George Bush Houston Airport to Galveston

[c-leg5]

25 minutes ago, TeamCan said:

 

Also looking into options IAH to Galveston Cruise port…Uber, Galveston Shuttle, Galveston Express or any other shuttle services(besides RC shuttle)? Uber seems the most convenient..how is Uber cost wise for 2 people? Has anyone used Uber IAH to Galveston return? I read Ubers are in short supply on disembarkation day at the port and Uber drivers have cancelled reservations + surge pricing, so leary of using Uber to IAH.  TIA

I thought you could do mock bookings for the days and time you require to gauge that? 

 

 

I think Uber would be more expensive than a shared shuttle but again it depends on day of the week, time of day. My only experience of trying to Uber from IAH at rush hour was a 60+ minute wait.

[pamesacruisin]

Figuring out transportation getting from IAH to a Galveston hotel is becoming a major headache! Flying into IAH on a Thursday late afternoon.  One would think it would be easy, but there will be 6 of us and 2 of those people are flying in internationally.  Scheduling a shuttle is difficult because I have no idea how long it will take them to go through customs.  Going through all the car rental options and even though Enterprise has a location in Galveston we can't return cars there.🤔  We'd have to return in Texas City.  Thinking Uber might be the best option but will get rather pricey as we will need 2 XL's to fit 6 of us and all our luggage.  What have other large groups done?

[c-leg5]

5 hours ago, pamesacruisin said:

Figuring out transportation getting from IAH to a Galveston hotel is becoming a major headache! Flying into IAH on a Thursday late afternoon.  One would think it would be easy, but there will be 6 of us and 2 of those people are flying in internationally.  Scheduling a shuttle is difficult because I have no idea how long it will take them to go through customs.  Going through all the car rental options and even though Enterprise has a location in Galveston we can't return cars there.🤔  We'd have to return in Texas City.  Thinking Uber might be the best option but will get rather pricey as we will need 2 XL's to fit 6 of us and all our luggage.  What have other large groups done?

Having flown international many times I would arrange to meet and stay at a hotel near the airport and book a shuttle for the next day to allow for delays and meeting up together.

 

Are you sailing on a Sunday as you say you can’t return the car? Recent posters have reported they are open now for returns.

[pamesacruisin]

4 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Having flown international many times I would arrange to meet and stay at a hotel near the airport and book a shuttle for the next day to allow for delays and meeting up together.

 

Are you sailing on a Sunday as you say you can’t return the car? Recent posters have reported they are open now for returns.

Sailing on Saturday, but actually want to return the car on Friday.  We called Enterprise in Galveston today and they blamed the problem on the airport.???  We're going to try calling the customer service # tomorrow. I'll update what we find out.

[c-leg5]

5 minutes ago, pamesacruisin said:

Sailing on Saturday, but actually want to return the car on Friday.  We called Enterprise in Galveston today and they blamed the problem on the airport.???  We're going to try calling the customer service # tomorrow. I'll update what we find out.

 

In that case I would definitely meet up at the airport hotel for the first night.

Will they be clearing customs and immigration in Houston or will they have had a connecting flight, because it will affect which terminal they are at?

[WeBeCruisinMon]

We’re getting off the carnival breeze on Monday May 6th. Looking to catch an 11:55am flight out of IAH. We get to port at 8am. We’d walk off right away with our own luggage and have TSA precheck. 
Is there heavy traffic port to IAH on Monday mornings after 8am? Thoughts on making this flight? We’re experienced cruisers and have often gotten off the ship prior to the stated arrival time, first time going out of Galveston though.

[buncosquad]

I am doing this embarkation port next month with a 10 person family group flying in from 4 cities around the country to IAH.

 

Using private transfers from IAH to Galveston then spending two nights at Tremont House before cruise embarkation.

 

Using same company for private transfer from Tremont House to port for morning of embarkation. 

 

For disembarkation, once again using same private transfer from port, via Johnson Space Center, then continuing on to IAH.

 

I just want to relax. And have a drink (even if limited in port by Texas law). 😎

[Starrlady]

Hi Everyone we are a family of 8 taking a cruise in September on the Carmival Dream we are flying in day before and looking to find best way to get from Hobby airport to Galveston to our hotel any advice is appreciated as this is our first time going out of Galveston 

Edited April 12 by Starrlady

[ssb]

On 4/10/2024 at 8:45 PM, buncosquad said:

I am doing this embarkation port next month with a 10 person family group flying in from 4 cities around the country to IAH.

