transfer question

[Rosie1]

okay, newbie question here...we are flying into galveston a day before our cruise & we have transportation included from airport to hotel to ship. How does this work? I wouldn't think there are that many people flying in ahead of time that will be landing in the same time period as we are. Do we have to sit on a bus for hours waiting for it to fill or do they just put us in a van & send us on to galveston? What time the next morning will the bus be at the hotel to get us? I know we can arrange our own transportation, but since it's already included, it seems kinda silly to do that. Thanks

[rjg41]

The answer is "it depends". It there are many, you may be the first or you may be the last so your wait will depend on that. I doubt if it will be hours but you may have to wait for some others to come in. It will also depend on flight delays etc. Their goal is to do it the cheapest way they can but they also don't want everybody to be upset waiting. If the wait is going to be too long they will send everyone on. Onthe other hand you may be the only ones and then you have not wiat. Talk to the Celebrity rep. who will be looking for you and the others. They should be holding up one of those boards you always see at the airports with Celebrity and/or your name on it, in the luggage area.

 

Have a great time.

[skyview851]

we just got our docs & it says we arrive in Houston at 930a, but that the bus to Galveston does not leave until 130p. Tell me that this is just a random time that they put on the docs. 4 hours waiting in an airport terminal is not the way to start a cruise! If this really is the case, what are my options at that point? Is it too late to try to arrange alternate transportation once you are in the airport? Should I be looking at renting a car now? Help!

[springtxbill]

They usually start running the buses around 10:30 or 11:00. It will be the same buses that are bringing people back to the airport from the previous cruise.:)

[skyview851]

Thanks for the bus info. I am still undecided....it seems one way rental cars are dirt cheap, and I like the convenience of being able to go on my own timetable. We've already paid for the bus, but it wouldn't be the first time that we've paid for something we didn't use :)

[hajekfam]

Rosie-

We have had transfers included from airport to hotel and hotel to port on several cruises (none from Galveston however). Based on our experience at other ports, it really depended on how many people are booking pre-cruise hotel stays. If there are a lot, they will use a bus, if there are just a few, they will use a van. They really don't use that many hotels (usually only two or three) so there aren't that many stops.

[MiataKath]

Hi,

 

We sailed on Galaxy from Galveston and arranged for our own transportation through: Galveston Limousine. They picked us up at the Airport (IAH) and brought us to the Hotel Galvez for our 1 night pre-cruise. The hotel had its own shuttle service (complimentary) and they brought us to Galaxy the morning of our cruise.

 

Galveston Limo has a website: http://www.galvestonlimo.com

 

They also picked us up after our cruise, located just outside of the disembarkation area. Because of our flight time (back to Philly at 5:00 p.m.), we could certainly have done a shore excursion in Galveston to pass the time.

 

Our recommendation, Galveston Limo has it all together, very reasonably priced and the entire process was booked online. Hint: keep all papers with regard to your reservation, etc. just in case there is a mix-up with billing. We ended up being charged twice for their service. I found this out while on Galaxy's Connect-at-Sea area when checking our VISA bill. Galveston Limo ultimately send us a check for the over-charge.

 

Otherwise, have a great cruise!!

 

Regards,

 

Don and Kathie

[jodisue]

We are driving from home (San Antonio) to IAH to take the Celebrity shuttle from the airport for our 6 May Transatlantic. The Celebrity agent that booked the cruise for us told us to arrive at the airport no later than 11:30 and to go to concourse C to find the X shuttle. She said we could arrive earlier if we wanted, but shuttles wouldn't be leaving until about 10-10:30 or so. This is only our second cruise, and our first with X, so I'm a little nervous about everything working out okay, but I'm sure we'll end up at the port somehow!!

 

Anyone have any good long-term parking recommendations at IAH?

[cookie1961]

Personally, I would rent a car if I were to land in Houston again. We were on Galaxy for the New Year's Cruise and it took a very long time to get the shuttle from the Airport to Galveston. Everyone waited in the airport for close to two hours with NO place to sit. We never got a straight answer to the problems they were having. It was most frustrating.