Galveston is a great cruise port because it is easy to find affordable airfare, and this location can be easily accessed from anywhere in the country. As well, with Carnival and Royal Caribbean sailing year-round, there is plenty of competition for your cruise dollars — meaning the cruise lines often cut prices to get you to sail with them.

If you are planning to go on a cruise in July 2015, then you should consider these cheap itineraries out of Galveston. Keep in mind that the prices are listed based on their price-per-day, so that you can compare the value of itineraries of different lengths. The prices below are for a single passenger in an interior stateroom.

Less Than $100 Per Day
The cheapest cruise itineraries during July can be found at a price of less than $100 per day, which is a great deal since it includes accommodation, food, and entertainment during the more expensive summer months.

• Carnival Freedom, July 11th – 18th: Visiting Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, this week-long cruise has an itinerary with unique destinations. Climb a waterfall in Jamaica, go swimming in Stingray City, or enjoy a day of scuba diving in Cozumel.

• Carnival Freedom, July 25th – August 1st: With stops in Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel, there’s something for everyone. This is the perfect itinerary for people who enjoy scuba diving or snorkeling, because all of the ports have great sea life to view. These stops are some of the most popular diving sites in the world.

Less Than $150 Per Day
While the cheapest cruises sail during July for less than $100 per day, there are quite a few Galveston cruises that fall within the $100 – $150 per day price range. Here are a few of our top picks:

• Carnival Triumph, July 18th – 23rd: Visiting Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico. This is the perfect itinerary if you want to get away for just a few days and enjoy the beautiful beaches in Mexico. With two days at sea in this cruise, there is plenty of time for both sightseeing and relaxation aboard the ship

• Navigator of the Seas, July 19th – 26th: This cruise visits Cozumel, Belize City, and Roatan, offering a great itinerary for scuba divers and snorkelers. This itinerary is similar to the cheaper Carnival Freedom cruise, but you will enjoy upgraded amenities aboard the ship. The ship was refurbished in 2014, so the new remodel is only a year old.

• Navigator of the Seas, July 12th – 19th: Visiting Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth, this unique itinerary shouldn’t be missed! The combination of the good ports of call as well as the beautiful ship (as well as a cheap price from Galveston) is the reason this cruise made it on our list.

If you’re interested in one of the cruises above, you can search Carnival’s schedule here and Royal Caribbean’s here.

Rules are constantly being tweaked for the cruise lines, and today is no different. A recent announcement by Carnival’s John Heald shared the news that Carnival is making a change to their liberal beverage policy for non-alcoholic drinks.

For years Carnival has been the most lenient about bringing drinks on your cruise. Guests were permitted to bring up to 12 bottles or cans per person (up to 20 ounces per bottle) of water, sodas, etc. Well, many people took advantage of that policy to smuggle on alcohol for their cruise. A quick search of YouTube or this page will show you how easy it can be to replace the contents of a bottle with another liquid.

According to Carnival:

Often times, we find guests transporting alcohol onboard through unauthorized means resulting in unmonitored consumption of alcohol. Unfortunately, this has led to behavioral and safety related concerns.

Of course, it’s easy to tell that the above paragraph was written by a Public Relations team. If you rolled your eyes at it, you’re not alone.

Nevertheless, Carnival’s rules are changing. Starting now, guests can only bring up to 12, 12-ounce cans or cartons of non-alcoholic drinks — not bottles.

Since it’s hard to find cans of water (although they do exist), the new rule essentially means no more bringing water aboard the ship. Even if it’s smaller than 12 ounces, it is still usually packaged in a bottle, which is against the new rules.

Instead, Carnival will start offering packages of water for sale that will be delivered to your stateroom. If bought before the cruise starts, a 12-pack of 500 ml water bottles will run $2.99. If you wait until you are onboard to purchase, the package will cost $4.99. Frankly, we think that’s a fair price.

The rest of the announced beverage policy appears to have stayed the same. Guests 21 and over can still bring one 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne per person. No other alcoholic drinks are permitted.

We’ve read some of the comments floating around about the change (there were more than 1,100 on John Heald’s Facebook post), and the reaction is varied.

Some people see this change as a way for Carnival to squeeze out more money from passengers by making them buy water and forcing them to purchase alcohol on board instead of sneaking it in. Others are excited that lines to board may speed up instead of having to wait behind people lugging big bottles of water.

We think the truth is somewhere in between. This is no doubt aimed at putting an end to an easy way to sneak alcohol aboard the ship (which hurts Carnival’s revenue). At the same time, Carnival is offering bottles of water at a solid value instead of charging a monopoly price.

For those cruisers who follow the rules, this change isn’t that big of a deal. And if you’re someone who sneaks in alcohol in water bottles, you will just have to find a different way to do it. The biggest change is the headaches the new rule is going to cause until everyone gets to know the new rules.

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.

Navigator of the Seas is the largest ship ever to sail from the Port of Galveston. Measuring more than 1,000 feet and with the capacity for more than 5,000 passengers and crew, it’s not a joke to call it a floating city.

That can be overwhelming for a first-time cruiser. That’s why we wanted to share the video below with you. It’s an awesome video tour we found on YouTube showcasing all the important parts of the ship. Unlike some video tours, the commentary on this one keeps it fun and interesting, while providing a lot more information.