Cruising

Largest cruise ship ever to set sail from Texas boasts crazy amenities

Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas cruise ship Galveston

Royal Caribbean’s 3,634-passenger capacity Liberty of the Seas is now embarking from the Port of Galveston.

Courtesy photo

The Port of Galveston welcomed the largest cruise ship ever to sail out of Texas as Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas made its first appearance at the island city on Friday, November 13.

The mammoth cruise ship can hold as many as 3,634 passengers and 1,360 crew members; it offers year-round sailing from Galveston on round-trip, seven-night excursions, with stops in Mexico and the Western Caribbean.

According to the Royal Caribbean website, the revamped Liberty offers five waterslide rides, a rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, mini-golf course, and full-sized basketball court. It also features a host of dining options; a spa; state-of-the-art fitness center; four pools; six whirlpools; and 22 bars, clubs, and lounges.

“The repositioning of Liberty of the Seas to the Port of Galveston represents Royal Caribbean’s confidence in the Port of Galveston’s efficient cruise operations and ability to attract passengers on its Freedom class ships,” said port director Mike Mierzwa in a statement. “We are excited to homeport the largest cruise ship to sail from the State of Texas.”

Itineraries include stops at Isla Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Costa Maya, Mexico.

Carnival and Disney Cruise Line also operate out of Galveston. The Port of Galveston handled more than 1.2 million passengers in 2013.

vacation

Turkey Day News

Austin plates up top-30 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of RedFarm

Enjoy a whole Peking Turkey at RedFarm in Austin for Thanksgiving.

Austin is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Austin ranked No. 30 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Austin ranked the highest in was the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 4), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 69). Other categories that determined Austin's overall ranking were the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 39), the city's relative affordability (No. 39), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 59).

Austin restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day meals, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from to-go meals, dine-in experiences, and desserts abound.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Austin will be fully decked out for the December holidays. Austinites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. The Texas Capital certainly goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas (No. 5) and San Antonio (No. 7) were the among the top 10 best cities to celebrate Thanksgiving, while Houston ranked No. 15.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

thanksgiving wallethub rankings holidays lists austin