GALVESTON — Let's start with mea culpa. Full disclosure. We love Texas. From Houston to Dallas to San Antonio to Austin to College Station to Galveston. Great places to visit that made great memories.
Ah yes, Galveston, a special place that doesn't always look special.
It can be pretty, and it can be pretty sad. Saturday, as the Crown Princess left its shores, was not one of Galveston's happy days. A mardi gras in the streets but no sunshine. A storm brewing and the ship had to, as they say in this part of the country, "get outta Dodge" before the "weather" arrived. The ceiling so low it seemed to be caressing the funnels of the ship.
Galveston has it tough.
Like a boxer with his hands down, it can be defenseless, sometimes looking into the eye of a hurricane as if to say "bring it on" and when Mother Nature's knockout is over "is that your best shot?" Hurricane Ike roared through the Gulf of Mexico five years ago and the devastation it left behind included an empty cruise ship terminal.
The cruise lines come and go. They can be as skittish as the forecast. Each time the Disney Magic leaves port, as it did again Saturday afternoon, Galvestonians wonder how many 
times she'll return. There are rumors the Magic is headed for Fort Lauderdale next winter. The Crown Princess, which just arrived in November, will definitely relocate to Florida and be replaced in Texas by the Caribbean Princess…but to Houston, not Galveston.
Yet it's Galveston that is the Gateway to the Gulf, the tip of the funnel for cruisers from America's heartland wanting to sample the Caribbean from a ship. Whether they fly in or not, it almost always means a 60-minute drive from Houston to a port that is, well, a port. Upon entry, industrial and colorless, especially on an overcast day. First-time visitors, like one boarding the Crown Princess, may see it as a once-in-a-lifetime visit…vowing never to come back, searching for charm you will never find in an industrial area — anywhere.
However, near the port is a funky and fun area where you can breakfast at The Original Mexican Cafe, dine at Fisherman's Wharf, lounge on 32 miles of beaches or visit The Strand, a district that focuses on the area's historical connection to the sea. Unless you're overnighting, you're unlikely to see much of it, and that makes staying an extra night or two in this seaside resort worthwhile.
There are currently five cruise ships based in Galveston. Next year there will be four…maybe three. As recently as a year ago, the only major cruise port in Texas seemed to have a bright future. Galveston deserves better, but the people here know so well not to get complacent because they also know their lives can change in a hurry…cane.
Too often, they have.
Celebrity Eclipse
13 nights
April 20, 2013
Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, San Juan, St. Maarten, Southampton
Inside: $599
Cost per day: $46
www.celebritycruises.com