Houston city tour excur.

[littlerick]

Has anyone done the Houston City tour excursion after an NCL cruise ported in Houston, Texas? Our plan doesn't leave until after 5 pm and so we need something to do. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Littlerick

[gofeo]

We signed up on ship. Tour ends up at Bush airport about 1pm.

[rochelle_s]

I saw this posting and looked for this shore excursion. I was unable to find it. Could you either tell me more about it or where I can find it? Any help wold be greatly appreciated. Also we fly out of Hobby Airport, will we have the option of stopping there?

[sardonicus]

As a possible alternative I'll offer up that we found the Pappadeaux restaurant at Bush airport (back of Terminal E) to be really good (actually about the best eating I've ever had at an airport) and well worth a couple of hours of leisurely dining. There is also pretty decent shopping at the airport.

 

Yes, it's an afternoon at the airport, but personally, it seems far preferable to a bus trip to look at the outside of sports stadiums.

[wmp2304]

I need to tell you that Houston is an UGLY city to tour via bus. The port in Galveston is at least an hour from any destination you would really want to see with luggage in-tow, such as world-class museums, shopping around the Galleria, etc. Added to that, you'll spend at least an hour back to Bush or Hobby due to the nightmarish traffic.

 

Pappadeaux is wonderful food! - I second that alternative, or if you can check your bags the night before through NCL's EasyFly program (not sure if this option exists for Texaribbean) I offer up Moody Gardens on Galveston island as a worthwhile diversion (moodygardens.com).

 

Personally, I enjoy jaw-dropping historic estate homes dripping with world-class antiques, so my pick is Bayou Bend (www.bayoubend.uh.edu).

 

Lots to pick from - just pul-eeeeeeze don't settle for a bus trip.

 

Houston is too spread out, and most of it is honestly waaaaaaay too ugly to the last thing you remember about your cruise.

[clearlakecruisers]

Well, I'm sure you knew that your post would elicit a response from Houstonians and here I am.

 

Haven't taken a bus tour of Houston but I have taken a LOT of people (we have been host family for many exchange students and their families tend to visit also) and most comments are not that Houston is UGLY. Most are surprised at how BIG it is and how diverse our neighborhoods are.

 

If you are talking about a bus tour that only takes the freeways, your comment is certainly apt - but what city do you know that actually looks its best from the freeways?? If tours would take a route through the downtown area and theatre district, the residential areas such a River Oaks and the villages of Memorial, Rice University and the Texas Medical Center, the Heights area, the Museum District/Herman Park, Memorial Park, the Water Wall/Galleria area, or even the Kemah Boardwalk area, I'm sure most people would not come away with the feeling that Houston was way too ugly to be the last thing they remember from their cruise.

 

We also have WONDERFUL restaurants (people here eat out more than in any other American city for good reason, i.e., the food is good, the variety is unbelievable and the prices are relatively cheap) and extra friendly people (with the possible exception of those on the freeways during rush hours).

 

Sorry for the rant but, as I said above, you must have known this was coming and "dissing" Houston gets my attention.

[discjoker]

Anyone know how much this "tour" is currently?