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The Strand Historical District is the town’s prime shopping spot, where 19th-century storefronts now house a quirky collection of locally owned gift shops and antique shops. Here you can pick up beachwear, whimsical gifts, model ships, second-hand books, Southwestern turquoise jewellery, and Texas-inspired home décor. Galveston Island is a gem for Texas tourism – and it’s easy to see why.
RCI-Royal Caribbean unveils 2025-2026 Caribbean and Bahamas cruise itineraries
Fascinating history, well-preserved 18th century architecture, gorgeous beaches and thrilling outdoor adventures. Experience all this and cruise out of Galveston with Travel Weekly’s Best Cruise Line Overall 19 years running. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to be a useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. A 15-night Panama Canal cruise will also be offered from Galveston, visiting Grand Cayman, Cartagena, Colón, San Juan del Sur, and Puerto Vallarta before ending in Los Angeles, California. Radiance of the Seas will sail from Galveston from January to April 2023, offering varied itineraries which range from 6-10 nights in length. While booking through the cruise line can be convenient, you’ll find a better shuttle price through independently operated shuttle companies in Galveston.
Where to stay the night before your cruise
Port's current schedule has two liners leaving on Saturdays, two on Sundays, one on Mondays, one on Thursdays. Every 2 years is conducted ship channel/waterfront dredging to maintain the port's required water depth of 45 ft (14 m). The shipping channel is also regularly deepened to maintain a 150-ft (46-m) wide waterfront marine zone that allows access to piers 10 and 41. In August 2017 (25-27), the port was closed due to Hurricane Harvey's significant rains during the weekend. This affected the schedules of 4 liners (Carnival Breeze, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Valor, Liberty of the Seas).
Taxi service
Taxis are also available from both Houston airports, but the prices are significantly higher (~twice) than the rideshare service. One option is Carnival Cruise Line's 8-day voyage aboard the Carnival Dream. This ship offers an array of amenities and activities for all ages, including waterslides, live entertainment, and delicious dining options.
This option is best for those traveling with larger groups, as the cost of the Lyft is per vehicle and not per person like many shuttle services. Most Lyfts should be able to fit four passengers in addition to the driver. This brings the travel cost per passenger down significantly when compared to booking a shuttle service. While once an industrial port, Galveston, Texas has since become one of the busiest cruise ports in the United States, offering year-round sailings to the Caribbean.
The construction works on "Terminal 3" were planned to start in April 2020, with scheduled completion in November 2021. However, due to the COVID crisis, in early-March RCG requested a 1-year extension for the construction's start (rescheduled for April 1, 2021). The initial plans included in 2021 here to be homeported Allure OTS (starting November 10th), but the ship's homeporting was rescheduled for Nov 2022. The USD 125 million (~EUR 107M) project was approved on December 11, 2019.
Gwen Stefani christens new Carnival Jubilee cruise ship in Galveston - Houston Chronicle
Gwen Stefani christens new Carnival Jubilee cruise ship in Galveston.
Posted: Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Galveston's Wave Season: Big cruise deals, new ships, and terminal upgrades - FOX 26 Houston
Galveston's Wave Season: Big cruise deals, new ships, and terminal upgrades.
Posted: Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Houston Hobby is located closer to the Port of Galveston, so we recommend searching for flights into this airport first. If prices are significantly higher or there are fewer direct options, however, flying into IAH would be the best option. HOU is the smaller of Houston’s airports, but it’s more convenient as it’s located only 7 miles from downtown Houston. Let Princess pick you up from the airport and take you directly to your ship or hotel when you arrive, even if you didn't book your airfare through us. Oasis Class flavors, thrills and beats go full-throttle on the biggest, boldest ship to ever sail from Texas — Harmony of the Seas®.
Royal Caribbean, Mini cruise to Mexico from Galveston, March 31, 2025
That's not something you'll find on any of the other Galveston-based cruise vessels. Disney Magic is also home to multiple pool areas and indoor children's zones that cover almost an entire deck, plus multiple themed restaurants that Disney fans will love. (In Disney Cruise Line tradition, passengers — and their waiters — rotate each night among three main restaurants.) The ship also has a large showroom for nightly Disney-themed shows. If either of those two attractions is a must-have for your next cruise out of Galveston, you'll want to book the Harmony of the Seas sailings that start in November. Harmony of the Seas will operate the same itinerary as Allure of the Seas does now.
