sminfiddle

Can anyone explain the email I received tell me that I could embark between 12"30 and 3:00? Ive never had one before, I thought you could arrive when you wanted.

If you can copy and paste it here, I can probably explain it. Otherwise I'll be guessing!

The ones I have seen, do mention Priority Boarding (those passengers can still arrive when they want), but I don't know if you got the same exact one.

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Wow what a thoughtful thing to do!

And so complete. Let me be the first to thank you; the scans are showing up fine for me.

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You will get an email post-cruise survey from Princess. You can recognize exceptional service from crew there, so don't forget their names just yet!

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Anyone with patter provide details of afternoon tea service in coral dining room or steak house? Need frequency and time, and if they started charging?

Thanks in advance

Tea is served daily, and free, in the Coral DR (3:30 to 4:30 PM) and to Elite cabins and Full Suites.

Crown Grill steakhouse: dinner charge is $25 pp. Pub Lunch (select Sea Days) is free.

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That is absolutely crazy! In that case, I'd much rather have a balcony than a suite!!!!

Keep calm :D

All the suites on the Crown Princess have balconies.

We were booking our next cruise on board the CB and were going to downgrade to a Mini Suite so as to lengthen our cruise and stay in budget (and keep a decent-sized shower).

We checked the price on the Window Suite and saw that it would cost the same. (!!!!)

I will miss my beloved, tranquilizing private Wake. :( But our Cabin Crawl had included a Window Suite so we do know what we're getting. These have much more closet space than Vista Suites, we'll enjoy that for sure.

Window Suites also have fewer power outlets. Bringing some Euro Adaptors to compensate.

Having our day start peacefully at civilized Sabatini's is worth a LOT. We've done the buffet: The hunt for a table, then foraging in shifts, all before coffee... THAT is what makes Mr. and Mrs. Sminfiddle go absolutely crazy.

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I thought Bayport was terrible. You are stuck in the middle of a container port, and unlike Galveston, where you can go to the Strand if your boarding time is late, at Bayport there is nothing to do. We drove, and when we arrived at about 3:30, we were not allowed to enter the terminal area. Princess has said on line that the Bayport terminal is small, and cannot handle large numbers.

I guess what I'm not getting is how one is "stuck" if one has a car and forewarning.

Bars, gastro-pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters are within 15 minutes drive to support the populations of NASA, University of Houston Clear Lake, and the truckers and stevedores of the port itself.

Maybe a bar, or diner with a liquor license, will eventually apply and lease land right by the Terminal. They would not survive there now on one-day-a-week customers, November thru April.

My realistic hopes:

-> That parking-and-shuttle lots will open up; ideally walking distance from existing viable eateries (and drinkeries)...

-> That Clear Lake and Seabrook hotels will kick up their shuttle service a notch, to service HOU airport and Bayport...

-> That La Porte's awesome "Monster Tacos" will reconsider their decision to be closed on Saturdays. I hoteled next door to them anticipating an Epic breakfast to start my cruise. I settled for a mere "Good breakfast" at the friendly Waffle House before shuttling to Bayport. :D

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Every version of the StaggerMail that I have seen, says "those with flexible travel plans" should board as follows... etc.

Your plans aren't flexible, due to the hotel. So there you go.

Did your StaggerMail actually differ from this wording?

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HI guys. Just curious how far was the Hilton from the airport and what was the driving time? Would you recommend the Hilton? We have been thinking of doing this trip coming from Los Angeles. Looking forward to your review.

Thanks

Joe

We like that Hilton a lot (spent an anniversary weekend there) and almost overnighted there before our Caribbean Princess Nov. 31 cruise. Nice breakfast can be had in their restaurant.

Went with the Candlewood Suites in La Porte instead. Relative room rate and parking cost were factors.

Mapquest can tell you distance from HOU (closer) and IAH (farther) airports.

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I bought neodymium magnet hooks on Amazon. They held everything, including a (heavy, plush) Princess robe!

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We had an Aft suite on the Crown on Emerald deck, right over Club Fusion.

Liked it so much we booked the same cabin on the Caribbean Princess this winter.

It's a lot of money but it makes the cruise so nice, we'd do it again.

Oh wait, we ARE doing it again. Window Suite in the spring...

