IAH to Galveston - Why does this seem so hard?

[Baggageman]

Family of 4 flying in from California and arriving at IAH at noon. RC tells me it's too late to get their shuttle. What other reliable options are there?

 

Or if we arrive a day earlier where do I stay and how do I get to Galveston? Has anyone rented a car one way from IAH to Galveston.

 

For some reason this connection has me really confused.

 

Thanks experts!!

[Clarea]

Regarding car rental, there is no agency on the island that will accept one-way rentals.

 

We used Super Shuttle this past September and were pleased with their service.

[Starry Eyes]

Family of 4 flying in from California and arriving at IAH at noon. RC tells me it's too late to get their shuttle. What other reliable options are there?

 

Or if we arrive a day earlier where do I stay and how do I get to Galveston? Has anyone rented a car one way from IAH to Galveston.

 

For some reason this connection has me really confused.

 

Thanks experts!!

 

 

IAH, as you have probably learned, is a substantial distance from Galveston. So, a noon arrival is just cutting it too close for comfort. Even a small delay (air or land) could cause you to miss your cruise:eek:

 

So, I would suggest you fly in a day ahead.

 

If you do decide to fly in the day before, you then have a decision to make: where to stay.

 

If you are flying in late the day before and just want to crash for the night, you may want to grab a hotel near IAH; many have airport shuttles. Then you might want to grab a shuttle as Bob suggested. You might find others on your cruise's roll call to share the shuttle and cut costs.

 

Or maybe your flight is earlier and you'd like to see something in the Houston area. Maybe the Galleria or a museum or the space center. If so, pick a hotel in some area of interest or some convenient spot. Maybe rent a car from Avis or Budget, picking up at IAH and returning to Texas City location on the day of the cruise. For $50 for all four of you, that car rental return location will drop you off (using your own rental car, so get one big enough for 5 for a short time so there is space for the driver, too). You can pick a hotel anywhere convenient for you, and you'll have a car to enjoy sightseeing. (you can check Enterprise in Galveston to see if they will accept a one way rental on your dates, but often they will not do it)

 

Or maybe you want to stay in Galveston the night before the cruise. Hotels there can be affordable or pricey depending upon the season/dates. To do this, you'll probably want a shuttle (like Bob mentioned) from IAH to your Galveston hotel, then a shuttle or taxi from hotel to pier on day of cruise.

 

You do have many choices to make. I struggled a bit before I decided how to handle it. In the end, I did the Avis one way rental. We stayed in Texas City at the Hampton for convenience and returned the rental car to Texas City Avis on the day of cruise as soon as Avis opened. They charged us $50 for a drop off at the port; it went well and I would be happy to use them again pre-cruise

 

Good luck and come back for more help if needed after you think things over. You'll find other threads on this forum on this topic, too.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Starry Eyes

[indolent]

Regarding car rental, there is no agency on the island that will accept one-way rentals.

 

We used Super Shuttle this past September and were pleased with their service.

 

Doesn't enterprise take one way rentals? Other posters have stated that there is just a significant surcharge when doing a one way from the airport.

Edited February 19, 2015 by indolent

[Starry Eyes]

Doesn't enterprise take one way rentals? Other posters have stated that there is just a significant surcharge when doing a one way from the airport.

 

enterprise would not accept a one way rental reservation on my dates recently. Maybe they will other times, but not when I needed them.

[TruckerDave]

IAH is about 75 miles form the port. Figure 2 hrs travel time minimum as downtown Houston lies between the airport and Galveston. By the time you deplane, get to baggage claim, wait for luggage then exit to some sort of transportation to the island there is a pretty good chance you will arrive just in time to have a nice view of the ship sailing without you.

 

Arriving the day/night before is the best option. There are many hotels around the airport (pretty much every major chain has a property) with a shuttle. (There is also a Marriott right at the airport). You can (depending on arrival time) just land, got to local hotel and take hotel shuttle back to airport in the morning and catch the RCI shuttle if that is what you desire. It's really not complicated, just a longer distance that other ports.

