While you may not realize it, Galveston cruise parking is pretty cheap. Prices range from $45 to $90 for a 7-day cruise. Most lots, however, charge about $10 per day. The official port lot charge $65 for a week-long cruise.

Compare that to a cruise hub like Miami. The Port of Miami charges a staggering $20 per night for parking!

Still, while we can be thankful we don’t have to pay high rates like other places, that doesn’t mean we should pay more for cruise parking than we have to. That’s why we’ve dug into the rates of every parking lot on the island (there are nearly a dozen different options to choose from) to bring you the cheapest Galveston cruise parking.

1. Cruise Park Galveston: This lot is just a few short blocks from the cruise terminals and offers a rock-bottom price. For a 7-day cruise, you’ll pay just $45. To get that low rate, however, you have to meet some requirements. First, the lot is open only to 7-day cruises sailing from Sunday to Sunday (Navigator of the Seas and Carnival Magic). Second, there is no shuttle to the cruise terminal. While the walk is short, you will have to make it without a ride.

Cost: $45 for 7 days
Restrictions: Sunday to Sunday cruises only; no shuttle

2. DCP Cruise Parking: The farthest lot from the terminals also offers the cheapest parking. If prepaid, the rate is $45 for 7 days. There are no special coupons or restrictions as with other lots. A shuttle is provided back and forth between the port and the parking lot.

Cost: $45 for 7 days
Restrictions: Prepaid rate

3. EZ Cruise Parking: While this parking lot isn’t usually the cheapest, a great coupon can save you a bundle. The typical prepaid rate is $65, but with the coupon code “20parkwalk” you will save $20 off that rate. That brings the price to $45 for a 7-day cruise. You should know that the coupon is not valid on cruises shorter than seven days. Also, this code is only available for people willing to skip the shuttle to the port.

Cost: $45 for 7 days
Restrictions: 7 day cruises only; no shuttle provided; must use coupon code

It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Galveston cruising. If you know about it, however, you can save some serious money.

Since Galveston caters to tourism and the cruise industry, many hotels will do everything they can to earn your business. That includes letting you park your car during your trip at a huge discount… or often even for free. To take advantage of this perk, you simply need to stay at the hotel/motel before you leave on your cruise.

While a number of the hotels have “cruise and park” packages (it’s typically the larger chains) that raise the price of the room to include parking, lots of smaller or independent places will just let you park for free. Many will also provide a free shuttle to the port. (If not, the cost of cab fare is still a deal given the discounted parking.)

To give you an idea of where you can find hotels offering this service, we started with all the hotels on Galveston Island. Then, using Kayak.com, we narrowed our list down to those offer 2-star or higher accommodations and positive reviews. Finally, we searched for only those offering cruise parking. The list below should be a good starting point, but keep in mind that it may not list every hotel with the perk.

Also, be sure to confirm the details with the hotels below just in case anything has changed.

Two Star Hotels:
Super 8 Galveston
2825 1/2 B 61st | 409-740-6640 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Howard Johnson Express Inn
8216 Harborside Drive | 409-744-1100 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Rodeway Inn
6107 Broadway Street | 409-740-2491 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Inn at the Waterpark
2525 Jones Drive | 409-740-1155 | Parking Package With Shuttle Offered

Scottish Inn Galveston
928 Ferry Road | 409-762-3311 | Free Parking and Shuttle

Beachcomber Inn
2825 61st Street | 409-744-7133 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Candlewood Suites
808 61st Street | 409-744-4440 | No Cruise Parking Offered

Comfort Suites Galveston
3606 89th Street | 409-741-9977 | Free Parking and $20 Shuttle

Baymont Inn & Suites
2826 63rd Street | 409-744-3000 | Free Parking

Red Roof Inn Galveston
5914 Seawall Blvd | 409-740-1261 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
8628 Seawall Blvd | 409-740-7900 | No Cruise Parking Offered

La Quinta Inn & Suites (Seawall)
8710 Seawall Blvd | 409-740-9100 | $50 Parking + Shuttle

The Villa Bed & Breakfast
1723 25th Street | 409-766-1722 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Comfort Inn & Suites Beachfront
6302 Seawall Blvd | 409-741-8888 | Free Parking, No Shuttle

Commodore on the Beach
3618 Seawall Blvd | 409-763-2375 | Free Parking (only during low season)

Three Star Hotels:
Hampton Inn & Suites
6431 Central City Boulevard | 409-744-5600 | No Cruise Parking Offered

Victorian Condo Hotel Resort
6300 Seawall Blvd | 800-231-6363 | $21.65 Per Stay, No Shuttle

Gaido’s Seaside Inn
3700 Seawall Blvd | 409-762-9625 | Free Parking

Holiday Inn Resort Galveston On the Beach
5002 Seawall Boulevard | 409-740-5300 | Free Parking and Shuttle

Four Points by Sheraton
2300 Seawall Blvd | 409-974-4796 | $40 Parking, No Shuttle

Four Star Hotels:
Hilton Galveston Island Resort
5400 Seawall Boulevard | 409-744-5000 | Free Parking and Shuttle

Hotel Galvez
2024 Seawall Blvd | 409-765-7721 | $18 Parking and Shuttle

The Tremont House
2300 Ship’s Mechanic Row | 409-763-0300 | $18 Parking and Shuttle

The San Luis Resort
5222 Seawall Blvd | 800-445-0090 | Free Parking and Shuttle

DoubleTree by Hilton
1702 Seawall Boulevard | 409-762-4141 | $50 Parking and Shuttle

We’ve also include the map below to show you where each of these hotels is in relation to the port. Click to enlarge.

