Choosing Liberty out of Galveston, worth the "hassle"?

I have been trolling the boards and there is a lot of not so great feedback regarding Galveston as a port. I love the Liberty itinerary that includes Honduras and Belize, but with an hour transportation minimum to and from the airport, it is seeming cumbersome and costly. Adding a rental car, and extra hotels on both ends can get quite costly.

I LOVE the Oasis class ships, but wanted to try something different. Thoughts?

I'd do it once, especially if you've never done a Freedom class ship before. That way you can decide for yourself if the hassle is "worth it".

If you fly into Hobby, it is a 35-40 minute ride. You might want to consider coming in a day early and enjoy the island. Note, if you go from airport to the port, you will NOT see Galveston, you will see the working side of the island, ship repairs, building, etc. But you will miss the Strand, the Seawall, Pleasure Pier, Seawolf Park, the carvings tour, etc.:cool:

I hate the folks that fly in then come back here and RANT about what an ugly island Galveston is, they are totally ignorant about what a wonderful, funky place Galveston Island is.

Been looking at this one myself, just because it's only a few hours drive from home.

But I'm not so sure about a smaller ship, that might have less in the way of onboard activities...

I've gone out of Galveston twice and haven't had any issues. I've flown into IAH as it's much cheaper. There are shuttles that can get you to and from the port with ease. Both times I've shuttled down and then rented a car with Enterprise in Galveston and returned it in IAH. Galveston is a cool place and I really like going out of there.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Reading more on Galveston, it seems like the ships that sail out of Galveston are targeted more toward the Texas/southern audience? I saw one review that said country music is played by the pools vs. Caribbean steel drum bands etc. I really look forward to the steel drums playing with an umbrella drink in hand :)

I should have added that this will be a family cruise, taking a then 6 year old with us. How much does that change the perspective on the port/ease of travel? We loved Disney Fantasy, and I understand that it is comparable in size to the RC Liberty, so the sheer size of the ship is not my determining factor.

As you see in my signature, sailing Harmony in March (no children with us), so maybe I will just book an open cruise on board to get the OBC and decide later after the Harmony experience.

I have been trolling the boards and there is a lot of not so great feedback regarding Galveston as a port. I love the Liberty itinerary that includes Honduras and Belize, but with an hour transportation minimum to and from the airport, it is seeming cumbersome and costly. Adding a rental car, and extra hotels on both ends can get quite costly.

 

I LOVE the Oasis class ships, but wanted to try something different. Thoughts?

In the same boat so to speak. Galveston is a little cheaper to get to and Freedom class is a nice size ship. Am trying this month for the first time I will let you know my impressions when I'm back

In the same boat so to speak. Galveston is a little cheaper to get to and Freedom class is a nice size ship. Am trying this month for the first time I will let you know my impressions when I'm back

Thank you! Please have a great time, and do post on this thread again when you return. Bon Voyage in a few days :)

I don't understand why people think it is such a hassle to cruise out of Galveston. The distance from Hobby is no more than from Orlando to PC. Shuttles cost less than those to PC. Plenty of shuttle options. As ProvoAggie said, plenty of shuttles from IAH as well. I do suggest anyone plan on coming in the day before and spending some time on the island. Very quaint and charming.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Reading more on Galveston, it seems like the ships that sail out of Galveston are targeted more toward the Texas/southern audience? I saw one review that said country music is played by the pools vs. Caribbean steel drum bands etc. I really look forward to the steel drums playing with an umbrella drink in hand :)

 

I should have added that this will be a family cruise, taking a then 6 year old with us. How much does that change the perspective on the port/ease of travel? We loved Disney Fantasy, and I understand that it is comparable in size to the RC Liberty, so the sheer size of the ship is not my determining factor.

 

As you see in my signature, sailing Harmony in March (no children with us), so maybe I will just book an open cruise on board to get the OBC and decide later after the Harmony experience.

I don't remember any country music by the pool. We had a steel drum band playing songs like Cheerleader by OMI, Rude by Magic, and Angel by Shaggy. Maybe they had country music at different times but I didn't notice it. There are a few Texas themed things on the ship but I don't think it changed much. There was a big Texas flag hanging in the Royal Promenade and on the last night the waiters all sang "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

As far as kids go, we took our twin 5 year olds and the Adventure Ocean program was pretty good. It wasn't as good as Princess Pelicans in my opinion but my girls still had fun and looked forward to going. Traveling with the kids wasn't terrible. I really don't see how riding a shuttle for an hour is much harder than riding one for 20 minutes. It's all about the same to me. Overall I enjoyed sailing out of Galveston more than San Francisco (most difficult I've experienced) and Long Beach.

Port Canaveral is an hour or so away from the airport in Orlando.

Nobody really complains about that and calls it a hassle...

The only thing about cruising out of Galveston that would ever concern me is the possible fog in the winter. I've cruised out of Galveston several times and had no issues. I stayed near the beach twice and near the airport once. Shuttles were not a problem. I just had to make sure my flight home was scheduled later than I would schedule from say FLL or MIA. As far as a large number of passengers being from Texas, I view that a a positive. I find them to be very friendly.

