Driving from Austin to Galveston on cruise day

[antony1]

This is my first cruise from Galveston. My cruise is in november on a saturday at 4 PM (Royal Caribbean) 

Is it fine if i drive from North Austin on the day of cruise ? I heard sometimes there is heavy traffic around houston due to construction.

I am planing to leave from austin around 6 or 7 AM. 

 

Thanks in Advance. 

[Dock B]

We live about 30 minutes north of you. When sailing from Galveston, we prefer to go the day before and stay the night somewhere around League City or a bit further south to get lower hotel rates. We drive down early enough the day before to miss the southbound “going home from work” drivers on a weekday. This allows us to be more rested.

 

But with all that said, it is doable to drive same day. If doing that, I would suggest you start looking at a phone app map to see what the traffic is like in the Houston area on Saturday mornings, around the time you think you’ll arrive there. This can give you a general idea of Saturday traffic patterns and alternate routes.

 

Make sure you get your vehicle thoroughly checked out prior to the trip to help assure it might not break down. If you don’t know how to change a tire, now is a good time to learn. I think you get the idea: car trouble on cruise day is something to avoid and to be prepared for should it occur.

 

And you’ve probably already planned that you’ll depart town even earlier if rain is forecasted, as that can add time to the drive.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Just plan ahead for how you’ll handle any potential delays so you won’t be stressed!

[antony1]

46 minutes ago, Dock B said:

We live about 30 minutes north of you. When sailing from Galveston, we prefer to go the day before and stay the night somewhere around League City or a bit further south to get lower hotel rates. We drive down early enough the day before to miss the southbound “going home from work” drivers on a weekday. This allows us to be more rested.

 

But with all that said, it is doable to drive same day. If doing that, I would suggest you start looking at a phone app map to see what the traffic is like in the Houston area on Saturday mornings, around the time you think you’ll arrive there. This can give you a general idea of Saturday traffic patterns and alternate routes.

 

Make sure you get your vehicle thoroughly checked out prior to the trip to help assure it might not break down. If you don’t know how to change a tire, now is a good time to learn. I think you get the idea: car trouble on cruise day is something to avoid and to be prepared for should it occur.

 

And you’ve probably already planned that you’ll depart town even earlier if rain is forecasted, as that can add time to the drive.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Just plan ahead for how you’ll handle any potential delays so you won’t be stressed!

@Dock B Thanks for the suggestion. 

[silvercrikhix]

OP:  if it’s the 1st weekend in November…it is Lone Star Rally time. There will be 400,000+ motorcycles in Galveston. Plan ahead for that weekend. 

[antony1]

1 hour ago, silvercrikhix said:

OP:  if it’s the 1st weekend in November…it is Lone Star Rally time. There will be 400,000+ motorcycles in Galveston. Plan ahead for that weekend. 

The cruise is on november 19th, week of thanksgiving. 

[rkacruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic antony1!  It is always better to arrive near the port the day before one's cruise.  Traffic issues, weather issues, car mechanical issues can all spoil embarkation day and may, in fact, cause one to miss the cruise.  

[Lane Hog]

It's entirely doable from Austin and the DFW area on the day of departure.  If you leave at 6 am, driving at 9 am in Houston isn't so bad.  Noon and later, not so much.

Then again, we drive 500-800 miles a day routinely, and have driven Galveston-Chicago in a single day.  Not everyone has that level of endurance. 

If you think you can't do the 4 hour drive, then staying overnight in League City puts the worst of the traffic behind you. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Lane Hog

[cruiselvr04]

We’re driving from Dallas on a Friday morning next month but will leave at 4 am as all aboard is 1:30.  It’s usually a 5 hour drive at most but rush hour adds another hour.  That should get us there by 10.  But then we’re leaving an extra 2-3 hours for slow downs from accidents, flat tire etc.  Personally I’d rather go the evening before and stay anywhere from Hobby airport south but the DH doesn’t want to always do that.  I’m used to early morning commuting so I start us out and he’ll drive us through the awful Houston rush hour traffic. We will use the tollway around the city too.  It’s doable but there’s always a risk.

[dan4182]

From either DFW or Austin it’s best to take the Sam Houston Tollway around Houston if you have a TX tag or an EZ tag.

 

There are affordable hotels in both Texas City and League City if you decide to come the day before and it’s a short drive to the port the next day.

[TxShipShape]

I live just south of DFW. Here is how I do it.

Use Google Maps or your favorite mapping program to get the time to drive

add 1 hour for breakfast potty breaks, etc.  more if there are more people traveling the car.

add 1 hour for slowdowns. Check TXDOT and social media for any planned problems.

try to get to your parking location of choice 1/2 hour before your check in time.

[TxShipShape]

One more thing.

Carnival has a Travel Delay Support Line

877 885 4856

If you are running late and can give an ETA, they might be able to help you.

[antony1]

Thanks for the suggestions.