Port of Galveston

Getting there

Margaritaville at Sea will sail Beachcomber from Cruise Terminal 28 on Harborside Drive. The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees voted unanimously on 25 August 2026 to accept the agreement, which covers weekly sailings from Terminal 28 with an initial one-year term and options to renew for two further five-year terms. (source)

The port publishes two driving approaches. From the north and west, Interstate 45 south to Galveston Island, then Harborside Drive to the port. From the east, Interstate 10 west then Highway 87 south, crossing to the island on the Bolivar Ferry. (source)

Flying in, Houston Hobby is the closest airport at roughly a 45-minute drive, George Bush Intercontinental about 1 hour 30 minutes, and Scholes International on Galveston Island serves private and charter flights only. Taxis and rideshare operate at both Houston airports and across the island; Uber and Lyft are the port’s rideshare providers. (source)

Not published. Margaritaville at Sea has published no Galveston arrival and embarkation page. There is no terminal opening time, no closing time and no published arrival-window process for Galveston from the line. Do not assume the Palm Beach, Tampa or Miami figures apply. Confirm against the documents issued with your booking.

Read the port’s own arrival and departure guide before you travel. Port of Galveston — Arrival & Departure Guide ↗

Parking

Which lots serve you

Cruise Terminals 25 and 28 share four parking facilities: the Express Lot, the SMP Garage, Economy Lot A and Economy Lot B.

Express Lot

680 uncovered spaces, steps outside Cruise Terminal 28. No shuttle, because it is a short walk.

SMP Garage

The only multi-level garage serving Terminals 25 and 28. 400 spaces over six levels at 25th Street and Harborside Drive, covered except the top level. No shuttle, short walk.

Economy Lot A

850 uncovered spaces at Harborside Drive and 33rd Street. Free shuttle from covered stops in the lot, for passengers and luggage.

Economy Lot B

1,250 uncovered spaces at 33rd Street and Harborside Drive. Free shuttle from covered stops in the lot.

Rates

The Port of Galveston publishes no rate. Parking is quoted and reserved through the port’s online reservation system, which it recommends using in advance.

Discounts

The port runs a cruise parking loyalty rewards programme and a disabled veterans discount programme.

Security

All lots are on port property and patrolled 24 hours a day by the Port of Galveston Police.

Accessibility. ADA spaces are available in every lot on a first-come, first-served basis; none can be reserved. The Express Lot and the SMP Garage have no shuttle because both are a short walk from the terminals, so a guest who needs a shuttle should book Economy Lot A or B, where the shuttle carries passengers and luggage from covered stops. This is advisory guidance based on what the operator publishes and is not a guarantee. Confirm with the port before you travel.

Source: Port of Galveston — Cruise Parking Reservations, checked 25 September 2026. Rates change. Confirm before you travel.

Assigned arrival windows

Margaritaville at Sea assigns arrival windows by stateroom location at its other home ports, issued about 21 days before sailing. It has published nothing about how this will work at Galveston. Treat the process as unconfirmed until the line publishes a Galveston arrival and embarkation page, and follow the documents issued with your booking.

Source: Port of Galveston — Port Welcomes Margaritaville at Sea as 7th Cruise Line, 25 August 2026, checked 25 September 2026.

What to bring

Travel documents

Current, valid and accepted documents for every member of the party. Originals only. Photocopies, photographs and digital copies are never permitted. Check the line’s travel requirements page for what is accepted for your itinerary. (details)

Boarding pass

One per stateroom. Print it and bring it. It is checked on arrival to confirm your window. Guests without a printed or digital boarding pass are directed to the Standby lane.

Payment card

A valid credit card for onboard charges.

Luggage tags

Tags are emailed with the boarding pass and are available in Cruise Control from approximately seven days before sailing. Download and pre-tag every bag you plan to check. Tagging carry-on bags as well is useful if they become separated from the party.

Source: Port of Galveston — Port Welcomes Margaritaville at Sea as 7th Cruise Line, 25 August 2026, checked 25 September 2026.

Check-in and boarding, vehicle to ship

1. Arrive inside your assigned window. Parking attendants direct vehicles to the parking area.
2. A member of the terminal operations agency confirms your arrival window and checks your boarding pass as you arrive.
3. Drop checked luggage with the porters. It is delivered to your stateroom later, which is why the tags matter.
4. Clear security.
5. Check in and collect the stateroom keys for every member of the party.
6. Board. Your stateroom may not be ready immediately, so keep medication, documents and anything needed for the first few hours in a carry-on.

At check-in every member of the party, including minors, is issued a personalised stateroom key carrying their name and stateroom number. It is used to leave and re-board the ship at every port and for all cashless transactions on board. Carry it at all times. A lanyard is useful.

Source: Port of Galveston — Port Welcomes Margaritaville at Sea as 7th Cruise Line, 25 August 2026, checked 25 September 2026.

Debarkation

Self-assisted walk-off

You carry all of your own luggage off the ship. No luggage is collected the night before.

Earliest departure

Suites and Signature Packages that include priority debarkation may begin at approximately 7:00am.

Stateroom vacate time

Other self-assisted guests must vacate the stateroom by 8:00am.

Luggage assistance

Guests using luggage assistance cannot begin before approximately 8:15am.

Times vary by sailing. The printed debarkation instructions delivered to your stateroom on the last evening are the only times that apply to your sailing. Read them.

Not verified against a public page. These timings were supplied as verified in the editorial brief for this guide. They could not be located on a public Margaritaville at Sea page on 25 September 2026, so they are published here as advisory guidance only.

Tips

• The berth is settled: Cruise Terminal 28, on Harborside Drive, weekly Friday departures.
• Almost nothing else is. Margaritaville at Sea has published no Galveston arrival page, so there is no closing time, no arrival window process and no parking rate from the line. Work from the documents issued with your booking.
• Do not carry over the Palm Beach, Tampa or Miami closing times. They are three different times at three different ports, set by three different terminal operators.
• Reserve parking in advance. The port publishes no rate and recommends booking through its reservation system.
• If you need a shuttle, book Economy Lot A or B. The Express Lot and the SMP Garage are closer but run no shuttle at all.
• The Galveston Island Trolley does not stop at the port.

Check-in, arrival, embarkation and debarkation processes are specific to each departure port, are run by third-party terminal operations staff, and can change. Margaritaville at Sea advises that even repeat guests re-read the procedures for their port before every sailing. Port of Galveston — Port Welcomes Margaritaville at Sea as 7th Cruise Line, 25 August 2026.

Questions

Which terminal will Beachcomber use?

Cruise Terminal 28, on Harborside Drive. The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees accepted the agreement on 25 August 2026.

When does Beachcomber start sailing from Galveston?

The first Galveston departure is a 4-night Cozumel Express on 4 October 2027. Departures are weekly on Fridays.

What time do the terminal doors close?

Margaritaville at Sea has not published opening or closing times for Galveston. The times published for Palm Beach, Tampa and Miami do not necessarily apply. Check the documents issued with your booking.

How much is parking?

The Port of Galveston publishes no rate. It is quoted through the port’s online reservation system, which the port recommends booking in advance.

Which car park is closest?

The Express Lot, 680 spaces, is steps outside Cruise Terminal 28. The SMP Garage is the only covered option for Terminals 25 and 28. Neither runs a shuttle, because both are a short walk.

Sources