Houston

[G&T Cruisers]

We are sailing on the Emerald in March and we have booked a Princess transfer to IAH. Our flight leaves at 1:03pm. Does anyone know what time the earliest transfer leaves the pier?

Princess has told us our flight is too early for the transfer, so we would like to know what others have done.

[JF - retired RRT]

We are sailing on the Emerald in March and we have booked a Princess transfer to IAH. Our flight leaves at 1:03pm. Does anyone know what time the earliest transfer leaves the pier?

Princess has told us our flight is too early for the transfer, so we would like to know what others have done.

It might be a good idea to rethink your plans or get really good refundable tickets...if fog hits the port, you won't make your flight.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Princess says you can't book a flight home before 1:30pm and use their transfers. I'm surprised you were able to book one.

 

There's no telling exactly when the transfer buses will leave. I'm guessing transfers will start leaving sometime after 8am IF everything has gone smoothly. For some ports, they assign you a bus and you sit in the bus until they decide it can leave (sometimes full, sometimes not). For others, they have multiple buses and each goes to a certain terminal. Still others, will just fill a bus and stop at multiple stops. You have no control over it whatsoever. ;)

[MarkSeattle]

It might be a good idea to rethink your plans or get really good refundable tickets...if fog hits the port, you won't make your flight.

 

I don't think fog is an issue in March (is it?).

 

A taxi will be about $100 plus tip, you can pre reserve a car service for less I think.

 

I used to fly IAH all the time and personally wouldn't worry about a 103pm if taking a cab or car. You could always self disembark, but I'd probably take an early assisted (leave your bags out the night before) time.

[chsalas]

The peir is a good 45 minutes from either airport, and fog is always an issue there. I'd get refundable tickets and maybe plan on leaving the day after. But if you want to leave the same day you are due back, leave in the afternoon.

[sptrout]

Sea fog has been a big problem for both Houston area ports (Galveston & Houston/Bayport). This is especially true for Bayport since it is several miles from the open ocean (much farther inland than the Port of Galveston). For example, we were stuck in sea fog while on RC's VOS a few year's ago, and it was around 3PM before we were finally able to dock in Galveston.

 

Sea fog has been such a big problem for the Port of Houston, that as a local observer, I have wondered many times the past couple years if the cruise lines will continue to support this port since the fog has really messed-up many, many cruises since it finally opened a couple years ago. (It set empty/unused for several years; a local joke about poor local government.)

 

Remember that this is "sea fog" and is caused by the cold ocean waters condensing the moisture in the warmer air over/near the land. It is very common in the spring as the air warms quickly over land, but the ocean water temperature is a few weeks behind. It is seldom an issue much beyond the coastal areas, and not so much at the two major Houston Airports (Hobby & IAH). I live near IAH (in Spring, TX) and we rarely have sea fog, just regular fog on occasion.

 

We are planning our first Bayport cruise in late February and I am concerned that our plans will be disrupted by sea fog, and we live just about 45 minutes away from the port (as mentioned, very close to IAH).

[DannyMac]

Sea fog has been a big problem for both Houston area ports (Galveston & Houston/Bayport). This is especially true for Bayport since it is several miles from the open ocean (much farther inland than the Port of Galveston). For example, we were stuck in sea fog while on RC's VOS a few year's ago, and it was around 3PM before we were finally able to dock in Galveston.

 

Sea fog has been such a big problem for the Port of Houston, that as a local observer, I have wondered many times the past couple years if the cruise lines will continue to support this port since the fog has really messed-up many, many cruises since it finally opened a couple years ago. (It set empty/unused for several years; a local joke about poor local government.)

 

Remember that this is "sea fog" and is caused by the cold ocean waters condensing the moisture in the warmer air over/near the land. It is very common in the spring as the air warms quickly over land, but the ocean water temperature is a few weeks behind. It is seldom an issue much beyond the coastal areas, and not so much at the two major Houston Airports (Hobby & IAH). I live near IAH (in Spring, TX) and we rarely have sea fog, just regular fog on occasion.

 

We are planning our first Bayport cruise in late February and I am concerned that our plans will be disrupted by sea fog, and we live just about 45 minutes away from the port (as mentioned, very close to IAH).

 

 

My wife and I live about 8 miles west of Galveston Bay, have fished the bay system for 45+ years, fog is alway an issue from December to May!

 

We are booked on the Emerald 1-11-15 and the last couple of weeks, there has been heavy fog mid-week! Keeping our fingers crossed and an eye on the weather!

Edited January 4, 2015 by DannyMac

[AKman2495]

We were there last in Nov. 2013 and we got stuck in fog returning. We had a late flight so were not worried, but there were hundreds of people who were panicking. We got off around 12:30 pm-and made the airport at about 1:30.

 

We had arranged for a tour of Houston with a drop off at the airport. The tour part was canceled and we got to the airport about the time the tour would have got us there.