This was our first cruise. DH 36, myself 36, son 13, and daughter 11.
We drove to Galveston the day before sailing and stayed at the Best Western in Texas City. I called the hotel about a month earlier and got an awesome rate! The hotel was wonderful. Very clean, large room, large bathroom, and only about 20 minutes from the port.
It was raining the morning of our cruise, so we left a little earlier than planned to allow for that. But, right as we were entering Galveston, the skies cleared!