Debark -- Gettin' off the ship!

This part was the hardest. It was hot and crowded and lots luggage and the stairs were packed and the elevator wasn't working and people and luggage ... whew! Everyone was trying to leave at once... all 2,500 people!

My friends had put their luggage out the night before and went up to the Lido deck and sipped ice tea for an hour before they got off the ship. NOOOOO problem. UGH! That is what I am going to do!!!

Here are some of what another passenger had to say about it:

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION: Our pre-cruise stay was at the Hotel Galvez, a wonderful historic hotel. Princess uses this hotel for their pre- and post-cruise stays. The Princess rep at the hotel found room on one of their transfer buses for us, and permitted us to check in at the hotel the morning of the cruise. Aside from a lengthy wait in traffic at the terminal, the boarding process was quick. We had received our cruise cards at the Galvez and simply walked on board, stopping only for the requisite security photo.

If you have been spoiled by the efficiency of cruise ports in Florida, Galveston will come as a rude awakening. Traffic at the terminal was worse than any of our previous experiences, including the notoriously congested New York City cruise terminal. The local authorities make no attempt to separate taxis, private vehicles, hotel shuttle, and airport transfer buses. The result is chaos worthy of a third-world nation. Actually, this is not fair to those in less developed nations, who in my experience try to do the best they can within their limitations. No visible effort was made by local authorities in Galveston to control the situation.

Disembarkation was another story altogether. All passengers were required to clear Immigration on board ship. The process began at 6:45 AM with those heading to the airport. Disembarkation began promptly at 8:30. I would have expected all the airport transfers to have been long since departed when we we left the ship at 10:30, but was surprised to see that the last airport transfer bus was only just pulling away. One member of our group later reported that they made their 1:00 PM flight from Bush Intercontinental with only about 5 minutes to spare. Early flights from Houston are not an option. Houston Hobby, the nearest airport, is about 45 minutes away; Intercontinental is about 75 minutes away.

We waited about an hour after disembarking for the Galvez shuttle to make its way through the traffic and pick us up. It was literally a free-for-all as passengers who were more recently disembarked fought their way through those who had been waiting for some time. The shuttle drivers from the Galvez did their very best to load as many as possible, and should be commended for their efforts.

Got that? Yeah... it will be back to "reality" and you will wish that you were still on the ship!! hahahaha

Another thing that we found handy was the use of our cell phones to contact the people who were picking us up.

LASTLY -- There is a GREAT information desk on the ship. They can help you with ALL problems and questions that you may have. That's what they get paid to do!