Cruise out of Galvestion worth the trouble?

[fourkittys]

It sounds like quite a hassle to cruise out of Galvestion when you have to fly into Houston and don't rent a car but find other transportation. We are in our 70's and would love to cruise on the Breeze . Would stay:D in a hotel at lest one night before boarding. How do you guys manage who do not drive? Thanks!

[Taters]

We went on one cruise from Galveston, but only because a group of friends were going. We flew into Houston and spent the night, then 6 of us used Super Shuttle to get to Galveston. What a hassle! If it were just the two of us we would have had to pay over $100 just to get to the post. I won't cruise from there again unless it is the same scenario with friends.

[tucho]

Yes, flying in is a bit of annoyance. We did it a few years ago. Got a great price on the cruise, but the savings where a wash after paying for shuttle service out of Houston. Same thing for cruising out of Port Canaveral. Flying into Orlando. Great port for the locals that can drive!!

[Rosethorn40]

I don't consider it worth the hassle. The first time I sailed out of Galveston my friend that I was cruising with and her husband picked me up at the airport and her DH drove us the rest of the way in (Her brother picked us up, dropped me off at the airport). BUT and this is a big but, Galveston has issues with fog. We were delayed by hours on our return because of the fog, and my understanding it was not an isolated issue.

 

A few years later we took Carnival transfer from the airport to the cruise terminal. Nightmare! They didn't have enough buses for all the passengers at the airport. We waited over 2 hours for a bus, and when it arrived it was every person for themselves, everyone trying to get on that bus. Carnival, or the company that handles transfers only had two teenagers trying to control the boarding of the buses. One of them threw up their hands in despair and walked away.

 

From the cruise terminal back to the airport I had hired a car & driver from Super Shuttle, who was suppose to pick us up at 8:00 (We were off the boat and though customs by 7:30, was he was 2 and half hours late, we missed our flight. It was Spring Break and it was only by the grace of God and a United ticket agent (Who has secured her place in Heaven IMO) that we were able to get on another flight later that day.

 

So, IMO, a friend or family member willing to drive you is your best bet (But the traffic from Houston to Galveston is surreal). Actually your best bet is to sail from Ft. Lauderdale of Miami.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Rosethorn40

[zdcatc12]

We went on one cruise from Galveston, but only because a group of friends were going. We flew into Houston and spent the night, then 6 of us used Super Shuttle to get to Galveston. What a hassle! If it were just the two of us we would have had to pay over $100 just to get to the post. I won't cruise from there again unless it is the same scenario with friends.

 

Why is this a hassle? The distance from Hobby to Galveston is actually shorter than Orlando to Port Canaveral. Have you ever cruised out of there?

 

BUT and this is a big but, Galveston has issues with fog. We were delayed by hours on our return because of the fog, and my understanding it was not an isolated issue.

 

A few years later we took Carnival transfer from the airport to the cruise terminal. Nightmare! They didn't have enough buses for all the passengers at the airport. We waited over 2 hours for a bus, and when it arrived it was every person for themselves, everyone trying to get on that bus. Carnival, or the company that handles transfers only had two teenagers trying to control the boarding of the buses. One of them threw up their hands in despair and walked away.

 

From the cruise terminal back to the airport I had hired a car & driver from Super Shuttle, who was suppose to pick us up at 8:00 (We were off the boat and though customs by 7:30, was he was 2 and half hours late, we missed our flight. It was Spring Break and it was only by the grace of God and a United ticket agent (Who has secured her place in Heaven IMO) that we were able to get on another flight later that day.

 

So, IMO, a friend or family member willing to drive you is your best bet (But the traffic from Houston to Galveston is surreal). Actually your best bet is to sail from Ft. Lauderdale of Miami.

 

Every Gulf port has issues with fog and then only 3-4 months out of the year. Tampa has it all of the time.

 

You can't blame Galveston for CCLs screwed up shuttle service or a late Super Shuttle driver.

 

Everyone seems to hate Galveston, yet soon CCL will have 3 ships there. I guess no one has bothered to tell them that everyone hates cruising out of there.

[sillychicky]

I would definitely say it was worth it for me. I did a May 16, 2015 cruise with stops in Isla Roatan, Honduras (Little French Key is amazing), then Belize City, Belize (we did the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich) and then Cozumel (we did Xplor park with cave swimming, zip lining and ATV's but there are much less strenuous choices).

 

Since we're from California, we flew into Houston Hobby on Southwest. Rather than use the Carnival transfers we opted for hiring a car with driver. It wasn't all that expensive and you don't have to worry about other people, crowding etc. Transfers are cheaper however the ease of a private car is worth it to me. On the way back we did a Carnival transfer and it was easy.

