Galveston --> Regal Princess *** Pickleball Cruise Report Day 2
- Bonnie Coffey
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
After a restful night, Ky and I found ourselves with a couple of hours to kill before meeting family for breakfast. The question was: What on earth does one do in Galveston early in the morning?
I had already scouted for pickleball options, but Galveston appeared to be a pickleball desert near the ocean —no courts, no dinks, just beaches and cruise ships. The only option seemed to be a private resort, which wasn’t exactly ideal. But then, in a true display of his Google Maps superpower, Ky (a.k.a. Eagle Eye Ky—yes, that’s what the family actually calls him) spotted nearby tennis courts with pickleball lines on the map! They are at Menard Park. Hallelujah!
We packed our bags and arranged to leave them at the Airbnb past checkout time. Lyft once again came to the rescue (side note: a driver once told us Lyft pays them better than Uber, so we always try to support them). Our driver, a Galveston native, filled us in on the absolute madness that had unfolded the week before thanks to Spring Break. Apparently, we had just missed an entire island's worth of questionable decisions and bad sunburns.
When we arrived, we found six tennis courts, all with glorious pickleball lines! Sure, the nets had to be lowered manually, but hey, better than nothing! The only real downside? We couldn’t quite pull off our "usual" ATPs (Around The Post shots, for the uninitiated). But we made do. Any guesses about the second photo? The same thing was on each court.
Hoping to meet some local players, we drilled for over an hour—just the two of us, like a couple of lost pickleball nomads. Then, just as we were about to pack up, three guys rolled in at 9:45. And guess what? They were there for pickleball! Turns out, they were setting up for group play at 10 am. We were just a bit early, but...
Shane Miller, one of the players, told us the pickleball community had started small, convincing the city to paint lines on just two courts. But demand exploded, and soon they got approval for all six courts—and now, every public tennis court in Galveston has pickleball lines! Way to go, Galveston!
Unfortunately, we had to tear ourselves away—family breakfast awaited. The crazy part? Lots of my family had just been on the Spring Break cruise aboard the Regal Princess—the exact same ship we were about to board! We’re all a crazy chatty bunch, and I’m pretty sure that the decibel level in the restaurant dropped significantly when we left. I love my family!
After saying our goodbyes, we grabbed our bags and headed to the Regal Princess. The boarding process was shockingly efficient—we were on the ship exploring in under an hour! Smooth lines, no stress, and we even made some new “line buddies,” Bill and Carol from Ottawa. Can’t wait to see them around the ship!
Now, the real question: Where do you think we headed first on the ship? If you guessed pickleball courts, you might be onto something. Then to the buffet of course!
But can you really play pickleball on a cruise ship, with the wind, the ocean movement, and random rogue waves? Inquiring minds want to know…
Check back tomorrow to see if we get a chance to play, or if we end up chasing pickleballs into the sea.
(We really need a pickleball emoji!)
Hugs from the Regal Princess!
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