There is nothing more convenient for cruisers than being dropped off or picked up for their cruise. No need to worry about parking or shuttles (or their costs). Simply sit back and be delivered right to the cruise terminal.

Even if you are parking your car, it can still be convenient to drop off passengers and luggage at the terminal before parking. This way, passengers with mobility issues or small kids (with a parent) can be let out right at the terminal.

If you are going to drop passengers off — or pick them up — at the Galveston Cruise Terminal, knowing exactly where to go can make cruise day a little easier.

The drop-off/pick-up entrance for all cruises is located on 22nd Street. If you are coming from the west down Harborside Drive, you will turn left on 22nd into the port. Driving east down Harborside Drive, the entrance is on your right. (You’re in the right place when you see the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant.)

As you enter the port area, you will see signs for Pier 21, directing you to the left. Take this turn. You then simply follow the road alongside the port until you reach your cruise terminal. Carnival will be at the first terminal you reach, followed by Royal Caribbean and others.

Once you have dropped off luggage/passengers, you will continue down the drive, exiting from the port either at 25th Street (if available) or at 28th Street.
Keep in mind that just like an airport, the cruise terminals are for loading and unloading only. There is no parking here. You’ll want to quickly unload your bags and keep the line moving. There will be porters there to help.

You may have noticed that Galveston parking rates on many lots have shot up lately. Due to a fee increase charged to independent parking lots to drop off passengers at the port, the businesses have had to charge more just to combat their rising costs.

Needless to say, the increased fees charged by the Port of Galveston have been controversial. In an effort to combat the change, one lot — EZ Cruise Parking — is taking a unique approach. They recently emailed out a new “Go Green” promotion that can save some passengers a lot of money if they are willing to skip the shuttle and walk a little bit.

Here’s the scoop: Since the port charges the parking lot for every trip its shuttle makes to drop off cruise passengers, EZ Cruise Parking is offering up to a $20 parking discount to those willing to instead walk from the lot to the port. This helps save the parking lot in fees charged by the port, and it is passing the savings on to you.

All you have to do is prepay on their website, and use coupon code “20parkwalk” if you are taking a 7-day cruise or “15parkwalk” if taking a 4-5 day cruise. For a 7-day cruise the prepaid price goes from $65 to only $45. That’s one of the lowest rates around.

If you want to take advantage of the promotion, you can click here to reserve your parking spot.

Update: The Wharves Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase the fees charged to parking lots and shuttles. While most rates went up a moderate amount, the amount charged to independent lots soared from $8 per parking spot, per month, to $28.88 (a 261% increase!). With this in mind, it’s almost assured that parking prices across the island will rise in the near future. For more information, we highly suggest this article from The Galveston Daily News.

The next meeting of the Wharves Board of Trustees will likely be a contentious one.

This board, which directs the future of the Port of Galveston, is set to vote on Monday on whether to raise parking lot fees. Our opinion is that the board is likely to vote for an increase.

We have told you before about this issue. Right now the port charges fees to the numerous parking lots and hotels with shuttles to the port. According the Galveston Daily News, the port charges private lots $8 per month and hotel shuttles have to pay $10 per trip to the port. So if a parking lot has a 100 parking spaces, they have to pay the port $800 a month in fees.

The parking lots see these fees as adequate. Of course, the port thinks the fees should be higher.

Right now the Port of Galveston has roughly $50 million in debt that it must pay. In addition, the port has continued to invest, bringing more and larger ships to Galveston.

The port sees the parking lots benefiting tremendously from the increased traffic from the investment into the Galveston cruise industry.

Meanwhile, these lots are also competing directly with the port’s parking lots. Right now the Port of Galveston’s official lots are the most expensive option on the island — usually costing $10-15 more for a 7-day cruise than the independent lots.

All of this adds up to what we think will be a vote for an increase in the charges placed on parking lots.

More evidence toward increased fees was cited by the Galveston Daily News, which stated:

“A port team, created at the behest of the wharves board, last year surveyed policies at other ports and airports and conducted an assessment of fees, including application and renewal fees.

In late November, the study team recommended the board consider raising access rates for hotel shuttles to $11.43 a trip from $10.

The study team also recommended raising rates to private parking lots to $9.14 per space from $8.”

Even that increase, however, was mentioned as not being enough by some members of the board.

We’ll update readers as we hear more information. The board is set to meet on Monday, May 18. You can also check the Galveston Daily News, who has closely followed this story.