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Use one of the FCCs for each segment. Then you will only need to put down a $100 deposit for the 2nd person on each segment.

 

To avoid this problem in the future, purchase at least two FCCs each when you are next onboard.

^ ^ ^ Good advice here.

We have already escalated from buying two each, to buying three FCCs each.

It's like the slogan about potato chips...

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Just off of the same cruise, with a slightly different perspective. I thought Bayport was terrible. You are stuck in the middle of a container port, and unlike Galveston, where you can go to the Strand if your boarding time is late, at Bayport there is nothing to do.

Attractions a few minutes' drive from Bayport include the Space Center, the Houston Yacht Club, the San Jacinto Battleground and Monument, the (WWI and WWII) battleship Texas, and the tourism area built up in Kemah.

If you just want to park for a couple of hours there is a beach just south of the terminal in the little Pasadena seaside neighborhood of El Jardin - the signs mention a fee for non-residents but each time I've been no one has been there to regulate entry (may only be a factor in summer).

There is an airport much closer than IAH, it's called HOU.

The port's fledgling cruise operations need better marketing and PR. Cruising only began this November and we passengers really need parking vendors, car rental companies, all the usual by-products to come and start doing business... By comparison it has been an industrial port for decades, in fact the cruise dock itself is used for cargo loading and unloading between cruises.

The port would still thrive without cruise business. But DW and I like cruising from there and look forward to it building up. A lot of locals still don't know you can cruise from Galveston let alone Houston. :confused:

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That's very kind and thoughtful of you, but I would have a fit if I returned to find all my washing in the drier as I am careful to only dry items that won't shrink, and the result of putting everything in the drier could be very expensive - and annoying!

Y'all are assuming I don't know the difference.

I'm a man, not a caveman :D Obvious delicates and shrinkables would be hung on the hangers found in ample supply between the ironing boards.

Not to worry though- because of this...

Having said that, I am careful to return in good time to the washer and sit with my kindle until its done. I've always found the laundry a very friendly place and have had lots of interesting conversations with people.

... you'd be there taking care of the clothes anyway. I've never encountered anyone in the Laundrette except repair crew one time, working on something above the ceiling.

Can we all agree that Dryer still beats Floor, and is no more difficult, when wet clothes' owner does NOT appear and time's a-wastin'?

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Our experience was that the steward INSISTED on our cabin having not one, but two sharps receptacles.

He'd get in trouble for letting med waste get into the wrong part of the ship's recycling stream.

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If I find your clothes are ready to be dried, and I need the washer, I'll put yours in the dryer. I'll start it (unless I'm running out of quarters) too - just buy me a coffee or pay it forward!

I usually have to iron down my collar tips and cuffs on formal night. Last time I did this they started turning black - - my tip is to check the darn iron before touching your whites with it! :D

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They built an extra bar between the first time I went in Spring, and the second time last month. They had Big Bamboo Menorahs on each side of the bar building. Free-standing menorahs taller than I am (will post pics when I can). But I digress.

The bartender took good care of me, running a tab since we got there good and early. He added rum floater on request to each Monkey La-La that I had. This made an already good drink even better. I planned on this 'enhancement' costing a bit extra.

We also got bottled spring water from the same bar for my wife and me. Actually everything was brought to us. Gotta stay hydrated!

Somehow, when it came time to settle up and ferry back, our free drink tickets covered it all. The Owner was right there and approved the transaction. Amazing. So the bar's Tip Jar got a good feeding before I tottered off. They are such nice people.

Oh, beer, sorry. I never noticed the price of a bucket of beer. It'll be Salva Vida beer, though, and ice cold.

Forget about worrying about it. They haven't stopped at a store going or coming either time I have gone, I have been interested in picking up the burlap bags of whole-bean Honduran coffee but have not been near the right store (Eldon's) on any of my visits. I wouldn't pick up a six-pack on the way to this private beach.

If on a ship docking at Coxen Hole, then sure, pop out of the port area to the Eldon's that is there, buy the beer and then meet your driver. It's just that it's probably not worth the effort.

Come back to the thread and tell us what you thought!

