Princess Transfers to/from Galveston

[lx200gps]

We're looking at a trip this coming November out of Galveston on one of our favorite ships, the Regal. Ordinarily, we stay away from Princess transfers and do our own arrangements, but given the 70 mile distance between IAH and the port, we are considering Princess xfers this time. We had used them successfully on our only other trip out of Galveston many years ago. Has anyone used Princess transfers recently in Houston,  how much was the per person charge, and what was the earliest available pickup at the airport? We would probably be arriving at IAH very late in the day and would rather stay at the airport Marriot and take the Princess shuttle the morning of the cruise.  Thanks in advance....

[Honolulu Blue]

20 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

We're looking at a trip this coming November out of Galveston on one of our favorite ships, the Regal. Ordinarily, we stay away from Princess transfers and do our own arrangements, but given the 70 mile distance between IAH and the port, we are considering Princess xfers this time. We had used them successfully on our only other trip out of Galveston many years ago. Has anyone used Princess transfers recently in Houston,  how much was the per person charge, and what was the earliest available pickup at the airport? We would probably be arriving at IAH very late in the day and would rather stay at the airport Marriot and take the Princess shuttle the morning of the cruise.  Thanks in advance....

I'm in a similar position - coming into IAH the morning of a cruise on the Ruby in April.  I booked a transfer on Princess because the other options were either far more expensive, take up too much time, or both.  It was $29 for me each way.  I trust Princess to make this work.  🙏  So any comments you get are likely to help both of us.

[lx200gps]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm in a similar position - coming into IAH the morning of a cruise on the Ruby in April.  I booked a transfer on Princess because the other options were either far more expensive, take up too much time, or both.  It was $29 for me each way.  I trust Princess to make this work.  🙏  So any comments you get are likely to help both of us.

Thanks for the data point. $58 for the two of us each way isn't bad at all given the distance. I realize Princess shuttles involve some waiting while the bus fills up, so they aren't the best possible option if one is pressed for time, but for sheer convenience, meeting the rep with the Princess sign in the baggage claim area and getting on a bus isn't that bad. And for $58 each way for two, I think it's a great deal. Any chance you know the pickup schedule, when the first buses leave IAH?  How did you book the shuttle, it isn't very obvious on the Princess site.

[bagney]

We are booked on the Regal Princess out of Galveston for March 2024 and this is what is shown in my Cruise Personalizer for transfer from IAH to Ship per person:

Edited February 4, 2023 by bagney
correction

[Honolulu Blue]

22 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

Thanks for the data point. $58 for the two of us each way isn't bad at all given the distance. I realize Princess shuttles involve some waiting while the bus fills up, so they aren't the best possible option if one is pressed for time, but for sheer convenience, meeting the rep with the Princess sign in the baggage claim area and getting on a bus isn't that bad. And for $58 each way for two, I think it's a great deal. Any chance you know the pickup schedule, when the first buses leave IAH?  How did you book the shuttle, it isn't very obvious on the Princess site.

Here's how I got to the option of booking my shuttles:

 

• Fire up the computer and go to "My Account"
• Click on the green "Manage This Booking" button
• Click on the blue "Travel" button on top
• On the bottom of the screen you'll see a "Transfers" section.  On the left is for Pre-Cruise, on the right is for Post-Cruise
• Click on the appropriate drop down button for the shuttles you want.  There should be an option for IAH and HOU.  Make sure you choose the right one(s).
• If you choose to get a shuttle, be sure to go back up and look at the "Provide Independent Air Section".  Click on the "Select" button and fill in the information for your flight(s).

 

I didn't see any pickup schedule.

[Honolulu Blue]

4 minutes ago, bagney said:

We are booked on the Regal Princess out of Galveston for March 2024 and this is what is shown in my Cruise Personalizer for transfer from IAH to Ship per person:

Very interesting.  When I was looking for the transfers, I noticed that my price for a transfer to HOU - not IAH - was the price you're showing here.  Maybe they raised the prices after I booked?

[bagney]

My Cruise Personalizer shows the same price from IAH or HOU. Same for transfers back, ship to IAH or HOU.

[Projunior]

We flew into IAH the day before our January 15 cruise on the Ruby. We stayed at the airport Marriott. The transfer instructions from Princess instructed all passengers who were not arriving at IAH the day of the cruise to meet the Princess rep at terminal C at 10AM on the day of the sailing. We took the IAH Subway directly from the hotel to the terminal where Princess had a desk set up. After we checked in we waited around 45 minutes to an hour before boarding the bus. The transfers were $54/pp one way.

