All Things Galveston (Updated - 5/21/14)

If you stay at any of the above places an absent car will be no problem. Lots to do all over & "town" part of the island just isn't that big.

Lots of taxis, shuttles, bike rentals, horse carriages & even bike cabs when the boats are in.
 
Thank you so much for all the info. I have a couple of questions if anyone knows the answer I would appreciate it. What time does the terminal actually open in Galveston? Which terminal is Disney going to use? Do the Porters get there before the terminal opens? We are driving down from Keller (near Fort Worth) the morning of the cruise. I am trying to figure out what time we need to leave. Any and all information would be very appreciated.

Best to All
Mal

Like eggroll says, the terminal usually opens around 10:30. I think the porters start accepting luggage about 20 or 30 minutes before the terminal opens (not positive about that). It's my understanding that Disney will be using the same terminal that RCCL uses which is terminal 2. The OP listed several great places for cruise parking and my personal favorite is Galveston Park and Cruise, its literally right across the street from the terminal. You drop your luggage and family at the terminal, drive across the street and park, then walk right back across the street and into the terminal, takes less than 10 minutes.
 
When I cruised on Carnival Magic last March, I reserved a condo at Emerald by the Sea. It was amazing!! My condo was on the side of the building so I had a gulf and harbor view. I was able to see the Carnival Magic and an additional ship from the balcony. I loved it! The building itself it beautiful. It has a fabulous pool on the 6th floor that overlooks the gulf. I would recommend it to everyone heading to Galveston to get on the Magic!!
 


When I cruised on Carnival Magic last March, I reserved a condo at Emerald by the Sea. It was amazing!! My condo was on the side of the building so I had a gulf and harbor view. I was able to see the Carnival Magic and an additional ship from the balcony. I loved it! The building itself it beautiful. It has a fabulous pool on the 6th floor that overlooks the gulf. I would recommend it to everyone heading to Galveston to get on the Magic!!



Thanks for the recommendation! I'll add it to the lodging list!

Looks like it's available through VRBO. The pictures look wonderful!
 
Looking for one way car rental are there any options from Houston to galveston?
 
Looking for one way car rental are there any options from Houston to galveston?


The only car rental agency left in Galveston after Ike is Enterprise, but I've heard varying degrees of success in regards to one-way rentals. Maybe it depends on how many cars they already have there in Galveston.

http://www.enterprise.com/car_renta...d=WebTransaction1&viewSelectedLocationId=0618

The rental car situation seems like the biggest hassle for anyone flying in for a cruise, and for the life of me I can't figure out why the rental agencies haven't taken advantage of all the new cruise business out of Galveston and opened some new locations back up and make some money!! :confused:
 


I totally agree with Galvez over Treemont. Another valuable piece of advice: Leave earlier than you're planning to! Traffic onto the island can be a beast- especially on weekends and holidays. We live in the Houston area and are leaving the night before our cruise and staying in a hotel just in case.
It's not always horrendous... but my goodness... when it's bad it's BAD.
If at all possible, get there early and explore the island! There's so much to do and you'll be more relaxed knowing you're guaranteed to get there on time.
 
Awesome list of information!

I agree with the recommendations about staying on the island if flying in the day before. It's a fun place, and if you're into history, its worth spending time touring the old Victorian mansions on the island.....most notably, Bishop's Palace and Moody Mansion. Very interesting tours.

We haven't been down since Ike, so I can't speak for the new Pleasure Pier, but Moody Gardens is a lot of fun. There's also a great little putt putt place.

We are driving down the morning of for our February cruise. :worried: It will be a LOOOONG 5 hour trip, but I'm hoping traffic won't be terrible since it's a Saturday.

Watch out for Houston traffic. It's awful and it can take a really long time to get anywhere during rush hour.
 
