It was the usual chaos at the Cruise Terminal. I took one look at the mess and fled the scene after dropping off my luggage. With the check-in not due to open for another 1-2 hours it seemed like the golden time to head to the RailRoad Museum.

Back in 2008 Hurricane Ike came through Galveston. There is still a mark on the booth higher than my head indicating the water level. Needless to say, the museum was completely devastated. A large amount of the historical papers, documents and plans were lost, others so badly water damaged that they could not be salvaged. Even in spite of that, the exhibit is good. Not only are different eras covered but the explanations are in clear and concise English without technical jargon.

The Model railroad building is still being updated with only one major set of tracks up, but it works well and the three trains don’t require cash insertion to perform to the delight of both adults and children. A number of the engines and cars have been restored – others still need restoration desperately and their condition is not improved by the Galveston salt breeze coming from the ocean which is excellent at promoting rust.

When I had killed as much time as seemed reasonable, I headed back to Terminal 2 and joined the overweight and ill dress throngs. Simply put, not the same class of people as on Celebrity Xpedtiion. However, having C&A Loyalty status does help, I was able to skip the hangout in the hall in favor of pre-boarding. Once on ship, it feels just like the Freedom Class only a bit squished together. Most things are still in the same place; the CL is on 9. Both it and the Diamond lounge were completely empty giving me a lovely place to sit and type.

And for the last day and a half – I have been spending my time in the Diamond Lounge on 14 meeting a various number of really nice people. Other than wandering around and talking to people, I have knit another hitchhiker and gone to a couple of shows. The Ice Show was great, the production show good and the BeeGees impersonators I don’t think got the message that you are supposed to look, dress, sound and act the original.