Cruises From Texas and California
Two of America’s biggest states have their own homeports. Here is how to sail from Galveston or the Southern California coast without flying.
Get Free Quotes From Your PortTexans and Californians have a built-in way to cruise for less: big ships that sail from their own coastline. A Houston family can be at the pier in about an hour, and Southern California has three cruise ports within a short drive of one another. This page covers how each region works; for the budget lines that sail from these ports, see our sister site Cut Rate Cruises.
Texas: Galveston
Galveston Island, southeast of Houston, is the main cruise port in Texas. The Port of Galveston site names a Royal Caribbean terminal and Cruise Terminal 16, and Disney is among the lines it lists; Carnival is long established there as well. Parking is reserved online through the port, which also runs a loyalty program for repeat parkers.
Ships from Galveston mostly head for the Western Caribbean and Mexico: Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize and Jamaica. Allow for a full day at sea in each direction across the Gulf. Ship deployments here shift; Royal Caribbean, for example, has announced it will move Symphony of the Seas from Galveston to Fort Lauderdale in 2027.
From Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin or San Antonio the drive is a few hours. Leave early, or stay one night near the port if your sailing departs at midday, and still come out ahead of airfare for a family.
California: Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego
Southern California has three cruise ports. The Port of Los Angeles operates its cruise terminal in San Pedro; Long Beach has its own terminal next to the historic Queen Mary; and the Port of San Diego runs the B Street and Broadway piers downtown. All three are within a couple of hours of most of the region.
Short getaways to Ensenada and longer Mexican Riviera sailings to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta are the staples. In spring and fall, some ships also run long round trips to Hawaii, an option that lets West Coast travelers reach the islands without flying at all, at the cost of several days at sea each way.
What to Compare
- Itinerary choice. Galveston and the California ports offer fewer destinations than Florida; if you want the Eastern Caribbean, a flight may serve you better.
- Sea days. Gulf and Pacific crossings add sea time. Count it as part of the vacation, not lost time.
- Parking and tolls. Reserve port parking early in peak months.
- Hawaii trips. They are long, so price them against a fly-and-cruise trip on the inter-island ship from Honolulu.
Whatever your port, list every cost on paper before you decide. Ask the Official Cruise Directory or our advisors for help, and check Cruising Checklist for the documents a Mexico sailing needs.
Texas and California Questions
Where do cruises from Texas leave from?
Galveston, about an hour from Houston, is the state’s main cruise port. It is a drive of several hours from Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, which many Texas families prefer to flying.
Can I cruise from California to Hawaii?
Yes, as a long round trip of roughly two weeks or more. Foreign-flag ships must also call at a foreign port, usually Ensenada in Mexico, because of U.S. cabotage law. Our sister site Cruising America explains the rule.
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