Galveston Cruise Terminal Transportation

[wbingham]

Booked to sail on Allure of the Seas late this summer (Aug 27th sailing) out of Galveston and trying to make sure I am prepared with my flights and transfers to and from the cruise port as I'll be flying in from Ohio.

 

I have found flights that fly into George Bush International Airport as well as William P Hobby Airport.  Both airports seem to be quite a distance away from the cruise terminal, so trying to figure out the best option for transfers.  Does anyone know approximate pricing for Uber or other ride share apps from either of these airports?  I talked with Royal Caribbean and can book a transfer from the port to George Bush International for my return flight for about $40.  Unfortunately they stated they cannot provide transport to the terminal because (as for right now) I'm booked to fly in the day before and stay at a hotel vs take the risk of flight issues on the day of embarkation.  

 

If it is going to cost me an arm and a leg to get to the cruise terminal, it may be worth it for me to change my inbound flight to Sunday morning and just pay for RC roundtrip transportation and take the risk of flight delays.

[neverbeenhere]

Rideshare(Uber. Lyft) will be traffic dependent but budget $100 from International and $70 from Hobby

[Guest phd1003]

19 minutes ago, wbingham said:

I talked with Royal Caribbean and can book a transfer from the port to George Bush International for my return flight for about $40.  Unfortunately they stated they cannot provide transport to the terminal because (as for right now) I'm booked to fly in the day before and stay at a hotel vs take the risk of flight issues on the day of embarkation

Could you stay at a Hotel in Houston that has shuttle service to and from the airport to get the transfer on the day of the cruise?

Edited January 29, 2023 by phd1003
Misspelled

[Coralc]

19 minutes ago, wbingham said:

Booked to sail on Allure of the Seas late this summer (Aug 27th sailing) out of Galveston and trying to make sure I am prepared with my flights and transfers to and from the cruise port as I'll be flying in from Ohio.

 

I have found flights that fly into George Bush International Airport as well as William P Hobby Airport.  Both airports seem to be quite a distance away from the cruise terminal, so trying to figure out the best option for transfers.  Does anyone know approximate pricing for Uber or other ride share apps from either of these airports?  I talked with Royal Caribbean and can book a transfer from the port to George Bush International for my return flight for about $40.  Unfortunately they stated they cannot provide transport to the terminal because (as for right now) I'm booked to fly in the day before and stay at a hotel vs take the risk of flight issues on the day of embarkation.  

 

If it is going to cost me an arm and a leg to get to the cruise terminal, it may be worth it for me to change my inbound flight to Sunday morning and just pay for RC roundtrip transportation and take the risk of flight delays.

Hobby is quite a bit closer. There are also shuttle services like Galveston Express, Galveston Limo that will take you from airport to hotel and then cruise port to airport. I think I saw one called Island Breeze Shuttle too. Check the departures board or google Galveston Shuttles. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Coralc

[firefly333]

1 minute ago, phd1003 said:

Could you stay at a Hotel in Houston thst has shuttle service to and from the airport to get the transfer on the day of the cruise?

That's what I would do. IAH is about twice as far as Hobby.

[bmarts]

IAH is significantly further away from Galveston than Hobby is. I would for certain book flights to hobby. 45 minute drive vs 1.5 hour drive to the terminal. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by bmarts

[wbingham]

4 hours ago, phd1003 said:

Could you stay at a Hotel in Houston that has shuttle service to and from the airport to get the transfer on the day of the cruise?

 

Did you mean hotel with transfer to and from cruise port?  Right now I have a hotel just outside of Houston booked for Saturday night.  A taxi from airport to hotel is only going to run me about $10, so I'm not too worried about that.  It's the trip from the Hotel to the cruise port the next day that has me concerned.  I would rather not have to pay $80 or more for a taxi/uber from the hotel to port.

 

I never thought to check and see if any of the hotels between airport and cruise port offer shuttles to cruise port.

 

Oh...ok...guess you meant look at taking a shuttle BACK to airport from hotel and then RC provided transport from airport to cruise port Sunday morning.  I can check on that as well.  Thx.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by wbingham

[Guest phd1003]

28 minutes ago, wbingham said:

taking a shuttle BACK to airport from hotel and then RC provided transport from airport to cruise port Sunday morning.

This exactly...We are booked for next year but this was an option. Galveston Saltwater moms was the other but can't find reliable price info and it's still a year out.

[DallasGuy75219]

6 hours ago, phd1003 said:

Could you stay at a Hotel in Houston that has shuttle service to and from the airport to get the transfer on the day of the cruise?

I've done that.... flew into Hobby the day before, stayed at a hotel with an airport shuttle, and took it back to Hobby the next morning to take a cruise line transfer from Hobby to Galveston.