First off let me say Galveston as a town is awesome great people great restaurants the port on the other hand is horrible it’s all the staff in my opinion do not do a good job. The porters I found to be very pushy and lines to get in and out of the port take forever there’s no system people cut in line constantly we love the Town of Galveston and will go back to visit but I will never cruise out of there again. Again this is just my experience of others have told me their experience was the same as mine

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We have cruised from Galveston more than a dozen times (we can drive there). Fly in a day or 2 ahead. Do not rent a car ( hardly any place to return it on the Island). Stay at a Hotel where you can walk to attractions, restaurants, grocery etc. & has port shuttle. Check min. night stay as ship usually leaves on Sundays. Check http://www.galveston.com for tips, also has video cams all around the Island.

Some people find it easier to rent the car for the whole week and park it, there are hotels that do free parking if you stay the night. Biggest issues with Galveston I would say are fog, and potential traffic issues if you’re driving in day of. So long as you are prepared for both, it’s fine.

We have also sailed out of Galveston twice and are going again this summer. While getting there was a little inconvenient we used a car service and had a great time talking with the driver, and found the island great. We also loved Liberty and can’t wait to go back.

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We took that exact trip two years ago and booked it again for next year. It was our favorite! There are easy shuttles from Houston. Depending on the time of year it's cooler temperature wise when you depart vs a Florida port, but still a wonderful trip. Every cruise is an adventure, we find the positive in everything. Last time we spend some time at the space center the day before. I've never been on an oasis ship, but we find the freedom class to be full of things to do. My only concern about us repeating the same ship so soon is the headliner show will probably not have changed yet. But if it's your first time going I think you'll like Liberty.

Roatan we did Daniel johnsons monkey sloth hangout and they gave us a private tour of the island. So awesome, will do again!! Very very nice people. Next time we're doing snorkeling with them just to change it up a little.

Belize we did cave tubing, also great! Cavetubing.bz

In Cozumel we drove dune buggies around the island. Super fun!

That whole trip was so magical I was moping for a month after we returned and felt like I should move to the Caribbean. I guess that's why we're doing it again next year! ;)

We have cruised out of Galveston twice. Both times in December. Both times affected by fog. First cruise we were delayed getting back to port. Got off ship at 2pm and that was only because we were waiting in line for a few hours to be one of the first off. Many people missed their flight. RC called airlines and changed flights on behalf of the passengers without their knowledge so even some that could have made their flight lost their reservation. (This is the reason I never since included my flight info during online check-in).

Second time we were delayed getting on the ship. We finally got on around 5pm and didn’t sail until the next afternoon. Not a huge deal but not great.

Anyway, if we could drive there it would not stop me from sailing out of there again. And I think the fog is mainly a problem in the winter.

So “worth the hassle” isn’t an easy question to answer. Lots of variables that depend on the location and time of year. At least for me

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We have cruised out of there 7 or 8 times and last 4 years on rccl, better hotels have doubled price in last 4 years and almost all the better hotels require a two night stay, because of that and weather delays we will skip it this year and most likely next.

We have cruised out of there 7 or 8 times and last 4 years on rccl, better hotels have doubled price in last 4 years and almost all the better hotels require a two night stay, because of that and weather delays we will skip it this year and most likely next.

That's why we end up staying off the island when we cruise there. Last time we stayed in Clear Lake.

We are sailing on Liberty in about 2 months. It most likely will be our only time. What I don't like about it seems that most hotels require a 2 night minimum and very expensive. We did find a hotel for one night at a decent price but booked it 11 months in advance. It's just a basic hotel, nothing high end. It's pretty far away from the pier and most of the shops and restaurants. Flying in a day early and using Galveston Limo. It's four of us so it can be rather expensive. I don't want to sound like a downer we are looking forward to it. The airfare was high too about the same as it would be for four of us to San Juan and much more than FL would be.

Been looking at this one myself, just because it's only a few hours drive from home.

 

 

 

But I'm not so sure about a smaller ship, that might have less in the way of onboard activities...

Please tell me you aren’t calling Liberty a smaller ship. 4000 passengers. Four classes of RC ships smaller. Only 2 larger.

I have been trolling the boards and there is a lot of not so great feedback regarding Galveston as a port. I love the Liberty itinerary that includes Honduras and Belize, but with an hour transportation minimum to and from the airport, it is seeming cumbersome and costly. Adding a rental car, and extra hotels on both ends can get quite costly.

 

 

 

I LOVE the Oasis class ships, but wanted to try something different. Thoughts?

There are plenty of shuttles from Houston to Galveston. Many hotels with a shuttle to the pier. I don’t think it’s any harder to get there than it is to Port Canaveral and no pricier. What you will find are friendly, hospitable mostly Texans and southerners are on. A ship that was updated in 2016, and has most of the bells and whistles of Oasis class. Galveston is a cool town with lots of history. The water at the beach isn’t blue like Florida, but you’ll view dolphins and pelicans. Great food at the harbor.

If you fly into Hobby, it is a 35-40 minute ride. You might want to consider coming in a day early and enjoy the island. Note, if you go from airport to the port, you will NOT see Galveston, you will see the working side of the island, ship repairs, building, etc. But you will miss the Strand, the Seawall, Pleasure Pier, Seawolf Park, the carvings tour, etc.:cool:

I hate the folks that fly in then come back here and RANT about what an ugly island Galveston is, they are totally ignorant about what a wonderful, funky place Galveston Island is.

I agree with TEXASMUNK. I am coming in 2 days before my cruise in April. Staying at Moody Gardens Spa and Hotel. Can't wait to see moody gardens, strand and pleasure pier. Hope we have time to do more. I have a question, Is the trolley on seawall working? I heard it was being repaired.

Annmarie

Have cruised out of Galveston about 6 times. Never had a problem with the staff or anything out of the ordinary.