Galveston or Port Canaveral - which is better?

[luckyin]

Not sure if Galveston is a great port?? Trying to plan cruise. The problem is I have move to Texas and not certain about ports in Galveston.

 

Disney Wonder 5 days 2003

Enchantment of the Seas 3 days2006

Sovereign of the Sea 5 days 2007

Costa Fortuna 7 days 2009

Carnival Destiny 5 days 2012

Carnival Pride 7 days 2013

Carnival Sunshine 5 days 2014

Edited February 2, 2015 by luckyin

[tkportersat]

I personally prefer Galveston because I can drive there in 4 1/2 hours; never cruised out of Florida at this point. Ships out of Galveston have Bahamas and Western Caribbean itineraries (Honduras/Cozumel/Belize/Progreso/Costa Maya,etc.). I have heard Galveston isn't the easiest port when flying but driving there is fine and there are quite a few parking options and hotels that offer parking packages as well.

 

Not sure if Galveston is a great port?? Trying to plan cruise. The problem is I have move to Texas and not certain about ports in Galveston.

 

Disney Wonder 5 days 2003

Enchantment of the Seas 3 days2006

Sovereign of the Sea 5 days 2007

Costa Fortuna 7 days 2009

Carnival Destiny 5 days 2012

Carnival Pride 7 days 2013

Carnival Sunshine 5 days 2014

[stargate fan]

Not sure if Galveston is a great port?? Trying to plan cruise. The problem is I have move to Texas and not certain about ports in Galveston.

 

Disney Wonder 5 days 2003

Enchantment of the Seas 3 days2006

Sovereign of the Sea 5 days 2007

Costa Fortuna 7 days 2009

Carnival Destiny 5 days 2012

Carnival Pride 7 days 2013

Carnival Sunshine 5 days 2014

 

Galveston was a lovely port from which to sail. So was Port Canaveral. What are your concerns?

[sailor_jimc]

"Better" is subjective to your circumstances. Both are great ports. If you are going to be living in Texas then I would say Galveston because you can drive to the port instead of flying. Depends on what your sensitivity points are in determining what a good port is.

[5Hawkeyes]

Galveston was great! Easy parking, smaller terminal which was easy to navigate, and the embarkation process was a breeze. Really easy if you're driving. We actually stayed in Texas City which was about a 20 minutre drive into Galveston and it worked great.

 

Port Canaveral was fantastic as well. Much busier port than Galveston but great parking options. If you're flying in you'll most likely come from Orlando. We actaully sailed Disney out of Port Canaveral and thought it was really well done. Not sure if Carnival is as easy but our experience from start to finish was great.

 

Plenty to do at both ports before or after a cruise.

[Jenny in TX]

I live about 30 minutes from Galveston so that is where we cruise from the majority of the time. We have never had any problems cruising from Galveston. We have sailed out of Florida one time and are cruising out of there again this coming April. We love Galveston because of the convenience but are going out of Florida to visit some ports that we have not been to yet.

[k2excursion]

They are my 2 favorite ports to sail from. I like Galveston the best, mostly because it's the closest to me. It's got some nice, cheap parking options, compared to most other ports. And there are some fun things to do around there, even though the beach & water aren't that great. Port Canaveral is a very pretty area with plenty to do, and a couple good off-site parking options to save some money. Both ports are really good at getting you on the ship quickly.

[CRocks]

Never sailed outta Galveston, but Port Canaveral has great facilities. That said, the sailaway is a little boring compared to Miami or Tampa. I've sailed outta Canaveral many times cuz it's far less driving miles than Miami for me. If you are driving, I highly recommend stayin at Radisson the nite before. It'looks a little expensive at first, but when you consider the free parking/shuttle/breakfast etc, it's an awesome deal. Their pool is GORGEOUS!

[luckyin]

Thanks for all your responses and I will book either Magic or Freedom sailing in July and I cant wait.

Happy cruising!

[rogers417]

Leaving out of Galveston for first time next week. Usually Florida departure ports in the past. Logistic hell! Very expensive transport options to get from IAH to port. Rental car options limited. Won't do it again.

 

 

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[CabinBoy]

We loved Galveston...however, we were fogged in so bad on our day back into port after 7 days that we missed our flight home. Debarkation was delayed. When we woke up that morning you could barely seen the end of the ship! I'm not sure if that happens often in Galveston or not? It was the end of March.

 

It was hectic getting flights changed, but in the end everything worked out fine. You may want to check into this in case it's common for Galveston or just a fluke with us.

[Rena921]

You also need to look at itenaries. Port Canavaral departures tend to have better stops.

[luckyin]

We will be sailing end of July from Galveston. Hopefully that fog won't be too bad. This is the furst I have heard about fog. Also Cabinboy, I hear it can be quite a hustle getting from HA to Galveston. That was also my concern

[broberts]

My impression is several times a year Galveston has weather issues that lead to delayed departures/arrivals. If one is driving, it's not really an issue. But if one has to fly, then I would pick Port Canaveral simply because it doesn't seem to be as affected by weather.