[DallasGuy75219]

2 hours ago, wbingham said:

I never thought to check and see if any of the hotels between airport and cruise port offer shuttles to cruise port.

You'll have to stay in Galveston to find a hotel with a shuttle to the port.  One way or another, you're going to have to pay to get from Houston to Galveston, whether you're going to a hotel or to the port.

[Guest phd1003]

7 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

I've done that.... flew into Hobby the day before, stayed at a hotel with an airport shuttle, and took it back to Hobby the next morning to take a cruise line transfer from Hobby to Galveston.

How did that work for you? Do they have multiple through out the day?

[DallasGuy75219]

26 minutes ago, phd1003 said:

How did that work for you? Do they have multiple through out the day?

Worked out fine.  They continously run buses between the airport and cruise port, but there is a cut-off time for flight arrivals after which they won't let you book a shuttle from the airport to port.  But that time is generally after hotel check-out time so shouldn't be an issue.

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, phd1003 said:

Could you stay at a Hotel in Houston that has shuttle service to and from the airport to get the transfer on the day of the cruise?

There is a Mariott in the Houston airport.  The airport tram stops at this hotel.  

We were on Princess a few years ago.  Got our bags at baggage claim.  Go on the free tram.  Got off at the Marriott.  Checked in and were given baggage tags.  Told to leave bags in room.  Spent the night.  Had breakfast.  Checked in with Princess rep and got shuttle assignment.  Went back to room.  Bags had been picked up.  Back downstairs.  Got on the bus.  Got off at port.  Easy easy easy.

[lx200gps]

On 1/29/2023 at 11:11 AM, RocketMan275 said:

There is a Mariott in the Houston airport.  The airport tram stops at this hotel.  

We were on Princess a few years ago.  Got our bags at baggage claim.  Go on the free tram.  Got off at the Marriott.  Checked in and were given baggage tags.  Told to leave bags in room.  Spent the night.  Had breakfast.  Checked in with Princess rep and got shuttle assignment.  Went back to room.  Bags had been picked up.  Back downstairs.  Got on the bus.  Got off at port.  Easy easy easy.

That's exactly what I'm looking at doing for a possible Princess trip in November, right down to staying at the Marriot. Someone on the Princess board said they had booked the shuttle from IAH to the port on cruise morning for all of $29/pp each way, which seems like a very good deal given the 70 mile one way distance.

Edited February 4, 2023 by lx200gps

[jbrinkm]

2 hours ago, lx200gps said:

Someone on the Princess board said they had booked the shuttle from IAH to the port on cruise morning for all of $29/pp each way, which seems like a very good deal given the 70 mile one way distance.

 

Galveston Limousine has a prebook, online option for $35pp one way and $60 round trip. That's the lowest I've seen to/from IAH from a reputable company. Their reviews seem ok. I thought about using them but then didn't want to be tied to a specific time from the airport (will use rideshare instead) and decided on a private option back to the airport after the cruise.

[lx200gps]

16 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

 

Galveston Limousine has a prebook, online option for $35pp one way and $60 round trip. That's the lowest I've seen to/from IAH from a reputable company. Their reviews seem ok. I thought about using them but then didn't want to be tied to a specific time from the airport (will use rideshare instead) and decided on a private option back to the airport after the cruise.

Thanks, I had seen them before, great prices. At least they have a professional website, unlike some of their direct competitors ;o) Their reviews seem so-so, but the worry I have is their mention of special conditions for Sunday departures in and out of Galveston, i.e. limited hours, higher rates etc.  Of course, we would be sailing on a Sunday....

[sailor05]

On 1/28/2023 at 11:25 PM, wbingham said:

 

Did you mean hotel with transfer to and from cruise port?  Right now I have a hotel just outside of Houston booked for Saturday night.  A taxi from airport to hotel is only going to run me about $10, so I'm not too worried about that.  It's the trip from the Hotel to the cruise port the next day that has me concerned.  I would rather not have to pay $80 or more for a taxi/uber from the hotel to port.

 

I never thought to check and see if any of the hotels between airport and cruise port offer shuttles to cruise port.

 

Oh...ok...guess you meant look at taking a shuttle BACK to airport from hotel and then RC provided transport from airport to cruise port Sunday morning.  I can check on that as well.  Thx.

 

Did you come up with a plan? We're getting ready to book this same cruise and coming from Ohio as well. Never been out of Galveston so trying to figure out the logistics of getting to/from and staying the night before. Did you get a price from RCCL from Houston/Lobby Airport to terminal and back?

