Galveston info

[riclop]

Anyone cruise out of Galveston who can tell me what is the nearest airport and how far is the cruise port from the airport ? Also any info on hotels. Thanks in advance.

[usrbphi]

Galveston is 45 min from Hobby airport. It is 1 1/2 hours from Intercontinental. That is with good traffic

We stay at the Hilton. They offer a shuttle to the pier and also allow you to park your car there while on the cruise at no charge.

[nybumpkin]

We flew in late Saturday so we just stayed the night near Hobby and took a limo to Galveston Sunday morning. It was less than an hour ride. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites - they have a shuttle to and from the airport as well as to a few restaurants close by.

[PenguinLife]

As was mentioned above those times are with good traffic, Galveston is a striaght shot down I-45 from Houston, with IAH (now known as George Bush Intercontinental) on the north side of the city and HOU (William P. Hobby) on the south side. So trips from IAH require driving through the center of Houston, or take the LONG way around which can greatly delay things around the typical rush hours. Hobby is the smaller airport (but still reasonably large) , the largest carrier servicing it is Southwest airlines (I mention this as Southwest is a discount airline that only sells tickets directly, not through booking sites like Orbitz, Expedia, etc.). There can still be significant traffic delay from Hobby to Galveston even though it is on the south side of the city (for all practical purposes the I-45 coridor is city (shopping malls and car dealerships) all the way from Houston to Galveston, except for 5-10 miles near the coast that is mostly wetlands).

 

I can't really help out with Galveston hotels

 

Ike

[*Mach*]

There are any number of very good hotels on the Island. I've stayed at the Hilton several times, rather miffed as they wanted ten buck for internet service and the drinks are overpriced but the location is good and they offer free cruise parking.

In February we'll be staying at Casa Del Mar, just down the street from the Hilton but better facilities. All of the rooms are suites with a full kitchen, queen size bed in a separate bedroom, sleeper couch, two TVs, etc. They also have two pools, one of which is heated. Nice place.

There are economical hotels on the Island as well. Howard Johnson comes to mind... just off 45 as you get onto the Island. You have to arrange for a cab to the cruise terminal but that won't run more than about fifteen bucks...

 

As everyone else has mentioned, Hobby is the closest airport with airline service. I find that planning for an hour from Hobby to the cruise terminal is best.

 

The best place to ask a question of this nature would be our Gulf Coast Departures board:

 

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

 

:)

[JRock59]

to check out the Island go to www.Galveston.com

[firefly333]

 

There are economical hotels on the Island as well. Howard Johnson comes to mind... just off 45 as you get onto the Island. You have to arrange for a cab to the cruise terminal but that won't run more than about fifteen bucks...

 

The best place to ask a question of this nature would be our Gulf Coast Departures board:

 

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

 

:)

 

FYI, discount parking is across the street and will take you to and from the port for $5 pp. One person can even go and drop off others, to cut down on the extra person costs if you are parking at the hotel.

 

I agree, lots of hotel ideas on the gulf port departures board.

[AWCHIEF]

Another thing to remember about the terminal parking, it is free for military disabled veterans. You have to show the official disability award letter from the VA when entering the terminal. You do not have to have a disabled parking tag or what every your state issues. I found this information on the cruise terminal website and called them to verify.

[riclop]

Thanks to all for your responces. Looking to book the magic.

[T. Advisor King]

Assuming you're flying in the night before, consider staying at an airport hotel and booking a town car to drive you down. If you are a party of four, it will be cheaper than Carnival's transportation. I think we paid $120 plus tip (or thereabouts) from our hotel near IAH. We booked it in advance, they came and got us, no hassle.