Hi there! We live across the highway from Webster and I have a few tips. Traffic in Houston is notoriously awful. The trip to Galveston from Bush Intercontinental is 12 miles from downtown, North I-45 is pretty busy all the time, worse at 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. unless you're riding 2+ to a car to use the HOV (transit) lanes. Out of downtown, Galveston is 49 miles and the traffic is heavy a lot of the time. Again, if you're driving in the afternoon and have 2+ in the car, the HOV lane is your best bet. So, if you're coming from from Bush to Galveston, it's 60 miles to the island. That's basically an hour to hour and a half before allowing for traffic snarls. The best idea, like you said, is plan to come in a day early and stay a day late to miss the traffic from the cruises and rush hours. A few other good places to see in Galveston are the Bishop's Palace and Aston Villa on Broadway (the main street). These are historic houses and have tours. The Bishop's palace was built in 1892 and survived the Great Storm of 1900. It is next to Sacred Heart Catholic Church (which has some interesting architecture) and the Gresham family deeded the home over to the church, hence the name Bishop's Palace. Aston Villa is another home on Broadway, built in 1859 (surviving the 1900 Storm) that was used by Major General Gordon Granger to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the slaves of the island, freeing them on June 19, 1865. This is the origin of Juneteenth. Moody Mansion is another Broadway mansion that is tourable. There are other historical homes and churches on the island, Galveston The Sailing Ship Elissa is docked by the Harbor House hotel. It's tour able and is an original masted ship. There is a seaport museum there as well. Outside of the museum is the video presentation "The Great Storm" that tells the story of the 1900 Storm that killed over 6000 people on the island. There is video in the presentation taken by Thomas Edison during the recovery effort. If you have the transportation, the Galveston Ferry is at the end of Ferry Road. This is a free service of the state of Texas and goes between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula. If it's anytime between spring break and October, your best bet is to park at the ferry terminal, walk on and ride over and back. The ferry is usually full of people going to Crystal Beach and the waits can be very long. By driving in the right lane down Ferry Road, you can pass the line and park. Feeding the sea gulls off the back of the ship or watching for dolphins on the front are two wonderful ways to see a different side of the area. For more info on all the tours and such, galveston.com Those are a few other things I can think of to do on the island before or during the cruise. We have cruised twice off Galveston, on the Adventure of the Seas in 2022 and the first week of May this year on the Allure of the Seas. The new terminal is awesome and everyone is very helpful. Since I am in a wheelchair, the terminal is easier to navigate through than the old one, no steep ramps and plenty of assistance both on and off the ship. The porters are very willing to assist in moving the wheelchair out of the van and inside if needed. Have fun on the cruise and welcome to southeast Texas.

We always leave out of Galveston. We live 1 1/2 hrs from port. We ALWAYS park in the park and cruise indoor parking. I usually drop my hubby off with the luggage, and I either walk across or ride the shuttle. We were on The Breeze when Harvey hit. Our captain reversed the itinerary so that we followed behind Harvey. Once we got to Cozumel, final port, we were told that we were going to hang out in Cozumel for the night. So much fun to be able to explore different bars at night, right at port. Once we left Cozumel we were told that the port of Galveston was closed due to Harvey stalling out over Houston and completely flooded Galveston Island. We ended up cruising over to New Orleans to let the passengers off that needed to get back to jobs and their lives all over the U.S. We opted to stay for the long haul. Carnival was so gracious. They gave us bus passes to go to Walmart to pick up needed supplies (i.e. diapers, formula, and other necessities). We were then given bus tours for those that wanted to vibe in New Orleans. We restocked the ship and refueled and hung out on the Mississippi River fir a couple of days. We left Galveston with 3200 passengers but when we left New Orleans, we only had 800 Texans onboard. Talk about a good time, Carnival went above and beyond for us. It was business as usual, none of the dining rooms were closed and they offered lobster for the remainder of cruise. Once the port of Galveston opened we were able to disembark to try and find if our car had been a total loss. To our surprise, the parking guys had moved my 50th Anniversary Camaro to higher ground. As we were leaving the ship, Carnival sent us on our way with bags of waters and snacks, for the ride home. It was scary at times but overall, an amazing time. We were onboard for 13 days and loved every second of it. Carnival did an amazing job keeping us safe and informed. Best cruise, ever.

