Transfer from Houston Hobby airport to Royal Caribbean cruise terminal at Galveston?

[jm313506]

Does anyone have recommendations for how to get from Houston Hobby airport to the Royal Caribbean cruise terminal in Galveston? We'll be on a 7 day cruise in May. TIA!

[WildBlueYonder64]

If you're comfortable using Uber or Lyft, I would recommend using them, as it's much cheaper than a cruise ship transfer or a shuttle service.  For our January cruise, it was $43 from Hobby to our hotel in Galveston for 2 of us. 

[LeeW]

We used Cruise Connection for $44 for 2 people from Hobby to Harbor House and then we walked down the pier the next morning.  Lots of info on the Gulf Coast board https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/316-gulf-coast-departures/

 

In our case we were the only ones in the van with a driver and helper.  They towed a trailer for luggage (with only our two suitcases).  Royal had a different ship in that day and the folks in the luggage area were trying to get us to go with them.

[crusingcouple]

We used Uber both ways.  It was easy and relatively cost effective for our family of 3.

[txskier]

try Galveston Limo

[HBE4]

In addition to asking on the Gulf Coast Departure thread (in post#3), @ssb is the local Galveston expert and may be able to help.

[ssb]

7 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

In addition to asking on the Gulf Coast Departure thread (in post#3), @ssb is the local Galveston expert and may be able to help.

 

Thanks . I will take any compliment I can get. I'm no expert on that at all  ! We do not use transfers much between Galveston Houston ! When we travel we use our own vehicles and park at airports . But other's suggestions have been  good ones. I'll try to pull together some information though !     

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by ssb

[SG65CB]

1 hour ago, crusingcouple said:

We used Uber both ways.  It was easy and relatively cost effective for our family of 3.

 

How did you go about using Uber after the cruise? With thousands getting off the ship how did you find your vehicle / how did they find you and did you have to wait long to get one? (Will be sailing out of Galveston soon).

Edited February 13, 2020 by SG65CB

[HBE4]

9 minutes ago, ssb said:

 

Thanks . I will take any compliment I can get. I'm no expert on that at all  ! We do not use transfers much between Galveston Houston ! When we travel we use our own vehicles and park at airports . But other's suggestions have been  good ones. I'll try to pull together some information though !     

 

 

Sorry, didn't mean to put you on the spot. You've been a wealth of travel related information re: Galveston cruising in the past, it seems like you have all this info at your fingertip. In fact, I thought you worked from the local tourism board. 😉🙂

[blackshirt]

23 minutes ago, SG65CB said:

 

How did you go about using Uber after the cruise? With thousands getting off the ship how did you find your vehicle / how did they find you and did you have to wait long to get one? (Will be sailing out of Galveston soon).

Though I’ve not done Uber from Galveston, (have Uber’d To the port) there is a designated ride share pick up area. I would think the availability of Uber drivers for rides to Houston might be an issue. We used Galveston Limo the last two cruises. If you book them online, the price for 2 is about what an Uber would cost.

[ssb]

50 minutes ago, SG65CB said:

 

How did you go about using Uber after the cruise? With thousands getting off the ship how did you find your vehicle / how did they find you and did you have to wait long to get one? (Will be sailing out of Galveston soon).

Its may not be bad,  because most cruisers are driving to from port . Not Flying ! There is a station for Uber , Lyft and Cabs ! The transfer shuttle companies have a station also !

 

 

[ssb]

54 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Sorry, didn't mean to put you on the spot. You've been a wealth of travel related information re: Galveston cruising in the past, it seems like you have all this info at your fingertip. In fact, I thought you worked from the local tourism board. 😉🙂

 

Not a problem at all . Thanks we try to help . Thanks we have traveled a lot, and glad we can be helpful !

No not with local tourism board . 

But guess you could say we love  the Island,  and we are involved at a lot of levels !   

[wolfcathorse]

we used Galveston Express

[pat1975]

This may seem crazy but we rented a car and paid for parking.  There are 6 of us including two kids in car seats.  We are flying in two days early.  It turned out to be a little more but we will have our car seats and don't have to worry about lyft to run around.  We did a great deal on a minivan.  

[ATC cruiser]

20 minutes ago, pat1975 said:

This may seem crazy but we rented a car and paid for parking.  There are 6 of us including two kids in car seats.  We are flying in two days early.  It turned out to be a little more but we will have our car seats and don't have to worry about lyft to run around.  We did a great deal on a minivan.  

