I have sailed out of Galveston twice. We drive to port as well and have never parked at the port, but always park at one of the cruise parking lots across the street. My husband drops off me and the kids and the luggage at the terminal, the luggage gets quickly taken away by a porter, and my husband goes and parks the car while the kids and I wait right outside the terminal for him to catch the shuttle back. We think this is easier than trying to ride the shuttle with 3 kids and tons of luggage (we are not light packers). The terminal is nothing like Port Canaveral so set your expectations low. It is very industrial looking. They do put up a few Disney banners and the staff are super friendly but honestly, it is just an ugly building. It is only 1 story, so you get into a line right after you enter the building and go through security. Then you immediately get into the check-in line. If you are concierge, you really need to look closely for the concierge line because it is hidden way down on the right side. The waiting area is kind of small in my opinion but there is an area to check the kids in for the kids club and the line is usually super long, so we always wait and do it on the ship where there is never a line. There is also a space where a character or 2 will make an appearance. When it is time to board, you walk down a hallway where you can take the embarkation photo and then this is where my memory gets a little fuzzy. I think you ride up an escalator to the gangway, and I'm positive that you enter into the atrium just like at Port Canaveral. I hope this helps!