[Thrak]

We took the transfer from Galveston to IAH. It was "interesting". The bus driver drove with his elbows part of the time while he fiddled with his phone.  He went "slightly" off the edge of the road at one point and caused a huge bump. One man hit his head on the overhead at that point. The driver was erratic and went well over the speed limit. When we arrived at the airport he told everybody to get off. Then he started pulling out luggage. When asked if this was the proper terminal for our flights he had no idea. A couple of the other passengers said this was definitely not the terminal for United so half of us had to get back on the bus. Some had to tell him to put their luggage back in the compartment. When we finally got to the proper terminal the driver was confused as to what to do and finally had to be directed by someone in the lot who seemed pretty unhappy with the driver.

 

Yes, we got to the airport on time and didn't have to deal with booking private transportation but the Princess transfer was definitely botched big time. It was like they just snagged some random driver who had no clue at all what he was doing and who was a terrible (and dangerous) driver.

[PescadoAmarillo]

My husband has happily used Galveston Express twice this winter and will use it again. The fares differ from Hobby and IAH, but from Hobby it’s just $30 for a senior. Princess charges the same for either airport and it’s $54. 

[Thrak]

20 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

My husband has happily used Galveston Express twice this winter and will use it again. The fares differ from Hobby and IAH, but from Hobby it’s just $30 for a senior. Princess charges the same for either airport and it’s $54. 

 

When we sailed in December we were told that Princess didn't offer a transfer to Hobby.

[PescadoAmarillo]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

When we sailed in December we were told that Princess didn't offer a transfer to Hobby.

They didn’t until the second or third cruise out of Galveston. Now they do, but it’s the same price as the transfer to Bush. But your experience doesn’t make it sound very attractive.

[JimmyVWine]

If you can really get the Princess transfer for $29 per person, grab it and don’t look back. But I don’t think that is the current going rate. 

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

If you can really get the Princess transfer for $29 per person, grab it and don’t look back. But I don’t think that is the current going rate. 

I did, and increasingly it's looking like they changed the rate since I booked a few weeks ago.

 

I hope I haven't confused the OP too much.

[caribill]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

We took the transfer from Galveston to IAH. It was "interesting". The bus driver drove with his elbows part of the time while he fiddled with his phone.  He went "slightly" off the edge of the road at one point and caused a huge bump. One man hit his head on the overhead at that point. The driver was erratic and went well over the speed limit. When we arrived at the airport he told everybody to get off. Then he started pulling out luggage. When asked if this was the proper terminal for our flights he had no idea. A couple of the other passengers said this was definitely not the terminal for United so half of us had to get back on the bus. Some had to tell him to put their luggage back in the compartment. When we finally got to the proper terminal the driver was confused as to what to do and finally had to be directed by someone in the lot who seemed pretty unhappy with the driver.

 

Yes, we got to the airport on time and didn't have to deal with booking private transportation but the Princess transfer was definitely botched big time. It was like they just snagged some random driver who had no clue at all what he was doing and who was a terrible (and dangerous) driver.

 

Princess contracts with a company and that company selects the bus and driver.

 

Often the bus companies get drivers from out of town who are very unfamiliar with Houston and the airports.

 

This is not limited to cruise lines. Houston has a big rodeo over several weeks each year. There are park and ride lots that a bus then takes people to the Rodeo and later back to the parking lot.

 

Often the drivers are from out of the area and truly have no idea how to get from point A to point B. I have been on more than one Park & Ride bus where the passengers had to tell the driver the route back to the lot.

 

 

[lx200gps]

OP here, thanks for all the feedback. Unfortunately. we don't yet have the cruise booked, we're only still in the research phase. That's why I can't see the option to select transfers, it's probably only available under "Manage My Booking" once you have a cruise formally booked.