It can’t hurt to check pricing and availability, though, especially if you’re traveling with a large family and would prefer having a private vehicle. It can also be a nice option if you plan to explore more of the Galveston or Houston areas before or after your cruise. If you are traveling with large suitcases or have more than four passengers, you’ll want to book a Lyft XL. These are larger vehicles that can better accommodate luggage and higher numbers of passengers. The cost will be a bit higher for this service than a regular-sized vehicle. The most convenient way to reach the Port of Galveston from a Houston airport is through a rideshare service like Lyft.
Freedom and Valor were relocated to New Orleans, Breeze remained docked overnight in Cozumel, Liberty OTS was diverted to Miami. In February 2015, Carnival added the ship Freedom as its 3rd year-round boat (joining the fleetmates Magic and Triumph) which increased CCL's year capacity up to 600,000 passengers. In January 2014, the port signed a 5-year agreement with Royal Caribbean, generating USD 1,86+ million in annual revenues. The agreement required improvements to be made to Cruise Terminal 2 (Terminal 28) to accommodate larger vessels and more tourists. Terminal 2's size was increased to 150,000 ft2 / 13,940 m2 (passenger capacity up to 1000) at the cost of USD 10M. The port also has facilities to handle cargo ships (bulk freighters and container carriers) and dry dock facilities for marine vessel refurbishments and repairs.
When completed, the newest/4th MSC Cruise Terminal is expected to generate an additional 925 jobs, ~US$177M in revenues, ~US$21M in local purchases. In 2018, the Port's cruise shipping grew by 13%, resulting in USD 1,5 billion in direct expenditures and supported Texas jobs (with total wages USD 1,75 billion). Galveston is Texas State's only homeport and was accounted for 6,3% of the USA's cruise industry overall spending, 6,2% of the industry's total employment impact, 7,6% of its income impact. In 2018, the port's passenger+crew arrivals were ~1,4 million (estimated USD 115M in ashore spending/goods and services). By annual cruise shipping traffic (~1 million embarking passengers), Port Galveston is currently ranked USA's 4th busiest cruise port - an increase of 126% since 2010, when the homeporting business started.
(Western Caribbean) From Galveston are also offered Mexico-only roundtrips that visit Cozumel (4-days) and Cozumel with Progreso (5-days). On December 4, 2019, Port Galveston welcomed its 1-millionth cruiser - Mark Martin (from Mission Viejo CA). He and his wife (Laurie Steele) were booked on Enchantment Of The Seas for a 5-day Western Caribbean itinerary to Mexico (Costa Maya, Cozumel). The driving distance between Galveston and Houston is approx 50 mi (80 km), or ~1-hour drive southeast.
Whether you are traveling with family, a group of friends or your significant other, this laid-back island has something for everyone. Princess® returns to Galveston, sailing once again from this city tucked within a quaint Gulf Coast barrier island. Discover the serene beauty and vibrant culture of the Bahamas with stops in Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay. Enjoy the sun-kissed beaches, engage in water sports, or explore the rich history of Nassau.
Once Allure heads back to Florida in fall 2023, Harmony of the Seas will come to Galveston to offer 7-night Western Caribbean cruises visiting Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. Allure of the Seas will offer primarily 7-night Western Caribbean cruises visiting Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel. Some passengers may look into renting a car from the airport in Houston and driving to the Port of Galveston themselves. The 3rd and 4th passenger from HOU airport cost $60 and $30, respectively, and the 3rd and 4th passenger from IAH airport cost $85 and $50. When traveling with one or two guests, a shuttle service can make sense, but the price can get high when traveling with 3, 4, 5, or more guests. In this scenario, booking a rideshare or taxi service usually has a better price-per-person ratio.
Be sure to still allow yourself plenty of time to travel between Houston and Galveston in case of traffic or other delays. Most of these parking lots will be about a 7-10 minute drive from the port (or a 30 minute walk). Because Royal Caribbean’s terminal is brand new, it’s best to call the parking companies to check whether or not they will provide shuttles from the lot to Cruise Terminal 3.
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