Galveston- How Hard?

[tmoret]

TYhe wife and I are looking at a cruise out of Galveston for the first time. We have cruised out of LA and all over Florida but have never went out of Galveston. I wanted to know how hard it is to get to the port and where is the best place to fly into? We just wanted to look into this before we book. Thanks for all of your help and info.

[firefly333]

Its one of the more expensive ports to fly into and get to the port. Some on my last rollcall said never again.

 

Cant rent a car and turn it in the day of a cruise and shuttles are more expensive than other ports. Be prepared to pay more.

 

I would look at Voyager out of New Orleans next winter over Mariner out of GAlveston if I were flying in.

[Cantor]

Hobby is the airport closest to Galveston. There are Limosine Services that will pick you up at the airport and take you to Galveston. You can find information on them by going to Galveston.com and selecting Cruising from Galveston on the What to Do tab. Cost can be as low as $40 per person each way. Galveston is about 40 miles from Hobby.

 

I have never used these services since we live in the Houston area.

[gacathy]

Its one of the more expensive ports to fly into and get to the port. Some on my last rollcall said never again.

 

Cant rent a car and turn it in the day of a cruise and shuttles are more expensive than other ports. Be prepared to pay more.

 

I would look at Voyager out of New Orleans next winter over Mariner out of GAlveston if I were flying in.

 

My inlaws are on the Voyager right now and then flew in the night before crusie, rented a car, and turned it in the day they boarded the ship.

[firefly333]

My inlaws are on the Voyager right now and then flew in the night before crusie, rented a car, and turned it in the day they boarded the ship.

 

Iv heard other people say the car rental places are closed on sunday...maybe because the current Voyager didnt leave until Monday?? Or they left it sunday when it was closed?

 

Maybe you could give more details as other people have said its closed on sunday.

[jewopaho]

Iv heard other people say the car rental places are closed on sunday...maybe because the current Voyager didnt leave until Monday?? Or they left it sunday when it was closed? Maybe you could give more details as other people have said its closed on sunday.

Enterprise is the only car rental company serving both the airports and Galveston ... and yes, it's closed on Sundays.

 

As noted above, Galveston isn't the most attractive Gulf port. We love to sail from there, since we live only 45 minutes away. You'll find most sailings loaded with "locals," i.e. those who can drive to the ships.

 

Hobby is the closest airport (about 40 minutes away) ... but only a few airlines serve it. Southwest and JetBlue are the major players. Frontier, Delta, AirTran and American also fly there, but the schedules aren't friendly to the ships' departure times.

 

Intercontinental (Bush) is a major US terminal ... but it's 90 minutes from Galveston, and transportation to and from there is expensive ... could easily run $200/pp r/t.

 

The other issue is the itineraries ... same old, same old. Why would anyone fly into Galveston to cruise to Cozumel, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatan ... so many more options from Florida, and it's easier (and cheaper) to get there. Carnival does have an "eastern" run ... but it's Key West and the Bahamas, not places that I'd want to go out of my way to see.

 

The new Carnival Magic will homeport in Galveston year-round beginning in November, which will be good for us locals. Royal Caribbean is replacing the older Voyager of the Seas with the newer Mariner, probably to be somewhat competitive. But it's a part-time home ... November to April, when it heads for Europe. Carnival is in Galveston full-time with two ships ... one doing seven-nighters, the other, four- and five-day cruises.

 

Between the three, it's about right for the cruise passenger traffic.

[Another_OldCoot]

We booked Carnival transportation service from Houston Bush (IAH) to Galverston for $40 each one way or $160 for both myself & wife round trip.;) Carnival only offers shuttle service on the day of cruise which may be a consideration. IMHO the bigger problem with Galveston, at least at this time of year is the fog. :mad: Carnival Exctasy was over a day late in docking last weekend, Sunday late instead of Saturday Morning and didn't get away until Monday noon. A 5 day cruise became 3 days. Carnival Conquest did dock late Sunday instead of in the morning and did not get away until Monday Morn forcing a change in itinerary. Fog has been consistent every evening until mid morning ever since. Praying fervently that all goes well for Mar 6.

[CGBCruiser]

Iv heard other people say the car rental places are closed on sunday...maybe because the current Voyager didnt leave until Monday?? Or they left it sunday when it was closed?

 

Maybe you could give more details as other people have said its closed on sunday.

 

Enterprise is closed on Sundays, but they do have drop off available at their facility. Then you have to get a cab to pick you up there and take you to the port. We have even had to do that here in our town (small!) when my DH had to obtain a rental car for business purposes. We put the key in the drop box and left the vehicle parked in the lot.

 

Also, the Super Shuttle is running now between Hobby and Galveston and it appears to be about $100 per van (not per person) for the trip. You can look online at www.supershuttle.com. I looked into this for family coming in for a cruise...they will transport you to a hotel (the list of hotels they service is on their website) or take you to the cruiseport.

[andersonrm]

When I called Supershuttle for a price quote on a van ride, they quoted me over $100 for 2 adults one way. The better option for us was to rent an ExecuCar through Supershuttle, which came to $106.20, including gratuity. A driver and car will be waiting for us when we arrive at Hobby. We don't have to make the numerous hotel stops like you usually do when sharing a ride. We'll be arriving 2 days prior to the cruise, so if anyone knows of a cheaper way for just 2 travelers, please share!