[vbecky]

We rented a car last year which was close to about 400 for the week. This year there is 9 of us and we are using super shuttle, for an exclusive van holds up to 10 people so from 1 - 10 people it was 170.00. Have never used super shuttle at that location but have at other so hoping for the best.;)

[kirlie]

One thing you will want to account for is getting stuck in Houston traffic. iAH is in north Houston. The highway you'll take down to Galveston goes through downtown Houston and even on a good day gets backed up. I'll echo everyone else and say fly in the night before. Or try to find another flight that flys into Hobby. Hobby is in south Houston and is a much better drive to Galveston.

[ssb]

One thing you will want to account for is getting stuck in Houston traffic. iAH is in north Houston. The highway you'll take down to Galveston goes through downtown Houston and even on a good day gets backed up. I'll echo everyone else and say fly in the night before. Or try to find another flight that flys into Hobby. Hobby is in south Houston and is a much better drive to Galveston.

 

Most rentals transfers will take the beltway east around Houston and not thru downtown

Unless have other stops.

[cruzinisgood]

:)

Family of 4 flying in from California and arriving at IAH at noon. RC tells me it's too late to get their shuttle. What other reliable options are there?

 

Or if we arrive a day earlier where do I stay and how do I get to Galveston? Has anyone rented a car one way from IAH to Galveston.

 

For some reason this connection has me really confused.

 

Thanks experts!!

 

 

You might look into private transportation. There are quite a few of them. They're not as expensive as you may think. Comparable to taking a taxi. We are arriving 2 days prior to our cruise but there is 8 of us so I emailed quite a few for quotes. Elite Limo, Sam's Limo etc.. Also they will be able to tell you and help you figure out if you will make the cruise in time

[vbecky]

Have you found that these private company's are cheaper than super shuttle?

[kelmac]

My wife and I looked at the option of using a private car service and it was pretty expensive. In the end, it was better to rent a car, travel to our hotel in Galveston, and drive to the port and pay to park the car for the week, and return it to the airport after disembarkation. About the same price as the car service and we had all the control.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Stevesan]

My wife and I looked at the option of using a private car service and it was pretty expensive. In the end, it was better to rent a car, travel to our hotel in Galveston, and drive to the port and pay to park the car for the week, and return it to the airport after disembarkation. About the same price as the car service and we had all the control.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

An excellent recommendation!!!

 

BTW - Park And Cruise is across the street from the terminal.

Baggage Man can easily roll his luggage from there to the terminal.

 

http://galvestonparkncruise.com/

Edited February 25, 2015 by Stevesan

[indolent]

enterprise would not accept a one way rental reservation on my dates recently. Maybe they will other times, but not when I needed them.

 

If you call a local office, and select the option to make a reservation, you get transferred to the main reservation line. I found that they wouldn't accept a one way rental this way.

 

If you select the option to talk to a representative at the local office, they will book it just fine. I made the reservation on the west side of Houston (staying with family) and they said there would still be a $50 drop fee so it would still be a little over $100 for one day.

[houstoncruisers2001]

I feel for all you out of town cruisers that fly into Houston for a Galveston cruise. I drove a limo part time for 12 years and I heard about it every weekend as I drove cruisers to and from the cruise terminal in Galveston.

[jsglow]

I feel for all you out of town cruisers that fly into Houston for a Galveston cruise. I drove a limo part time for 12 years and I heard about it every weekend as I drove cruisers to and from the cruise terminal in Galveston.

 

Just beginning my exploration of this issue. Certainly understand all the way from Bush. Generally speaking is it a different story from Hobby?

[Need-a-vacation]

My wife and I looked at the option of using a private car service and it was pretty expensive. In the end, it was better to rent a car, travel to our hotel in Galveston, and drive to the port and pay to park the car for the week, and return it to the airport after disembarkation. About the same price as the car service and we had all the control.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

I just checked this option for our trip in June and the rental car costs were over $500!! I think I need to keep looking!!

 

Looks like it would cost me about $100 to rent a car at IAH for my 2 days prior and return it to the airport to take the Carnival shuttle, or right around $200 rent at IAH and drop at Texas City Saturday morning. I did notice I could return it to Hobby instead of IAH for the same rental costs, so that might be a less painful option -- closer to where I'd be staying and cheaper for the Carnival shuttle.

[JohnandKatr]

If you call a local office, and select the option to make a reservation, you get transferred to the main reservation line. I found that they wouldn't accept a one way rental this way.

 

If you select the option to talk to a representative at the local office, they will book it just fine. I made the reservation on the west side of Houston (staying with family) and they said there would still be a $50 drop fee so it would still be a little over $100 for one day.