 

If you want to do a certain ship or itinerary that goes out of Galveston, then go for it. It's really not that difficult and for us, was very worth it to see the ports and sail on the Freedom. :)

[watermelonqueen99]

Galveston is all we know, we love it! We live in the Tulsa, OK area, and when we fly, we fly in to Hobby the day before, and rent a car right there at the airport if we're wanting to go anywhere around town. We stay at the Super 8 Hobby motel. The next morning, we drop the car off, and take the Carnival shuttle to Galveston. Easy peasy. :)

Edited January 4, 2016 by watermelonqueen99

[fourkittys]

I don't consider it worth the hassle. The first time I sailed out of Galveston my friend that I was cruising with and her husband picked me up at the airport and her DH drove us the rest of the way in (Her brother picked us up, dropped me off at the airport). BUT and this is a big but, Galveston has issues with fog. We were delayed by hours on our return because of the fog, and my understanding it was not an isolated issue.

 

A few years later we took Carnival transfer from the airport to the cruise terminal. Nightmare! They didn't have enough buses for all the passengers at the airport. We waited over 2 hours for a bus, and when it arrived it was every person for themselves, everyone trying to get on that bus. Carnival, or the company that handles transfers only had two teenagers trying to control the boarding of the buses. One of them threw up their hands in despair and walked away.

 

From the cruise terminal back to the airport I had hired a car & driver from Super Shuttle, who was suppose to pick us up at 8:00 (We were off the boat and though customs by 7:30, was he was 2 and half hours late, we missed our flight. It was Spring Break and it was only by the grace of God and a United ticket agent (Who has secured her place in Heaven IMO) that we were able to get on another flight later that day.

 

So, IMO, a friend or family member willing to drive you is your best bet (But the traffic from Houston to Galveston is surreal). Actually your best bet is to sail from Ft. Lauderdale of Miami.

 

Thanks so much for your honesty which I believe is more common than people let on. Striking Galveston off my list until or IF the Breeze ever comes back to Florida (if I live that long lo,!)

[fourkittys]

Why is this a hassle? The distance from Hobby to Galveston is actually shorter than Orlando to Port Canaveral. Have you ever cruised out of there?

 

 

 

Every Gulf port has issues with fog and then only 3-4 months out of the year. Tampa has it all of the time.

 

You can't blame Galveston for CCLs screwed up shuttle service or a late Super Shuttle driver.

 

Everyone seems to hate Galveston, yet soon CCL will have 3 ships there. I guess no one has bothered to tell them that everyone hates cruising out of there.

 

My, my, we seem a little defensive. But that's ok. To experienced people it probably is a no brainer. But we aren't familiar with that amount of traffic or the area. Yes, we have cruised out of Port Canaveral and there is no comparison to the hassel people speak of to that port. It takes 40 min on a very quiet stretch of highway and we rent a car so we can have transportation for the extra day we spend there. Cape Canaveral/Cocoa beach is really very tame in the late fall. recently we have flown into Melborne and loved it. A 20 min direct drive from a very small airport. Not knocking Galveston but it's just not for us. Different strokes for differentfolks.

[karenh1127]

Try Uber.

[dhaza]

Fog can be a real problem... We cruised out Houston and on the return I got up about 7:00 and looked out the windows and it really foggy but we were stop so I assumed we were in the port since our room was on the opposite side of the ship from the port. Got dressed and went to breakfast and purposely sat on the other side so we could see the port and realized that were out in the gulf and nowhere near the port. We didn't dock till noon and we didn't rush getting off since we drove we let others get off first that were trying to make flights. We didn't get to our car till almost 3:00PM. We heard the ship didn't leave Houston port till 10:00am the next morning. Lots of miss flights on that cruise!!!

Edited January 4, 2016 by dhaza

[BAV2005]

I can't speak to the airport issues as we drive to Galveston but I just wanted to mention that the traffic isn't bad at all if you go early (Sunday mornings any ways) we got to the port about 10:15/10:30 and we sailed right through Houston and Galveston :)

[xbatt8]

Carnival shuttle and Super Shuttle are NOT your only options. :) Galveston Express takes you from either Houston airport and drops you off at most of the major hotels in Galveston for between $20 and @25 per person. I have read pretty good reviews on it, but DW is using them in a couple of weeks. Will let you know.

 

Most of the hotels in Galveston have shuttles that will take you to the cruise terminal. We stayed several miles away last year and were shuttled by the hotel. It was no problem at all.

 

People should never fly into any airport on the day of the cruise, and should only book return flights VERY late in the afternoon. There are just too many things that can go wrong, with fog being just one of them.

 

So why not just avoid Galveston? Well, some really nice ships, some unique itineraries, for half the country it's closer than Florida, and the reasons for avoiding it seem trivial in the grand scheme of things.

 

But that's just me. Your mileage may vary...

 

Bob

[Jana60]

It sounds like quite a hassle to cruise out of Galvestion when you have to fly into Houston and don't rent a car but find other transportation. We are in our 70's and would love to cruise on the Breeze . Would stay:D in a hotel at lest one night before boarding. How do you guys manage who do not drive? Thanks!

