Galveston port help

My husband and I booked a cruise out of Galveston and our original plans were to have a close friend pick us up at HOB (with our 3 year old in tow) and we were going to visit with them for a night and then they were going to take us to the port …. long story short that is not going to be able to happen, the time line just isn't going to work out and now we are totally stuck.

I looked at booking a hotel at one of the hotels that has a shuttle to/from the port but every.single.one. of them is booked solid. I looking into limo and shuttle services but the problem is, is that we are flying in the night before the cruise so we will have to stay the night at a hotel. I have heard renting a car is a nightmare and it is next to impossible to get a cab.

Can anyone, who has done this, offer some advice. I don't know what to do and now wondering if we should cancel our sailing all together. I don't know how to get to/from HOB to a hotel and then from the hotel to the port.

You might try looking for a hotel in Texas City with port shuttle service. That's where we're staying. Galvaston hotels are crazy... and we're cruising Memorial Day weekend which is doubly nuts! You could rent a car to get to Texas City.

Some people have also said they used Uber to get from Hobby to Galvaston and then took a cab back to the airport...

What about cruise transfers? You could stay at a hotel near the airport and then shuttle back the next day to catch the transfer

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Also take advantage of the wealth of information and experienced posters in the Gulf Coast Departures forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=414

My family rented a car and parked it at the port during the cruise and used it to see Johnson Space Center and a few other sites before & after the cruise. It seemed crazy to me to pay not only for the rental car but also to park while on the ship but for five of us it actually was about the same price as the pp cost of shuttles. With a car you will have more options re hotels. We did not look into uber.

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My family rented a car and parked it at the port during the cruise and used it to see Johnson Space Center and a few other sites before & after the cruise. It seemed crazy to me to pay not only for the rental car but also to park while on the ship but for five of us it actually was about the same price as the pp cost of shuttles. With a car you will have more options re hotels. We did not look into uber.

 

 

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That's what I did. Picked the rental car up at Hobby, it was only $149 and parking across from the port, purchased in advance, was only $70. It gives you the freedom of coming and going when you please. Renting a car at Hobby was a breeze. I'm Avis preferred so the shuttle took us to the Avis lot, got in the car and left, no lines, no waiting.

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We're cruising out of Galvaston leaving Sunday with kids and grands -- 2 plus 2 families of 4.

We live about 6 hours from Galvaston so are able to drive. Kids and grands are all from Indianapolis area. When planning travel for them we found transportation from Hobby to Galvaston was crazy. The cruise shuttle would have been over $300 per family plus airfare (about $1400 per family on SW - the cheapest option.). Car rental to accommodate them and all their luggage would've been at least $300 for the week. Not counting terminal parking which we're picking up. Long story not made any shorter... they ended up deciding to drive down and see the sites on the way. Even figuring gas, snacks and hotel they are spending considerably less. And yes, we're still picking up terminal parking -- 2 blocks away and about $50 per vehicle.

What about cruise transfers? You could stay at a hotel near the airport and then shuttle back the next day to catch the transfer

 

 

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Thats exactly what I started to look into, I'm glad you said that as an option cause I thought maybe I was crazy for doing that. Were looking at staying at Hampton Inn next to the airport (and using our points to stay) and then just shuttling back to the airport in the morning the quote I got from Island Breeze Shuttle from HOB/Galveston/HOB was $203.

I have cruised out of Galveston once. We did use cruise transfers after the cruise and it worked great because ship was really, really late because of fog. Was quite a few years ago though

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We are staying at Hampton Inn, they let you leave your car there), and will take a taxi to the port. Look at Galveston departure forum to find suggestions.

By the way, I meant the Hampton Inn in Galveston, not by the airport.