Leaving out of Galveston... need advice...

[mamieof3]

Hi All,

DH and I have gone back and forth about whether to drive down the day our cruise leaves (July 17) or go down the day before and stay the night. We have done it both ways when sailing out of NOLA. When leaving out of a port that we can't feasibly drive to i.e. Florida, we always fly in a day early. We really don't mind driving down the day we leave cause that is extra money to spend on the cruise BUT now we are thinking since we have never left out of Galveston that we should go the day before just so we can have an evening to enjoy the Seawall area. Herein lies the problem, every Hotel we have checked that is on the Seawall is booked. So, now I am wondering if we should still go down a day early and stay somewhere other than the Seawall and then just park at the pier... Help! does anyone have a hotel they feel comfortable recommending that is within an hour of the pier? Thanks in advance! Janie

[firefly333]

You are right, many are booked up.. just checked choicehotels site. All of their hotels have free cruise parking, but no shuttle.

 

Comfort Inn & Suites Beachfront(TX743) Compare Hotel Starting at:

$224.99

6302 Seawall Blvd.

 

Galveston, TX, US, 77551

 

 

 

Comfort Suites(TX885) Green HotelSupports Green Practices

"Supports Green Initiatives" designates a hotel's participation in an optional environmental program that includes the use of energy-efficient lighting, guestroom towel/linen re-use, and on-premise recycling. "Supports Green Initiatives" does not represent an official certification of any kind.

Compare Hotel Starting at:

$209.99

3606 89th Street

 

Galveston, TX, US, 77554

 

Map › Photos › Virtual Tour

[texasnana]

We stayed at a LaQuinta but there are many good hotels and some even offer shuttle service. i would go the day before and enjoy the day/night and board the next morning. If you want to park i would recommend EZ Cruise ( or park) you can book on line.

 

Have fun .. will be back in Jan.......2012.

[firefly333]

I dont care that much for Howard Johnson's, Host Mach and okgirl both stayed there. The BIG advantage is there is a parking lot across the stree and for like $5 pp each way you can use their shuttle... free parking at the hotel.

 

2 Double Beds Room 135.99 20.40 156.39 Reserve

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Non Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Non Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 135.99 20.40 156.39 Reserve

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

 

 

1 King Bed Room 1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Large 1 King Bed Non Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Large 1 King Bed Non Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

 

 

1 King Bed Room 1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Spacious 1 King Bed Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Spacious 1 King Bed Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

[James in SA]

You can usually find a reasonably priced hotel along I-45 or in one of the little towns either side of it 20 or 25 minutes before you get to Galveston when everything on the seawall is booked or outrageously priced.

[*Mach*]

I dont care that much for Howard Johnson's, Host Mach and okgirl both stayed there. The BIG advantage is there is a parking lot across the stree and for like $5 pp each way you can use their shuttle... free parking at the hotel.

 

2 Double Beds Room 135.99 20.40 156.39 Reserve

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Non Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Non Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 135.99 20.40 156.39 Reserve

 

 

2 Double Beds Room 2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

2 Double Beds Room Advance Purchase Rate

2 Double Bed Smoking Room With Free Continental Breakfast, Hbo, Coffee Maker And Hairdryer

Occupancy: 5 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 135.99

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 135.99

Taxes: USD 20.40

 

* Total: USD 156.39

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

 

 

1 King Bed Room 1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Large 1 King Bed Non Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Large 1 King Bed Non Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

 

 

1 King Bed Room 1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Spacious 1 King Bed Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

Reserve

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room Advance Purchase Rate

Spacious 1 King Bed Smoking Room With Coffee Maker, Hairdryer And Iron With Ironing Board

Occupancy: 3 people max

Per Room/Night

Sat. 07/16/11 USD 140.24

 

 

 

1 night (1 Room): USD 140.24

Taxes: USD 21.04

 

* Total: USD 161.28

 

 

 

 

 

1 King Bed Room 140.24 21.04 161.28 Reserve

 

 

Ummm... no I didn't...

:confused:

[karenh1127]

I am not sure where you are driving from but Galveston is a nice place to enjoy before a cruise. I would do priceline dot com and put in 3 star. Most of those are on the seawall. If you do 3 1/2 stars, you either get the Galvez or the Tremont. We always get the Tremont and that is walking distance to the pier. Not sure about parking while you are gone on the cruise. We use Lighthouse Parking and love it!!! Those hotel prices are rediculous! Over $200 for a 2* hotel? No way I would pay that. There are motels along highway 146 in Texas City. Just a 15-20 min drive to Galveston. Happy Cruising!!

[firefly333]

Ummm... no I didn't...

 

:confused:

 

I would swear you and okgirl both said you had stayed at the Howard Johnson's. my mistake.

 

The OP is right, this late into summer prices are up along seawall.

 

It could be you were just mentioning it and hadnt stayed there then. sorry. I remember it came up before the first Crazies.

[cruise.freak]

We are leaving on the same cruise as you and we did not want to spend a fortune on the hotel the night before. We are staying in League City and the motel is about $70.00. We have also pre-book parking with Galveston Park-n-Cruise!

 

36 days!!!!

[WOWGirl]

Houston will have a lot of nice hotels and its about a 45 min-1hr drive to Gavleston.

[missypriss19]

Look along I-45 in towns like Dickinson, Webster, League City, or Texas City. All within 29 minutes of Gelveston and a lot cheaper than staying on the Seawall or the Strand.