 

I live in Oklahoma but it's an 8-10 hour drive to Galveston so I usually fly down. Galveston Express Shuttle has senior rates. They are only $35 from Hobby airport to Port of Galveston round trip. Carnival charges $35 each way so this is a pretty good deal.

[zdcatc12]

 

So why not just avoid Galveston? Well, some really nice ships, some unique itineraries, for half the country it's closer than Florida, and the reasons for avoiding it seem trivial in the grand scheme of things.

 

But that's just me. Your mileage may vary...

 

Bob

 

No, that's me also!!! Thank you for this. I'm not sure why everybody bashes Galveston so much. Most of the issues people bring up either: also happen at other ports, e.g. fog, distance from airport, transportation, etc. or are out of the port's control, e.g. immigration, customs, Texas' alcohol tax. I love cruising from there.

[PokerBradOKC]

Everyone seems to hate Galveston, yet soon CCL will have 3 ships there. I guess no one has bothered to tell them that everyone hates cruising out of there.

CCL already has 3 ships there — Magic, Freedom and Triumph which will change this year to Breeze, Freedom and Liberty.

[martinchem]

Any decent hotels walkable to the port with near by restaurants? Or on the other side with shuttles to recommend?

[rtap23]

Why is this a hassle? The distance from Hobby to Galveston is actually shorter than Orlando to Port Canaveral. Have you ever cruised out of there?

 

 

 

Every Gulf port has issues with fog and then only 3-4 months out of the year. Tampa has it all of the time.

 

You can't blame Galveston for CCLs screwed up shuttle service or a late Super Shuttle driver.

 

Everyone seems to hate Galveston, yet soon CCL will have 3 ships there. I guess no one has bothered to tell them that everyone hates cruising out of there.

 

We usually fly into the Sanford airport instead of Orlando. It's a lot closer

[BallFour4]

IBUT and this is a big but, Galveston has issues with fog. We were delayed by hours on our return because of the fog, and my understanding it was not an isolated issue.

 

 

 

 

Not denying what you say but the number of departures and arrivals delayed due to fog was down in 2015. The total number delayed was nine, eleven last year. That's not bad for a port that commands three ships from Carnival.

 

.

[talkorpi]

Any decent hotels walkable to the port with near by restaurants? Or on the other side with shuttles to recommend?

 

Try the Harbor House. It's a beautiful boutique hotel that is located steps away from the terminal. It also has great access to restaurants and has a charming, upscale nautical theme. Thw Tremont House is a bit father away and about twice as expensive, but it is still located in the Strand and is an extremely luxurious hotel if you are looking to splurge. If distance to the port isn't an issue, try the Hotel Galvez. It has beautiful gulf views and spectacular facilities. The pool is porbably one of the most beautiful on the gulf coast. I don't have any shuttle recommendations, but I believe that all three hotels offer some insight of that on their websites. Hope this helped!

[kwbound]

No, that's me also!!! Thank you for this. I'm not sure why everybody bashes Galveston so much. Most of the issues people bring up either: also happen at other ports, e.g. fog, distance from airport, transportation, etc. or are out of the port's control, e.g. immigration, customs, Texas' alcohol tax. I love cruising from there.

 

Just because something is out of the port's control doesn't make it any more pleasant to deal with, especially if you have other options. I'm only 75 minutes from the port, so it is our port of choice but I can see why people who have to fly in would want to avoid it.

[DobberDog]

Just want to say ( its been said already somewhat), the fog issue in Galveston is usually only in Jan through March, its not year round. I've been on the Magic delayed docking several hours both ways due to fog.

[kwbound]

Just want to say ( its been said already somewhat), the fog issue in Galveston is usually only in Jan through March, its not year round. I've been on the Magic delayed docking several hours both ways due to fog.

 

We were on the Ecstasy in the summer of 2010 trailing a tropical storm back into Galveston. The waves were too choppy in the bay and they closed the port. We went back out into the Gulf far enough so that they could reopen the casino and shops and had an extra night on the ship. It was fine for us but I felt for people who had children or dogs at home with sitters, or needed to get back to work, and for the people waiting for the next sailing. But tropical storms can happen at just about any port.

[NPCIN]

Galveston is one port I've not sailed out of. I'd really like to try the Breeze the end of this year and I was doing some research the other day. I saw some threads about Galveston and many of the complaints I was seeing had to deal with getting off the ship and the long waits going through customs.

[cmukid87]

This is how we dealt with Galveston:

 

1. Rented a car for the full week we were on the Carnival Freedom

2. Flew in to Hobby via Southwest (I kid you not we paid $100 per person round trip from Chicago)

3. Picked up rental and drove to the port, without hassle.

4. Parked at the park & cruise

5. Cruised

6. Got back in rental and drove back to Hobby.

 

All of that was cheaper than Carnivals transfer for 5 people. The rental gave us flexibility with flight times.

 

I'd do it again and in fact I'm planning on it later this year.