Harbor house is full!!

[shonuf]

We want to drive to Galveston on 5/3 for our cruise on the 4th and wanted to stay at the Harbor House but it is booked solid.:( Can anyone recommend another hotel? Not necessarily looking for a bargain, free cruise parking would be nice but not a deal breaker. Want a comfortable bed/room. The Galvez was second choice but had a 2 night minimum.

 

Thanks,

[margaritaville4me]

If you haven't already done so...go to Galveston dot com and click on where to stay. Hope this helps.

[shonuf]

If you haven't already done so...go to Galveston dot com and click on where to stay. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks but I've done that and was hoping to get a suggestion from someone who's actually stayed at one of the many hotels.

[clearlakecruisers]

Since I'm a local, I haven't stayed there but have you tried the San Luis and/or the Hilton? The Tremont (I have stayed there and loved it) is a historical hotel in the Strand area that is great. Several people on these boards have also had good experiences with the B&B's in Galveston. Most are in the historical section of town in restored Victorian homes.

[libertybelle41]

Try the San Luis and Hilton (On sewall Blvd.) Both are across from the ocean and close to Rainforest Cafe. Very nice.

[shonuf]

Both the San Luis and Hilton are sold out for the night we need and the Tremont has a 2 night minimum. Thanks for the tips though. I'll keep looking.

[purplefrogs]

On our cruise last year we stayed at the Fairfield in Texas City. I'm pretty sure it was TX City, I remember it was near the dog park. It was a lot cheaper than any of the Galveston hotels and the drive to the port was less than 30 minutes.

 

The cruise before that we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Galveston it was next to the San Luis. For one night it was fine and they did have the free cruise parking.

[shonuf]

Thanks to those who offered suggestions. I decided to check the Harbor House daily in case of cancellation and got lucky this evening. We're booked!

Vacation starts in 29 days.

[Tcho1974]

I'm sailing Conquest on 4/20. I had my room booked at the Holiday Inn for about a month but never worked out transportation. After reading the boards and hitting travelocity I was able to get a room on 4/19 at Harbor House. I was very close to booking the $150 shuttle when I saw a coupon code at Alamo. I just booked a rental car for the whole week for $154. Staying at the Harbor house means no paying for EZ cruise parking and no shuttles back and forth to the port.

 

Anyone who hasn't finalized their plans yet I feel I got a great deal with the added flexibility of having my own car.

[shonuf]

Are you sure Harbor House still offers free cruise parking? I had read that also but the web-site says $10 per day parking. If you know something I don't I'd like to know for sure. I'll probably call them today to be sure. We were planning to use EZ cruise.

[Tcho1974]

I'm not sure I thought it was only the $10 on day 1 for cruisers. Either way it might be worth it to be able to walk to the ship and eliminate any form of shuttle.

[Aprille]

Are you sure Harbor House still offers free cruise parking? I had read that also but the web-site says $10 per day parking. If you know something I don't I'd like to know for sure. I'll probably call them today to be sure. We were planning to use EZ cruise.

If you book through Galveston.com or directly through the Harbor House website there is no fee for cruise parking. You do still pay $10 for each night you stay there though. Just stayed there the night before our 2/24/08 sailing on Voyager. Had booked direct through the hotel website and there was no fee to leave our car there. We had the same experience in January 2007.

 

Request room 302. It's the third floor corner room facing the cruise terminal. We had an incredible view from our room of both Conquest and Voyager sailing in.

 

ETA: The Harbor House only has 42 rooms so you really do need to book as early as possible. The OP was lucky indeed to get a room.

 

Another hint about being told there is a 2-night minimum: if you are being told this while trying to book online or calling the 800 number, try calling the hotel directly. Oftentimes they will waive the minimum stay for cruisers. Not always but worth a try. Sometimes they will even offer a special rate for cruisers.