 

Using private transfers from IAH to Galveston then spending two nights at Tremont House before cruise embarkation.

 

Using same company for private transfer from Tremont House to port for morning of embarkation. 

 

For disembarkation, once again using same private transfer from port, via Johnson Space Center, then continuing on to IAH.

 

I just want to relax. And have a drink (even if limited in port by Texas law). 😎

You will not be limited in port to drinking by state law . You will be limited by “Royal” because they will not buy in Texas all liquors they serve in Federal waters and at sea. Royal may only serve liquors in Texas they buy and pay tax on . All liquors are available in Texas for Royal to buy . They will no do it . 

Edited April 14 by ssb

[marshalltp]

On 4/10/2024 at 9:19 AM, WeBeCruisinMon said:

We’re getting off the carnival breeze on Monday May 6th. Looking to catch an 11:55am flight out of IAH. We get to port at 8am. We’d walk off right away with our own luggage and have TSA precheck. 
Is there heavy traffic port to IAH on Monday mornings after 8am? Thoughts on making this flight? We’re experienced cruisers and have often gotten off the ship prior to the stated arrival time, first time going out of Galveston though.

We just made our Saturday IAH 11:20 flight with shared van....a Moody garden hotel pickup, and a stop at Hobby.  We were off Jubilee with the suites at 7:50 AM.   Everything had to be just right and thankfully was...

 

[pamesacruisin]

4 hours ago, marshalltp said:

We just made our Saturday IAH 11:20 flight with shared van....a Moody garden hotel pickup, and a stop at Hobby.  We were off Jubilee with the suites at 7:50 AM.   Everything had to be just right and thankfully was...

 

Do you make reservations ahead of time?  Many times we just walk off the ship at our leisure and there are people holding signs to share a van.  Usually a lot cheaper then the Carnival buses.  This is the first time out of Galveston though.

[marshalltp]

We reserved ahead with Galveston Express

[PG_traveller]

I also used Galveston Express both ways without any problem.

 

Yes, Enterprise was open on Sunday. Tons of people there returning cars, waiting for rides, etc. They even had a shuttle to the port. A one way rental will cost you extra, but should be doable.

[TeamCan]

21 hours ago, PG_traveller said:

I also used Galveston Express both ways without any problem.

 

Yes, Enterprise was open on Sunday. Tons of people there returning cars, waiting for rides, etc. They even had a shuttle to the port. A one way rental will cost you extra, but should be doable.

We wanted to rent a car at Enterprise on Sunday after disembarking as we're staying in Houston post-cruise and return the car to IAH the next day.  Do you know if the shuttle pick-ups at the port to bring you to Enterprise?  There are conflicting reviews about Enterprise... no shuttle, poor service, no cars although you had a reservation. Any advice appreciated. Thank you!

[marshalltp]

2 of our 3 recent reservations with Galveston Express were fine.  In particular we had an early IAH departure (11:20), and despite adding a last minute Moody Gardens Hotel pickup with a stop at Hobby, our driver busted his butt to get us there on time.  We did make it with time to spare.  We had an 8am scheduled Jubilee pickup on Saturday morning.

 

The one big problem we had was on our Friday IAH to Galveston Harbor House trip.  Delta delayed our flight by an hour and a half due to maintenance.  They did advise us (9am EST or so) of the change before we left home for flight.  I immediately called Galveston Express to see if we could switch our 4PM CST pickup to 5PM instead.  The dispatcher said he had 4 seats left and not a problem that he would make the switch.

 

We landed early and made our way to Door A-114 by about 4:40.  After waiting a couple of minutes and not seeing the GE sprinter I called to make sure we were in the right spot.  That dispatcher told me if we could see A-114 we were good, and knowing it was Friday night I anticipated delays.

 

By about 5:15 I was concerned and called back to check in again.  This dispatcher told me we were a 'no show' at 4pm and had no record of the switch to 5PM.  He told me the earliest pickup he had was 8:30.  I asked them to refund just that portion of our trips, since they had made an error.  They refused.  We instead used an Uber which was seemless.  Emails post trip continue to deny a refund for that portion of the trip which I think is bad business.

 

We were not a no show, and I feel that since it was there mistake they should refund that portion.  They have offered a future credit FYI, although I have no plans on returning to Galveston anytime soon.  Your thoughts?