 

Although there are cheaper options than Princess, if we're going to use transfers, I'd still rather opt for the cruise line, for the all-important "guaranteed arrival", i.e. little to no danger of the ship leaving without you on Embarkation Day.  What about the return to IAH from the port? We are looking at a 12:30 flight home, though the best flights are at 7:30AM which would require an overnight stay until the next day. Do Princess also "guarantee" your safe arrival at  IAH in time to connect with your flight, and if so, would a 12:30PM flight qualify or is it too early? Thanks again for all the inputs.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, lx200gps said:

OP here, thanks for all the feedback. Unfortunately. we don't yet have the cruise booked, we're only still in the research phase. That's why I can't see the option to select transfers, it's probably only available under "Manage My Booking" once you have a cruise formally booked.

 

Although there are cheaper options than Princess, if we're going to use transfers, I'd still rather opt for the cruise line, for the all-important "guaranteed arrival", i.e. little to no danger of the ship leaving without you on Embarkation Day.  What about the return to IAH from the port? We are looking at a 12:30 flight home, though the best flights are at 7:30AM which would require an overnight stay until the next day. Do Princess also "guarantee" your safe arrival at  IAH in time to connect with your flight, and if so, would a 12:30PM flight qualify or is it too early? Thanks again for all the inputs.

Yeah, I don't think you'll be able to see the transfer options until you actually book.

 

Keep in mind that it takes about 1 1/2 hours to get from the port to IAH - add to it if there's heavy traffic and/or construction.  I don't think Princess formally guarantees an on-time arrival to the airport.

 

Let's assume you're scheduled to arrive at 7 (which happens to be the return time for my cruise).  Assuming there's no fog (a hazard in Galveston, depending on the time of year) and not too many delays otherwise, you should be at IAH between 10 and 11.  It's a little risky, but it would be a risk that I would accept.  Others may feel differently.  I wouldn't schedule a flight out of IAH before noon with a 7 AM scheduled arrival.  

[bagney]

I have copied directly from my Cruise Personalizer (under Travel Itinerary tab) for our Regal Princess cruise from Galveston in March 2024:

 

AIR FLIGHT GUIDELINES

If you have purchased independent air arrangements, please ensure your air schedule falls within these guidelines as Princess is not responsible for making any alternate arrangements or for any out of pocket expenses that may arise should you miss your cruise or cruisetour and/or return flight. The times listed below are subject to change.
Embarkation: Galveston - Latest flight arrival: Houston (IAH) - 4 hours before the ship's departure. Houston (HOU) - 3 hours, 30 minutes before the ship's departure.

Disembarkation: Galveston - Earliest flight departure: Houston (IAH & HOU) - 6 hours, 30 minutes after the ship's arrival.

[Projunior]

We took the Princess transfer from the port to IAH following our Ruby cruise on Jan 21. The bus left the port somewhere between 8:30  and 9. On both the IAH to the port transfer and again the other way, we were told to expect a 90 minute ride. It was just over 60 minutes each time; these were Sundays and traffic was light. Our flight was also at 12:30 and we made it easily. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Projunior

[travellingnana]

We took the Princess transfer from IAH in January.  $29 each, and the transfer worked well.  We were told to be at the terminal by 10AM (we had gotten into Houston a couple of days before), we got there early and were on the bus by 10.  Took it back to IAH after the cruise.  Were told to book flight 6.5 hrs after the ships arrival  Got back to IAH by around 10AM...had a long wait at the airport until our flight left at 2.

[EDDY0827]

seeing how the last post was 8 months ago, contact them directly.

[bagney]

1 hour ago, matt266507 said:

Hi.  Do you have any info re: schedules for the shuttle both departing IAH to Galveston and Departing Galveston to IAH?  Thanks!

I was quoting prices Princess Cruises website in my Cruise Personalizer. For Princess transfers, there is no set schedule that I am aware of - the motor coaches leave when they are full or when they decide to go.

[thumper114]

Anyone know what terminal in IAH they depart from?

[beshears]

My son and I were just talking about this same issue (getting airline tickets too) for the 8 of us for our February trip. We are thinking at this time to book the Princess transfer to get us from the ship, back to the airport ON TIME!!! I just emailed my PVP, and ASK her if Princess GUARANTEES that we will arrive at the airport in plenty of time to get our flight.

[Host Kat]

On 11/6/2023 at 1:45 PM, beshears said:

My son and I were just talking about this same issue (getting airline tickets too) for the 8 of us for our February trip. We are thinking at this time to book the Princess transfer to get us from the ship, back to the airport ON TIME!!! I just emailed my PVP, and ASK her if Princess GUARANTEES that we will arrive at the airport in plenty of time to get our flight.

 

@beshears

 

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