Add your sail date and the links open on the night before.
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Sixteenth, tied on points with the three hotels around it. It's on the beach at 32nd Street, breakfast is free, and the pool is heated in the cooler months.
IHG pitches it to cruisers by name: "cruise out with Carnival, Disney or Royal Caribbean."
Then it offers them nothing specific. No shuttle, and nothing about parking while you sail.
A fine night if you're flying in. Take a cab in the morning.
Book it if
- Flyers who want the beach and breakfast
- Anyone travelling in winter: the pool is heated
Look elsewhere if
- You need the car parked while you sail.
- You travel with a pet.
- You're under 21.
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Holiday Inn Express Beach publishes.
"Located on the sandy beaches of Galveston," per IHG, with an outdoor pool heated in cooler months, 9 AM to 9 PM. There's no restaurant.
IHG says "there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available". A taxi or rideshare covers the trip.
Free, 6:30 to 9:30 AM.
IHG says the port is "just minutes away", with no mileage. Your cruise line’s documents name your terminal and check-in window.
Covered self-parking is $15 a day. IHG says nothing about leaving the car while you cruise.
Night-Before Score: 49 of 100
Scored only from what the hotel publishes. Here’s how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
Pick where you’re coming from. Solid lines are rides the hotel publishes; a question mark is a leg you’ll arrange yourself.
IHG says there's no complimentary local shuttle, and puts Hobby about 49 miles away.
IHG says "there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available".
IHG says the port is "just minutes away", with no mileage.
From HOU without a hotel shuttle
The Galveston Shuttle (Galveston Limousine Service) is $28 a person one way when you book online, from Curb Zone 4; Royal Galveston Shuttle is $35 a person shared. Neither Hobby nor the port publishes a taxi fare to the island. Rideshare picks up at Curb Zone 5.
IHG says there's no complimentary local shuttle.
IHG says "there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available".
IHG says the port is "just minutes away", with no mileage.
From IAH without a hotel shuttle
IAH is about 1.5 hours from the port, the port says. The Galveston Shuttle charges the same $28 a person online as from Hobby; Royal Galveston Shuttle is $35 shared. No taxi fare to Galveston is published. The rental cars are at the Consolidated Rental Car Center, a five-minute shuttle ride.
Covered self-parking is $15 a day. IHG says nothing about leaving the car while you cruise.
Parking for your stay: $15 a day, covered, in and out.
IHG says "there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available".
IHG says the port is "just minutes away", with no mileage.
Landing on sail morning instead? Some cruise lines and shuttle companies run straight to the terminals; compare the airports and the landing guidelines.
Parking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedCovered self-parking is $15 a day. IHG says nothing about leaving the car while you cruise.
Source: ihg.comThe port’s own lots
No rate publishedThe port doesn’t publish a rate. Its reservation page says prices depend on the lot, covered or uncovered, and how close it is to your terminal, and shows a number only once you enter your ship and date. MSC’s own Galveston FAQ quotes the port’s surface lots at $23 a day and its covered garage at $28.
Lots open at 9 AM on most sailing days and take cards only. Some are a walk to the terminal; the economy lots run a free shuttle every 5 to 7 minutes. Compare every parking option.
Source: portofgalveston.comThe evening and the morning
The evening
Pool"Located on the sandy beaches of Galveston," per IHG, with an outdoor pool heated in cooler months, 9 AM to 9 PM. There's no restaurant.
Breakfast
FreeFree, 6:30 to 9:30 AM.
Address
3228 Seawall, on the beach3228 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Holiday Inn Express Beach publishes it. Where it says “not stated”, the hotel doesn’t say, and a quick call will settle it.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
To check in, per the hotel.
Resort fee
None stated
Wi-Fi
Free
Parking for your stay
$15 a day, covered, in and out
Cruise parking is in the parking section above.
Breakfast
Free, 6:30–9:30 AM
Pool
Outdoor pool, heated in cooler months, 9 AM–9 PM
Pets
IHG says pets aren't allowed.
Sail morning, on the clock
From the hotel’s published hours. Your cruise documents set your check-in window at the terminal.
Rooms
134 rooms and suites.
Accessibility
An ADA pool and five accessible parking spaces.
On site
- EV chargingNot stated
- Guest laundryYes
- Fitness centerYes
- Pets allowedNo
Also worth knowing
- No on-site restaurant
Before you book
Worth knowing
- Self-parking $15 a day, covered.
- Minimum check-in age 21. Check-in 4 PM, check-out 11 AM.
- No on-site restaurant.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Cruise parking
Rates and policies are as the hotel published them on September 25, 2026. Confirm anything you’re counting on when you book.
Worth a look alongside it
Wake up on the East End, a short ride from the ship.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Holiday Inn Express Beach for the night before. No payment on the form.
Holiday Inn Express Beach FAQ
Does Holiday Inn Express Beach have a cruise shuttle?
Not that it publishes. IHG says "there is not a complimentary local area shuttle available".
Does Holiday Inn Express Beach have an airport shuttle?
Not that it publishes. From William P. Hobby: IHG says there's no complimentary local shuttle, and puts Hobby about 49 miles away. From George Bush Intercontinental: IHG says there's no complimentary local shuttle.
Can I park at Holiday Inn Express Beach while I cruise?
The hotel doesn't say. Covered self-parking is $15 a day. IHG says nothing about leaving the car while you cruise.
How far is Holiday Inn Express Beach from the Galveston cruise terminals?
IHG says the port is "just minutes away", with no mileage. It sits in our Downtown & the East End band.
Can I check in early or check out late on cruise days?
Check-in is 4:00 PM and check-out 11:00 AM. The hotel doesn't publish early or late terms, so ask when you book, not on the day.
Will the hotel hold my bags?
The hotel doesn't say. Most hotels will hold bags between check-out and a late shuttle, but that's a call to make, not an assumption.
Does the port shuttle come back for me after the cruise?
There's no hotel shuttle to the port. The Galveston Shuttle runs back to either Houston airport for $28 a person one way, booked online.
What's the breakfast timing on sail morning?
Free, 6:30–9:30 AM. Your terminal check-in window is in your cruise documents, and the port asks you not to arrive before it.
Can I park an oversized vehicle or charge an EV?
EV charging: not stated. Clearance and oversized parking aren't published. The port's two garages, the SMP garage and the Terminal 16 garage, have 6'8" clearance. RVs park in the economy lots, sometimes across two spaces.
Booking the cruise too?
Tell us your dates and we'll line up the ship, the hotel and the ride. A real advisor does the work. No obligation.
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