GALVESTON — It’s been more than four decades since one of us was on this Texas island that hangs off the northern shore of a Gulf of Mexico map like a stalagtite, and it’s tempting to say not much has changed, because Galveston has — in a good way — the feel of a quaint, old beach area that you never want to go away. A place that gets forgotten, underestimated or overlooked.
Galveston is worth a second look, and that’s what it will get the next time we cruise out of this port. Half a day wasn’t even close to how long we’d like to spend here. The island seems to be split by an equator. On the north side, the shipping business and fascinating shops and restaurants that cater to its history. On the south side, maybe two miles away, the beaches and the Gulf (and yes, people readily swim in the waters that still haunt the oil giant called BP).
The message is this: If you’re getting on a cruise ship in Galveston, go a couple of days early and really see the place. You’ll be happy you did.
Our half-day began with breakfast at The Original Mexican Cafe. Now, breakfast in any Mexican cafe is a bonus for one of us, because she could eat burritos and enchiladas three times a day. Her husband, on the other hand, ordered huevos rancheros for breakfast…hold the rancheros.
The cafe has only been around since 1916, so it’s clearly hurricane proof, or it was two years ago when Ike blew in off the Gulf and decimated many businesses so badly they’ve never returned. It brags that “the owner eats here” and we know why. Excellent food, immaculate environment and friendly service. The facility is understated and large, more than half a block long.
The bill: $12.18 plus tip.
On the way to boarding the Ecstasy, one of two Carnival cruise ships that ports here, we made a quick tour of the “city” and quickly decided our return is compulsory. There are remnants of Hurricane Ike — the trolley tracks remain but the trolleys were all write-offs after the storm and haven’t returned — and many of the homes have protective shutters on all their windows to prepare for the next triple-digit windstorm. There are museums for vessels of the air and the sea that sound compelling. 
There are three huge glass pyramids that house an aquarium, an exhibition of discovery and a tropical rain forest.
And that’s before you get to miles and miles of sandy beach.
The Ecstasy will be replaced by the Triumph next year, and Carnival’s new ship — the Magic — will make this home after it leaves Barcelona next October after breaking its maiden with four months in the Mediterranean. The fact that Carnival would send its 23rd and newest, biggest ship to the shores of Texas tells you a lot about Galveston.
In the ’60s, there were no cruise ships in Galveston. So despite what a visitor from that long ago thinks, Galveston really has changed.