Port of Galveston for bringing the ships into the port. Cruises account for approximately 60% of the port's revenues. Unlike other cruise ports in the United States, the port of Galveston can be affected by fog, particularly in late December, January, and February. This can delay the ships' return to port. Beginning in 2014, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission began collecting taxes from returning cruise passengers on any alcohol and cigarettes they had purchased onboard or in foreign ports. Much of the port's profit comes from parking fees. Approximately two-thirds of Galveston cruise passengers drive to the port. The port operates a large
Galveston Island would hold until nearly the end of the 19th century. Galveston for a time before the American Civil War was the largest cotton shipping port in the world and the second-largest port for immigration in the United States. In the mid-19th century, it was a major port of entry for the many Germans who entered the state. During the Civil War, the Union army seized control of the island from the South for a few months during early 1863. Confederate forces commanded by John B. Magruder expelled them from the island, and the Confederates controlled it for the remainder of