never been to GALVESTON...... need some help

Ive been reading threads for hours,,my head is killing me

so we sail out of galveston on a sunday

we are flying into HOU HOBBY

is it better to stay pre cruise and post cruise near the airport? and then hire a shuttle or car to take us to the cruise pier?

or just book a hotel in galveston near the pier?????

any suggestions would be great!

Galveston has a lot to offer; but, if you just want to sleep then board the ship, find something near Hobby then take the cruise shuttle to Galveston.

There are 2 hotels near the cruise terminals - The Tremont Hotel and Harbor House. Everything else is on the seawall and most have shuttles to the piers.

You have posted on several threads with questions that have been answered.

Galveston, though near Houston (50 miles), is a great city with a tremendous amount of history and needs to be enjoyed over several days. It is a port City near a major City- Houston and considered a suburb.

You are not going to be able to get on a local bus and get to Galveston. There is no train, taxis are expensive and only Enterprise rental is on the island.

We are an island, a major port and vacation destination, but are not equipped to have a one day turn around, get to the port and leave. Utilize cruise shuttle to save money and not worry about when, where, how and how much.

ie: we are going to leave out of Rome (Civitevechia) in the future. Same distance, very expensive. Staying in Rome for many days then utilizing transfers to the port. Just a part of traveling out of ones own environment.

Decide what you would like to do - enjoy the beach and history on an island or stay in a non-descript area near the airport then transfer to the terminal prior to sailing.

The choice is yours.

We would love to have you discover all the Galveston has to offer.

Ive been reading threads for hours,,my head is killing me

so we sail out of galveston on a sunday

we are flying into HOU HOBBY

is it better to stay pre cruise and post cruise near the airport? and then hire a shuttle or car to take us to the cruise pier?

 

or just book a hotel in galveston near the pier?????

 

any suggestions would be great!

If we were to do it over we would stay in Galveston.

yeah just want somewhere to sleep, something near some eating places etc, I think im stressing myself out. LOL...

it just all seems so complicated, we are use to driving to ports we sail from , only flew one other time, and we sailed out of new orleans, but that didnt even seem this complicated...

thank you for the response :O)

I feel as an overall crusie expierience staying in Galveston would be nicer. The area around Hobby isn't what it used to be, and Galveston just has more to offer in one place. Just my $.02 :)

I am sailing in March out of Galveston and am finding the planning difficult also. We want to go in the day before to enjoy Galveston and also to make sure there is no problems getting to the ship on time. The problem is there is no where to drop off a rented car on Sundays. I think this is going to be a problem for a lot of cruisers once the Magic starts sailing from there. Galveston Cruiser - you stated that people should enjoy the island and I agree but as a tourist, we have to have a way around to be able to see the island. No car rental drop off on Sunday's means no way around. Since Carnival only offers shuttle the day of a cruise then that leaves anyone out who comes in the day before due to weather, etc.

I am sailing in March out of Galveston and am finding the planning difficult also. We want to go in the day before to enjoy Galveston and also to make sure there is no problems getting to the ship on time. The problem is there is no where to drop off a rented car on Sundays. I think this is going to be a problem for a lot of cruisers once the Magic starts sailing from there. Galveston Cruiser - you stated that people should enjoy the island and I agree but as a tourist, we have to have a way around to be able to see the island. No car rental drop off on Sunday's means no way around. Since Carnival only offers shuttle the day of a cruise then that leaves anyone out who comes in the day before due to weather, etc.

I know the island's trolley service is not up and running yet due to track damage from Hurricane Ike, but I think they do have some public transport on the island (bus service). Taxis are available also and are not expensive as the island is small! If you stay down close to the pier (Harbor House or Tremont House) you are close enough to walk everywhere down on The Strand area. Many of the hotels will offer transport to and from the tourist attractions as well. If you stay on the Seawall you can walk across the street to the beach and to many places on the Seawall itself. We have taken the hotel transport even visiting for the weekends on the island as it was easier than driving our own vehicle. Just trying to help...

Thanks for that info.

Being a Houstonian, I have a different perspective. Galveston has made itself a cruise port without the infrastructure to support it. Car rental is closed when ships sail. No reliable public transportation and it's not easy to walk to get around. The nearest airports are a significant distance away. We are much closer to Galveston, but chose to go to New Orleans and sail from there. The setup is much easier.

If I were going to worry about transport, I would stay in/near Kemah or Clear Lake and put myself near some activity/dining that I could walk to and deal with transportation costs from there on cruise day.

If you have a car, it's a whole different story. Galveston is certainly not set up to deal with several thousand people every week that do not have a way to get around. The folks from Galveston/Houston that have their own wheels will tell you it's easy, not so much in my experience.

Whatever you do, enjoy your cruise.

Being a Houstonian, I have a different perspective. Galveston has made itself a cruise port without the infrastructure to support it. Car rental is closed when ships sail. No reliable public transportation and it's not easy to walk to get around. The nearest airports are a significant distance away. We are much closer to Galveston, but chose to go to New Orleans and sail from there. The setup is much easier.

If I were going to worry about transport, I would stay in/near Kemah or Clear Lake and put myself near some activity/dining that I could walk to and deal with transportation costs from there on cruise day.

If you have a car, it's a whole different story. Galveston is certainly not set up to deal with several thousand people every week that do not have a way to get around. The folks from Galveston/Houston that have their own wheels will tell you it's easy, not so much in my experience.

Whatever you do, enjoy your cruise.

We'll agree to disagree...I don't live in Galveston, live in Lake Jackson. It is very easy to walk all around THe Strand area and on the Seawall depending on how far you want to go on the Seawall. When we stay at The Tremont House on The Strand, we walk everywhere. You can use their sister property (The Galvez) for the pool, etc. There are plenty of restaurants in either area. It's a bigger pain to drive and park your car on the weekends in either of those areas. If you stay in Kemah on the Boardwalk you can walk all around the Boardwalk area and plenty of places to eat as well. Clear Lake, you're definitely going to need a vehicle.

Galveston is a very unique place with a definate tropical feel to it.Spending some time in Galveston pre cruise is a big part of the fun of cruising from there. My opinion would be to fly in and go straight to Galveston and take advantage of what is has to offer.

Galveston is a very unique place with a definate tropical feel to it.Spending some time in Galveston pre cruise is a big part of the fun of cruising from there. My opinion would be to fly in and go straight to Galveston and take advantage of what is has to offer.

Totally agree!!!

Tremont House and The Galvez unfortunately both require 2 nights stays...I just booked at the Best Western Plus-Seawall Inn & Suites for the pre cruise night. Looks like there are restaraunts within walking distance (Chilis is less that a half mile away according to the website) and across the street from the beach. We will not have a car so hoping this will work out ok!