IAH to Bayport?

[WisCruiser2]

We're sailing for the first time out of Texas in January, from Bayport. Planning on flying in the day before, most likely to Bush & wondering if it would be better to get a hotel close to the airport & do the Princess transfer, or find a hotel closer to the port & cab it the next day (which would necessitate a cab from the port to the airport on return). Princess transfer is $48/pp, round-trip, would this be better than a taxi?

Also, are there any stores close to the airport area, or within a reasonable distance? We always like to pick up some seltzer water to bring on board.

[TruckerDave]

What time are you flying in? There is not much near the port as it is in an industrial area. (Container port, tanker unloading, lots and lots of chemical plants and refineries). About the closest area for hotels and such is in the city of Pasadena and like you said you will need a taxi from both IAH to hotel and then transportation to the port. Once the port gets up and running later this year we will see which (if any) hotels have transportation to the port avail as part of a stay and sail deal.

 

If I were you (depending on how many people are in your group) I would prob just stay near the airport (most of the hotels have transportation to from IAH) and grab the cruise shuttle in the morning. IAH is north of Houston and a bit of a ride to the port ($$$). Now this could change next year once Bayport gets up and running for a while and everybody gets things figured out.(hotels, shuttle services etc etc) but I fully expect starting in Nov (when operations crank up) there to be many "Bayport is a nightmare" threads to show up on here.

[Plant]

I agree with Dave. There's no reason to go from either Bush or Hobby airport to Bayport. There's nothing there to see, very few hotel's and restaurant's.

 

Years ago we stayed at the LaQuinta in LaPorte, TX, but wouldn't do that again.

 

We book an airport hotel (usually Hampton Inn) with the free shuttle (tipping is nice) from the airport and back to the airport the next morning, then take the Princess shuttle.

 

I'd also suggest you take the Princess shuttle from the ship back to the airport after your cruise.

 

There may be less expensive option's, but the shuttle is SO easy :)!

[TruckerDave]

I meant LaPorte was the closest town. Thanks Plant. (The whole area over there just blends together after a while :D)

 

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[WisCruiser2]

Thanks, Dave & Plant, for your quick replies! We'll stick with the shuttle & stay somewhere near the airport pre-cruise :) The flight I'm looking at gets in early afternoon, so it would be nice to see other parts of Houston, but not a deal-breaker. We can be happy just to hole up at the hotel.

[sally44]

We will arrive in Houston the day before our cruise, so plan to spend the night near Kemah Boardwalk, and cab to the port the next morning. Hoping there will be some transfer options to Kemah provided by Princess, but if not we'll probably do Super Shuttle from IAH, then Princess transfers post-cruise. Last year we did the Houston Space Center excursion on the way back to the airport. It was great, but not enough time at NASA.

[colnago]

I thought I’d share my perspective with you since I live 8 miles from the cruise terminal. The last time I took a taxi to the IAH from here it was about $95 without tip. So whether that works out better or worse for you will depend on the size of your group.

As for there being nothing to see, and few hotels and restaurants in the area, I have to disagree. There isn’t much around the terminal or La Porte (7 miles north of the port), but 7 miles south of the port is one of the largest tourist attractions in the Houston area…The Kemah Boardwalk. In addition to the nice restaurants, shops and hotel on the boardwalk, Kemah TX also has a lot of other small shops, B&B’s and a brand new Holiday Inn. Across the highway from the Boardwalk is a Super Target, Walmart and Walgreens for last minute supplies. The Kemah area offers fine dining options such as Opus Bistro, and T-Bone Tom’s which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Kemah is part of what is referred to as the Clear Lake area which includes the Johnson Space Center, and one of Houston’s other big attractions Space Center Houston. That’s probably 10 or 12 miles from the port. Being the center of Houston’s aerospace industry, it a semi affluent area with lots of restaurants and shopping.

So if you stay 7 miles to the south in the Clear Lake area instead of 7 miles to the north in La Porte, you’ll find lots to do.

[Plant]

Thanks, colnago, that's really good to know! When we last cruised out of Houston (a long time ago) LaPorte was the only area that we found recommended. Next time we'll definitely stay in Kemah :) and enjoy the area!

[sally44]

I thought I’d share my perspective with you since I live 8 miles from the cruise terminal. The last time I took a taxi to the IAH from here it was about $95 without tip. So whether that works out better or worse for you will depend on the size of your group.

As for there being nothing to see, and few hotels and restaurants in the area, I have to disagree. There isn’t much around the terminal or La Porte (7 miles north of the port), but 7 miles south of the port is one of the largest tourist attractions in the Houston area…The Kemah Boardwalk. In addition to the nice restaurants, shops and hotel on the boardwalk, Kemah TX also has a lot of other small shops, B&B’s and a brand new Holiday Inn. Across the highway from the Boardwalk is a Super Target, Walmart and Walgreens for last minute supplies. The Kemah area offers fine dining options such as Opus Bistro, and T-Bone Tom’s which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Kemah is part of what is referred to as the Clear Lake area which includes the Johnson Space Center, and one of Houston’s other big attractions Space Center Houston. That’s probably 10 or 12 miles from the port. Being the center of Houston’s aerospace industry, it a semi affluent area with lots of restaurants and shopping.

So if you stay 7 miles to the south in the Clear Lake area instead of 7 miles to the north in La Porte, you’ll find lots to do.

Thanks Colnago,

Looks like we've made good choices so far - I've booked the Holiday Inn at Kemah for one night before our April 2013 cruise from Bayport. Wish we could be there longer, but school break doesn't allow it - I'm travelling with teacher daughter and student granddaughter. But we're pretty good at packing a lot of fun into a short time - now we just need to get ourselves from IAH to Kemah. Is Super Shuttle the best choice for us?