Harbor House Galveston Questions!

[Natanni]

Hello!

 

We are cruising on RCCL Rhasody in March 07. This will be our 2nd time cruising out of Galveston. March 05 we stayed at what WAS the Holiday Inn Express/Cruise and Park and we do NOT want to stay at this hotel again due to severe mold. We are looking into the Harbor house, as being right across from the beach really wasn't that big of a deal last time. We like the idea of non smoking rooms and being able to park for the week. Can we walk to the pier? Do you have to request a special room with a view if you want to see the ships come in and do they cost more? Did I read somewhere that they include breakfast and if so what does that include? Many thanks for your help :)

 

Happy Cruising!

[DannyMac]

The Harbor House is located at Harborside Dr. and 20th st. It overlooks the Galveston ship channel and is within walking distance of the cruise terminal. There is on site parking, but I do not know if they charge for leaving your car while on a cruise. Cannot not help with the rooms or the rates. I do know "Landry's Oyster" located below the hotel has closed.

[lindnet]

I stayed there before sailing on the Grand in Dec. of 2004. It was great! The rooms are fine, nothing really special, but we walked to the ship with our luggage, and the coolest part was that I woke up at about 5:30 am and watched the ship pull in and turn around. It was so cool, it was dark outside and the ship was all lit up. Yes, we had to request a room on the side where the ships are docked. At that time, it was a very reasonable price, too.

[calliecat]

Ditto on the above poster's reply. We were there in December 2004 also.

I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We watched the Grand and one of the Carnival ships pull in that morning. My then 12 yr old son said that the roll away bed was the best he'd ever slept in!

We were only a couple blocks away from the Strand district so we walked over there the morning before we got on the boat. Remember, it was renovated from an old warehouse, so it isn't brand new...

[danztar]

How about security in the parking lot? I am searching for the safest hotel /parking...what can you tell me of the Holiday inn Sunspree and La Quinta inn and suites? thanks

[StefanieTX]

We have stayed there several times, most recently in May of this year. It's a decent hotel for the price. I would gladly stay there again.

 

The Harbor House does have an entrance gate. It seems safe enough. You are only allowed in the parking lot (with vehicle) if you are a guest or visiting a registered guest. We left our pickup there for a 4 day cruise with no problems. I wouldn't hesitate to leave it there again.

 

It is awesome to get up and watch the sunrise and the ship coming. If you go to the window at the end of the hallway, that is right where the ship will be turning around. You can book a room with a "free parking" add on from their web site. Just be sure to make a copy of your confirmation and bring it with you. They tried to charge us for parking (only $8 total, but still!!) and we showed them our confirmation and they removed the charge.

 

Breakfast is continental with milk, oj, coffee, muffins, cereal, fruit, yogurt. Nothing spectacular but you can catch a quick breakfast and save your appetite for the ships welcome aboard buffet :)

 

You do need to request a room on the cruise terminal side. You can see the ship coming in from the other side for quite some time since they come in slowly, but it's also fun to watch it "pull up" to the dock and all the hustle and bustle of unloading and reloading.