First cruise from Galveston

I know my question is the same as many and bean beaten like a dead horse. We are wondering what is the best option for our family of four. We are sailing on Liberty of Seas, not for a year so we have some time but I'm just startring to research all of this. I like to know what I'm doing early but that is just me. We definitely plan to come down Saturday (day before) and most likely will be flying into Hobby from Baltimore as SW only flies to Hobby. Should we rent a car at airport and return it Sunday morning (or can we even do that, thought I saw rentals are closed Sunday)? Should we stay at hotel near airport and shuttle back to Airport for transfer? Should we stay at hotel near airport and take galveston limo which I've seen some people like. Or is there a better option? Of course I don't want it to cost an arm and a leg. Tell me your thoughts. Just trying to get a feel for our options.

Hobby is the airport you want to fly to, much closer than other. We have stayed at hotels around Hobby and we have booked hotels in Galveston, in general airport hotels are cheaper but it is nice to be in Galveston with the beach and other things to do. WE tend to stay at upscale hotels , we got a good rate for Moody Gardens before our Cruise on Liberty at end of next month, Liberty is a nice ship with plenty to do.

You may be too far out to make those best decisions. You may not be able to get enough information that has to open up from the airlines hotels and car rental companies. If you can get reservations based on what you want to do, and within your budget . Go far now! Or wait until better information is available!

IMO If you want to spend anytime in Galveston day and night before , get a limo and come on down. Enjoy your stay! Your on vacation! Especially if your budget is flexible and enjoy Galveston without all the drama trying to save a buck!

If you are on tight budget, and Galveston isn't important, stay near airport, and take RCCL transfer Sunday morning.

The best time to book a hotel in Galveston is as soon as they open for bookings. We get our best rates then. I go ahead and book something. Then if I get a better deal later on, I will cancel and book that one. Prices really climb the closer you get to your cruise.

We sailed out of Galveston for the 1st time this past Nov. We flew into Hobby and had friends pick us up. We are sailing again in Sep and going on our own this time. Based on what I saw the 1st time, we are going to fly in a day early on SWA, they have the best rates for us out of STL. We stayed in the Red Roof Inn on our last pre-night cruise, it was OK if you just want to get a good night's sleep but if I had to do it over again, I would have stayed elsewhere. We are staying at Comfort Suites for our up coming cruise, paid $134 by booking direct with them, the sooner the better for lower rates. We intend to use Galveston Limo to/from the airport as you book on line, they have a pretty good rate. I too plan far in advance, makes it part of the fun and excitement in the anticipation.

If you want to stay in Galveston you might want to try booking hotel and car rental together on hotwire, priceline, expedia or travelocity. Book hotel for one night in galveston and rent car at hobby airport for the number of days as the cruise. You usually get a price break booking them together.

Load your family in car and drive to Galveston. Stop at BUC-EEs!

I would find the cheapest parking lot to park it for the week or select a hotel that has free parking and free shuttle to and from port.

I like convenience so I would just park at the port. Plus the car will give you the flexibility to move around Galveston before and after your cruise.

Another option to renting a car. Sign up for all the email alerts for car rental places at Houston Hobby. They will have a sales and price breaks. It doesn't cost to reserve a car. Start reserving cars and if the price drops cancel and reserve at the lower price. Sooner or later they will have a $99 or $159 for the week rental.

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We are renting a car through Avis at Hobby when we arrive the day before our cruise. We're staying at the Fairfield Inn in Texas City. Planning to enjoy having a car for the evening to sight see and have dinner in Galveston. We'll drop our luggage at the port Sunday morning, then drive back to Texas City and return our rental car (across from hotel). We will either take Uber (if available) or taxi (quoted $40) to port. We're flying out the day we return and have booked Galveston Limo SUV to take four of us to Hobby. Hopefully it all works as planned!

We are renting a car through Avis at Hobby when we arrive the day before our cruise. We're staying at the Fairfield Inn in Texas City. Planning to enjoy having a car for the evening to sight see and have dinner in Galveston. We'll drop our luggage at the port Sunday morning, then drive back to Texas City and return our rental car (across from hotel). We will either take Uber (if available) or taxi (quoted $40) to port. We're flying out the day we return and have booked Galveston Limo SUV to take four of us to Hobby. Hopefully it all works as planned!

Sounds like a good plan, we might do this. Have a fun cruise, I see you are leaving tomorrow. Also thanks to everybody else for posting.

What time of year is the cruise. Galveston rates are very seasonal. In the summer rates will be crazy even at flea bag motels. Winter rates are very cheap. Check Moody Gardens. They have a bunch of stuff on site for the kids and will have deals on room packages in the offseason

What time of year is the cruise. Galveston rates are very seasonal. In the summer rates will be crazy even at flea bag motels. Winter rates are very cheap. Check Moody Gardens. They have a bunch of stuff on site for the kids and will have deals on room packages in the offseason

We are sailing 4/8/18 exactly one year from today.

We are sailing 4/8/18 exactly one year from today.

I just got back from sailing on Liberty and we had a group of 5 which included 3 teens. I rented a car at Hobby on Saturday and we went straight to Space Center Houston. We had about 3 hours there. We then went to dinner and then drove to Kemah Boardwalk. The kids really liked it. We then went to our hotel (Residence Inn) in Clear Lake for the night. Next morning we dropped the car at Budget in Texas City and I took a pre-arranged cab to the port ($50). This was the cheapest option for me.

On the return, I wanted the most stress-free experience so I pre-booked RCCL transfer to Hobby at $32 per person. A little cheaper than the shuttles ($35 per person plus tip).