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Port of Galveston

Your voyage begins and ends here. Beachcomber sails from Port of Galveston.

Photo by Francisco José Zangerolame on Pexels

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Galveston is not a port of call. It is where Beachcomber's sailings begin, and every other guide in this series is about an eight-hour window you have to get back from.

Here the clock runs the other way. You arrive on your own schedule, you board once, and the only deadline that matters is the one on your ticket.

Beachcomber is scheduled to operate from Galveston from **October 2027**, with weekly Friday departures.

Where this guide stands today

Cruise Terminal 28 is confirmed. The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees voted unanimously on 25 August 2026 to accept an agreement with Margaritaville at Sea for weekly sailings from Cruise Terminal 28, with an initial one-year term and options to renew for two further five-year terms.

Margaritaville at Sea has not published a Galveston arrival and embarkation page. Terminal opening and closing times, assigned arrival windows and parking arrangements for Galveston are therefore not yet available from the line, and the operational detail in this guide is drawn from the port and from our own tracked sailings rather than from the line.

This is what we have today. We will update the guide as Margaritaville at Sea and the Port of Galveston publish more, and as the detail firms up.

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

Rendering of the pool deck aboard Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber — Margaritaville at Sea’s own photography of Port of Galveston. Photo courtesy of Margaritaville at Sea.

Two terminals, and they are not interchangeable

Beachcomber's primary home berth is **Cruise Terminal 28**. A limited number of sailings may instead use **Cruise Terminal 25** in the December 2027 to March 2028 window specifically.

That is not a detail you can safely assume your way through. During that window Carnival holds priority at Terminal 25 and Terminal 28 already carries Disney traffic, so the arrangement is genuinely shared rather than nominal.

Confirm the assigned terminal on your sailing documents. A pre-booked car service, a parking reservation or a hotel shuttle sent to the wrong terminal is the most common way a Galveston embarkation day goes wrong.

The day before is the real planning question

Everything that goes wrong on an embarkation day goes wrong before you reach the terminal: a late flight, a drive longer than expected, a closed causeway.

So the useful advice is the boring kind. Arrive the day before if you are flying. Build the drive around traffic rather than the map. And know your check-in window, which is assigned per booking and is not something any guide can tell you.

We do not publish parking rates or shuttle prices for Galveston. We have no current sourced figure for either, and on a day where you may be paying for a week of parking, a stale rate is an expensive thing to trust.

A picturesque scene of a couple enjoying the waves at Galveston beach, Texas. — Photo by Kubilay Küçük on Pexels.

Devil's advocate: do not plan a Galveston day around the Strand

The Strand and the seawall are genuinely worth time, and embarkation day is the worst day to give them any.

If Galveston interests you, come a day early and see it properly with a hotel room to come back to. Trying to fit it in before a check-in window, with luggage and a parking decision outstanding, is how people arrive at the terminal flustered and late. The island is better as a pre-cruise night than as a pre-boarding errand.

View of the iconic Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier entrance under a bright blue sky. — Photo by David Olivares on Pexels.

Verify before you pay

Your assigned **terminal** — 28 or 25 — from your sailing documents.
Your **check-in window**, which is per booking.
**Parking** location, rate and whether it is pre-booked, confirmed with the

port rather than a guide.

That any **car service or shuttle** has the correct terminal, by number.
For December 2027 to March 2028 sailings specifically, **re-confirm the

terminal** closer to the date.

What we checked, and what we would not

Beachcomber's Galveston operation, the October 2027 start, weekly Friday departures and the Terminal 28 and Terminal 25 arrangement are from our own guide research for this port.

This is the one guide in the series with **no call data at all**, because Galveston is a turnaround rather than a call — there is no arrival time, no all-aboard and no hours ashore to compute. It will stay a thinner guide than the ports of call, and the operational details above are the best available reading rather than something the line has published in full.

Deliberately absent: parking rates, shuttle and car service pricing, drive times from Houston airports, and hotel recommendations. Options carried from our earlier guide are below.

Scenic view of Galveston Island's iconic Pleasure Pier with flags and signs. — Photo by Terrell Stuckett on Pexels.

Options compared

Carried from our earlier guide for this port. Indicative prices and durations were accurate when checked and move; a guarantee column that says to verify at checkout means exactly that.

Experience	Duration	Price	Best for	Link
Private Self-Guided Strand Street Ghost Tour	50 min	From $9	Lowest-cost structured activity	Details
The Ghosts of Galveston Tour	90 min	From $31	Guided local history and stories	Details
Galveston Haunted Pub Crawl	2 hours	From $37	Solo travelers seeking a group setting	Details
Highlights of Galveston Tour by Golf Cart or Polaris GEM	1 h 45 min	From $99	Broad sightseeing overview	Details
Street Art, Murals & Instagram Tour by Golf Cart or Polaris GEM	2 hours	From $55	Teens and visual-interest stops	Details
The Shadows of Revelry Tour	90 min	From $37	Older children and families interested in local stories	Details

Excursion	Duration	Price per person	Best for	Return-toship guaranteed
Private Self-Guided Strand Street Ghost Tour	50 min	From $9	Short solo activity	No
The Ghosts of Galveston Tour	90 min	From $31	Guided local stories	No
Galveston Haunted Pub Crawl	2 hours	From $37	Solo group setting	No
The Shadows of Revelry Tour	90 min	From $37	Family-friendly local stories for older children	No
Highlights of Galveston Tour	1 h 45 min	From $99	General sightseeing	No
Street Art, Murals & Instagram Tour	2 hours	From $55	Teens and visual stops	No
Houston Sightseeing Tour	2 hours	From $49	Houston sightseeing, not recommended for turnaround	No
Houston’s Best Brewery Tour	2 hours	From $49	Houston brewery visit, not recommended for turnaround	No
Houston Pokémon Go Tour	1 h 30 min	From $49	Houston activity, not recommended for turnaround	No
Girls Night Out in Houston	3 hours	From $70	Houston evening activity, not recommended for turnaround	No

This guide describes the port. Every tracked Port of Galveston sailing carries its own call times, all-aboard and hours ashore — which is the half that decides the day, and it changes from sailing to sailing.