I just got back from a cruise out of Galveston and I never plan to go back there again.I have left out of NYC several times and New Orleans and once out of Charleston,SC.The others were OK but I have to say,Charleston was the best!In Charleston we stayed at a hotel where we had free shuddle service all over town and we were able to leave our car there for the week without added fees and then they had a service that took us to the ship and picked us up....I can't say enough good things about the people of Charleston..My sister in law even forgot her percriptions at home and the hotel staff helped her get pills to take before we left on the cruise...Really amazing people!!!!

As a Native Texan I cruise Carnival quite often out of Galveston. Even though I drive to Galveston from East Texas (4 hour drive) I ALWAYS drive down the day before and (believe it or not) stay at the Hampton Inn that Sharon mentioned in Webster,Tx. Great Hotel and not near as expensive as the "pirates" in Galveston. Many great places to eat in the area not to mention a free breakfast that's very good. I always park my car at "EZ Park" for about $100 +/- in Galveston and they're great people! I make reservations online and they handle my luggage and shuttle me back and forth to the terminal. Great folks, very professional and friendly. Houston is a BIG city and traffic is gruesome! There is one way on and off the island and it get's very busy. Quite frankly, if I was going to fly I'd just fly to Florida; more cruise lines available, cruises are usually cheaper, and more destinations available. If you fly into George Bush Airport please be aware it's North of Houston which means you have to drive through Houston to get to Galveston; allow plenty of time.

We have cruised out of New Orleans twice and Galveston 3 times. We much prefer Galveston. We are lucky enough to live only 5 hrs away from either. We always go a day early to enjoy some time on the beach. Unfortunately Galveston has become very popular with cruisers and has caused the cost of staying there to increase significantly so now we stay at AirBnB's. The problem with staying off island is that there is only one bridge in and out of Galveston. If there is a problem you may be stuck in traffic for awhile. I-45 south out of Houston is always very busy no matter what time of day. The traffic in Galveston, especially along the seawall is very challenging. We have learned to use the side roads to get around quicker. Our next cruise is in Sept. and will be the first time we have been back since the new cruise port has opened so we expect traffic to be even more a challenge since Galveston is a small island.

From a native Houstonian, near Webster, thank you for promoting the island!

Nothing will convince me to sail from Galveston again!!!!! 🥵🥵🥵Getting to and from the airport was hell!!!!

In May 2022, we took a cruise out of Galveston. We stayed at a Super 8 near Houston-Hobby for $55 a night. We used RCCL's transfer between Hobby and the Galveston cruise port at a cost of $160 RT for two people. It was fairly convenient. In November 2023, we will take another cruise out of Galveston. We decided that we will be driving from Tucson - Galveston which is cheaper than two round trip airline tickets plus transfers. We have a hotel booked at the Microtel near NASA. We found that we really liked Kemah Boardwalk and found dozens of good restaurants in that area. Driving also allows us to spend a few days in San Antonio and New Braunsfels. I will say that Galveston is one of the most expensive cruise ports due to its distance from the airport.

I'm lucky enough to live very close to the Galveston cruise port and I thought your information was spot on!

The new Royal Caribbean terminal was just plain "easy-peasy" for our most recent cruise from Galveston

We cruise out of Galveston all the time ,We stay in Texas city which is 10 minutes away for port, Half the price for hotels and a Walmart near by in case you forgot something you want for the cruise, We park at Fallstaff parking and they drop you off and pick you up at the front door.

