Driving to Galveston from Dallas

[roxstarcruiser]

Hi all! I'm planning to drive from Dallas down to Galveston for my November cruise. Part of me wants to just drive it straight through the day of embarkation. But the more logical/paranoid part thinks it's better to drive down the previous afternoon. Hotels with cruise parking in Galveston are crazy expensive for the weekend I'm going, so I'm toying with the idea of finding some cheap but safe place to stay somewhere along I-45 an hour or two north of Galveston. I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have any suggestions? I don't care if it's Houston or some tiny town. 

 

Alternatively, have any of you made that drive who might calm my nerves a bit? If I drove down on embarkation day, it'd be a Sunday (which is immediately way better than a week day). I figure if I leave at 6:00 am-ish, I can take my time and be fine.

 

I appreciate y'alls thoughts!

[GJustice]

11 hours ago, roxstarcruiser said:

Alternatively, have any of you made that drive who might calm my nerves a bit? If I drove down on embarkation day, it'd be a Sunday (which is immediately way better than a week day). I figure if I leave at 6:00 am-ish, I can take my time and be fine.

 

I appreciate y'alls thoughts!

NO, NO, NO, a THOUSAND TIMES NO!!!!!

 

You're correct that there are lots of options between DFW and Galveston, some cheap, some not so cheap. We treat the night before as the beginning of our vacation and would NEVER drive down on departure day (again :()

[Nike4000]

My sister-in-law and her husband have always driven down from Frisco to Galveston the day of the ship and been fine. However, about a year ago, they drove down the day of their cruise as usual, and unfortunately there was an accident somewhere in Houston that blocked up the whole freeway. They were stuck & ended up missing their cruise. They had to eat the cost of that cruise. It was then that they realized how minimal the cost of a pre-cruise hotel is in the grand scheme of things. Since then, they've driven down the day before for all of their subsequent cruises.

 

Can you drive down the day of your cruise? Yes, definitely. Do you want to have to deal with the stress of not knowing if you're going to make it? No! As @GJustice said, treat the day before your cruise as the start of your vacation. Relax and enjoy the drive. Spend the night in a Galveston hotel, get some good seafood for dinner, sleep in the morning of your cruise and take your time getting over to the terminal. Make it an enjoyable experience.

[Cajuntraveler]

We have only cruised out of Galveston once and drove the 5 hours the day before the cruise.  We stayed in Webster, a 30 minute drive from the cruise port. The morning of the cruise we had a leisurely breakfast (complementary) at the hotel and then drove to the port.

There are plenty of motels/hotels in the area for $150 or less. I know that staying overnight is an expense you would like to avoid, but you will start your vacation much more relaxed if you drive down the day before.  Enjoy your cruise!

[roxstarcruiser]

3 hours ago, Cajuntraveler said:

We have only cruised out of Galveston once and drove the 5 hours the day before the cruise.  We stayed in Webster, a 30 minute drive from the cruise port. The morning of the cruise we had a leisurely breakfast (complementary) at the hotel and then drove to the port.

There are plenty of motels/hotels in the area for $150 or less. I know that staying overnight is an expense you would like to avoid, but you will start your vacation much more relaxed if you drive down the day before.  Enjoy your cruise!

True. The ideal would have been to stay in Galveston somewhere with a park & cruise rate, but that particular weekend is already pretty booked up and what's free is more than I want to pay. So yeah, I'm leaning towards stopping in or a little south of Houston Saturday night and doing exactly what you suggest. Thanks for the feedback!

[roxstarcruiser]

Thanks for y'alls recommendations. I've heard your caveats and booked a hotel near IAH (about 3.5 hours from home) the day before the cruise. Then I'll do the last hour embarkation morning. 

[Curtzilla]

for future reference I always stay somewhere around Webster/Clear Lake/Seabrook near NASA.  There's a wide variety of hotels and restaurants at all price ranges and it's only a 30 minute drive to the Galveston port area.

 

I-45 between Dallas and Houston cannot be trusted at all, especially south of Corsicana..  Large lengths of it are old and frequently under construction, and there are long stretches with 2 lanes and no exits where an accident can mean an hour's delay or longer.  It is nothing at all like the I-35 corridor.

[txjim09]

55 minutes ago, Curtzilla said:

for future reference I always stay somewhere around Webster/Clear Lake/Seabrook near NASA.  There's a wide variety of hotels and restaurants at all price ranges and it's only a 30 minute drive to the Galveston port area.

 

I-45 between Dallas and Houston cannot be trusted at all, especially south of Corsicana..  Large lengths of it are old and frequently under construction, and there are long stretches with 2 lanes and no exits where an accident can mean an hour's delay or longer.  It is nothing at all like the I-35 corridor.

Last time we made that trip from Dallas, we took I35 to Hwy 6 through College Station to Hwy 290.  Added about 30 minutes but avoided Woodlands congestion.

[roxstarcruiser]

18 hours ago, Curtzilla said:

for future reference I always stay somewhere around Webster/Clear Lake/Seabrook near NASA.  There's a wide variety of hotels and restaurants at all price ranges and it's only a 30 minute drive to the Galveston port area.

 

I-45 between Dallas and Houston cannot be trusted at all, especially south of Corsicana..  Large lengths of it are old and frequently under construction, and there are long stretches with 2 lanes and no exits where an accident can mean an hour's delay or longer.  It is nothing at all like the I-35 corridor.

Oh, yeah I'm well aware of the nightmare that is 45. But I think I've set myself up well. It'll be a leisurely drive down Saturday, then I'm sure I'll be back on the road super early Sunday for the last hour, just because I'll be hyped. 🙂 I'm not fussed about getting to the terminal as soon as they open, so I suspect I'll be ok. Thanks for the advice though. I'll definitely keep that in mind for next time. 

