allure returns in 2026 All Things Galveston

[steverk]

1 hour ago, cmich068 said:

Going to be flying in to IAH two days before our cruise, renting a car and staying near Webster. Is there any reason for me to return the car in Webster and get an Uber from there vs using a drop off location further south like La Marque, which would save some money on the Uber ride? 

On the way back to IAH, will probably do a shared transfer, though not sure with RCCL, Galveston Express or Galveston Limo. 6pm flight home so no rush. 

Assuming you can find a place to drop it, then no reason at all.

[buckeyefan58]

We are sailing on Harmony out of Galveston the week before Easter next year. We are debating staying at either the Holiday Inn Express Galveston Beach or the Holiday Inn Express in Clear Lake the night before the cruise. Does Galveston get big spring break crowds of partiers? We would prefer to stay in Galveston for ease the morning of embarkation, but have two younger children and don't want to be in the middle of a huge party the night before our cruise. 

[wordell1]

1 hour ago, buckeyefan58 said:

We are sailing on Harmony out of Galveston the week before Easter next year. We are debating staying at either the Holiday Inn Express Galveston Beach or the Holiday Inn Express in Clear Lake the night before the cruise. Does Galveston get big spring break crowds of partiers? We would prefer to stay in Galveston for ease the morning of embarkation, but have two younger children and don't want to be in the middle of a huge party the night before our cruise. 

Galveston is not really a party destination. Spring Break in Texas would be the 2nd week in March so you would miss it anyway.  

[AandD]

We just returned from a cruise out of Galveston cruise port. Most organized embarkation/debarkation process we have experienced. Very organized. Transfer using Royal to Hobby was about $ 35 each. 

[Brando95]

Tip of the cap to the terminal crew in Galveston for my 9/4 sailing. Man, what an amazing embarkation experience. I glanced at my phone on the way up the escalator and it was 10:44. I was ordering my first drink at the pool bar on deck 11 of Voyager at 11 a.m. 

Disembark was just as smooth. They were already calling tags in the double digits by 8 a.m. and as I was handling my own luggage I was able to leave my room by the requested 8 a.m. and just walk straight off. 

[CruiseGus]

9-10-23 sailing on ship by 10:20 am

[Mike n Ky]

Leaving AOS yesterday I have concluded that the percentage of self assist in Galveston is well above average. Much smoother however than leaving Liberty last September but wow, the crowd in line at 7:40am was LARGE. Kudos to the crew as they had a lot of people working the process and it was pretty smooth and we were in our ride leaving port at 8:01.

Very impressed with the new terminal both inside and out. 

[cmich068]

Does anyone know where the Galveston Limo shuttles pick up from at the new RCCL terminal? 

[steverk]

4 hours ago, cmich068 said:

Does anyone know where the Galveston Limo shuttles pick up from at the new RCCL terminal? 

Most shuttles pick up on the northeast side of the building.  Oce you get out of the terminal,  proceed across the street to the covered area with the buses. I'm pretty sure that's the location 

[steverk]

I should have mentioned this earlier, so please forgive me.

There is a rare opportunity on Sunday mornings in Galveston to tour a drydock while it services a large ship.  To raise money for preservation, the Battleship Texas Foundation is offering guided tours through the drydock, including the under side of the ship, while the Battleship is refurbished.  I don't know how long this will continue, but the Sunday morning schedules meshes well with people sailing one of the Sunday to Sunday sailings out of Galveston.

You can find out more, and purchase tickets, here: Dry Dock Tours - The Battleship Texas Foundation

[kadmgs]

How chaotic/loud is the terminal during boarding? We sail out on Harmony 11/19 and have a 1 pm boarding time. We've only had a suite since sailing out of the new terminal and this time we are not in one. Trying to figure out if I need to do the guest special needs form for DW who has combat-related PTSD and deals with anxiety in large crowds at times. 

