A few inquiries about leaving from Galveston,TX.

[BecciBoo]

Nacogdoches

Local promotional literature from the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau describes Nacogdoches as "the oldest town in Texas." Evidence of settlement at the same site dates back to 10,000 years ago. It is near or on the site of Nevantin, the primary village of the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians. Considered to be the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches was founded in 1779 by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo.

 

The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico

Edited December 16, 2015 by BecciBoo

[FloGaleRNTX]

Just to let others know, the hotels around Hobby aren't in the geetest location. Pretty rough area around Hobby, I would suggest if this the tactic employed that one go further out a bit and stay in clear Lake area.

 

No kidding!!! I stayed at a hotel close to Hobby for an early flight out to Boston in October. The room was fine, but it was hard to find a decent place to eat close by. We also wished we would have had one of those things you can use to block the inside of a hotel room.....very scary area.

 

Barb

[heimdall]

Intersting conversation. My wife and I have only sailed out of Galveston or New Orleans, so I cannot compare that to Florida from an access perspective. As we drive to port from Austin, Galveston is fairly easy and affordable for us even going the "lazy" route and using the port's parking.

 

Whenever I've looked into Galveston hotels, I've found the 2 night minimum to be in effect. That said, that's still considerably cheaper than the markup in the cruise itself, every time that I've looked.

 

I just pulled up a comparison for a Nov 2016 cruise between Liberty and Independence, both Western Caribbean itineraries, one out of Galveston and one out of Fort Lauderdale. This Galveston cruise is between 25% (PR) and 50% (OS) less expensive depending on cabin. This translates to $300 per cabin for a PR stateroom, or $2000 for an Owners Suite. I figure that most people are somewhere in between there. This may make up the difference in transportation and hotel stays (and then some, if you're a suite dweller). Heck, for that savings, I'd be tempted to book the 2 night room in Galveston, even if I was only staying one night. :D

 

That said, Galveston isn't without its faults. I think they could direct the cruise traffic much more efficiently than they currently are, with better signage throughout the city, and by not funneling the Terminal 2 (Royal) traffic through the Terminal 1 (Carnival) entrance first.

 

We're cruising on Liberty in March, so excited to see what improvements they've made to Terminal 2. More excited to go cruising, but hey, you gotta have priorities. ;-)

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Nacogdoches

Local promotional literature from the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau describes Nacogdoches as "the oldest town in Texas." Evidence of settlement at the same site dates back to 10,000 years ago. It is near or on the site of Nevantin, the primary village of the Nacogdoche tribe of Caddo Indians. Considered to be the oldest town in Texas, Nacogdoches was founded in 1779 by Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo.

 

The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico

 

My family is from Nacogdoches. GGD settled there in 1871 from SC. I'm not splitting hairs with you over Texas history but the first Eurpoean settlers landed in Galveston 1816. Galveston itself is named after a spanaird, Galvez. Prior to this, the island itself has historical dates that go back as far as the 1500's. Arrrg, the pirate Jean Lafitte by 1817 had Galveston as his play ground until the US Army kicked him out.

 

Galveston is a fun place that offers so much interesting history. Whether you spend one night, two nights or a full week, there is a lot to see & enjoy.

[George C]

No kidding!!! I stayed at a hotel close to Hobby for an early flight out to Boston in October. The room was fine, but it was hard to find a decent place to eat close by. We also wished we would have had one of those things you can use to block the inside of a hotel room.....very scary area.

 

Barb

 

Doubletree Hobby was nice and had a nice restaurant inside along with a small outdoor pool and nice bar/lounge, we were there in April and will return.

[Cruzn Fool]

This is an interesting thread that has taken a few turns from it's original intent but has got me to thinking about what I will consider on our cruise out of Galveston next year.

 

I think I will check with those on the roll call for our cruise to see if my pre and post cruise plans line up with others. Then, we can make some arrangement to share some sort of transportation. It might even be worth it to rent a car for the week and leave it parked near the port, if we can get a good deal on the car and split it multiple ways.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone for the input. I still have a year so I will look forward to everyone's input with the new terminal and any other improvements.

[TonyBuzz]

We are from No. California also. We did a B2B on Navigator from Galveston and are going on Liberty next Oct. We flew in to Hobby (Southwest) and stayed at the La Quinta near Hobby. That La Quinta offers a shuttle to and from Galveston if desired. We used RC shuttle. Got La Quinta to drop us at the airport Sunday morning. RC shuttles also get you off the ship faster. And get a porter, speeds you through customs as well. For a couple, the RC shuttle is not too expensive. Given the car rental problem for return on Galveston on Sunday, RC shuttles become a bargain.