Embarkation focuses on two factors, location and facilities.

Location, location, location: Carnival has capitalized particularly well on the Port of Galveston as a cruise departure point because of several key access advantages including proximity to the Houston metropolitan area, ease of vehicular travel from other areas via I-10, I-45, and other major highway corridors, as well as Hobby Airport which is serviced by Southwest Airlines and other major carriers. Galveston also benefits from its own tourist draw with several attractions such as the Historic Strand at pier side along with many beautiful historic sites such as St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica where many survivors of the Great Strom of 1900 huddled for shelter, and the several magnificent old Victorian Mansions on Broadway. There is also plenty of activity along the seawall which was built to shelter Galveston by the Army Corps of Engineers after the great storm. So, visitors can linger before or after the cruise, or just choose to arrive the day of departure with relative ease.

Facilities: The Cruise Terminal was a breeze to navigate. While many drop luggage with porters out front and then grab parking down the way, we had reserved covered parking literally across the street from the main entrance and just walked in. While either way works fine for arrival, our choice made for a particularly fast departure so if you are not going to linger, or if you have an earlier departing flight at Hobby for a drop off, this is something to consider. Otherwise, the line has a connection service to get you to the airport. Once inside the terminal traffic was efficiently handled through spacious public areas. The check in was smooth and we were on board. Read more