The Galveston County Daily News

Every Sunday afternoon, an unmistakable sound bellows from horns aboard the Carnival cruise ship Conquest. Echoing across the island, it beckons vacationers to the beginning of another voyage to a Caribbean paradise.

Umbrella-adorned beverages, stylish dining rooms, six lounges, a pampering spa and modest staterooms are among the many ways to pass the time between journeys to exotic ports of call, such as Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico.

Before first-time cruisers set sail from Galveston, take some tips from seasoned travelers for a rest-assured vacation to tropical climes.

The advice from those in the know ranges from booking passage to securing the most highly sought-after shore excursions and packing for the cruise.

The most important tip, however, will help ensure you’re aboard the 952-foot long vessel instead of watching it slip past the vast Gulf horizon.

Frequent cruiser Victor Bagley, of Roanoke, Va., flew to Houston and spent the night at a Dickinson inn before a recent voyage.

“For first-time cruisers, go the day before and get a hotel,” Bagley said. “It makes life much easier, because by the time you get here, you’re totally wasted. When you’re rested, the crowds are not as hard.”

Flying in a day early allows for leeway so an airport delay won’t interrupt Sunday boarding, which can take an hour or more with an average 3,000 vacationers navigating security, baggage and check-in lines.

Although the ship must leave by 4 p.m., it may be able to wait a few minutes for stragglers who have already made it inside the port’s terminal, said Australian native Melania Osborne, a Carnival guest services employee who accompanied Coast on a recent two-hour tour of the ship’s most hospitable accommodations.

The ship’s 10 penthouse suites with private ocean-view balconies are the roomiest among the 1,487 cabins that normally can accommodate 2,974 guests.

“Some are amazed at how much room there is in these cabins, and also that it’s amazing how many beds you can fit in a cabin,” Osborne said. “But for families, they’re not going to spend much time in the cabins.”

The least-expensive cruise costs about $100 a day, including taxes, said Jo Anita Smith, manager of the Galveston’s Marchi Travel Service, which her grandfather started in 1923.

Cruising for less than seven days on your first voyage could leave vacationers feeling unsettled.

“It’s a crime not to be on for a week,” Smith said. “It goes just so fast, and it’s so wonderful once on. I try to convince first-time cruisers to venture out for a week. They will be glad they did.”

For Bagley, seven days is a minimum.

“For a three-day cruise, you feel rushed,” Bagley said. “You get on the boat, chill and by that time it’s time to get off. You feel like, ‘Dang. It’s too short.’ The biggest thing is, don’t get in a hurry.”

Booking a cruise through a travel agent doesn’t cost more than reserving online, Smith said. Her top tip to use a travel agent was no surprise.

“We don’t charge anything more than doing it yourself on the Internet,” said Smith, who can also help book a shore excursion once at port.

Mayan Ruins

In Cozumel, the shopping is good, but a trip to the Mayan ruins of Progreso is the most desirable shore excursion offered on a five-day cruise, Smith said.

“The Chichén Itza ruins are the only Mayan ruins you can still walk in and climb on,” she said. “I’ve climbed it. It’s pretty steep, six or seven stories. It’s a real neat experience.”

The seven-hour excursion begins with a 21/2-hour bus ride to the ruins where vacationers explore the pyramid of Kukulcan and other attractions.

The excursion is listed by the cruise line as a moderate activity, meaning guests should be prepared for walking and hiking.

Passports Optional

Traveling to Mexico aboard a cruise ship doesn’t require a passport, Smith said.

“The only way to get to Mexico without a passport is by ship,” Smith said.

Passports are recommended, but those without still can have the cruise of their dreams with a notarized copy of their birth certificate and a picture ID, Smith said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has allowed deadlines for passport cruise requirements to pass, apparently, because it can’t accommodate the demand for documents, Smith said.

Summer cruises will have more families and children aboard, and there are many amenities for teens and preteens to enjoy, such as an arcade room and lounges tailored for specific age groups.

Packing Heavy, Light

Unlike the air travel, there are no baggage limitations for cruises, Smith said.

If you plan to change clothes immediately after boarding the ship, it’s best to bring a carry-on through the terminal, Shannon McElroy, Carnival’s business developer for Southeast Texas, said.

“It may take up to four hours for porters to deliver baggage to state rooms,” McElroy said. “Bring with you jewelry, medications, personal items, toiletries, a change of clothes for swimming or any items you never want to be separated from.”

Cameras, bathing suits and beach bags are some of the items first-time cruisers leave behind, but many necessities are available for purchase aboard.

Duty-free shops and casinos open once the ship is about 12 nautical miles at sea, Osborne said.

Guests aren’t allowed to bring alcoholic beverages aboard, and alcohol purchased outside of lounges while aboard or ashore is delivered to state rooms on the last day of the cruise, Osborne said.

The ship’s cigar bar sells coveted Cuban stogies, but the cigars aren’t allowed through U.S. Customs, Osborne said. There is also a one-liter, state-imposed limit on alcohol brought into Texas, Osborne said.

Ecstasy Upgrade

Beginning Sept. 19, Carnival’s cruise ship Ecstasy was expected to arrive in a Freeport dry dock for a multimillion dollar restoration, McElroy said.

The ship will be equipped with a water park, an adults-only serenity area with a resort-style whirlpool and deck chairs for quiet time, McElroy said.

The upgrade also will convert 98 ocean view rooms to balcony rooms, and there will be eight additional suites with balconies added, McElroy said.

All public rooms will have new upholstery and wall coverings and teen lounges with games, parties and late-night movies, McElroy said.

The Ecstasy is scheduled to leave dry dock Oct. 17, McElroy said.

In December, the Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to return to Galveston, giving vacationers three ships to choose from, Smith said.

And of those vacationers who decide to take just one cruise, 98 percent become repeat customers, Smith said.

“Once you go on a cruise, you will want to come back again,” Smith said.