Princess Cruises now sails out of Galveston so you don’t have to travel to travel
JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
jennyeblock@icloud.com
I love cruises. But I do not always love traveling to get to a cruise. And, until now, if you live in Texas, your options were very limited when it came to cruises, meaning that you had to fly somewhere most of the time in order to hit the high seas.
But I have news you’re going to love: The Love Boat is now sailing out of Galveston.
Ok. It’s not the actual Love Boat. But it is the Love Boat Line — Princess Cruises. You can sail all over the Caribbean on the Regal Princess.
And if you don’t mind flying just one way, starting in 2024 you can even sail from England to Galveston, with stops including Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain and the Caribbean!
Alongside this new perk for Texas travelers, Princess has really upped its offerings lately and they only seem to be getting better. They have just recently begun a partnership with Caymus Vineyards for a new Winemaker’s Dinner on board. The winemaker will also be assisting Princess in refreshing their onboard wine lists.
For steakhouse lovers, this is extra good news because Caymus will now be the official wine partner for the Crown Grill, the cruise line’s onboard chophouse.
Maybe you don’t think you’re a “cruise person,” but if you’ve never actually been on one, now is an excellent time to give it a whirl. Because you don’t have to fly in order to do so.
When people say they don’t like cruises, it’s generally for one or more of these three reasons: too boring, too many “old people” or kids or and “cruises aren’t for ‘real’ travelers.”
Wrong. Wrong. And wrong.
I cannot say I have ever once been bored on a Princess cruise. If it’s a sea day, I am either laying out at the pool or in The Sanctuary (their adults-only retreat area) or at the spa or walking on deck or at the gym or taking part in activities that are strangely fun on a cruise, like bingo or origami or towel animal making.
If it’s a port day, I’m either at the beach or on some sort of excursion, like in the Caribbean, horseback riding or ATVing or mini-power boat cruising or — well, you get the idea. If I’m in Europe, I might be meandering the winding streets taking in the architecture or going to a museum or, if nothing else, eating and shopping my way through the day.
But above and beyond all of that, the reason I have become such a cruise girl is the people. Stay with me here: Whenever I have been on a Princess cruise, I have made new friends. Princess is great about hosting LGBTQ happy hours, and I love to go on the first night so I can meet people to spend time with all week long.
I have met people in the dining room, at the pool and on excursions. I’ve met couples and groups and singles from all around the world; people who are gay, people who are straight and people who are everything in between.
I have found that people who go on cruises fall in to two groups: the group that finds safety in it and so only travel on cruises, and the group that finds adventure in it and uses cruises as a way to get a taste of lots of places without ever having to pack and unpack your suitcase once you’ve settled in to your new home at sea.
I’m one of the latter, so I tend to be drawn to the latter. But either way, I have always managed to “find my people” once I’m on board. And, amazingly, some of those friendships have really stuck. I’ve kept in touch with people I have met and even hosted some of them in our home.
Princess offers great entertainment and performances, all sorts of silly game shows like trivia and “guess that song.” And, there is always karaoke. Their staff in the dining room has never failed to impress me.
It seems like every trip ends with a tearful goodbye full of hugs and promises on the last night. The cabin stewards always fill my cabin with towel animals, and, the one time I got sick in port (my fault from drinking bad water), the ship made sure I had all the tea and broth and crackers I could manage.
Yes, I know, they take care of guests because that’s what they’re paid to do. And there are several cruise lines I love, and there are several I do not. But Princess will always be a part of the winner’s circle because they listen to guests and somehow manage to provide the cruise that each passenger is looking for all on one trip.
Got kids? They have a kids’ camp. Got special dietary needs? Just let the dining staff know. Want to spend the whole week in the gym? They’ve got a class schedule for that.
And now that they sail out of Galveston, Princess Cruises has made it that much easier to dip your toe in the water — literally and figuratively — if you’ve never been or to keep on enjoying without having to face the airport.
Say what you will about cruising, but I love it. I will never stop seeking out authentic experiences and adventures in exotic places. But I will also never miss the chance to stand at the rail and wave to everyone onshore as we leave port and the ship’s horn plays the Love Boat theme song: “Come aboard.
We’re expecting you … .”
