Good morning folks,

Travel geeks, did you hear? The largest cruise ship in the world is set to sail from Texas’ Galveston port in 2027. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is a 1,196-foot-long ship with room for 7,600 passengers and includes the largest waterpark the sea has ever seen.

This comes after several cruise lines have announced Galveston homeports, and the city has responded by beginning to open new port terminals.

I’d love to know your feelings about cruises. Despite being an avid traveler, I’ve never been on a cruise. I’m curious about the experience (mainly the buffets people rave about 😂), but I’m reluctant to contribute to more negative environmental impact, even though I’ll take a plane without even thinking. (I know, I know, I’m human. 🥴)

So tell me, what do you think about cruises?

Love them! I’ve been on many

OK, but not my favorite way to travel

Never been, but I don’t think I’d like it

Never traveled this way, but I’d try it

Joi Louviere

Senior Newsletter Editor, COURIER DFW

Where to find the best tamales for your holiday celebrations in DFW

Whatever your holiday gathering looks like, fresh tamales from these DFW spots will make an excellent addition. (Sergio Hayashi/Shutterstock)

By Joey Held

The holiday season brings lots of festive cheer—and it’s also peak time for tamales. There are enough talented home chefs across Dallas-Fort Worth that you could very likely find someone selling tamales out of their trunk in a Home Depot, QT, or Walmart parking lot.

However, those appearances are often spontaneous; you’d really have to press your luck to make it happen. So instead (or in addition to that), here are eight spots serving up delicious tamales for the holiday season.

See our list

The landscape for local news is shifting fast. At COURIER Texas, our commitment to you—and to Texans—hasn’t changed.

Our end-of-year fundraising drive runs through Dec. 16, and your support is what keeps this work strong.

You help us shine a light on the decisions, debates, and leaders shaping Texas’ future. We can’t do this work without you.

Chip in today

🚗 The smart cars have arrived: If you call an Uber in Downtown, Uptown, or Deep Ellum Dallas, there’s now a chance that a robotaxi will appear. Uber launched its partnership with autonomous ride-sharing company Avride yesterday morning. But don’t worry, for now, they’ll be an employee in the driver’s seat monitoring the ride. (Axios Dallas)

🪪 Real ID or real cash: TSA has announced a $45 fee for airplane passengers traveling without a Real ID or passport, starting Feb. 1. They’ll be paying for a temporary ID verification that will be good for 10 days. (NBC 5)

🌃 New Mav City: Downtown Dallas turned into New York City on Tuesday night for the “Yellowstone” spinoff, “The Madison.” See photos of the transformation. (Dallas Morning News)