[Ampurp85]

13 minutes ago, kadmgs said:

How chaotic/loud is the terminal during boarding? We sail out on Harmony 11/19 and have a 1 pm boarding time. We've only had a suite since sailing out of the new terminal and this time we are not in one. Trying to figure out if I need to do the guest special needs form for DW who has combat-related PTSD and deals with anxiety in large crowds at times. 

It was quite chaotic when we sailed out in October. We had one of the earlier boarding times though, so it may not be so bad around 1pm.

[Cakemeister]

The MSC terminal appears to be a go.

Galveston Wharves approves engineering work for a fourth cruise terminal: Travel Weekly

Hopefully, more competition will mean a better product for Royal. 

[CrimsonCruiser]

I know the rule of thumb is book flights after 12 noon...buuuut what are we thinking of an 11:30 flight? Asking because, at least right now, its looking like our options are either 11:30 or 3 pm...and with 2 huge bags and no plans to rent a car...a 3pm flight means like...5+ hours rotting away in the airport...

As a note, we will be suite guests disembarking with the concierge (and that's only if we don't opt for the Royal shuttle).

[kadmgs]

@CrimsonCruiser Are you flying out of Hobby (HOU) or Bush (IAH)? This makes a big difference in my answer.

[steverk]

1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

I know the rule of thumb is book flights after 12 noon...buuuut what are we thinking of an 11:30 flight? Asking because, at least right now, its looking like our options are either 11:30 or 3 pm...and with 2 huge bags and no plans to rent a car...a 3pm flight means like...5+ hours rotting away in the airport...

As a note, we will be suite guests disembarking with the concierge (and that's only if we don't opt for the Royal shuttle).

If the ship docks on time, and it's cleared quickly,  and you get in line early so you can walk off the ship rather than waiting on the suite concierge,  then you can, probably,  make it out of the terminal by 8am. At least that's how it worked for me.

Next, you hire an Uber. If everything is working perfectly,  they pick you up by 8:30. That means arriving at Hobby about 9:15 or Bush about 10, if construction and traffic doesn't slow you down. 

So, if everything works perfectly,  you should be able to make your flight.

How confident are you that everything will work so well?

[CrimsonCruiser]

3 minutes ago, steverk said:

If the ship docks on time, and it's cleared quickly,  and you get in line early so you can walk off the ship rather than waiting on the suite concierge,  then you can, probably,  make it out of the terminal by 8am. At least that's how it worked for me.

Next, you hire an Uber. If everything is working perfectly,  they pick you up by 8:30. That means arriving at Hobby about 9:15 or Bush about 10, if construction and traffic doesn't slow you down. 

So, if everything works perfectly,  you should be able to make your flight.

How confident are you that everything will work so well?

I would say in general, I have confidence in things working well, unexpected not counting. The cruise is in August so less hurricane chances and no snow on the roads.

Sounds like it's about an hour and a half to get to HOU from Gal so if I work backwards from boarding (11AM), that means in a perfect world we need to be off the ship by 9:30. Given that we probably will use Royal's shuttles and/or our suite perks of getting escorted off early...I  believe we should be off and bags in hand by 8...

 

16 minutes ago, kadmgs said:

@CrimsonCruiser Are you flying out of Hobby (HOU) or Bush (IAH)? This makes a big difference in my answer.

HOU - sorry, forgot to mention that

[kadmgs]

I-45 is under construction between Galveston & Hobby. I would not chance it. You never know what type of delays with disembarkation might occur. We were delayed getting off on 11/26 due to power issue on a lower deck. I would just deal with sitting in the airport for a few extra hours versus having to pay extra because you missed your flight. 

 

Also... While August does have less hurricane activity than September, it can still be an active month. 

[jbrinkm]

4 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

I know the rule of thumb is book flights after 12 noon...buuuut what are we thinking of an 11:30 flight?

