Galveston Ferry Terminal — Attraction in Galveston

Mixed feelings about this establishment. I moved to Texas from Indiana in September 2023. My job requires travelling to Crystal Beach to svc a store on my route. In November 2024,I was the selected participant for a random search, of course in compliance and nothing to conceal I helped to my part with lifting hood and tailgate ( at the time my shocks were blown out of tailgate to my Lincoln MKX, so I had to hold it open , keep in mind I stand at 5ft in height) ...well I had a plastic gas can from when I lived in Indiana. Purchased in December 2021 at gas station in the next town. Not cheap. .. it was used once...yes , it was used 1 time, to help a person out of gas stranded on the side of highway 56 in rural Indiana, that was in the back of my SUV with a car jack, box of ads and coupons with equipment needed for my job, jumper cables , roll of paper towels, nothing eccentric. I hadn't bothered with opening it since then, it was empty ,dry like Texas ( a humid state but makes yours & your pets skin dry) there was a male & a female conducting random. the guy changed to total drama mode as he pointed to the jug with his pen while looking at his partner. He quickly grabs, more like yanks the small empty expensive gas jug out of my car, hands clipboard to his partner freeing his other hand to untwist the cap. says with dramatic impact engulfed throughout his existence, as if I had a mound of C4 explosives in a count down to detonate with impulse to remove at this very second. He takes l 3 big inhalation whiffs & says , OH yeah, I smell gas. Screws the lid back on & says you cannot access the vessel with this container. It needs to be disposed of immediately. I said, for real? I used that 1 time in 2021, with an amazed reaction on 3 inhalation attempts to tell me I have to throw this expensive piece of red plastic away.i needed to get back home to Galveston, so without argument, I said ok where is the dumpster. He said , no dumpster. just find a road to discard it on as he's pointing behind me to miles of high over grown grassy terrain. Being the environmentalist who never litters, I said you want me to litter? I felt like it was a set up and I would cited with a whopping overpriced citation as soon as I did the terrible act I'm so wholeheartedly against I'm still new to Texas & don't need to break any laws cause captain clipboard isn't going to let me get on ferry to go home. I explained I didn't understand & am unfamiliar with area. That's when sidekick Sally steps in ,takes the jug from deputy dimwit tosses jug into back seat,slams door & points behind me in direcion to take this road, follow it til I see a side road off to the left. Turn on any road,it don't matter which one, Dump it there,then get back in line, what'd not to understand? I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I absorbed every word from useless 26 minute delay. I felt I was treated criminally unjust & forced on how high to jump at their command ,against my will to commit an act that violates my beliefs by contributing plastic landfill to natures beauty that I'm passionate on preserving. I'm not a parasite to earth. It made my heart sad littering, I saw trash & other jugs on roadside. That angered me. I had to discard an item I paid hard earned money for. Additional 1/2 hr wait consumed my time simmering & replaying incident in head. contemplating on writing a letter, but never did. who would I address? Who would care? The random searching dynamic duo was no where to be seen. Probably grabbing a free gas can. My family was madder than I was when I told them. once a month I'm required to use ferry to commute. Been over a year, every trip is same as last,vessel staff do a good job. Terminal staff (land based) appear miserable, annoyed & never see a smile. No friendliness. Can't blame attitudes from their generous pay rate. I must pick the "having a bad day " on calendar each time I travel to Crystal beach. Mosquitos feel entitled to invade vehicle while parked in line if...

Galveston Ferry Terminal: A Scenic Ride Through the Twilight Zone of Logistics

Look, I’m not here to bash the concept of the Galveston ferry. It’s free. It floats. It moves cars from one land mass to another while seagulls scream overhead like it’s a Hitchcock reboot. What’s not to love?

Well… the process, for one.

We arrived at the terminal with plenty of time, following all the rules like good, responsible, line-respecting citizens of society. We pulled into line, shut off the car, cracked the windows, and waited patiently in our self-righteous bubble of punctuality.

And then… the loading began.

Or should I say: the selective, mystifying vehicular lottery began.

Cars that arrived well after us, including a suspiciously cocky minivan that pulled in sideways like it owned the Gulf, got waved on first. Meanwhile, we sat—watching, blinking, and slowly coming to terms with the fact that ferry boarding is apparently governed by a top-secret algorithm only understood by sea captains, rogue pelicans, and possibly Neptune himself.

Is there a rhyme or reason? A pattern? A sacred ritual involving salt and traffic cones that we missed? No clue. But from where I was sitting (in the car, still… waiting), it seemed to be part Hunger Games, part Wheel of Fortune.

To their credit, the staff is polite and the ride itself is scenic and peaceful. Dolphins might make a cameo if you’re lucky, which helps dull the sting of being the 43rd car loaded even though you were the 17th to arrive. Still, there’s a fine line between whimsical randomness and logistical purgatory, and this place walks it like a tightrope over Galveston Bay.

Three stars: one for being free, one for the actual ride, and one because I eventually did make it on the ferry—though not before questioning the very nature of fairness and the illusion of control.

Pro tip: Bring snacks, sunscreen, and perhaps a deck of tarot cards to divine your boarding...

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