Inside The Red Frog Pub
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Inside The Red Frog Pub
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Inside The Red Frog Pub
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Taste Bar - Located Near Middle/Back Of Deck 5
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Alchemy Bar - Located Near Back Of Deck 5
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Alchemy Bar - Located Near Back of Deck 5
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Continue To Day 1 Part 2's Cruise Review!
Day 1 Part 2 includes a review of the muster station drill, Galveston sail-a-way, dinner, and the welcome aboard show! Enjoy several pictures of Galveston sail-a-way, dinner, and around the ship! Click Here To Continue To Day 1 Part 2's Review! Click Here To Return To The Review's Main Page |