We have done a fly stay cruise package with a hotel near Houston Hobby airport. It was easy peasy. Not expensive at all. Round trip drop off on embarkation and back to airport on debarkation for family of 4 was only $100.00.

It’s wild to hear about my home like this for tourists. I’ve lived near the Webster/League city my whole life. Thank goodness we can just have a friend drop us off at the port.

As someone who lives within driving distance of Galveston, I want to let you know that Galveston is a year-round tourist destination. The weather here is so mild, it’s always a great place to go for the weekend. That’s just to let you that weekends in Galveston will always be a driving nightmare, no matter the season.

Sooooooo glad you are making THESE videos!! We’ve always cruises from New Orleans. Considering cruising from Galveston but that port just seems so complicated!!

Greetings: I have shared your video many times. My bride of nearly 50 years lived in Galveston when we worked at UTMB from where I retired. We built out home in High Island in 1982 on the site of my wife's grandparents "JP Richardson" parents of "The Big Bopper". Crazy!!! Your video covers the important things first time cruisers need to know...Thanks for posting it. I retired after 30 years at UTMB in August of 2003 and we cruise often, mostly on Carnival. Thanks again for the great video.

Good info! I'd like to add a couple things. 1. Consider staying in Kemah. It's off the beaten path, but not far out of the way. It's close to the space center, has nice hotels, unique shopping, amusements and restaurants. The cost should be lower than Galveston but give a similar experience. 2. Amtrak offers service to Galveston (via thruway bus). It drops off 1 block from the old cruise terminal, which is about 1/2 mile from Royal's terminal 3. MSC has signed a letter of intent to build their own terminal next to Royal. In a few years, Galveston may be significantly busier than today.

Going on my first cruise in February and this has been the most helpful video yet. We are flying in the morning of the cruise and flying out the day we return so this info is greatly appreciated.

Great information. My husband and I were just looking at cruises out of Galveston, so this is very helpful.

Great video I learned much from your presentation. The information you gave was delivered in a clear, and precise manner. Since I live on the East Coast, I will think twice about taking a cruise from Galveston. Thank you .

Perfect timing and great info for those sailing out of Galveston! I shared this with my friends who are sailing from TX in the Fall.

Live in Houston so it’s great for us. One issue we had before RCCL built the extra terminal. Our ship as well as a Carnival ship was delayed 8 hrs. getting into port because of the fog. People that were arriving for the next cruise were unable to park since we were still on the ship. The streets were solid with cars waiting for two ships of people to leave. It was a total mess.

I cruised about eight times out of Galveston and I'm glad I learned something. I haven't tried Willie G's I'm going on a cruise in September I'm definitely going to go try it

I live close to galveston. Thank you for the positive review. Yes! Royals new terminal. Beautiful

Great info guys. We loved sailing out of Galveston. Your tips will help our next sailing go a little smoother!

I live in San Antonio and drive the morning of usually to Galveston for my Royal Caribbean cruises. Never had an issue.

Thank you for this vlog! I watched your previous sailing out of Galveston and gained a lot of information from that. We are sailing out of Galveston in July and immediately booked Harbor House and Galveston Express for the day before our cruise! Can not wait for July.

Galveston is my homeport and you offered great information. Thanks for sharing!

Several commentSeveral comments: 1) On the past several Galveston cruises, we have stayed at Wyndham properties in Texas City or South Houston and paid in the $60-75 range for a more than adequate room. On our last cruise, we stayed at the Microtel Inn across from NASA which allowed us to spend an afternoon at the Houston Space Center. Also, the Houston Hobby Airport has turned the old terminal into a museum that is well worth it. 2) We got off the Regal Princess at 7:30 am in November and were off the island by 8:30 am picking up our car from the economy parking lot. 3) Overall cost wise (hotel, parking, etc.), Galveston is cheaper than Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale or San Diego overall. s

Thank you very much. This video really helped me out a lot.

