Tell me about Galveston...

[shoppershanni]

Hi fellow cruisers!  We have been avid cruisers out of Florida ports as well as a few other east coast ports.  We are booked on Harmony of the Seas next year (Feb 2024) and cruising out of Galveston for the first time ever.  We will fly down (into Hobby) the day before the cruise. While we could stay in Houston and then shuttle the next day to the port, we would prefer to shuttle to a hotel in Galveston that has a shuttle to the port (or if there is a private shuttle service that we could book).  I know that Galveston is a resort town itself.  So I am not sure if this is feasible.  Please let me know your experiences!  Thank you in advance! 

[talkorpi]

It is pretty expensive to stay on the island, and I know that a lot of the hotels that used to offer free "cruise parking" with a one-night stay no longer offer it post-COVID.

 

My advice would be to stay in Kemah or Texas City for the night.  The Kemah boardwalk is fun and less expensive than pleasure pier.  Not sure how transportation would work for you since I am Texas and always drive myself there.  However, I believe it is generally cheaper to rent a car one-way and drive to Galveston yourself rather than try to find a rideshare or taxi.  Someone who is familiar with flying in should be able to give you better advice.

 

That being said, if you do want to stay in Galveston, I would reccommend the Harbor House hotel.  It might be a little mor expensive but if you have the money it is well worth it.  It is literally in walking distance to terminals one and two (but not the new RC terminal) and also right down in the strand.  I much prefer it to the beachfront hotels - has a classy nautical atmosphere in a historic building within walking distance of great restaurants and shops on the strand, and you won't have to deal with the awful traffic on Harborside drive the morning of your cruise if you are staying there.  I believe parking in their lot is $15 a night, so for 7 days, it is comparable to most of the cruise-specific lots.

 

Have a great time in Galveston!  I love it and would move there in a heartbeat if I could.

Edited February 6, 2023 by talkorpi

[ssb]

3 hours ago, talkorpi said:

It is pretty expensive to stay on the island, and I know that a lot of the hotels that used to offer free "cruise parking" with a one-night stay no longer offer it post-COVID.

 

My advice would be to stay in Kemah or Texas City for the night.  The Kemah boardwalk is fun and less expensive than pleasure pier.  Not sure how transportation would work for you since I am Texas and always drive myself there.  However, I believe it is generally cheaper to rent a car one-way and drive to Galveston yourself rather than try to find a rideshare or taxi.  Someone who is familiar with flying in should be able to give you better advice.

 

That being said, if you do want to stay in Galveston, I would reccommend the Harbor House hotel.  It might be a little mor expensive but if you have the money it is well worth it.  It is literally in walking distance to terminals one and two (but not the new RC terminal) and also right down in the strand.  I much prefer it to the beachfront hotels - has a classy nautical atmosphere in a historic building within walking distance of great restaurants and shops on the strand, and you won't have to deal with the awful traffic on Harborside drive the morning of your cruise if you are staying there.  I believe parking in their lot is $15 a night, so for 7 days, it is comparable to most of the cruise-specific lots.

 

Have a great time in Galveston!  I love it and would move there in a heartbeat if I could.

 

 

There are many of good options in Galveston.

In February,  there is Mardi Gras,  even if you cruise is in that two week period . 

Fun fun fun .

Expand you vacation and enjoy  

[shoppershanni]

Thank you SSB and Talkorpi for your comments and suggestions.  We will be there late Feb, after Mardi Gras.  We saw that there are shuttles that will take us from Hobby to Galveston.  We are torn between staying in Houston and Galveston.  Our flight will likely arrive in the evening, too late to do anything but check in and go to bed. Houston seems to have more options for hotels.  We are just concerned about getting a shuttle to the port early enough the next day.  There are 6 of us traveling.  I looked into rental car but need a minivan or SUV and could not find one of those.  Plenty of time to keep looking though!  I'm sure a lot of the difficulty is that I am still a little over a year out.

 

[Hutcha]

I'm flying into Hobby, and staying at a hotel there. There are 7 of us. I'll have a private van pick us up in the morning for the ride to Galveston. I did this set up in Orlando last year, and we were the first ones on the ship. Very easy. Hotels are much cheaper in the Houston/airport area. Hobby is closer than IAH, and the shuttles are cheaper.