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Good thing we sail on all those lines and can pick either depending on pricing

 

But both of those are better as drive to ports, than having to fly in

Hopefully the hotels around Bayport/Hou area will start shuttle service

The Candlewood Suites in La Porte runs a shuttle to Bayport now. $20 round trip. Both they and the La Quinta have free parking. Overall the hotel prices in La Porte are less than the more popular NASA and Kemah areas.

We enjoyed complimentary pastries and coffee/tea/ice water at Bayport, but that takes Platinum or Elite status, or booking a Suite.

We noticed there were a number of "first day on the job" personnel working the terminal. This was Nov. 30th so about what we reasonably expected!

I left a bag in the hotel closet and the shuttle brought it to me. :o Other than waiting for this bag and re-entering thru security, embarkation was painless. Disembarking on Dec 14th was even better. Both were better than March embark & debark in Galveston. We will get to try Port Everglades next May and report back :)

We used Candlewood Suites in La Porte before our 11/30/2013 cruise.

We were dropped off, but if you need to park there, it's free (NASA area hotels charge $5 to $7 a day).

Their "Candlewood Weekend" rate of $87 beat even the AAA rate when I booked online.

Since they are an extended-stay type of place, there's a big grocery store across the street, and kitchenettes in the rooms. I ran next door to Waffle House to grab breakfast pre-cruise.

I used their 24/7 Business Center, and a lot of paper, printing last-minute invites to ship's officers to our Meet & Greet.

We were going to call a cab to go to port, but the hotel told us about their port shuttle van, running hourly, with a charge of $20 but this also covers your return shuttle back to the hotel.

17 miles from Hobby Airport for your cab fare calculations.

Tell them I said "Hi" if you stay there!

Rick

Okay, "Best Answer" goes to Dave, no doubt about it.

Here's a good boiled-down set of info that I think you'll like, from a nearby thread:

From Bush Airport IAH it is 70 miles to Galveston cruise terminal. That could take you anywhere from 1 1/4 hours to 3 hours, just depends on traffic and road construction.

 

Hobby Airport HOU is just over 40 miles from the Galveston cruise terminal. That could take you 45 minutes or 1 1/2 hours. Again dependant on traffic and construction.

 

If I was doing this I would not schedule a flight from HOU before noon or IAH before 2PM. I would also fly in the day before and stay on Galveston island the night before the cruise.

 

I live 53 miles from IAH, which is the airport I always fly out of. I have gotten to the airport in 45 minutes and I have gotten to the airport in 2 1/2 hours. You just never know, so I always allow at least 3 hours before my flight.

 

Hope this helps. :)

I also hope this helps.

Rick

At least it is an original question.

Maybe the OP is writing a song!

Hobby is closer to Galveston being on the south side. IAH is on the north side of Houston. There are no negatives as an airport "is an airport". IAH is the major international airport.

Southwest has that "Two Bags pp Fly Free" thing going for them as a plus.

Also, they don't charge a Change Penalty Fee for changing your flight - right up until 10 minutes before.

The people getting nervous about delays in disembarkation are invariably on Other Airlines who apparently are not as flexible.

Is there any traffic issues on the north side of the City vs the south side?

Well, there's a lot more ROAD between the northern parts and Galveston, than from Hobby to Galveston. Come rush hour, both directions get some traffic issues. Your odds are better going with the "Shorter Distance" plan, for sure!

Your info is a bit off. There are hotels near the port (LaPorte and Seabrook the towns just north/south of the port). Hobby airport, while not in the "best" area of Houston is fine. It's not like you are going to be walking to/from the airport anyway. All of the major chains have properties near Hobby as well (Hilton/Marriott/Holiday Inn etc etc etc)

Yep. La Porte in fact was great - the prices, the service such as the hotel's shuttle that they hadn't yet started to advertise, and it is as close to the port as most of the Ft. Lauderdale hotels people use. One freeway exit away.

Candlewood Suites (for instance) has free parking and is across the street from a big supermarket and next door to a Waffle House and near several fast food chains.

I don't believe it is true at all to say "most have had missed ports or changed ports" either. I guess I need to spend some time and collect statistics so we can put this one to rest.

Now if I had had gotten my act together early enough, I would have booked the Princess Hotel & Transport package from the downtown Four Seasons. Even though I live well within driving distance. They sold out - it's a GREAT deal on a really nice hotel. Lots of stuff close by that hotel too, even attractions.