The putt putt place is an old school, amazing place. We go quite a lot. The best time is at night when everything is lit up. The rear course is totally under a canopy of thick trees & is like a jungle. Giant shells, a multi story castle, huge pirate ship, a giant snake, interesting holes.

When we go, we usually hear at least on retired RV type say its one of the best they've seen. & I assume they go to lots all over the country, because that's what I'd do if I were retired.

It's at 91st on Seawall. Across from Jimmy's, a great place to have drinks & eat. But it's for people with cars only... We ride bikes down that far, but I wouldn't walk with kids. :moped:
 
We had originally planned to stay in Houston near the airport. However, there just did not seem anything that interested us in Houston. So now we are heading straight to Galveston and will have the whole of Friday there. We
Are planning to visit Moody Gardens and if we can squeeze it in have a ride on the ferry. We are currently booked at the Holiday Inn on the Beach, but I am second-guessing this decision at the moment.

Corinna
 
This is just my opinion on Moody Gardens, but if you have a nice zoo and aquarium in your city, skip Moody Gardens. The Discovery Pyramid is a total waste of space IMO. The aquarium is the best part but like I said, if you have one where you live no need to go to one here.

We visited the new Pleasure Pier over Fourth of July and it is fun. Small but fun. We don't have kids and spent less than 2 hours there. With kids it is probably a half day thing. There is a Bubba Gumps seafood restaurant there. We ate there only because family wanted to. Skip it and find a local seafood place instead.
 
Looking for one way car rental are there any options from Houston to galveston?

Enterprise will but the one way fee alone is like $250! I checked because we thought about a rental instead of driving our cars but too much $$$ sad but true...gas is cheaper!

:hourglass 2 weeks till cruise!
 
I'm looking for which hotels offer free parking for the length of the cruise. Also of those which of those offers a shuttle.

There are various threads that have some info but all in one would be awesome!



Holiday Inn Resort...free parking and shuttle. A friend of mine stayed last month and said it was great. We are staying 20-22. :cool1:
 
Enterprise will but the one way fee alone is like $250! I checked because we thought about a rental instead of driving our cars but too much $$$ sad but true...gas is cheaper!

:hourglass 2 weeks till cruise!

I called Enterprise and reserved a 2-day, one-way rental from Houston Hobby to Galveston for May. There is no drop fee, and the total charge for 2 days will be $120.99 for an economy car.
 
I'm looking for which hotels offer free parking for the length of the cruise. Also of those which of those offers a shuttle.

There are various threads that have some info but all in one would be awesome!

The Hilton on Seawall Blvd. has both free parking for the duration of the cruise and free shuttle to/from the cruise terminal. Lastminutetravel has good rates for the hilton, which is one of the mystery hotels.
 
Someone posted on our cruise meet thread this week that Galveston Park N' Cruise cancelled their reservation that was booked months before. They were told that they were not taking reservations for certain Disney cruises. I don't understand why they would do this if they already have a paying customer.
 
Someone posted on our cruise meet thread this week that Galveston Park N' Cruise cancelled their reservation that was booked months before. They were told that they were not taking reservations for certain Disney cruises. I don't understand why they would do this if they already have a paying customer.


I would guess that's because of all the sudden itinerary changes.



Thanks to all for the hotel info, and which ones offer free parking and shuttles -- I'll update the main post in just a bit when I get a chance to add links!
 
Oh, and I just have to comment on the Moody Gardens thing... DS & I have passes to both and to Palm Beach at Moody Gardens (going tomorrow, in fact!) and we never, ever get tired of either place. Between the monkeys frolicking all around you in the incredible (and now 2-story) Rainforest pyramid, watching the penguins have fun in the Aquarium pyramid, all the science-y stuff in the Discovery pyramid that we love, the 3D IMAX theater, the 4D motion theater, riding the Colonel paddlewheel boat, or just walking the grounds outside and gawking at the azalea gardens and the view over the water, we just can't get enough. We never run out of things to do. :goodvibes
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!













Top