[glrounds]

Just moved here from AZ/CA and thinking of doing the same thing (Dallas to Galveston). Aren't there any "Park'n'Cruise" hotels in Galveston? Used to drive across the desert (5 hours) to make the Long Beach cruises, but older now and thinking about stopping close to Galveston. Looking for some great ideas and motell that securely provide a shower and a night's rest in a clean environment.

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, glrounds said:

Just moved here from AZ/CA and thinking of doing the same thing (Dallas to Galveston). Aren't there any "Park'n'Cruise" hotels in Galveston? Used to drive across the desert (5 hours) to make the Long Beach cruises, but older now and thinking about stopping close to Galveston. Looking for some great ideas and motell that securely provide a shower and a night's rest in a clean environment.

https://www.cruzely.com/20-convenient-galveston-park-cruise-hotels/

[glrounds]

Thank you, RocketMan.😆

[RocketMan275]

42 minutes ago, glrounds said:

Thank you, RocketMan.😆

Most welcome.

I found that link  using Google.  Found several more when I was searching for a pre-cruise  hotel.  Most say pretty much the same things. 

 

Deleted most when I settled on spending the night at the IAH marriott.

Edited September 5, 2023 by RocketMan275

[roxstarcruiser]

11 hours ago, glrounds said:

Just moved here from AZ/CA and thinking of doing the same thing (Dallas to Galveston). Aren't there any "Park'n'Cruise" hotels in Galveston? Used to drive across the desert (5 hours) to make the Long Beach cruises, but older now and thinking about stopping close to Galveston. Looking for some great ideas and motell that securely provide a shower and a night's rest in a clean environment.

There are, but the weekend I'm going (November 5) happens to be an annual biker rally, so everything is booked up and/or crazy expensive. It's cheaper to stay somewhere outside of Galveston and pay for parking at the terminal than anything I could find that weekend. You can easily Google park and cruise hotels in Galveston to find several options.

[glrounds]

8 hours ago, roxstarcruiser said:

There are, but the weekend I'm going (November 5) happens to be an annual biker rally, so everything is booked up and/or crazy expensive. It's cheaper to stay somewhere outside of Galveston and pay for parking at the terminal than anything I could find that weekend. You can easily Google park and cruise hotels in Galveston to find several options.

Since I would have to pay for parking for the week anyway, I think I will just try to book a stay for one night and free parking for the week while I'm cruising. There seems to be a plethora to choose from. Any pitfalls I should be certain to avoid on the run from Dallas to Galveston ?

[roxstarcruiser]

35 minutes ago, glrounds said:

Since I would have to pay for parking for the week anyway, I think I will just try to book a stay for one night and free parking for the week while I'm cruising. There seems to be a plethora to choose from. Any pitfalls I should be certain to avoid on the run from Dallas to Galveston ?

Just give yourself plenty of time. Construction is a given and travel times are unpredictable. Going down the day before is a great idea and you should be fine. As a side note, Buc-ee's is a Texas institution I've never experienced, so I plan to stop on the way down. I think it's in Madisonville. 

[ssb]

There are many economy motels between 61st and inside the causeway and on the island. You will be there already the next morning and can enjoy the many island highlights the night before cruising . 

[Host Kat]

21 hours ago, roxstarcruiser said:

... Buc-ee's is a Texas institution I've never experienced, so I plan to stop on the way down. I think it's in Madisonville. 

 

There is one closer to Galveston.

BUC-EE’S- TEXAS CITY

6201 Gulf Fwy (IH 45)

Texas City, TX 77591

(979) 238-6390

 

[roxstarcruiser]

4 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

 

There is one closer to Galveston.

BUC-EE’S- TEXAS CITY

6201 Gulf Fwy (IH 45) Texas City Texas City, TX 77591

(979) 238-6390

 

Oh cool. Maybe I'll stop twice!!

[glrounds]

Please forgive this California Escapee. What is BUC-EE'S ?

[Texas Tillie]

8 minutes ago, glrounds said:

Please forgive this California Escapee. What is BUC-EE'S ?

 

Do a google search and see the photos. It's a chain of gas stations, but often with 100 gas pumps, and the most interesting convenience store imaginable, then think the cleanest restrooms on earth!

 

[HappyTexan44]

9 hours ago, glrounds said:

Please forgive this California Escapee. What is BUC-EE'S ?

 

Get the ... I think they are called Beaver Nuggets.   Sort of a combo of puffy corn nuts and caramel corn.  

It is a gas station where you can lose your family, so discuss which exit if you plan on paying for stuff together.  

I have friends that love it.   I am meh on it, but the bathrooms are truly awesome.  

 

[roxstarcruiser]

35 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

Get the ... I think they are called Beaver Nuggets.   Sort of a combo of puffy corn nuts and caramel corn.  

It is a gas station where you can lose your family, so discuss which exit if you plan on paying for stuff together.  

I have friends that love it.   I am meh on it, but the bathrooms are truly awesome.  

 

I have friends who go a little out of their way on road trips to get Beaver Nuggets. I've personally never seen them, tasted them, or know anything about them more than what you just said. But if I'm driving right past it, I might as well check it out, right? 🙂 

[HappyTexan44]

My friends love the BBQ and the shopping.    
For me, if I spend that much money on BBQ, I want my own table in a restaurant.  But, they say it is quite good.  
As for shopping, I'm at the stage of life where I'm getting rid of stuff I don't love or need.  

 

[Curtzilla]

On 9/6/2023 at 7:13 PM, Host Kat said:

 

There is one closer to Galveston.

BUC-EE’S- TEXAS CITY

6201 Gulf Fwy (IH 45)

Texas City, TX 77591

(979) 238-6390

 

Exit 17 on the Southbound side of I-45