Driving from Dallas to Galveston day of cruise??

[odiesam]

For those of you that have made this drive - from Dallas to Galveston - is it do-able the day of the cruise? We are leaving on Sunday April 1st of the Rhapsody and are considering spending Saturday night in Dallas then taking off early Sunday morning and driving directly to the port. Is this too risky? I read that Houston has terrible traffic but it will be a Sunday.

 

Thanks for anyone's thoughts on this!

[Host Kat]

Per Yahoo! Maps, it is about 292 miles from the center of Dallas to the center of Galveston Island. It also says it will take 4 hours 16 minutes. But of course, you may need to include some breaks during the drive that may make the trip a little longer.

 

I have made the trip many times and always try to schedule a stop at the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, TX for munchies.

 

http://www.collinstreet.com/pages/texas_bake_shops

 

Hope this information will help!

Kat

[clearlakecruisers]

Trust me, the traffic in Houston is no worse than the traffic in Dallas. but driving on Sunday, neither should be a problem. We drive to Dallas quite often and typically allow +/-5 hours (and we are +/-30 minutes north of the Galveston cruise terminal). If you leave Dallas "early" Sunday morning, you should have no problem.

[DannyMac]

Sunday traffic in I-45 should not be too bad, although you may run into a little delay between I-45S at the Beltway 8 Interchange and the Dixie Rd. overpass and on to FM 2351.

 

Some engineer has all the entry ramps and the freeway merging just before the overpass thus a backup occurs, maybe a 5-15 min crawl until you reach 2351 and it starts to thin out.

[TulsaFlyer]

We will overnight just south of Dallas then get up the next morning and head to Gavleston. We plan to be onboard by 1pm for a 5pm departure. Works out just fine.

 

Mike in Tulsa

[yst347]

If you are on the road by 6:00 am you should reach the pier around 11:00 am which in my experience is the perfect time. Have a great cruise!

[Eric in TX]

Depending on what time you arrive into DFW, you could also get a couple of hours in Saturday afternoon/evening to give yourself a shorter ride Sunday morning.

 

There are plenty of places to stay between Dallas and Houston -- you shouldn't have any kind of issue finding a place to stay for the night.

 

Have Fun!!

[ChristieDawn]

We are departing on Monday April 16th. We live in Dallas and we are driving to Galveston. I have already booked a hotel for the night before but if I wanted to save some money and drive in that morning how would the traffic be in Houston on Monday around 10ish? :cool:

[DannyMac]

We are departing on Monday April 16th. We live in Dallas and we are driving to Galveston. I have already booked a hotel for the night before but if I wanted to save some money and drive in that morning how would the traffic be in Houston on Monday around 10ish? :cool:

 

The traffic rush will be over and your timeline is just about right. You might encounter a little construction but nothing that will cause a problem.

[yst347]

We are departing on Monday April 16th. We live in Dallas and we are driving to Galveston. I have already booked a hotel for the night before but if I wanted to save some money and drive in that morning how would the traffic be in Houston on Monday around 10ish? :cool:

 

If you do this you should take the Hardy Toll road into town. It branches off of I-45 just south of The Woodlands. You will make excellent time and it is worth the cost. It ends at I-610 between 59 and I-45.

[mickmobo]

If you do this you should take the Hardy Toll road into town. It branches off of I-45 just south of The Woodlands. You will make excellent time and it is worth the cost. It ends at I-610 between 59 and I-45.

 

actually I would take the Hardy Tollway to Beltway 8 East. Then take the beltway to I-45 South. This will avoid all of the downtown traffic. Will cost $ 4.00 for the bridge and beltway plus toll $2.00? on the Hardy - well worth it IMHO!

[yst347]

actually I would take the Hardy Tollway to Beltway 8 East. Then take the beltway to I-45 South. This will avoid all of the downtown traffic. Will cost $ 4.00 for the bridge and beltway plus toll $2.00? on the Hardy - well worth it IMHO!

 

I wouldn't bother doing this because the Beltway isn't finished between 59 and I-10 east. You have lights and construction in spots. You shouldn't expect any serious delays going this way but you won't make great time and it is quite a bit longer. Once inside the loop on a weekday morning traffic should be moving near posted speeds heading out of downtown on I-45. The main place to expect delays is south of Nasa Rd. 1 where the new interchange is being built and there really isn't any good option for avoiding any delays there.