TexasCHLforum.com

I have a question and I couldn't find much after doing some research. I am going on a Carnival cruise in mid August and we are sailing out of the Port of Galveston. I have read that they prohibit you from entering with firearms. I have a few hour drive with my family to Galveston and I would rather not be on the road unarmed but when I get there I'm afraid I won't be allowed to drive into the port with firearms in my car. Any thoughts or suggestions? TIA

Txboy5 wrote:I have a question and I couldn't find much after doing some research. I am going on a Carnival cruise in mid August and we are sailing out of the Port of Galveston. I have read that they prohibit you from entering with firearms. I have a few hour drive with my family to Galveston and I would rather not be on the road unarmed but when I get there I'm afraid I won't be allowed to drive into the port with firearms in my car. Any thoughts or suggestions? TIA

Are you planning on storing it in your car while you're on the cruise?

If so, I don't see how they would know it's in there. I went on a Royal cruise and parked in a big parking lot across the street. I then took a shuttle over to check in.

Wife and I are going on a carnival cruise this November. We are staying at a motel the night before that will allow us to park our car for the duration of our cruise. I plan on hiding and locking my firearm in the trunk. Make sure no one watches you securing your firearm.

My wife and I are also cruising out of Galveston next month, I will be locking up my carry item in a small safe that is bolted to the vehicle. The safe is also hidden ( not in plain sight). Parking at a hotel also on upcoming cruise.

We have also parked in the big "pay to park" parking lot on previous cruises, just locked up the carry item in the car, rode the shuttle to the pier. No problems, no big deal.

I've dropped off friends at the port while carrying with no problem.

I am not sure if things have changed since I sailed in 2010 but we parked in a private lot that was outside the Port of Galveston authority and shuttled in. At that time, there was no parking close to or within the Port. I left my EDC locked in a bolted down safe in my trunk.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/d ... ons-policy

Huh? Really?

LAW: It is against International Maritime Law to carry a firearm aboard a passenger vessel. In addition, it is against the policy of the D.O.T, A.T.F as well as U.S. Customs, to carry firearms aboard a passenger vessel.

Interesting read with some perspective on international laws I hadn't taken into consideration (still reading though):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-agr ... 48704.html

Another interesting article:
https://gunowners.org/gun-control-on-the-high-seas.htm

We took a Carnival cruise in June 2014. No issues leaving the gun in the car. No inspections or anything like that, at least not to get into the parking area. Carnival also has an early boarding pass which is pretty cheap. It allows you to cut through the boarding lines, for the most part, and get to the ship quicker. I highly advise anyone going on a cruise to get the early boarding pass.

I fear that cruse ships will be the next terrorist targets.... I don't understand why u cant protect yourself in international waters? If anything happens the(cruse ship) will deny personal responsibility for their passengers by saying it was an act of terrorism or act of war.

I've wondered if Carnival has armed guards on board or at least an armory with some rifles. All I'm permitted to carry is my small pocket knife. Oh well.

nightmare69 wrote:I've wondered if Carnival has armed guards on board or at least an armory with some rifles. All I'm permitted to carry is my small pocket knife. Oh well.

Be careful. We've been on 20 cruises and I've always carried my pocket knife. The last 2 cruises, they confiscated it and returned it on the last day of the cruise. Royal Caribbean and Princess, but I suspect all cruise lines will be joining in.

We have cruised out of Galveston several times and never had a problem leaving handgun locked in safe in car.

I'll be taking a cruise soon as well. The rules on the website specifically say I can carry a pocket knife as long as the blade is less than 4". It's with Carnival out of Galveston. What hotel let's you leave your car parked in their lot? Would you recommend that over parking at the port?

LucasMcCain wrote:I'll be taking a cruise soon as well. The rules on the website specifically say I can carry a pocket knife as long as the blade is less than 4". It's with Carnival out of Galveston. What hotel let's you leave your car parked in their lot? Would you recommend that over parking at the port?

Yes, Carnival allows you to carry a pocket knife of less than 4in blade length. The motel we are staying at is the quality inn on Seawall Blvd. It's about 3 miles from the cruise port. They allow you to park your car there for the duration of the trip. Rates are about $140 a night. Since our boading time is 10:30am, we decided to go the day before so we don't have to leave in the early AM and have to worry about Houston traffic. We plan on taking an Über to the port.