HOUSTON-Pre cruise hotel and transfers...worth it?

Hi all: We (4 of us) are traveling in January on the CB out of Houston. We're flying in on Saturday, embarking on Sunday? I understand the port is a bit out of the way. We normally leave from FL and have that down to a science, so this is all new. I'm a bit worried about the fog I keep hearing about as well. What are your opinions on how to handle? What's a good hotel to stay in the night before and is it more economical to use the princess transfers or cab? Your thoughts are much appreciated.

Which airport? Bush is more difficult. Hobby is a lot closer. You should plan on travelling in the day prior.

You can certainly save some money by handling those things yourself. However, if something goes wrong you will be the one paying for it.

In March 2013, we flew into Bush. I knew it would be a very late arrival and wanted to minimize the hassles so we booked through Princess. We avoided having to find a cab, load our bags, travel to the hotel, load our bags again, and travel to the port. Princess used the Marriott at the airport. Nice enough hotel for a single night but a bit worn. It was a very short walk to the hotel. The princess rep had left for the evening. The night staff gave us some information sheets and luggage tags. The next morning, we put the tags on the bags and went to breakfast. The bags were gone when we returned to the room and we didn't see them again until we got to our cabin on the ship.

We had a late departure and had several hours to kill so we took the princess tour of Houston. Very interesting and better than sitting in the airport. Princess picked up our bags outside the room and we didn't see them again until we got to the airport.

Then, things went south. Our flight was cancelled and we didn't get home until the next day. This was certainly not Princess fault and the airlines took care of us.

I don't remember the costs but you can look them up on the princess website or you can call your TA. As I remember, the hotel and transfer, plus the tour and transfer to the airport, we probably paid $75 more than if we'd done all this ourself. Quite frankly, we considered this to be money well spent.

Edit: if you decide to get your own room, then you'll travel back to the airport where you will go to the Marriott, give the bags to princess and get on the bus. So, you will have to cab fares to add in.

Edit: FWIW, I've been travelling for business for forty years. Letting Princess handle this was well worth it.

Which airport? Bush is more difficult. Hobby is a lot closer. You should plan on travelling in the day prior.

 

You can certainly save some money by handling those things yourself. However, if something goes wrong you will be the one paying for it.

 

In March 2013, we flew into Bush. I knew it would be a very late arrival and wanted to minimize the hassles so we booked through Princess. We avoided having to find a cab, load our bags, travel to the hotel, load our bags again, and travel to the port. Princess used the Marriott at the airport. Nice enough hotel for a single night but a bit worn. It was a very short walk to the hotel. The princess rep had left for the evening. The night staff gave us some information sheets and luggage tags. The next morning, we put the tags on the bags and went to breakfast. The bags were gone when we returned to the room and we didn't see them again until we got to our cabin on the ship.

 

We had a late departure and had several hours to kill so we took the princess tour of Houston. Very interesting and better than sitting in the airport. Princess picked up our bags outside the room and we didn't see them again until we got to the airport.

 

Then, things went south. Our flight was cancelled and we didn't get home until the next day. This was certainly not Princess fault and the airlines took care of us.

 

I don't remember the costs but you can look them up on the princess website or you can call your TA. As I remember, the hotel and transfer, plus the tour and transfer to the airport, we probably paid $75 more than if we'd done all this ourself. Quite frankly, we considered this to be money well spent.

 

Edit: if you decide to get your own room, then you'll travel back to the airport where you will go to the Marriott, give the bags to princess and get on the bus. So, you will have to cab fares to add in.

 

Edit: FWIW, I've been travelling for business for forty years. Letting Princess handle this was well worth it.

THANK YOU SOO MUCH!! We are traveling in the day prior and our flight out isn't until 2:30, so I'm hoping we'll ge good, although the fog does concern me a bit. We're going to seriously consider letting Princess handle the heavy lifting. Thanks again.

THANK YOU SOO MUCH!! We are traveling in the day prior and our flight out isn't until 2:30, so I'm hoping we'll ge good, although the fog does concern me a bit. We're going to seriously consider letting Princess handle the heavy lifting. Thanks again.

We had a slight delay. I don't think we left the dock until maybe 7PM. There were many other cruises that had longer delays. No one can predict the weather.

Price it both ways and see if you think it's worth the dollars to shift the work to Princess. It's going to depend upon how important saving a few dollars is worth to you.