Galveston Embarkation/Disembarkation experience

[OasisQueen]

Sailing out on Sunday.  How was your experience with this terminal?  I have read some older comments about it being "disorganized" but that was from at least 1+ year ago. I think (may be incorrect), but I think the Harmony is one of/the first of the Oasis class to be at this port.  I reckon there's not a difference in terms of process but just curious if you found that it went  smoothly.  We've had different experiences with the different terminals we've been to and am interested to see what the consensus is.  

[Ampurp85]

24 minutes ago, OasisQueen said:

Sailing out on Sunday.  How was your experience with this terminal?  I have read some older comments about it being "disorganized" but that was from at least 1+ year ago. I think (may be incorrect), but I think the Harmony is one of/the first of the Oasis class to be at this port.  I reckon there's not a difference in terms of process but just curious if you found that it went  smoothly.  We've had different experiences with the different terminals we've been to and am interested to see what the consensus is.  

Allure was at this port until Oct 22nd. I found the experience to be a mess but mainly due to rideshare. Disembarkation was a bit of a mess because of a couple of accidents. I think it will depend on a couple of factors like whether the previous sailing is smooth. 

[Rory]

Royal's new terminal in Galveston is excellent! Last August I arrived at 9:45 and lined up. Was onboard at 10:30! Earliest ever in 40+ cruises! The terminal is very nice if you have to wait a few minutes before boarding. When the new terminal first opened it took some time to get operations in order and lots of delays. Much better now! I also recommend doing the self-assist when you return. So fast that you are off the ship and on the road in minutes once they get clearance.  

[DoomSlayer]

Allure was sailing out of Galveston earlier this year and is Oasis class, I have been on her sailing out of the new terminal.  The new terminal is nice in my opinion (a lot better than the old one), and I have had no problems.  I have been in it for about 5 cruises.  Just be mindful of your check-in time as you arrive as they have started monitoring it more.  They do have lines outside for general boarding, but if you have a suite or the Key, you can bypass all of it quickly and easily by showing your boarding pass.  Just like everywhere else, have your travel documents and boarding pass ready, and have everything else out of your pockets and in your carry on, and you can quickly go through security.  Coming back is easy too, especially if you have a passport as it is modernized and you just walk up to the facial recognition system and go on through.  It is a two story terminal with an escalator, so just be mindful of that and have a free hand to hold on to the rail.  I have seen people fall on the escalator because they were not paying attention and holding on.

[AandD]

7 minutes ago, Rory said:

Royal's new terminal in Galveston is excellent! Last August I arrived at 9:45 and lined up. Was onboard at 10:30! Earliest ever in 40+ cruises! The terminal is very nice if you have to wait a few minutes before boarding. When the new terminal first opened it took some time to get operations in order and lots of delays. Much better now! I also recommend doing the self-assist when you return. So fast that you are off the ship and on the road in minutes once they get clearance.  

Same for us in August.

[DoomSlayer]

11 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

... I think it will depend on a couple of factors like whether the previous sailing is smooth....

LOL.  I would say you need to give Galveston another go (without all the vintages).  Your trip experience from there was anything but normal, but it made for a great story for your blog.

[steverk]

I was one of the biggest critics of the new terminal's boarding process at the end of last year. However, they have vastly improved! It's quite good now.

Some areas of improvement remain though.  Depending on how many people arrive at the terminal, they will hold people (especially those that arrive before their assigned boarding time) outside.  There's very little shade or shelter. So it can be very uncomfortable when it rains or during the hot summer months.

[Cruisin and Boozin]

We sailed on Allure in September. This was our favorite port to leave from. Super easy . I’ll be on Harmony Sunday and I think it will be wonderful.

[happy cruisers 2]

We found the experience to be super smooth last month.  Very quick process.  We parked off-site in a nearby garage and used the parking garage's shuttle to the terminal.  Weather was great, so no rain or extreme heat to deal with outdoors on our particular days leaving and returning.  We were impressed.

[Ritchie]

Our upcoming cruise at the end of February will be our first out of Galveston. Looking forward to experiencing this new terminal. 

[Vacation Crazy]

We've sailed out of Galveston twice.  We uber to and from the port.  When we disembark we walk right outside the port area to a little corner bar.  We request an uber at that point.  It is a quick pick up and we avoid all the port traffic.  

[Zurc]

Smooth boarding for Harmony’s 4-day sailing November 1st.   Parked in Terminal 10 North lot at 10:15, and onboard by 10:30.  
 

Self carry-off was supposed to start at 8 am on return.  I was off by 7:45 and many had departed before me.    

[DoomSlayer]

This is a great thread with a lot of info on Galveston.

 

[mom2mybugs]

My daughter is on allure tight now and getting off tomorrow!  She had only amazing things to say about embarkation.  She had an 11 am boarding time, and was in the cruise terminal only a second.  They boarded her at 1030.  She said luggage and everything was great!  It was taken by the porters immediately and was already in her room at 1pm.  She has had an amazing honeymoon cruise…have a great trip!  Her favorite bartenders were at trellis bar! Jane

[Mark_A]

The new terminal is super nice!  I parked in the lot right in front of the terminal and was a nice short walk.  I had a 10:30 boarding time and had a drink in my hand at 10:38!

[Mike n Ky]

The new terminal is great and had no issues getting on board smoothly and quickly.

IMHO...and experience...getting off ships early and quickly in Galveston is more challenging than other ports. Why? I see way more self-assist departures than we do in other ports. Walk the halls when sailing from other ports the night before you dock and you see a lot more luggage for pickup than you do sailing back into Galveston. That said...it was a nightmare getting off Liberty 9/2022 but, while there was a large crowd, not bad off of Allure 9/2023.

[JimnKathy]

I thought the embarkation and debarkation processes were terrific on our Allure sailing this past May. We parked several blocks from the port in secured parking and shuttled back and forth...easy peasy.

[Momof4crazytocruise]

I have sailed both Royal and Carnival out of the Galveston terminals. For whatever reason, even though they are all the same port employees, the Carnival boarding process is a nightmare. I have never had an issue with the Royal Caribbean terminals, both on embarking and debarkation - very smooth, very few lines, on the ship within 10-15 minutes of arrival at the terminal. But Carnival, oh Lordy. Long lines, lots of waiting, took over an hour in line to get on the ship (and we can on time to our boarding slot). It's one of the big factors (among many others) that I likely will not sail Carnival again. So to answer your question, I wouldn't worry too much about it - and I wonder if you're hearing stories of the Carnival terminal vs. the Royal Caribbean.