Anyone sail out of Texas?? Help!!

[SugarNSpice8104]

We were thinking about taking a cruise aboard the VOS next year. The only problem is that it goes out of texas, and I don't know anything about texas. Can anyone tell me which airport is the closest to fly into and if there are any hotels close to the airport or hotel that offers a shuttle to the port as we will be flying in a day early. Thanks for the help.

[imarriedasailor]

We are sailing out of Texas next February. We are flying into Houston which I believe is only about 45 minutes or so from Galveston. I have been checking out www.galveston.com for information. Check out www.galvestonlimousineservice.com for shuttle information. Hope this helps!

[brn2crz]

Hi....

 

What month are you sailing.

 

We have a Cruise Critic Group Cruise going for Jan 27th...You can check it out in the links below.

 

Also,there is a seperate board..Gulf Coast Departures..That has tons of info on Galveston,and the airports.

 

For now...There are 2 airports. Bush International (or the Big airport as the locals call it :) )

Or Hobby.

Hobby is closer,smaller a lot easier to get around,but less airlines and flights available...

IAH of course is an International airport,and is about 1 1/2 hours away considering loading time,driving potential traffic and such...

There are several different methods for transpo...I know RCI runs a shuttle from IAH,but not sure about Hobby...And it is kinda pricey...

Galveston Limo is a very popular transport...Not a limo,but a Van..very reliable,and pretty reasonable.There are now a couple of car rentals available...But they are tricky and you have to know exactly how to work the sysytem...But you can get pretty good deals for under 50 each way.

I recommend you post your question there,because it will proabably get moved there anyway..There is a wealth of info ready to be had...

[gooselover]

We did the Carnival Conquest a year or so ago and flew in - to Houston (not Hobby). Yes, there are two airports and I believe Hobby MAY be a tad cheaper.

 

There are several hotels around - do a search for hotels Galveston. I believe the Holiday Inn and/or Intercontinental do have a shuttle to the pier - I'm positive that the Holiday Inn does, but ?? the Interncontinental. But, do a search and you will have answers to your questions!

[Host Kewlguy]

Hi....

 

What month are you sailing.

 

We have a Cruise Critic Group Cruise going for Jan 27th...You can check it out in the links below.

 

Also,there is a seperate board..Gulf Coast Departures..That has tons of info on Galveston,and the airports.

 

For now...There are 2 airports. Bush International (or the Big airport as the locals call it :) )

Or Hobby.

Hobby is closer,smaller a lot easier to get around,but less airlines and flights available...

IAH of course is an International airport,and is about 1 1/2 hours away considering loading time,driving potential traffic and such...

There are several different methods for transpo...I know RCI runs a shuttle from IAH,but not sure about Hobby...And it is kinda pricey...

Galveston Limo is a very popular transport...Not a limo,but a Van..very reliable,and pretty reasonable.There are now a couple of car rentals available...But they are tricky and you have to know exactly how to work the sysytem...But you can get pretty good deals for under 50 each way.

I recommend you post your question there,because it will proabably get moved there anyway..There is a wealth of info ready to be had...

 

 

We flew into IAH and rented a car from Enterprise at the airport. We then drove to Galveston and dropped the car off at their Broadway office. At the conclusion of the cruise we rented a car from Hertz and drove to IAH after touring the area for a few hours. Everything worked out very well. The drive to and from the airport was a breeze.

[TEXASMUNK]

Hobby: 38 miles from the Pier in Galveston

Bush: 75 miles from th ePier in Galveton

 

GalvestonLimo.com: Very good local transfer company and good rates

 

Enterprise: Call directly to insure there is no drop charge. Getting to the Pier is EASY!!! I45 South, turn left after you get over the bridge connecting the mainland to Galveston Island.

 

Hotels: Hobby, just like any other airport is surrounded by tons of hotels from upscale to budget. Pick you choice and go online.

 

Galveston Hotels: Tons of the hotels offer FREE shuttle to the pier on cruise day.

 

Airport choices: Where are you coming FROM? Hobby is dominated by Southwest airlines so you may need to go to SOUTHWEST.COM to see if flights connections are available from your hometown.

 

ANy more questions? Ask away!

 

By the way, be prepared to be spoiled! Sailing out of Galveston means crusing with tons of Texans...the friendliest people on earth!!!!!

[Guest scfjjb]

Hobby is also a good choice for American Airlines (although you may have to connect in Dallas).

[Echo Queen]

Hi....

 

What month are you sailing.