I'd be ok with it, if:

1. I had insurance

2. I booked private transportation from cruise port to airport, and

3. It wouldn't be catastrophic to get home the following day if I couldn't reschedule a missed flight until the following day (I'm assuming that the 3pm will be full when the time comes)

[Cactus527]

RC's shuttles also have a guideline saying no flights before 12pm. It doesn't mean that you'll get on the first shuttle out either, and who knows what time that shuttle will leave. Definitely recommend private transportation. We used Galveston Saltwater Moms for our drop off and pick up, and they were phenomenal. $65? $70? One way for the three of us in a huge SUV.

[CrimsonCruiser]

Looks like Southwest heard my dilemma and there are noon flights available! *WHEW!* grabbing those to avoid the stress FOR SURE!

But thanks all for the feedback!

[billdauterive]

6 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

Looks like Southwest heard my dilemma and there are noon flights available! *WHEW!* grabbing those to avoid the stress FOR SURE!

But thanks all for the feedback!

Personally if I fly Southwest, I will usually chance an earlier flight I think I can make since rebooking to a later flight is easy if things are going south that morning.  No guarantee that the later flights aren't already full, but I think the flexibility makes the risk acceptable.

[billdauterive]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:29 PM, kadmgs said:

I-45 is under construction between Galveston & Hobby.

This has been and will be true for eternity...

[kadmgs]

 

14 hours ago, billdauterive said:

This has been and will be true for eternity...

For sure! I feel the same way about I-10 between Houston and the Sabine River.

[BB1]

Has anyone taken Uber from Galveston to Bush airport recently on a Sunday morning and taken Uber? We will do self assist.  Was it difficult or did it take long to get an Uber, what was the cost, and how long was the trip?

Thanks

[steverk]

18 minutes ago, BB1 said:

Has anyone taken Uber from Galveston to Bush airport recently on a Sunday morning and taken Uber? We will do self assist.  Was it difficult or did it take long to get an Uber, what was the cost, and how long was the trip?

Thanks

The trip is about 90 minutes,  but I can't speak to uber from the port as I live locally and have never used one

[Europa03]

We plan to have someone drop us off and pick us up from the cruise terminal.  Are there any special instructions for passenger pickup we should give them or is there a good area for them to wait if they get there before we are off the ship?

[steverk]

1 hour ago, Europa03 said:

We plan to have someone drop us off and pick us up from the cruise terminal.  Are there any special instructions for passenger pickup we should give them or is there a good area for them to wait if they get there before we are off the ship?

There's two areas where you can pick up. When you exit the terminal, you will be in the main pickup area. If you turn right and follow around the building, you'll pass the uber/lyft pickup area and then there will be another pickup area. In my experience,  the 2nd area is quicker, but not dramatically quicker.

Both have numbers posted on the pillars to help you find your party. The bad news is they didn't number the areas with unique numbers, so there's a number 1, 2, 3... in both areas.

[Europa03]

1 hour ago, steverk said:

There's two areas where you can pick up. When you exit the terminal, you will be in the main pickup area. If you turn right and follow around the building, you'll pass the uber/lyft pickup area and then there will be another pickup area. In my experience,  the 2nd area is quicker, but not dramatically quicker.

Both have numbers posted on the pillars to help you find your party. The bad news is they didn't number the areas with unique numbers, so there's a number 1, 2, 3... in both areas.

Great, thanks for the info!

[Galveston Steve]

MSC Seascape to home port in Galveston beginning November 2025

New Cruise Terminal 16 anticipated at the site of the current Del Monte facility. That will become Galveston’s fourth cruise terminal!

Edited January 17, 2024 by Galveston Steve

[CrznTxn]

Our parking shuttle driver pointed out that the old Del Monte warehouse was being converted into the MSC terminal last week. It is right next to the Galveston Dock 14 indoor parking for the Royal terminal. Will make for an even more interesting parking and travel experience to the Galveston cruise terminals when 4 ships are docked there. Especially if the Carnival Jubilee, MSC Seascape, Regal Princess and Royal's Oasis ships are there at the same time. About 21,000 ~ 23,000 passengers.

