If you follow I-45 straight on through Houston, you will find yourself crossing the long bridge onto Galveston Island. The city has the industrial feel of a shipping yard, mixed with a long string of salty beach resorts and rentals lining Seawall Boulevard.
Tucked away in pockets around the island, you'll find activities ranging from Schlitterbahn water park to the indoor jungle and aquarium of Moody Gardens to the rides and attractions of the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier... and of course, the cruise port.
Galveston ranks as the 4th busiest cruise ship port in the US, and the busiest outside of the state of Florida. Cruises from Galveston regularly visit Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatán, with occasional longer voyages to the Bahamas or other more distant destinations.
CCL
The first line to send a passenger cruise ship to homeport in Galveston, Carnival Cruise Line is the most accessible way to #ChooseFUN out of Galveston.
For 2025-2026, Carnival is sailing:
Watch the 2026-2027 season for the arrival of Carnival Miracle, taking over from Legend!
RCI
The world's largest cruise line by revenue, Royal Caribbean International is a solid mainstream choice for families, featuring unique onboard activities and a dedicated terminal in Galveston.
For 2025-2026, Royal Caribbean is sailing:
Allure of the Seas is passing through briefly in April 2026, filling a gap for Harmony before handing off the longer voyages to Symphony of the Seas starting in May 2026.
And then watch in October 2026 for the arrival of Liberty of the Seas, taking over short trips from Mariner.
While they aren't as heavily invested as our two featured cruise lines, there are a handful of smaller lines that have also dedicated ships to Galveston throughout the year.
For 2025-2026, we'll see:
Of course, I'm counting down the days until Virgin Voyages sends one of those gorgeous adults-only lady ships to our Texan waters!
From Galveston, longer sailings can exit the Gulf and explore any part of the Caribbean, from the Bahamas to St. Lucia to Curaçao... even down to the Panama Canal!
However, especially with shorter sailings, there are three key ports that you'll find with any cruise line, collectively referred to as the "Western Caribbean".
MX
Jeep excursions to the far end of the island, white sand beaches with all-inclusive restaurants, miniature Mayan ruins, or some of the best scuba diving sites on the planet — Cozumel has something for everyone!
MX
Located in Quintana Roo, just outside the fishing village Mahahual, the port at Costa Maya is by far the most interesting for cruisers who simply want to wander the secured port area. The port itself features swimming pools, dolphins, an aviary walk, and numerous restaurants just steps away from the ship.
HN
The jungle meets the sandy beach on this tiny island off the coast of Honduras. Zipline adventures, horseback riding along the beach, and encounters with sloths and wild iguanas give a unique home-in-the-wild feeling to the island.
The order of ports and sea days can be unique to each voyage... but there are consistent patterns that you will see repeated regularly out of Galveston. Here are some of the most common sailings right now:
Great for a quick weekend away!
Typically leave Galveston on a Thursday and return first thing Monday morning.
Day 1: Embark from Galveston
Day 2: Sea Day
Day 3: Explore Cozumel
Day 4: Sea Day
On the 5th morning, you are back on land!
A bit more flexibility in scheduling, you can usually choose to leave on a Monday or a Saturday, as these are scheduled back-to-back with the 4-day sailings.
Day 1: Embark from Galveston
Day 2: Sea Day
Day 3: Explore Costa Maya
Day 4: Explore Cozumel
Day 5: Sea Day
On the 6th morning, you are back on land!
The full collection of our most common destinations. Carnival typically sails Saturday to Saturday, and Royal Caribbean sails Sunday to Sunday.
Day 1: Embark from Galveston
Day 2: Sea Day
Day 3: Sea Day
Day 4: Explore Roatan
Day 5: Explore Costa Maya
Day 6: Explore Cozumel
Day 7: Sea Day
On the 8th morning, you are back on land!