PernFan

45 South all the way

Thank you

I live in the Dallas area, and have made the drive through the heart of downtown Houston on 45 numerous times. The last time was 2 years ago, and there was a lot of construction just south of downtown that took FOREVER to get through. I'm strongly considering the 8 route for the upcoming drive this summer. The mileage doesn't look all that significant a difference. I'll wait to see what others chime in about that route.

Please update your post after your summer drive. I would be interested to know what you did.

Keep in mind that Highway 8 is a tollway. If you are using GPS as you drive, it will take traffic into account, and offer an alternative route if it calculates it would be faster.

Thank you! Looks like I need to dig out my Garmin.

Suggest you keep it simple and just stay on I-45 all the way through town to Galveston. The traffic is not that bad outside of rush hours. BW-8 is a confusing and potentially expensive mess for those without a toll tag and looking to pay cash.

Thank you! That is exactly what I needed to learn.

We will be driving through Houston on our way to the Galveston port. We are coming in from the north. Both of my suggested routes take I-45 through the heart of Houston. I've been reading that Houston's traffic is horrific. I'm a small town gal. Should I take I-45 or take HWY 8, which is a longer route but goes around the heart of the city? Maybe another route is better? We will be coming through mid-afternoon the day before we embark.

My husband, who will be in a power chair, and I will be sailing out of Galveston in December. I just spoke to a representative from Galveston Dial-A-Ride. She said that they are the only company who would provide accessible transportation to and from the pier. Does anyone have any experience with Galveston's Dial-A-Ride? Threads in other ports mention how unreliable Dial-A-Ride is. Can we trust them to provide timely service? I have no experience using port parking. Would that be a better choice?

The desk clerk at our motel (Hampton Inn) called a taxi for us. She made the call the night before the cruise as she said they can be very busy during the embarkation hours. I think it was yellow cab. Our taxi was a mini-van with a ramp. My husband drove right into the back of the van where his chair was securely tied down. Our driver was not at all rude.

We've always been happy with Special Needs at Sea.