[Galveston Steve]

19 hours ago, CrznTxn said:

Our parking shuttle driver pointed out that the old Del Monte warehouse was being converted into the MSC terminal last week. It is right next to the Galveston Dock 14 indoor parking for the Royal terminal. Will make for an even more interesting parking and travel experience to the Galveston cruise terminals when 4 ships are docked there. Especially if the Carnival Jubilee, MSC Seascape, Regal Princess and Royal's Oasis ships are there at the same time. About 21,000 ~ 23,000 passengers.

According to the latest plans for the new terminal, the building that currently is used for indoor parking will be used for baggage claim, customs, and port offices. Looks like the indoor parking will go away. 
 

[Galveston Steve]

 

A "Royal Amplified" Allure of the Seas is returning to Galveston on 17 March 2026! Now open for booking! 

[TXcruzer]

20 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:

 

A "Royal Amplified" Allure of the Seas is returning to Galveston on 17 March 2026! Now open for booking! 

I see a repositioning cruise in my future

[Carlos A.]

Hi! I'm staying in Houston (near Energy Corridor) before my August Harmony Cruise, I rented a Car with Enterprise from IAH and will be returning it on Galveston. Waze and Google says that usually this is a 1:15 drive but I've read about traffic getting to Galveston, how much time in advance would you recommend me to take?

How difficult is to get from Enterprise to the Port? I'm thinking on dropping off my family on the port and then return the car. Are there taxi or Ubers available for a short drive like this?

I've never been to Galveston so I'm clueless.

Also, how difficult would be doing the opposite. Getting off the ship, get to Enterprise, rent a car and then pick up my family? I'm clueless about getting back to Houston, where we will be staying near The Galleria mall.

Thanks so much in advance!

[steverk]

Good morning and let me give you an early welcome to Houston.  

The 1:15 estimate to the port is reasonable assuming you are doing this on a weekend morning with no constructiondelays.

During the week, 2 hours would be a better estimate. If there's a construction delay,  then all bets are off. Checking Google maps is probably your best bet.

Enterprise rent a car on Galveston is 4.5 miles, so the distance isn't too bad. I've never hailed a cab or uber on Galveston, so I can't really give you any advice on how long that will take. 

After the cruise,  I would expect it to be pretty easy to get a ride though.

[wordell1]

21 hours ago, Carlos A. said:

Hi! I'm staying in Houston (near Energy Corridor) before my August Harmony Cruise, I rented a Car with Enterprise from IAH and will be returning it on Galveston. Waze and Google says that usually this is a 1:15 drive but I've read about traffic getting to Galveston, how much time in advance would you recommend me to take?

How difficult is to get from Enterprise to the Port? I'm thinking on dropping off my family on the port and then return the car. Are there taxi or Ubers available for a short drive like this?

I've never been to Galveston so I'm clueless.

Also, how difficult would be doing the opposite. Getting off the ship, get to Enterprise, rent a car and then pick up my family? I'm clueless about getting back to Houston, where we will be staying near The Galleria mall.

Thanks so much in advance!

I would call the Galveston office for Enterprise and ask them the best way. 

[HBCcruiser]

I tried searching for an answer to this question - Does anyone know what time(s) Harmony is on (EST or CST) when sailing out of Galveston on the Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel) cruise? Are there any time changes? Thanks in advance. 

[WesKinetic]

38 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

I tried searching for an answer to this question - Does anyone know what time(s) Harmony is on (EST or CST) when sailing out of Galveston on the Western Caribbean (Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel) cruise? Are there any time changes? Thanks in advance. 

Ship will be on central time. Local times may be different depending on daylight savings time when you go, but the ship will always stay on central time. 

[HBCcruiser]

43 minutes ago, WesKinetic said:

Ship will be on central time. Local times may be different depending on daylight savings time when you go, but the ship will always stay on central time. 

Thank you!