Galveston, Texas ? As the cruise ship pulls away from shore, a tropical mood takes over with a band playing island music and waiters handing out rum fruit drinks.

The setting, though, is definitely Texas Gulf Coast. Sticky heat hangs in the air. Oil refineries dot the horizon. Throughout the evening the ship sails amid brightly lit offshore drilling rigs and past big tankers.

A question lingers: Can this really turn into a Caribbean vacation?

By Day Two an answer arrives.

Only the sea and clouds are in sight. The brownish-green tint of the shallower water near shore gives way to the deep blue of the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

Soon, the scene is Key West, the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico.

More than 267,000 cruise passengers headed to Caribbean hot spots from Galveston in 2002, a 79 percent increase from 2001. For many, getting aboard a Texas-based ship requires only a car trip or a quick flight. That’s a plus for passengers in the post-Sept. 11 era who worry about international trips or don’t want to deal with tighter airport security. It also means vacationers don’t have to waste a day of their precious time off traveling somewhere else before boarding.

Cruise lines see the demand and are happy to oblige.

“Texas is one of the highest-ranked states, based on our research, for people with a propensity to cruise,” said Jennifer de la Cruz, spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines. She attributes that to a variety of factors, including the accessibility and appeal of Galveston, a historic island town on the Texas coast.

A group of people gather to watch Carnival Cruise Lines' Celebration leave port in Galveston, Texas. Over the past three years Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruises have begun offering trips departing from Galveston.

Over the past three years, Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruises have begun offering trips departing from Galveston. Norwegian Cruise Line, which started service from Texas in 1997, is resuming operations out of Houston this month after a hiatus.

Carnival offers four- and five-day cruises, and its Princess Cruises is starting weeklong trips. Royal Caribbean also offers a seven-day cruise, and Norwegian will this fall.

First stop: Key West

The ships sail into the western Caribbean, with slightly different itineraries.

On Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas — a ship that departs every Sunday from Galveston — most of the initial 48 hours are spent at sea until the first stop at Key West.

This funky town at the southernmost tip of Florida is known for its spectacular sunset views from Mallory Square. Walking tours take visitors to Hemingway’s house, President Harry Truman’s “Little White House” and a winter retreat of poet Robert Frost.

The Key West nightlife is anchored by bustling Duval Street with its famous bars and restaurants like Sloppy Joe’s — a tavern Hemingway frequented in the 1930s — and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Cafe.

Back at sea, the ship skirted around western Cuba for a full day. Mountains were faintly visible miles in the distance.

Grand Cayman, Cozumel

At Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel the next two days, the vacation reached its peak.

In Georgetown, Grand Cayman, cruise passengers can relax on Seven Mile Beach, tour a sea turtle farm or indulge in shopping for jewelry.

In Cozumel, world-renowned snorkeling and scuba diving are main attractions, though shopping and dining are readily available. On a side boat trip, travelers can also reach the Yucatan mainland to view Mayan ruins at the seaside site of Tulum.

A delightful option for the day in Cozumel is Chankanaab, a pristine national park along a shore of the island lined by coral reefs, where brilliant fish and underwater plants abound. Floating and swimming in the clear salt water take little effort.

Central to cruise vacation, of course, is the ship itself.

On Rhapsody of the Seas, which transports more than 2,000 people, passengers lounge beside two pools or gaze at the sea on a sparsely populated part of the ship’s deck. They take in live comedy or music shows, gamble at a casino, purchase art at an auction or play bingo for big bucks.

Then there’s the food, served abundantly almost constantly and included in the price of the cruise ticket. Chocolate desserts get particularly high praise.

After the Caribbean leg of the trip is complete, the full-day sail back across the Gulf of Mexico might seem like a letdown at first. But the gulf’s shimmering waters are pleasing.