There are a lot of “firsts” on this cruise. This is the first time we have booked a cruise only two weeks prior to sailing. It is our first time to sail in the MSC Yacht Club (MSC’s ship-within-a-ship concept). And, believe it or not, this is the first time we have sailed from the Port of Galveston, even though we live only a few hours away.

*Loading the car for the trip to Galveston*

When you don’t have to worry about airline and TSA restrictions, it makes it much easier to pack your luggage for a cruise. We don’t need to be concerned with 3-1-1 bags of liquids. There are virtually no limitations, other than those imposed by the cruise line.

Today, we are driving from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Galveston on I-45. I basically had Apple Maps route me directly to the hotel. The drive takes a little more than 5 hours, barring any delays for traffic jams. Everyone in Texas drives so fast it can make the drive rather exciting, to say the least. I think it is a toss up as to whether it is more stressful to drive or fly. I hate dealing with airports and airlines, but uncourteous drivers in heavy traffic at 80 mph can also be stressful.

About halfway through our drive, we are both getting hungry and make a pit stop at Buc-ees in Madisonville, TX. Buc-ees is famous for having hundreds of gas pumps, the cleanest restrooms anywhere, and excellent shopping.

Rickee can’t resist getting a photo with Buc-ee (I guess that’s how you spell his name).

Buc-ees has some of the best Texas barbecue brisket you will find anywhere. My favorite is the sliced brisket sandwich (or brisket taco for breakfast). Rickee’s favorite is the chopped brisket sandwich. Both were delicious. The only downside to Buc-ees is that there is no where to sit and enjoy your meal. You pretty much have to eat standing outside, or in your car.

*Buc-ees is famous for Texas barbecue brisket sandwiches*

The rest of the drive to Galveston was uneventful and we arrived at Hampton Inn & Suites at 4pm, which is their check-in time. When I booked my reservation online I requested a room on the top floor, not for the view, but for the lack of anyone in a room above me stomping around in the middle of the night and keeping me awake.

However, when I checked in, the clerk informed me that the room they had reserved for us on the top floor had some “mechanical issues” and was unavailable. She moved us to a room on the second floor. She did discount the room $100. We ended up paying $248 (discounted from $348) plus $10 for parking.

Our room was just OK, pretty standard Hampton Inn design. It did have a balcony, but the chairs on the balcony were old and rusty. There is nothing to look at other than the Walmart across the street. I suppose if you are on the 5th floor, you could see the sea wall and ocean from there, but not from the second floor.

One perk is that the hotel does have limited covered parking, and there is no additional charge. I counted about 20 of these covered spaces in the garage. If you are a cruise guest staying at the hotel, you can spend one night before the cruise (as we are doing), then leave your car parked at the hotel for an extra $10 per night. That is very reasonable since we are paying $240 for a week of covered parking at the terminal. My tip would be to check in as early as possible to have a shot at the covered parking.

After parking our car and moving our luggage up to our room, we decide to check out the sea wall and nearby beach. It is cloudy and cool today, so not a great beach day. The walk from the hotel to the beach only takes about five minutes.

Another perk of staying at the Hampton Inn is the Walmart located right across the street. This is great for cruisers who need to stock up on snacks, or get that last-minute tube of sunscreen.

We decided to celebrate the beginning of the cruise with a paper cup of Prosecco, which we purchased at the little shop in the lobby of the hotel. Don’t worry, we will do a proper Prosecco toast once we are onboard MSC Seascape.

At $348 a night, The Hampton Inn is overpriced for sure, but all hotels on the island are going to be expensive. Hampton Inn does not offer any shuttle service to the cruise terminals, so you would need to schedule an Uber or Lyft to get to your terminal.

Tomorrow, we will drive to Terminal 16 parking garage before embarking MSC Seascape. Follow us on Instagram (@cruisereport) and YouTube (@cruisereport) for daily updates on our MSC Yacht Club experience.

Pre-Cruise Galveston, Texas