Travel Forum / Travel Types / Cruises / May 2005

Galveston is a small town, but the beach goes on for miles and miles.
The people are nice and friendly. We can recommend a few restaurants if
you are staying in Galveston before your cruise.

Here is some more info:
http://galveston.com/

Parking
http://www.texascruising.com/parking_gls.htm

Becca

Ann,

Many of us have gone out of the Port of Galveston. Not sure what you want to
know?

Here's the port website: http://www.portofgalveston.com/
Here's the Galveston Convention & Visitors Bureau site:
http://www.galveston.com/

Most people first want to know how to get to Galveston from one of Houston's
two airports. Bush International (IAH) is 1-1/2 hours away, Hobby (HOU) is
closer at roughly 1 hour away. If you elect not to use the ship's transfers,
there are a number of shuttle/limo services listed in the Transportation
section of the CVB site, and you can search the archives of posts made to
rec.travel.cruises using the Google Groups search engine for recommendations
re: which transfer service people liked, charges, etc. Some prefer to rent a
car--Enterprise has been the only option for some time, I think I saw
someone mention Hertz was getting in on the action, but don't take my word
for that one.

Galveston is a very small, historic town, easy to walk around and see most
sites without a car. The port is right downtown, and there are many hotels
there, as well. My favorite is The Tremont. Another is The Harbor House with
a bird's eye view of the ships. If you drive to the port and want to store
your car during cruise week, there are a number of hotels that offer free
parking. There are some lovely B 'n B's if you like that sort of thing. Good
restaurants, a little bit of nightlife, shops galore...Moody Gardens is a
cool place for kids. Our beaches down here aren't comparable to Florida or
Hawaii, but they're the only beaches we've got!

In closing, I'd encourage you to book as soon as you see something you like,
especially if you are considering RCI's Rhapsody, Celebrity's Galaxy or the
Grand Princess and you prefer to select your cabin. The ships have been
sailing pretty full from Galveston. By my observation, pricing holds firm
and even rises as sailings get closer/availability gets tight, with
last-minute sales to fill the ships being an exception.

Texans are notoriously friendly, and most ships sailing out of Galveston are
full of Texans.

Hmm. I just skimmed through your blog. Visiting Galveston is altogether
different than living in Galveston. For a girl who's living the high life in
the world of fashion near Milano, I cannot imagine Galveston holding your
attention. ;) You've been following the news online, so as you may gather,
the economy is not that healthy, there are not that many young people
(20-somethings), and it's an hour's drive or more to get an urban break in
Houston. On the other hand, Italian roots remain strong, there is something
of a Bohemian community of artists/artisans, and some of the economic
mainstays of the island might be a good match for your contemplated business
venture--Univ of Texas Medical Branch, insurance, tourism, public schools,
rice, and let's see, there is one chem company with a presence there, I
think it's BP but it could be another Dow.

Why don't you come cruise out of Galveston and scope it out at the same
time??!

Diana Ball
near Houston, TX