 

I spoke directly with Enterprise in Galveston and the Mgr (think name was Chris, but can't remember exactly) there told me that they are no longer accepting one-ways and that despite what I was told by another rep at Enterprise (was told that I should just book a roundtrip from airport and then just drop off at Galveston for an add'l $100 drop fee), that the rep misinformed me and that the fee would be at least and add'l $500 OR they would flat out refuse to take car and then I'd have to return it to airport....SO, we decided to rent thru Hertz instead for the week for $280 and park car at hotel in Galvestion for a total of $18...seems wasteful, but it's cheaper than anything else I've found. We're also coming in 4 days before cruise, so having use of vehicle will be nice.

Edited March 23, 2015 by JohnandKatr

[kelmac]

I just checked this option for our trip in June and the rental car costs were over $500!! I think I need to keep looking!!

 

Looks like it would cost me about $100 to rent a car at IAH for my 2 days prior and return it to the airport to take the Carnival shuttle, or right around $200 rent at IAH and drop at Texas City Saturday morning. I did notice I could return it to Hobby instead of IAH for the same rental costs, so that might be a less painful option -- closer to where I'd be staying and cheaper for the Carnival shuttle.

 

Wow! Must be a high demand week? We paid less than $200 for an eight day rental. Parking was $65.

Hope things come around for you and good luck!

Kel:)

[Need-a-vacation]

I think there must be something going on that week because I am getting warnings about low inventory at the location. I should check Costco and see if it's just as bad

[Vidakatten]

Hi all! I have read and I´m joining this thread and hope to get som information! Anyone who have good or bad experiences from the transfer between IAH and Galveston? Since we will arrive the evening before the cruise (tired and jet lagged after a long trip) it feels better to what to do in advance than to deal with it when we arrive.

Since we arrive the day before we can't book the transfer with RCL, don't know why.

 

We will stay at a hotel close to the airport that night and we will leave for Galveston the next morning. We are 4 persons. Have been looking around for taxis, limos, shuttles..... and Im just confused.....! As I understand there is a fee for the taxis to get in to the terminal area? How do I know if its incl in the price or not?

We are not cruising until June, but this "transfer thing" worries me a bit, since Im kind of a control freak....and I know how confused and tired I am after a long trip from Europe On top of that I have to consider us as "first time cruisers" since we just cruised once and it was 20 years ago, with no kids!!

 

Kind regards to all of you from Sweden!

[buffy24]

Costco prices were better, but not by much. At least that is the way it was when I checked a month or so ago.

[indolent]

Hi all! I have read and I´m joining this thread and hope to get som information! Anyone who have good or bad experiences from the transfer between IAH and Galveston? Since we will arrive the evening before the cruise (tired and jet lagged after a long trip) it feels better to what to do in advance than to deal with it when we arrive.

Since we arrive the day before we can't book the transfer with RCL, don't know why.

 

We will stay at a hotel close to the airport that night and we will leave for Galveston the next morning. We are 4 persons. Have been looking around for taxis, limos, shuttles..... and Im just confused.....! As I understand there is a fee for the taxis to get in to the terminal area? How do I know if its incl in the price or not?

We are not cruising until June, but this "transfer thing" worries me a bit, since Im kind of a control freak....and I know how confused and tired I am after a long trip from Europe On top of that I have to consider us as "first time cruisers" since we just cruised once and it was 20 years ago, with no kids!!

 

Kind regards to all of you from Sweden!

 

Just returned last Sunday. Enterprise rent a car in Galveston wouldn't take us to the terminal, so we had to take a taxi. There was no extra fee to be dropped at the terminal, we only paid the metered fair plus tip.

 

I believe the fee you are referencing is charged to private shuttles and limos.

[Vidakatten]

Just returned last Sunday. Enterprise rent a car in Galveston wouldn't take us to the terminal, so we had to take a taxi. There was no extra fee to be dropped at the terminal, we only paid the metered fair plus tip.

 

I believe the fee you are referencing is charged to private shuttles and limos.

 

I didn't think about that it could be a difference. Thank you!

How much did you pay for the ride?

[indolent]

I didn't think about that it could be a difference. Thank you!

How much did you pay for the ride?

 

The fare was just under $20.