cruising from Galveston?

[buckeyeinmd]

Looking to possibly cruise on Rhapsody Of The Seas from Galveston. My travel agent hasn't heard good things about cruises leaving from Galveston. Looking for experiences others have had taking this cruise. Thanks.

 

Doug

Victory 3/21/03

Monarch of the Seas 8/30/92

[Cruisehappymn]

We didn't have any problems. It's not the nicest port I have been in. Kinda smelly in parts. We stayed at the Harbor House which is just down the road and then took a cab for a few bucks to the pier. It's not advised that you walk there because the road is not meant for pedestrian traffic. I thought the whole check in process was well organized and the same for when we left and had to find our luggage. Airfare is usually cheaper to fly into Houston. We actually took a limo to and from the airport which was cheaper for 4 of us than a cab or shuttle would have been. I would do it again. We didn't sail the same ship so I don't have any info on that.

[Driftwoodgal]

We have taken two cruises out of Galveston without any problems. I am interested in what your TA heard was so bad in Galveston. If you are looking for a four star terminal you won't be seeing that. If you are looking for a great ship, the Rhapsody is that. There are wonderful places to visit in Galveston if you plan on staying before or after your cruise. Moody Gardens is a must see if you have the time, NASA space center is also near by. We stayed at the Commodore on the Beach on our last cruise. It isn't a fancy hotel, but the price was great and so were the beds. They allowed us to park for free and shuttled us to and from the ship.

[isujim]

We have taken 3 cruises out of Galveston with no problem

 

Could you be more specific as to "what problems" your t/a is referring to??

[FlorenceItaly]

your TA is not well informed.

 

I have cruised out of Galveston several times, and no problems. Also, the majority of the cruisers are Texans, and you will not find a friendlier bunch!

More recently, we were on the Rhapsody in Oct and had a wonderful time.

The cruises out of Galveston are very popular and usually cruise fully booked.

Would love it if you would elaborate more on what specifically your TA told you. Thanks.

 

Marie

[Sophie]

I agree with everyone above. Our recent cruise from Galveston on the Rhapsody was wonderful! VERY smooth embarkation and debarkation. If you do a search on this board, you'll have trouble finding any negative comments about the Rhapsody.

 

I don't know about the Carnival, Princess, or Celebrity ships that sail out of Galveston. Maybe that's where your TA has not heard good things.

[michigal]

We cruised the Rhapsody out of Galveston in February 2004 and had a wonderful time. With regard to Galveston as our departure port, this is what we experienced: We flew from Grand Rapids to Houston via Chicago, arriving a day early. We rented a car in Houston and drove to Galveston. Having a car allowed us the freedom to explore the island on our first day. We stayed at a hotel on the beach, and left our car parked there while we cruised. Upon our return, we took a taxi to our hotel, packed up our car, and headed back to the airport in Houston. Driving time to/from Houston was approximately 1.5 hours (both of these were on weekend days, when traffic is lighter).

 

As other posters have commented, the pier itself is not the nicest we've seen. However, this had no effect on us at all, since we were only there briefly. The rest of the island is very quaint, with a lot of history, and a cute little shopping district near the pier. There is plenty to keep you busy for a day (or two).

 

I would not hesitate to use Galveston again. Truly, the only drawback we found was that our airfare was a little bit more expensive than had we left from Florida, but it was not that big of a difference.

 

Happy Cruising!

[lisad63]

We've cruised out of New Orleans and Galveston, and prefer New Orleans. There was no parking at the pier in Galveston - had to be shuttled to the parking lot. In New Orleans, parking was at the pier.

 

We stayed at Harbor House the night before embarkation. At that time, we were allowed to book a one-night stay. The best part about Harbor House is that we woke up early that morning and watched the Rhapsody sail in and dock at the pier. Very exciting. Other than being in the pier area, there was nothing really spectacular about Harbor House. They would have let us park at their lot for a fee, but cautioned us that it was not a secure parking lot, and we would have to find our own way to the pier. We opted to drive to pier area and park where they sent up and shuttle back.

 

There is so much more to do in New Orleans, too.

 

The Rhapsody was a great ship, but we did not enjoy some of the passengers. There seemed to be a huge number of international passengers, and most of them were less than friendly. Also, when we returned to Galveston, they had to be cleared and off the ship before the other passengers could leave, and that took a long time. We did not get on the road until almost noon and had a 10 hour drive home.

 

If I had to choose between those two ports again, I'd go with New Orleans.

 

We're giving Miami a try in 3 days!, so I'll have another port to compare to Galveston and New Orleans.

[tawcat]

have sailed out of galveston without problem. if you stay at the harbour house you can easily walk to the pier, about 2 blocks. have to keep in mind that everyone has their likes and dislikes. not sure what your ta may have heard, but one trip out of galveston and you'll be hooked. harbour house charges a $20 fee to leave your vehicle in their lot.

[cruizinmimi]

Doug,

We've sailed on the Rhapsody out of Galveston 5x's. It's the easiest port/terminal for embarkation and debarkation. There is plenty to do in Galveston if you come in a day ahead of time and you might want to research the little town Kemah if you come in early. It's only about 20 miles outside of Galveston and it's a fun, fun, place. Boardwalk, plenty to do, a beautiful Inn to stay in, lots of food establishment.

 

Don't pass up the opportunity to see Galveston and give Rhapsody a try.

 

Linda

[Let'sGo!]

I'm a Texan and certainly biased.

 

But after cruising out of Florida and out of Galveston, I thought the embarkation and debarkation out of Galvestion was just fine! My last cruise out of there was this past April and the pier was undergoing some renovations so it was kind of a mess. (They were enlarging it). It's just not set up to handle the traffic like the piers in Florida.

 

But I really don't think you'll find a friendlier ship than Rhapsody - if that's the one you're looking at. I thought the crew was soooo much nicer than on the ships we've encountered out of Florida. And the two times I've sailed on Rhapsody, a big chunk of passengers were from Texas as well as the South - and you won't find a friendlier bunch of people.

 

I too would love to hear what your TA has heard.

 

Ann

[buckeyeinmd]

Wow..thanks everyone. Thats what I love about this board...always a quick answer. Ok, it really wasn't my TA because I don't have one. I stopped in at a travel agency yesterday because we're looking into cruising and liked the Rhapsody. The TA there said she hadn't heard good things about cruising from Galveston so I figured I'd ask the experts - you guys. Being in Baltimore, my guess is most cruise out of Florida and she might have had a few clients who just didn't like how dirty the port was or something. Thanks again everyone.

 

Doug

Victory 3/21/03

Monarch of the Seas 8/30/92