Great video, really helpful and informative. Thanks for sharing guys ❤

We stayed in a VRBO in November when we were there. It was reasonable n right on Seawall Blvd.

Just re-subbed, good to see you guys again. My ex and I did a fly-stay-cruise deal, out of port Canaveral, worked out great, easy as pie

Your help in where to stay in Long Beach California was exemplary. I'm also gonna take your advice when I cruise out of Galveston next october on the Jubilee😊

We’re in Houston and have cruised out of Galveston six times. It’s the arriving and parking that is a quagmire. Once you drop off your bags and go park, you’re good to go. The inside of the Carnival terminal moves along fine. But yeah, getting to the terminal in the first place, it’s a long wait. Hoping the new RC terminal will alleviate that. We’ll see. Folks going to the RC terminal should not enter the cruise terminal area via Harborside Rd from I-45, or you’ll have to sit in the Carnival traffic. Look at Google maps and you can see how better to get there. Your video was great. Not crazy about the thumbnail title, but that’s what KZfaqrs do. Staying at a hotel outside of Galveston is excellent advice. Willie’s restaurant is very expensive. Great location though. The Spot is excellent but if you go at lunch or dinner time, the wait in 90 minutes, easy. At Christmas, go to Dickens on the Strand, two blocks from the Carnival cruise terminal. Very festive. Also, if your planning a visit, look at Galveston events online. There are motorcycle rallies and all kinds of things going on that will make getting hotels very difficult, and the traffic will be insane. Galveston is not huge. Visitors are sharing Galveston with lots and lots of Houstonians and neighboring towns. It was busy before the cruise industry hit Galveston. So yeah. 🙂

We live in Texas so we drove to Galveston & stayed at the Hotel Gálvez. This was in 2017 & they had a stay, cruise & park program which was great. Took great care of our car & we had supper & breakfast at the hotel with it being very reasonable. A really good place to eat seafood at is the Black Pearl.

We sail out of Galveston in May on the Jubilee. Thanks for all the tips!

Excellent information! I’ve never cruised out of Galveston but was considering getting on Carnival Jubilee next year. This video really helped. Thank you!

Cruising from Galveston in November, thanks for video.

I have cruised out of Galveston 3 times on Carnival and each time I've learned from them on things to see and do. I like staying at the Microtel Inn right across from Johnson Space Center which is about 30 minutes from Galveston. Fort Travis Park is a great place to visit along with Pelican Island for Sea Wolf Park

Thank you for this information as I will be sailing from both cruise lines soon.

Thank you so much your videos is so informative

I personally like the Baymont by Wyndham right off the seawall. Clean and free breakfast. Easy to get to the terminals

Schlitterbahn is an incredible waterpark in Galveston!

Great information… Really appreciate it. We are sailing out of Galveston in December. Already booked the harbor house. Glad to know you liked it.

Great information, I love cruising out of Galveston!

Drove the 11hrs from Ks 2 days early. Straight home after the cruise. Would do again! Avoiding airports 👍

I'm so glad you did this video! I've cruised out of Galveston 3 times . 4th time time coming up in August. This video is filled with good information! I was so glad to hear restaurant recommendations. It's a girls trip, and we will want a dinner after a long drive from Tulsa. We are staying overnight in Galveston.

this was EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you

We are booked on a NCL (Prima) cruise in January - Friday to Friday. We are driving in from San Antonio the day before and staying at a B&B with cruise parking and shuttle to port. Will be our first cruise from Galveston in 20 years. The itinerary from the port are so limited. Have lost count of the number of times we have been to Cozumel. But any day on a cruise is better than a day at work.

Thanks for the great info!

Helpful. Thanks for sharing. I was in Galveston last month and I have another cruise in January.

We always drive there from Phoenix we love Galveston

Thank you. I am considering my next cruise out of Galveston. Wonderful info.

Great info you guys!! As always!! Thank you!!!