[blaquebutterfly]

Look along I-45 in towns like Dickinson, Webster, League City, or Texas City. All within 29 minutes of Gelveston and a lot cheaper than staying on the Seawall or the Strand.

 

Totally agree!!!

[Texarribean Chick]

I would try Harbor House or Hilton Seawall. They both might be a little more pricey than others; but they do both offer the park and stay option. At the Harbor House, you can see the ship come in (ask for the west side of the hotel, window overlooks ships arrival) which is really cool, and you can easily walk to the Historic Strand which has tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. If you stay at the Hilton, you will be on the Seawall and overlook the Gulf. . Neither of these may be on priceline; but I would rather pay a few extra bucks and not have to worry about driving from Houston, etc. You also might try Kemah, Tx. or Texas City, Tx. Both are just a short drive (20 minutes max) to the pier. Have Fun!

[Sports Mama]

Look along I-45 in towns like Dickinson, Webster, League City, or Texas City. All within 29 minutes of Gelveston and a lot cheaper than staying on the Seawall or the Strand.

 

Agree as well. Texas City is the closest. I think it is only about 15 minutes from the cruise terminal. You will need parking. EZ cruise has the cheapest (that I know of) at $50 if you purchase on line. They will shuttle you to and from the cruise terminal. I think there is a Fairfield Inn in Texas City that is really close to I-45 (you can see it from I-45). Not sure of the cost but hopefully it would be resonable. At least if you stay in Texas City you could drive to the Seawall the day before to visit.

[dwayneb236]

Lighthouse Cruise Parking is also good and I think $50 for a 7 day cruise. All the spaces are covered now I hear.

[firefly333]

I would try Harbor House or Hilton Seawall.

 

surprisingly Harbor house is available, but you have to book it for two nights direct. sometimes hotels.com has it for just one night .. Id check them.

 

King Size Bed

There is a Minimum Stay of night(2) for this roomtype.

$239.00 Two Queen Size Beds

There is a Minimum Stay of night(2) for this roomtype.

$239.00

[webprinter]

We stayed at the Galvez last spring. It was nice and they let us park our car there for free. They shuttled us to the port early the next am. We booked it through priceline.

[7Flags]

Harbor House if it has some openings. You can walk to the ship. Otherwise try Texas City on Hwy. 146. There are quite a few.

[James in SA]

For parking there is also Galveston Park-n-Cruise right across from the cruise terminal for $5 less ($45 for a 7 day). There is no shuttle... it is close enough that you can just walk across the street to the terminal. They also have indoor parking for $15 more if you want it. That is what we use when we don't stay at Harbor House.

 

Incidentally, Harbor House has started charging $20 extra for cruise parking. It used to be free with your stay.

[SweetTxMama]

You can usually find a reasonably priced hotel along I-45 or in one of the little towns either side of it 20 or 25 minutes before you get to Galveston when everything on the seawall is booked or outrageously priced.

 

This is exactly what we did. We stayed about 30 minutes out of Galveston (around $70) & got to Galveston early the morning of the cruise & walked the strand about an hour, drove over to Lighthouse parking & we were still on the ship early.

 

There are several cities close enough to enjoy the night in Galveston if you choose to do so with a nice short drive back to the hotel, too. We like to hit up T-Bone Tom's in Kemah on our drive in from Dallas, though. Good eatin!

[Mekamax]

Did a search on Hotels dot com for Kemah, TX hotels and came up with a bunch of options under $100 a night with good reviews.

 

Kemah has the Kemah Boardwalk:

 

http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/

 

Also there is Clear Lake and that is where the Nasa Space Center is. It is Space Center Houston and a lot of fun to tour too.

 

http://www.spacecenter.org/

 

Hope this helps with options and fun places to visit before your cruise. Kemah is around 30 minutes from Galveston.

 

We usually stay at the Quality Inn Seawall in Galveston but I checked and it was $249 a night (outrageous!). There must be something going on in Galveston that weekend...

[Leothelion]

We are staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites Clear Lake/Nasa. It is rated as 4.8 out of 5. $89 + tax= $102.35. Free breakfast. Check it out.

 

We are driving down the Saturday before our FIRST cruise on July 31st!

 

Tried to book Tremont, Galvez, and San Luis but they all had a 2 night minimum.

 

Also if anyone in your party is a disabled veteran you can park for free at The Port of Galveston parking lot. They will need proof like a Veteran's ID card stating their disability rating, DD-214, or the easy way---DAV license plates.

[Soonerbaby]

Did you check the Comfort Inn & Suites on 89th? It sits back a little from the Seawall, but we loved the location. Not congested and crowded. Reasonable rates.

 

I just checked, they have rooms starting at $209.

[dillonsmimi]

The Kemah, Clear Lake and NASA area will have reasonably priced hotels.

Kemah has the boardwalk area that is just as much fun as Galveston when you only have a day to look around.

 

Since you will see plenty of sand on the cruise, IMO, I would save the $$ and drive in on the day of sailing.

Figure your route and time, have a reservation for parking and you are set!

 

mimi

[texasgun]

We have stayed at the Howard Johnsons several times when going on cruises and have found it nice, clean, close to the terminal, free parking and shuttle is across the street. We always go the day before (just in case never know when you will have a delay). I always take everyone and all the luggage and drop them at the terminal in our car then come back and park and ride the shuttle alone. Off season we stay on the seawall at the La Quinta when prices arent inflated:D.