This is what we’re doing in March and there’s only 3 of us. It gives you a lot more freedom to get around.

Edited February 14, 2020 by ATC cruiser

[crusingcouple]

3 hours ago, SG65CB said:

 

How did you go about using Uber after the cruise? With thousands getting off the ship how did you find your vehicle / how did they find you and did you have to wait long to get one? (Will be sailing out of Galveston soon).

 

We just pulled up the app when we got out of the terminal and we waited 5 min or so and our driver was there.  There are lots of numbered areas outside the terminal and we just picked one and added a comment of which number we were at.  He said a lot of drivers will plan to come and go from the airport to the port at Galveston, getting round-trip fares.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, pat1975 said:

This may seem crazy but we rented a car and paid for parking.  There are 6 of us including two kids in car seats.  We are flying in two days early.  It turned out to be a little more but we will have our car seats and don't have to worry about lyft to run around.  We did a great deal on a minivan.  

 

That dors sound crazy. You definitely don't need to do that in Florida.  Two one way rentals is more economical. I think you can check your car seats onto the ship

[pat1975]

32 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

That dors sound crazy. You definitely don't need to do that in Florida.  Two one way rentals is more economical. I think you can check your car seats onto the ship

 

Yes I have done one way rentals in Florida but this topic was about Galveston which is in Texas.  The fees to drop off at a different location are crazy.  Anyway we will probably break even and it will be more convenient than using lyft/taxis and transfers. 

 

[SG65CB]

1 hour ago, crusingcouple said:

 

We just pulled up the app when we got out of the terminal and we waited 5 min or so and our driver was there.  There are lots of numbered areas outside the terminal and we just picked one and added a comment of which number we were at.  He said a lot of drivers will plan to come and go from the airport to the port at Galveston, getting round-trip fares.

 

Thanks.

 

One other thing if anyone has experience - we are staying at a hotel in Galveston the night before the cruise. Will we have any trouble getting an Uber from the hotel to the ship Sunday around 11 AM? WIll all Ubers be at the ship picking up people to take to the airport?

 

[HBE4]

9 minutes ago, pat1975 said:

 

Yes I have done one way rentals in Florida but this topic was about Galveston which is in Texas.  The fees to drop off at a different location are crazy.  Anyway we will probably break even and it will be more convenient than using lyft/taxis and transfers. 

 

 

Agreed. The one-way rental fees are crazy, I think b/c Enterprise is the only game in town. All other car companies are off-island so you'd still need take a taxi/Uber to the port. 

 

But, parking is ridiculously cheap in Galveston so to rent a car and park it for the week is actually cheaper than the one-way rental.  Bonus, if you have some time to kill post-cruise, you'll have a car to get around to explore the island before heading back to the airport.  The overall price might not be that much more than a two one-way shuttles.

[John&LaLa]

25 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Agreed. The one-way rental fees are crazy, I think b/c Enterprise is the only game in town. All other car companies are off-island so you'd still need take a taxi/Uber to the port. 

 

But, parking is ridiculously cheap in Galveston so to rent a car and park it for the week is actually cheaper than the one-way rental.  Bonus, if you have some time to kill post-cruise, you'll have a car to get around to explore the island before heading back to the airport.  The overall price might not be that much more than a two one-way shuttles.

 

We're B2B on Liberty plus two nights in Galveston.  Renting / Parking not an option

[HBE4]

9 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We're B2B on Liberty plus two nights in Galveston.  Renting / Parking not an option

 

Well, that's your fault for cruising too much! 🤣🤣🤣

[John&LaLa]

Just now, HBE4 said:

 

Well, that's your fault for cruising too much! 🤣🤣🤣

 

It will be our first round trip out of Galveston 

 

Did a TA departure in 2005

[HBE4]

18 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

It will be our first round trip out of Galveston

 

 

Will you be doing a live review? I think I mentioned to you that Liberty was my first ever cruise when she was brand new so she has a sentimental place in my heart. Also, was also my most recent cruise last year. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

While not new or flashy like the newer AMP'd ships, she is holding up pretty well.

[John&LaLa]

8 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Will you be doing a live review? I think I mentioned to you that Liberty was my first ever cruise when she was brand new so she has a sentimental place in my heart. Also, was also my most recent cruise last year. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

While not new or flashy like the newer AMP'd ships, she is holding up pretty well.

 

We have the $18 drink pkg🤣🤣

I have no idea. 

 

Hows the internet 🤔

Edited February 14, 2020 by John&LaLa