Folks, listen up: IAH is really far from the port. Hobby (HOU) is closer. Southwest Airlines gives you two checked bags pp for Free, and you can change flights right up to boarding time and pay no change fee, just any difference in fares. <--- Can we make this a Sticky??

The terminal does have beverage and snack vending machines - and if you're Platinum or Elite or Suite, you get a separate room to lounge in with FREE snacks and bevs of your choice.

It's a "viable" port as long as Houston keeps paying Princess to use it! I don't think they are selling that great right now (we just had another price reduction on our cruise in Mar) and if the bad press keeps up Houston may have to up the ante!

Ours in February is closing in on being sold out.

 

Prices went up in the past week for the remaining inside and balcony cabins.

Noted.

Why is it that Princess can offer "full fare refunded in future OBC" on unsold sailings from the West Coast and Cruise Critic members don't seem to predict DOOM DOOM DOOM for those ports?

Port fees in Houston are refunded through to passengers by Princess.

(As a local taxpayer) REALLY, I don't mind pax getting that $23.15 off their bill... just wish (as a Shareholder) those pax would stop accusing Princess of pocketing it! :mad:

context re Bad Press: The local ABC affiliate is our "If It Bleeds, It Leads" news station - they were the home of the investigative series that became famous as shutting down the "Chicken Ranch" (Broadway's Best Little Whorehouse In Texas) and all the Bad Press has been from them since the Port's bond proposal. They really want something to be corrupt there that they can expose. I don't think a musical production will be made about the Bayport Terminal, but I don't think either that the Dog will ever let go of that Bone. The rest of us are getting on with our lives...

A successful Bayport Cruise Terminal benefits the local cruising culture, including Galveston. And vice versa. It needn't be a competition, y'all!

Rick

Thank you Dudleydog73 for explaining what I meant by innumerable, more than 1, more than 2 even. One cruise after another, not just ours, cancelled the Roatan destination when trouble hit paradise, aka the Houston Ship Channel.

Thank you for explaining you really meant "a couple of," not "too many to be counted." I'm sorry I made fun of the exaggeration, the OP wants candid assesments based on our experience, but I couldn't just let that one go unchallenged.

I do count 2 instances.

Still, failure to dock at Mahogany Bay is sometimes caused by conditions there, not (as in your Thanksgiving cruise) because of delayed departure. Might be fairer to criticize CCL ships overall for building/using Mo'Bay instead of Coxen Hole.

Unfortunately, and Princess should have known this before it took all the perks in the form of $ saved on their bottom line,

If you mean the waived port fees, my experience is that the first item on my folio was a credit for over $20, description was "GOVT" and though unconfirmed by Princess, this looks like a refund to the passenger of the Houston port fee. This would not help Princess' bottom line, right?

Net Positive for a passenger sailing from Bayport.

Houston is also giving Princess and Norwegian the proceeds from parking. I don't have any problems with that. You pay for parking wherever you go. Neutral effect on passenger.

My opinion: The PERKS offered to the cruise lines do show local businesses some good faith in promoting cruising in the area. Hotels and parking vendors and other cruise-support businesses are watching and deciding, at this moment in time, how much to invest in capitalizing on the once-a-week population boom.

Back to the topic of discussion, I did think of a COUPLE (innumerable? sorry :D) of the port's Negatives not yet mentioned, that the OP can factor into decisions:

Being a Texas port, some laws are in play until the ship leaves TX territorial waters. Casino is closed until out of TX jurisdiction. Liquor sales are affected: some bars are closed, and dining venues offer a limited selection of wines until about 7:30 PM. Galveston is affected by the laws too, but Bayport has a couple of hours extra wait-time, due to the Channel length, both coming and going.

This next one can be listed in Positives, but may change at any time: Princess has not, to date, enforced the Corkage Fee on wine/champagne carried on board in Houston. Compare with FLL where they are enforcing it strictly. Some passengers may save a lot of $$ here, plus be able to enjoy choicier wines before the ship leaves TX territorial waters.

 

Roatan was cancelled on innumerable departures from the Port of Houston.

Innumerable = 2

I've had innumerable cruises! :D

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