 

We have a Cruise Critic Group Cruise going for Jan 27th...You can check it out in the links below.

 

Also,there is a seperate board..Gulf Coast Departures..That has tons of info on Galveston,and the airports.

 

Can you post a link to gulf coast departures? Thanks:)

[Lightsluvr]

We were thinking about taking a cruise aboard the VOS next year. The only problem is that it goes out of texas, and I don't know anything about texas. Can anyone tell me which airport is the closest to fly into and if there are any hotels close to the airport or hotel that offers a shuttle to the port as we will be flying in a day early. Thanks for the help.

 

Closest airport to Galveston is Houston Hobby. Southwest is the big carrier out of Hobby, but others fly there as well. Houston International is further away but all the majors fly there. If you are in a Southwest city, I'd recommend Southwest. You can either take one of the previously mentioned limo services to Galveston for your overnight, or you can rent a one-way from Enterprise at either airport. See the Galveston threads on the Gulf Coast departure port forum for tons of details...

 

The Galvez Hotel is good and close to the port.

 

LL

[Host Kewlguy]

Hobby: 38 miles from the Pier in Galveston

Bush: 75 miles from th ePier in Galveton

 

GalvestonLimo.com: Very good local transfer company and good rates

 

Enterprise: Call directly to insure there is no drop charge. Getting to the Pier is EASY!!! I45 South, turn left after you get over the bridge connecting the mainland to Galveston Island.

 

Hotels: Hobby, just like any other airport is surrounded by tons of hotels from upscale to budget. Pick you choice and go online.

 

Galveston Hotels: Tons of the hotels offer FREE shuttle to the pier on cruise day.

 

Airport choices: Where are you coming FROM? Hobby is dominated by Southwest airlines so you may need to go to SOUTHWEST.COM to see if flights connections are available from your hometown.

 

ANy more questions? Ask away!

 

By the way, be prepared to be spoiled! Sailing out of Galveston means crusing with tons of Texans...the friendliest people on earth!!!!!

 

 

We called Enterprise directly and were charged a $40.00 drop fee (which may be more now). It ended up being more expensive that we originally thought but we liked the freedom of having a car and not having to wait around for a shuttle bus.

[brn2crz]

Hi....

 

What month are you sailing.

 

We have a Cruise Critic Group Cruise going for Jan 27th...You can check it out in the links below.

 

Also,there is a seperate board..Gulf Coast Departures..That has tons of info on Galveston,and the airports.

 

Can you post a link to gulf coast departures? Thanks:)

 

 

Sure...Here ya go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=414

 

And about the car rentals...From what I understand,theres a lot of different deals going on..Some have the drop off fee waived..Some say its more than the rental...

The biggest problem is that Enterprise does not operate out of Galveston on Sundays..(don't know why no one will committ to this ?? )

The closest open office is between Hobby and Clear Lake..plus the airport..

Some say to call the Galveston office directly,and you will get a better deal than calling the 1800 number...I really don't know how Hertz operates..

I just suggest than anyone wanting to do the rental make several calls and mention that you are a cruise pax...

Like Kewlguy said...It can be done..

[Lightsluvr]

The biggest problem is that Enterprise does not operate out of Galveston on Sundays..(don't know why no one will committ to this ?? )

The closest open office is between Hobby and Clear Lake..plus the airport..

Some say to call the Galveston office directly,and you will get a better deal than calling the 1800 number...I really don't know how Hertz operates..

I just suggest than anyone wanting to do the rental make several calls and mention that you are a cruise pax...

Like Kewlguy said...It can be done..

 

We always called the airport location to make our reservation TO Galveston. Then they provided the number for the Galveston office to arrange our return rental back to the airport. We never paid a drop fee. However, the return rental is higher because of the Port's charges to lease a kiosk at the dock. When you walk off the ship, walk outdoors, there was an Enterprise kiosk right there. They gave you your contract, you got on the shuttle bus to Parking Lot A, and there you picked up your car (in the port's parking lot.) The Galveston office doesn't have to be open on Sundays because your transaction back to the airport is handled right at dockside. That's the way it operated in late 2006. Call Enterprise at Hobby or Bush and get the latest skinny...

 

LL

[TexasMom2]

AirTran also flies into Hobby from a few places, and JetBlue just started their first flight to/from Houston and New York. I believe the fares are about $190.

[Krazy4Kruisin']

My suggestion is to go to Galveston for hotels, if you fly into Hobby Airport. That is not the best part of Houston, and I think you will be much happier being in Galveston with more things to do. Plus, you will wake up and see your ship right there.