This was my first cruise leaving out the of the Galveston, TX cruise port. We usually fly in the night before we cruise.

We stayed at the La Quinta by the Hobby Airport in Houston. They have an awesome Stay and Cruise package that covers transportation from the airport to the hotel, one night stay at the hotel, transportation from the hotel to the Port of Galveston, and post cruise transportation from the port back to the airport. This package costs $249 for up to 4 people. I thought this was a great deal since transportation to and from the port alone would cost more than this for 4 people.

When we arrived at the port, we quickly learned that you will not be able to get in line to check before your check in time, so don't even waste your time trying. This was my first time ever dealing with the "check in process". The last time we cruised before this trip was December 2014 and this process wasn't in place. Although the line was long, it moved fairly quickly. The process of getting in line, checking in, and making it to the waiting area to board may have taken fifteen minutes at the most. Read more