[nelblu]

3 hours ago, sailor05 said:

Did you come up with a plan? We're getting ready to book this same cruise and coming from Ohio as well. Never been out of Galveston so trying to figure out the logistics of getting to/from and staying the night before. Did you get a price from RCCL from Houston/Lobby Airport to terminal and back?

I got a quote of $79.99 r/t pp for Bush.  However, could not pin down the earliest departure from Galveston.

[ssb]

Galveston Saltwater Moms for dependable service . We use often for travel,  for we live in  Galveston  . 

[wbingham]

16 hours ago, sailor05 said:

Did you come up with a plan? We're getting ready to book this same cruise and coming from Ohio as well. Never been out of Galveston so trying to figure out the logistics of getting to/from and staying the night before. Did you get a price from RCCL from Houston/Lobby Airport to terminal and back?

 

I have a transport set up with RCL from terminal to George Bush for return flight after the cruise. Was about $36 one way. 

 

My incoming flight is to Hobby the day before.  So I got a reservation at Marriott right there and prolly just gonna Uber to Glavastan Cruise port from there the next morning.  Probably be easier and about same price to just Uber from hotel than trying to coordinate RCL picking me up at Hobby after taking free shuttle back to airport on Sunday.

Edited March 11, 2023 by wbingham

[RocketMan275]

On 3/10/2023 at 7:47 AM, nelblu said:

I got a quote of $79.99 r/t pp for Bush.  However, could not pin down the earliest departure from Galveston.

What is the pickup point at Bush?

What cruise line?

[DavidMutchler]

On 1/28/2023 at 7:09 PM, neverbeenhere said:

Rideshare(Uber. Lyft) will be traffic dependent but budget $100 from International and $70 from Hobby

Getting from Hobby or a hotel near Hobby is easy via Lyft.  Plenty of rides, cost is about $50 plus tip (so about $60) for a regular Lyft, or about $57 plus tip (about $70, just like the quoted person said) for a Preferred (bigger vehicle, but still for only 4 passengers).  So if you have 2 passengers, you are just as well off going with a transfer service (circa $35 per person) or Lyft, your choice.  If you have 3 or 4 passengers, the Lyft is cheaper.

 

The problem is going the other way - from the Port to Hobby.  Everyone is trying to do this at once during the time frame of 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and there are far fewer Lyfts based in Galveston than based in Houston.  This morning (Sunday) I saw prices that were about $110 to $200 for a regular or Preferred Lyft during the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. time period, and often no guarantee of even that.  If you can wait until noon, prices drop back to under $60 plus tip for Port to Hobby, but I don't yet know a good place to spend the time from 10 a.m. (last off the ship) to noon.

I am on an 4/30/2023 cruise, and my problem is that the transfer services mentioned elsewhere in this thread are booked until about noon (by which time Lyft works OK, judging from this morning).  So I need to find a place to relax from about 10 a.m. to noon, with my wife, 2 granddaughters, and luggage.  Any suggestions from anyone out there?

[sjlogghe]

On 3/12/2023 at 6:49 PM, DavidMutchler said:

Getting from Hobby or a hotel near Hobby is easy via Lyft.  Plenty of rides, cost is about $50 plus tip (so about $60) for a regular Lyft, or about $57 plus tip (about $70, just like the quoted person said) for a Preferred (bigger vehicle, but still for only 4 passengers).  So if you have 2 passengers, you are just as well off going with a transfer service (circa $35 per person) or Lyft, your choice.  If you have 3 or 4 passengers, the Lyft is cheaper.

 

The problem is going the other way - from the Port to Hobby.  Everyone is trying to do this at once during the time frame of 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and there are far fewer Lyfts based in Galveston than based in Houston.  This morning (Sunday) I saw prices that were about $110 to $200 for a regular or Preferred Lyft during the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. time period, and often no guarantee of even that.  If you can wait until noon, prices drop back to under $60 plus tip for Port to Hobby, but I don't yet know a good place to spend the time from 10 a.m. (last off the ship) to noon.

I am on an 4/30/2023 cruise, and my problem is that the transfer services mentioned elsewhere in this thread are booked until about noon (by which time Lyft works OK, judging from this morning).  So I need to find a place to relax from about 10 a.m. to noon, with my wife, 2 granddaughters, and luggage.  Any suggestions from anyone out there?

 

Do you know where Uber drops you off at the port in Galveston? I've heard they didn't pay to be able to drop off at the terminal, but then I heard they now have paid. Reserving an Uber is about $30 cheaper than Lyft right now. 

 

Can you reserve a Lyft on the day you return? I've never reserved a ride through Uber/Lyft before, so I'm not sure how it works. I guess I'll see in a week when I have a scheduled Uber from Houston to Galveston!!