Excursion prices, durations and operator terms are as drafted and change without notice — confirm on the day with the ship's app or the operator. Figures here are planning guidance, not a quote. Not affiliated with Margaritaville at Sea.

57sailings call here

1ship

Port snapshot

Terminal: Cruise Terminal 28, Port of Galveston
Address: Harborside Drive, Galveston, TX
Ship: Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber
Tracked sailings: 57 sailings from this port in our current capture
Terminal opens: Not published by Margaritaville at Sea
Doors close: Not published by Margaritaville at Sea

Cruise Terminals 25 and 28 sit together on Harborside Drive, a short walk from The Strand Historic District and the Pier 21 waterfront. Houston Hobby is a 45-minute drive; George Bush Intercontinental is about 1 hour 30 minutes. The Galveston Island Trolley does not stop at the port.

Beachcomber begins sailing from Galveston on 4 October 2027 with a 4-night Cozumel Express, arriving on a 9-night repositioning voyage from Miami that departs 25 September 2027. Departures are weekly on Fridays.

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

MAS Parrotheads is an independent fan site operated by Off The Grid Getaways LLC, a travel agency. We may earn a commission when you book with us or through our affiliate links — how we make money.

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)

Confirm your terminal number before you drive

The Port of Galveston operates four cruise terminals — 10, 16, 25 and 28 — and directs passengers to confirm which one their sailing uses before working out the route. Signs at the port direct drivers to the correct entrance.

Source: Port of Galveston — Arrival & Departure Guide, checked 25 September 2026.

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 program and a disabled veterans discount program.
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.

Embarkation day timeline

No timeline is published for this port. Margaritaville at Sea publishes an opening time, a hard closing time and a no-show consequence for each of its other home ports. It has published none of these for Port of Galveston. The times used elsewhere in the fleet are set per port by different terminal operators and do not carry over.

What is certain is the consequence of being late, which is the same everywhere the line sails: arrival after the published close is denied boarding and constitutes a no-show, subject to the penalties and fees in the Margaritaville at Sea cancellation policy. Take the times from 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.

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

Arrive inside your assigned window. Parking attendants direct vehicles to the parking area.
A member of the terminal operations agency confirms your arrival window and checks your boarding pass as you arrive.
Drop checked luggage with the porters. It is delivered to your stateroom later, which is why the tags matter.
Clear security.
Check in and collect the stateroom keys for every member of the party.
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

Source	What it supports	Checked	Status
Port of Galveston — Port Welcomes Margaritaville at Sea as 7th Cruise Line, 25 August 2026	Cruise Terminal 28, the board vote of 25 August 2026, the agreement term and the weekly sailing pattern	25 September 2026	Current
Port of Galveston — Arrival & Departure Guide	The four cruise terminals, driving approaches, airport drive times, taxi and rideshare, and the trolley not serving the port	25 September 2026	Current
Port of Galveston — Cruise Parking Reservations	The four lots serving Terminals 25 and 28, their sizes and locations, shuttle provision, ADA spaces, discounts and security	25 September 2026	Current
Margaritaville at Sea — Cruises from Galveston, Texas	The line’s own Galveston page, which publishes no terminal, times or parking detail	25 September 2026	Current
MAS Parrotheads fare tracker	Sailing count, ship, the 4 October 2027 first departure and the Friday pattern, from our own daily capture	25 September 2026	Current
Not verified	Terminal opening and closing times — Margaritaville at Sea has published no Galveston arrival and embarkation page. No times exist from the line on the date checked.	25 September 2026	Gap
Not verified	Arrival window process — Not published for Galveston. The process used at the other three home ports is not confirmed to apply.	25 September 2026	Gap
Not verified	Parking rates — The Port of Galveston publishes no rate. Quoted through its reservation system.	25 September 2026	Gap
Not verified	Debarkation timings — 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.	25 September 2026	Gap

MAS Parrotheads is an independent Margaritaville at Sea fan resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Margaritaville at Sea.
The site is operated by Off The Grid Getaways LLC, a travel agency. We may earn a commission when you book with us or through our affiliate links; see how we make money.
Terminal procedures, parking rates, opening times and closing times are set by the cruise line, the port authority and third-party terminal operators. They change without notice. Confirm every figure on this page before you travel.
Accessibility information is advisory guidance based on what the operator publishes. It is not a guarantee. Confirm your requirements directly with the operator. United States ADA regulations do not apply outside the United States.
All content checked 25 September 2026. See Legal & disclosures for how this site is funded, About for where the data comes from, and Privacy for what we collect.

Sailings that call at Port of Galveston

57 sailings in the current data — showing the next 12.

Shore highlights are general travel information to help you plan, not bookable Margaritaville at Sea excursions, and port calls can change. Fares are per person, double occupancy, from the latest capture. Not affiliated with Margaritaville at Sea.