Be careful going to Bucee's the day of because you might miss your cruise 😂 if you know, you know!😂😂

I’ve been on 3 cruises out of Galveston but I do live in Dallas. I have rented a car in Dallas drove there I do park at a place called Indoor Parking your car is parked in covered parking and locked up at night. I’ve parked there on all 3 cruises. They do have a shuttle bus that will pick you up and drop you off very convenient. I spend the night on the sea wall the night before all the restaurants are nearby. Make sure you link your flight and hotel on your cruise yes spend the night after because you might be to tired to flight or drive and you won’t be rushed. Enjoy your cruise

Awesome tips. ❤

Thank yooou so much I have been trying to get more info on cruising out of here. Hope you guys do one for long Beach also thank you

Just got back from new Jubilee ship,2/10/24,drove,stayed at Days Inn( 147.00)plus 20.00 to park for the week… wonderful time

We’re sailing out of Galveston march of next year, this was super helpful!

Good video! Very informative.

Another great thing to do in Galveston is Seawolf Park. It has a WW2 submarine and destroyer escort to tour. You can always let us know and we can pick you up from the airport.

Very Helpful! Thank You!!

For anyone coming out of state book a flight with Southwest airlines to Hobby Airport you'll be somewhat close to Galveston.

Very informative thank you so much. We were considering flying in for a cruise out of Galveston.

What a fun and informative video! The Pleasure Pier looks fun. I would love to go to Buc-ee's!! I have a brother who has 2 or 3 Bed and Breakfasts out of Eustace and his wife is an amazing cook. It's 4 hours away but I would visit them too. I hadn't known about how far the airports are from the port and I found this video to be very helpful! Thank you for the great ideas for dining and Hotels!

Thank you Sharon and Jamie. Yea...that RCCL terminal is amazing! Aye!! Yes... fog in January and February can be bad.

I'm taking a cruise next year with friends, and the ship leaves from Galveston. This will be my first cruise leaving from Galveston, so I really appreciate this advice.

We're in texas and it's only a 4 hr drive for us. We still get there a day before so we can enjoy the area.

The cheapest and most economical way to do this is is to catch Metro (Harris County Metropolitan Transportation Authority) from either airport to Bay Area Park & Ride. From there catch a Uber or Lyft to the Cruise 🚢 Terminal in Galveston. Also check out Moody Gardens in Galveston. It has a cool aquarium & Schlitterbaun Water Park.

GREAT ADVICE about the Hotels (from a person who handles hotel complaints for a MAJOR Brand) ppl rarely say "check out past guest reviews and photos and NOT the hotels photos" loved hearing that...thanks!!❤❤❤❤

Great info to know. I've looked at Galveston before but have been leary of trying it. Your tips will help.

I found my only Galveston cruise to be no more difficult than Port Canaveral. Flew into IAH stayed at an hotel near the airport. Ordered door dash in the hotel which was nice enough to hang around for the day. Caught the cruise line shuttle to and from the port. Flew back home. It was easy enough. A huge cruise transportation counter inside the baggage claim terminal. Over planning, trying to maximize every single minute in the trip increases the stress involved.

Also, try the Galveston Naval Museum. There's a submarine, the Cavalla, and the Stewart. They are not exactly on Galveston Island but on Pelican Island which is east of the port. When you are on board the ship, you can look across the bay and see Pelican island. Another great eating spot is "Shrimp & Stuff". This is were locals go to eat. There are 2 locations. The one closest to the port is newer and better.

Thank you for the video, now the hubby and I have to decide on were to stay at , going on a cruise the end of November for this year

I am thankful we are within driving distance to New Orleans and Galveston. I want to visit other cruise destinations but I’m overwhelmed with the need to fly, find hotels and rides to the port. In a year or so I will have too because I’m sure I will be over the same Caribbean destinations. Thanks again. I cruise in Aug from Galveston and had to watch this again.😊

You didn’t mention spending some time at Moody Gardens before or after a cruise. There’s a hotel, aquarium, rainforest, 3D and 4D theaters, a man-made beach, restaurants, and other attractions.

