Galveston

Although Galveston Island has been occupied since the early 1500s, the city was not created until 1836, when Canadian Michel Menard purchased a league and labor of land for $50,000 from the Austin Colony. Because of the need for more money to promote the town, Menard took on nine partners, forming the Galveston City Company. The first buildings were prefabricated houses from Maine, one of which still stands today. The Republic of Texas quickly made the fledgling city a port of entry, and the Strand area filled with wholesalers, cotton agents and merchants. The city flourished.

Galveston holds many firsts for the state of Texas: first post office, naval base, and bakery, first chapter of the Masonic Order, first cotton compress, insurance company, gas lights, electric lights, opera house, orphanage, telephone, medical college and school for nurses. One of Galveston s newspapers, the Galveston News, is the oldest daily newspaper in the state (now known as the Galveston County Daily News). Then disaster struck. On September 8, 1900, the deadliest hurricane in US history swept across the island, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying the majority of buildings in its path. Most people probably would have given up and left, but not the determined Galvestonians. They decided to rebuild, but to do so in a way to reduce the likelihood of such a disaster being repeated. Their answer was to build a seawall  seven miles long and 17 feet high and to raise the grade of the entire town. The grade-raising took eight years to complete and involved jacking up homes and pouring four to six feet of sand beneath them. Residents used elevated wooden sidewalks to navigate the town during this process. The seawall project was not completed until 1962, and is a noted feat of engineering  an example of how a city should respond after disaster. During the rebuilding period, Galveston lost most of its port business to Houston, but the resilient little city quickly recovered from that setback also. It turned its attention to tourism and made a name for itself as a playground for the wealthy. Tourists continue to flock to this marvelously inspirational seaside community, the city that almost wasn t. It will inspire you, too.


4 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Carnival Cruise Line - Ecstasy
Destination To: Caribbean - Western
Departing from: Galveston
Ports: Galveston, Texas, Cozumel, Mexico, Galveston, Texas


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Bonus
Inside
Outside
Balcony
Suite
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$404 USD
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-
  
$529 USD
$544 USD
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-
  
$679 USD
$804 USD
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$459 USD
$459 USD
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-
  
$399 USD
$444 USD
$654 USD
$859 USD
  
$399 USD
$429 USD
$704 USD
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$409 USD
$459 USD
$649 USD
$819 USD
  
$439 USD
$499 USD
$664 USD
$959 USD
  
$349 USD
$409 USD
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-
  
$349 USD
$409 USD
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$899 USD

 
Cruise Price Guarantee: Never pay a penny more! If you find a lower price, we'll match it.

5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Carnival Cruise Line - Ecstasy
Destination To: Caribbean - Western
Departing from: Galveston
Ports: Galveston, Texas, Cozumel, Mexico, Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico, Galveston, Texas


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Bonus
Inside
Outside
Balcony
Suite
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$379 USD
$489 USD
-
$899 USD
  
$479 USD
$519 USD
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$859 USD
  
-
$569 USD
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$899 USD
  
$749 USD
$859 USD
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-
  
$884 USD
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-
  
$594 USD
$649 USD
$729 USD
$1049 USD
  
$409 USD
$439 USD
$689 USD
$1039 USD
  
$369 USD
$389 USD
$629 USD
$1039 USD
  
$359 USD
$389 USD
$659 USD
$1039 USD
  
$369 USD
$409 USD
$669 USD
$1019 USD

 
7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Royal Caribbean - Voyager of the Seas
Destination To: Caribbean - Western
Departing from: Galveston
Ports: Galveston, Texas, Roatan, Honduras, Costa Maya, Mexico, Cozumel, Mexico, Galveston, Texas


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Bonus
Inside
Outside
Balcony
Suite
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$578 USD
$649 USD
$699 USD
$1349 USD
  
$1199 USD
$1499 USD
$1461 USD
$2450 USD
  
$1299 USD
$1542 USD
$1627 USD
$2734 USD
  
$645 USD
$764 USD
$866 USD
$1499 USD
  
$618 USD
$705 USD
$683 USD
$1349 USD
  
$547 USD
$705 USD
$821 USD
$1949 USD
  
$500 USD
$620 USD
$722 USD
$1549 USD
  
$539 USD
$705 USD
$788 USD
$1549 USD
  
$591 USD
$637 USD
$779 USD
$1599 USD
  
$636 USD
$818 USD
$955 USD
$2049 USD

 
Cruise Price Guarantee: Never pay a penny more! If you find a lower price, we'll match it.