Galveston to San Juan 2020

LILO1989

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
We are looking at booking this Disney cruise but I was just wondering if anyone knows if there is much to do in Galveston prior to cruising and what it’s like.
 
NASA is just up the road. Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn are popular activities. The beach itself is not fabulous.
 
We did this cruise and Galveston is pretty deserted in Jan. It was chilly and very windy. Beach wasn't an option and there wasn't a lot going on in Galveston. Your best bet for activities is back in Houston.
 


We enjoy visiting Galveston a couple times a year. Depending on ages and interests Moody Gardens, NASA, and off-shore fishing would each be worthy a full day. They have a nice little downtown area "The Strand" if you want to stroll through touristy shops, a full carnival Pleasure Pier for the kids, and Kemah boardwalk up the road for a more lively evening. Definitely enough to fill a day or two pre-cruise, but not more than a weekend. The biggest drawback for many sailing from Galveston is that it is about a 45 minute drive from the closest airport, Houston Hobby, but a Lyft will get you there for under $50.
 
We were there a day before this same cruise in January 2018. We walked the beach, did some shopping downtown and ate out at a few restaurants. My daughter and I got manicures, with mickey themes at a local nail salon. Was a fun time prior to a great cruise.
 
I have looked at moody gardens and NASA and they look good. My son would enjoy it he will be 7 at the time but my daughter will only be 4 so worry she will get bored quickly. We was looking to fly out Saturday then cruise Monday. It’s a shame you don’t go from San Juan be nice to spend some time there. Manicures sound good
 


NASA is great. The kids liked Moody Gardens, but I personally thought it was a bit pricey (they obviously have no concept of that). I'm guessing your daughter would probably prefer Moody Gardens to NASA if you're worried about her getting bored.
 
We were there a day before this same cruise in January 2018. We walked the beach, did some shopping downtown and ate out at a few restaurants. My daughter and I got manicures, with mickey themes at a local nail salon. Was a fun time prior to a great cruise.
Did they have a pirate night. Just booked it and it only has sail away party on the itinerary unless it updates closer to the time.
 
Did they have a pirate night. Just booked it and it only has sail away party on the itinerary unless it updates closer to the time.
Currently, all cruises, except for northern Europe and Alaska, have Pirate Night.

It usually doesn't show up in your itinerary until closer to sail date (around when excursions and such can be booked)
 
Ok never booked anything so far in advance so wasn’t sure if would show now or we would have to wait until October to see everything.
 
We have sailed out of Galveston twice. It's a nice little island. The beach is OK. They have a few decent restaurants along the beach area and there is a carnival like area called the Galveston Pleasure Pier (https://www.pleasurepier.com/) that we haven't been to but looks fun. We played a round of miniature golf (Magic Carpet https://www.galveston.com/magiccarpetgolf/) that was fun and had a great view of the ocean. I've heard a lot of recommendations for the San Luis Resort. Nice accommodations and plenty to do on the property. They apparently have a shuttle to the cruise terminal. We did not stay there. We drove from Dallas and stayed at a Marriott property but don't remember the name (used points and just took something along Seawall).

If you are into museum like experiences, check out this link (https://www.galveston.com/blog/738/four-museums-to-visit-in-galveston/).

All of the above is targeted at staying on Galveston Island pre-cruise, but you don't have to do that. Houston is just a short distance away and you can get a shuttle to the cruise terminal from many of the hotels there. Once in Houston, there are a tremendous number of options.
 
Thankyou for the information it’s nice to get other people’s views as we’ve only ever done a 3/4 night cruise to break up doing 2 weeks of Disney parks in Orlando. Been looking at what Hilton’s there is becuase my husband gets points there so a little help towards the cost.
 
Thankyou for the information it’s nice to get other people’s views as we’ve only ever done a 3/4 night cruise to break up doing 2 weeks of Disney parks in Orlando. Been looking at what Hilton’s there is becuase my husband gets points there so a little help towards the cost.
There are several Hilton properties and they are kept nice to typical Hilton standards. It's a small put popular tourist destination. Friendly people who are used to visitors. Plenty of properties to choose from.
 
Did they have a pirate night. Just booked it and it only has sail away party on the itinerary unless it updates closer to the time.

We're doing this cruise next January, and pirate night showed up on our itinerary on the first day platinum activity booking opened.
 
I have looked at moody gardens and NASA and they look good. My son would enjoy it he will be 7 at the time but my daughter will only be 4 so worry she will get bored quickly. We was looking to fly out Saturday then cruise Monday. It’s a shame you don’t go from San Juan be nice to spend some time there. Manicures sound good

The Aquarium at Moody Gardens is very good. I think both your kids would enjoy that space. Also the Rainforest pyramid is pretty cool. NASA is interesting but at least 30 minutes from the port. Houston traffic can be crazy so be sure to allow plenty of time.
 
Thankyou I keep looking and the moody gardens and NASA seem to be the main things we will do. We are keeping the cruise a suprise until we get to the port so we don’t want the kids to be thinking it’s boring and nothing to do with it not been the warmest place.
 
Could each of the below members tell us how long you spent at Moody Gardens including the aquarium?

How long you spent at NASA?

Our age group is 18-55.

NASA is just up the road. Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn are popular activities. The beach itself is not fabulous.

We enjoy visiting Galveston a couple times a year. Depending on ages and interests Moody Gardens, NASA, and off-shore fishing would each be worthy a full day. They have a nice little downtown area "The Strand" if you want to stroll through touristy shops, a full carnival Pleasure Pier for the kids, and Kemah boardwalk up the road for a more lively evening. Definitely enough to fill a day or two pre-cruise, but not more than a weekend. The biggest drawback for many sailing from Galveston is that it is about a 45 minute drive from the closest airport, Houston Hobby, but a Lyft will get you there for under $50.

NASA is great. The kids liked Moody Gardens, but I personally thought it was a bit pricey (they obviously have no concept of that). I'm guessing your daughter would probably prefer Moody Gardens to NASA if you're worried about her getting bored.

The Aquarium at Moody Gardens is very good. I think both your kids would enjoy that space. Also the Rainforest pyramid is pretty cool. NASA is interesting but at least 30 minutes from the port. Houston traffic can be crazy so be sure to allow plenty of time.
 
Could each of the below members tell us how long you spent at Moody Gardens including the aquarium?

How long you spent at NASA?

Our age group is 18-55.

One of the highlights at NASA is the team tour to mission control and the Saturn rocket which takes about 2 hours. There are several films from 20-40 minutes and a few exhibits to walk through. We have been multiple times because my daughter loves all things space-related. I'd say minimum 3 hours but usually in the 5-6 hour range.

At Moody Gardens we usually only do one of the pyramids for an hour and maybe one of the movies. Each exhibit is a separate charge, so we always seem to talk ourselves out of paying for more.
 
Maybe consider lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It's a WAY over the top jungle themed restaurant that the kids will really like. I almost went there with my daughter last month but it was crowded and we were in a hurry. It looked like there was even a river ride or something they were selling tickets for I think? It was like Hard Rock cafe crazy in there though so we didn't hang out long. As others have said, January is a bit chilly for the beach in Galveston, but Moody Gardens is fun. They have a ropes course and zip line that is pretty fun. Schlitterbahn (water park) has a heated indoor area that is open in the winter. There is a pretty cool railroad museum, if there's any interest in that. Also an aircraft museum and they have vintage airplanes you can ride (for a price of course). Also on the Moody Gardens grounds they have a Holiday festival of lights and amazing ice sculpture attraction (it's in this giant tent that they keep at like 0 degrees F for 2 months)...but that usually wraps up first week of January.
 

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