 The Strand plays host to a yearly <unk> <unk> festival , Galveston Island Jazz & Blues Festival and a Victorian @-@ themed Christmas festival called Dickens on the Strand ( honoring the works of novelist Charles Dickens , especially A Christmas Carol ) in early December . Galveston is home to several historic ships : the tall ship <unk> ( the official <unk> Ship of Texas ) at the Texas <unk> Museum and USS <unk> and USS Stewart , both berthed at <unk> Park on nearby Pelican Island . Galveston is ranked the number one cruise port on the Gulf Coast and fourth in the United States . 