❤ Love Love, Love Galveston. Great video information. We'll be back to Galveston in January, 2024 for a B2B on The Jubilee and we're so excited about going back. Oh, and we're cruising too, lol. Thanks Sharon and Jamie. 🙏🙏

Great information, thank you for the tips

Thanks for Great advise

I really loved cruising out of Galveston. We stayed at the Harbor House pre-cruise. We could see the ship from there. We got a rental car and it turned out that it was cheaper to just keep it and park at the port. We used Galveston Park and Cruise for 106.00 for the week. The only drawback was walking with luggage. I recommend dropping off and then parking. Post-cruise we stayed at the Galvez. It was under new management when we went so lots of construction and closures. That being said I would still recommend it. The historic hotel did not disappoint. It was all that I wanted it to be and more. Right across from the sea wall, it was a perfect contrast to the pre-cruise hotel by the port. All and all one of my favorite places to cruise from.

Very good I like the idea of fishing

Wish I had seen this before booking cruise (Dec. 2023) out of Galveston! Good info.

I am so ky ky to live 30 minutes away from Galveston that cruising from Galveston it’s very easy for us. 😊

Galveston is a lot of fun!

Thanks for sharing this we’re doing your repositioning I think in December and it is going to end up in Galveston. I’ll be taking the prima. This will hopefully help my husband out some. Thanks again!💕💕💕🙏🏼🛳️⚓️🦩

Excellent!! Thank you !

Two other things that people should know about sailing out of Galveston that I do not see anyone talking about much on one and have not seen any talk of the other. First, due to an ancient Texas law on "Promotion of drunkenness," your unlimited drink package does not start till day 2 of your cruise, and it is a VERY limited availability of drinks till you are 12 miles out. Second, and I have not seen this covered by anyone. There is no "Duty Free" in Texas. After you clear customs for the USA, right outside the customs doors, is the TABC, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and they will tax you on any alcohol or tobacco that you have bought. I was charged $1.50 tax on one pack of cigarettes. Just wanted to throw this out there

Galveston was the place to be in 1890's it was the largest city in Texas until the 1900 hurricane and still has a lot of architecture from that period. has a lot more restaurants available then mentioned. Railroad museum is on the end of the Strand which has a lot of shops and even an old fashion ice cream polar where you can get the same drinks they drank from over a hundred years ago, La kings will take you back in time. Rooftop bar on top of the Tremont hotel is always open heated in the winter with torches, very surreal place to be. Strand has carriage rides and The Grand Theater which is over a hundred years old and still has many venues still performing. Galveston is a fun place

next year in June will be my first cruise we're going with family friends of ours that we met through my Tio and Tia, we live 4 hours away from Galveston.

Thank you. We are doing a b2b on Carnival Dream in December. It will be our first time out of Galveston and appreciate the info.

Great information Thank you

We took an Uber from Huston Hobby Airport to Galveston a couple of years ago. There were 2 of us it took 45 minutes and cost $58.00s for both of us. No traffic as we arrived after 5pm.

Great video!

We also stay at harbor house! Be a little different this time since Royal has the new cruise port! But I love watching ships come in early morning!

So very helpful. I will be celebrating my 60th birthday in March of 2025 on the Jubilee. I know I will watch this again before then 😂

Great information! We're cruising out of Galveston in June. We've cruised out of there a number of years ago and disembarking was the worst. Luckily, we're in a huge group and will be staying in Houston the night before the cruise and we have procured group buses to take us to the port, so no worries there. We're cruising with Royal this time, so we'll see if it goes better than our Carnival experience.

I live in FTW area and this info was terrific - thanks for the research

We’ve used Galveston Saltwater Moms before and they’re AMAZING!!!!! I highly recommend them!