What to do in Galveston?

[2Xtraveler]

We are planning a cruise on the Grand Princess in April. Can anyone recommend any hotels? We plan on leaving the day before the cruise sails so we won't stress about delayed flights etc. After reading these threads, I think we'll rent a car for our transportation from Hobby to Galveston and then the port. Does anyone have any other ideas? We are going to be traveling with a 6 year old. Thanks for any info.:)

[kftw]

We just got off the Grand 12/23/06. We stayed the nite before at the Harbor House & really liked it. It's right on the harbor and you can watch the ships coming into port. It's also on the edge of the Strand. Lots of shops, eating places, etc. For a six year old, you might drive to the beach or Sea Wolf Park. There is a trolley which is a hop on/off that goes to most of the areas in Galveston. (The Strand, Beach, etc) There are tons of suggestions on the Galveston website. This may be wrong but I think it is www.galveston.com .

 

We took a cab (approx $10) to the ship on Sat morning as the Grand was "parked" in the second berth. When we got back to Galveston, she parked in the first and we just rolled our luggage back to the hotel to get our car. Very easy walk.

[GORDONCHICK]

The Rain Forest Cafe is kinda cool for 6 year olds. They have a little boat ride (can't remember how much that was) that was neat and the volcano erupts every 30 minutes. Moody Gardens is a great place for children and adults. We loved the rain forest and aquarium.

[DannyMac]

There is a trolley that runs in a loop from the Strand to the Seawall and back, good way to see Galveston. Moody Gardens, they have IMAX, glass pyramids with themes, a jungle setting with birds, plants and flowers, an artic setting with seals, fish and penquins. There are several interactive attractions. Very nice place to visit. The Strand, Railroad Station and Museum, The Eylissa sailing ship, the Offshore drilling rig, and the 1900 storm.

[petel]

There are lots of things to see and do in Galveston. If you do a web search with Galveston Texas you will find a huge list of things to do. Most of them will be open in April but check operating hours. Enterprise is the only car rental company with an office on Galveston. Their one day rentals are about $35 for Inter/Full size, and not much more for a bigger car. They also charge $40 for a one way, but people say they don't often charge it, especially if you say you will use another car when cruise over. You have to call for one-way rentals, no internet bookings. They do tell you the one way fee will be applied when you are calling, but the people at the counter often skip collecting it, especially if you make a return reservation. Some of the Galveston hotels have a shuttle to the ship. A taxi ride is $10-$15 on a metered cab so you don't need the rental car on the day of departure unless you plan something in the AM of sail day.

Happy cruiseing....

[Tightlinerods]

A 6 year old will love these two places....

 

http://www.schlitterbahn.com/gal/

 

http://www.moodygardens.com/

 

 

John

[piper28]

Enterprise is the only car rental company with an office on Galveston.

 

There's a Hertz office on the island too.