Skip the 6 a.m. I-45 crawl. Sleep in Galveston the night before your cruise, pick Strand or Seawall, and know exactly how park-and-cruise lots, shuttles, and hotel packages really work on sail day.
Carnival is the line most Texans actually sail from Galveston. Three ships now, a fourth in the fall, drive-up parking, and a four-night Cozumel run that makes a solid first cruise.
The property name does not do the job. The package does. A named shortlist of Galveston hotels by what the car and the night actually need: Strand, Seawall, or a true park-and-sail.
Drive to the port, skip the flights, then do the real work: which line is in Galveston that week, which length you can take off, and which ports that sailing actually calls.
