Cruising From Galveston, TX

[FresnoCA]

Hi all,

I will be taking my first cruise on May 15, 2005 on RCCL for my honeymoon. I am trying to book airline tickets from Fresno, CA on that Sunday. The earliest flight that will arrive at HOU (hobby) is 2:04pm. The ship is scheduled to depart at 5:00pm.

 

Is this enough time to get from airport to cruise port (will be taking a limo)? Also, do the ships really prevent people from boarding one hour before departure?? What kind of leeway do they give to get on the ship (15-30min)?

 

Any help will be appreciated.

[jkloni]

If everything works out perfectly you probably would have enough time. But if one little thing goes wrong you could miss the ship. The cruise terminal is about 40 min from the airport. What if the plane is late? What if you are caught in traffic because of an accident? What if your luggage is late? Just too many things could go wrong.

 

We always fly in the day before if we book our own airfare.

 

If you could fly in the day before that would be better. I know you are getting married and it's probably on Saturday, so flying in Saturday may not be a viable option.

 

I would really try to get there sooner than 2pm.

[springtxbill]

The port is actually about 1-1/4 hours from IAH. If you arrive at 2:04, bags at 2:30, leave 2:45, arrive Galveston 4:00. This is very tight. If you got there at 4:30 you may get on. I would not risk this.

 

There are some other flights from Fresno that arrive about 30-40 minutes earlier which would give you a slight cushion, but not much. I believe they cost more than your flight also.

 

I assume you are getting married on the 14th and can not leave then. Southwest does have a nonstop out of Oakland at 7:35 that arrives at Hobby at 1:20 (internet special $99 one way). Hobby is only about a 30 to 40 minute drive to the port. If you could make the 3 hour drive to Oakland, I would go for this if you can not go the day before.

[FresnoCA]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will go ahead and book the airline to Hobby that arrive at 2:04pm. Since according to Springtxbill the airport is only about 30-40 mins from the port.

 

We should still make it even if we run into traffic or the plane is a little late (keeping my fingers crossed).

[FresnoCA]

Forgot to mention, that traveling 3 hours to make the flight at Oakland was just too far. Our wedding reception probably isn't going to end until at least 11pm.

 

Has anyone on this board been left behind? If so, what do you do?

[Boo's Mom]

FresnoCa....You are cutting it way, way, way too close.

 

There are so many things that can go wrong.

 

A simple, common airline delay and you have missed your honeymoon vacation!

 

Your ship will begin to board around 11:00am.

 

You must find some other time/flight.....to arrive in Houston no later than noon....

 

I would highly recommend that you fly in the night before. I know about the wedding......but, you are potentially setting yourself up for a travel disaster.

 

Is it possible to change your cruise....to one that leaves on Monday?

[lougee1043]

Has anyone on this board been left behind? If so, what do you do?

 

i havent but it would be up to you to notify the cruise line and then at your own expense fly to the next port of call and board the ship there---that will be a story you can tell your grandchildren

 

dont know when the last flight is out the nite of your wedding but could you leave the reception early

[Boo's Mom]

...

 

"Ladies and Gentlemen....The Bride and Groom will be leaving now....a little earlier than expected...in order for them not to miss embarking on their Honeymoon Cruise !..."

 

no one will mind!

 

 

:D :D :D

[FresnoCA]

The last flight out of Fresno to anywhere in CA with a red eye to HOU or IAH is 9:15pm. That means we would would have to leave the reception by 7pm to change and then be at the airport by 8:15pm. Our reception does not start till 4pm.

 

Being there only 3 hours would probably not work out, since we have many friends and family flying in to be with us. We expect the reception to go till at least 10pm or 11pm.

[springtxbill]

Sorry, double post.

[springtxbill]

I would still look at that Southwest flight out of Oakland the next morning even if someone drove you to the airport.

[Times Prince]

i havent but it would be up to you to notify the cruise line and then at your own expense fly to the next port of call and board the ship there---that will be a story you can tell your grandchildren

 

dont know when the last flight is out the nite of your wedding but could you leave the reception early

 

I would definitely not try going to the first port of call. On the Grand Princess out of Galveston on Dec 28 there was a passenger who had flight delays due to a connecting flight in Dallas that came from back east and missed the ship's sailing. Travel insurance paid their way to the first port, Belize. Unfortunately due to weather, the captain opted to change the order of the ports, going to Costa Maya first. They finally boarded when the ship got to Belize, but lost out on almost 3 days of their cruise. That passenger was not happy.

 

That probably wouldn't be a real good start to a honeymoon. Try, if at all possible, to get there on time or early, leaving time for variability of airlines and traffic. Have a great wedding!

[clbdsnygrl]

Since I dont have my map of NoCal in front of me I dont know how far you are away from Sacramento (a few hrs most likely) but you should really consider either Oakland or Sacramento as flight options. Continental runs DIRECT flights into IAH (houston-bush) from both of those airports. You could fly out the morning of the 15th from either airport; the flights both leave before 7am and arrive in Houston around noon OR Continental runs a redeye out of Sacramento that leaves on May 14th (sat night) at 12:20am and arrives in Houston shortly after 6am. If you absolutely have to leave on the 15th....do a direct flight into IAH. That gives you a little bit more time in case a flight gets delayed. You could always consider having all your stuff for your honeymoon packed up and ready to go so that after your reception you can change into regular clothes and have a limo drive you to a hotel in sacramento or oakland.

 

Hopefully you can find a transportation solution that works for you. :)

[DreDay]

FresnoCA -

 

I'm dying to know... did you make it????????

[noobie]

FresnoCA--

 

i wouldn't want to cut it that close. i would make the trip to get one of the direct flights. even if you have to leave the reception a little early. and don't worry about sleep, you won't need any for several days with all the excitement of getting married and going on a cruise (not that you would be sleeping;) that much anyway).

 

if all goes to plan, we should be on that cruise too. i will be wondering if you made it.

[aggieastrosfan]

FresnoCA -

 

I'm dying to know... did you make it????????

 

Their cruise isn't until May 15th. Don't think that can be answered yet. ;)

[CamelliaCity]

Their cruise isn't until May 15th. Don't think that can be answered yet. ;)

 

Meridith, the GRAND again:eek: Soooooooooooooooo'soon! That's NOT

fair;) (shhhhhhh, maybe she'll never notice me inside that big ole piece of luggage)

LoUiSiAna Brenda

[stephuney]

Traffic on I-45 out of town can be a real pain in the @$$ ... There is no way I would risk it ... that highway often backs up really bad due to traffic accidents and construction (but the 15th is Sunday, so you might be ok there) ... still I-45 is no joke when it comes to traffic ... and the closer you get to Galveston, the worse it gets!

 

I'm with springtx ... dont risk it, drive the distance and take the earlier flight!

[DreDay]

Their cruise isn't until May 15th. Don't think that can be answered yet. ;)

 

Sorry...at first glance I thought the original post said the cruise was MARCH 15!! The moment after I posted my response I realized it was MAY. My Bad!

 

I will be take a peek at the end of May for an update though!!

[cynt]

FresnoCA - Do not risk it!!! You will already be tired and overwelmed from the wedding. You will not be 100% the day after your wedding. You will be miserable if you miss the cruise over poor planning. Catch the midnight plane if possible if not catch a red-eye.

 

I live in Dallas and I'm driving down the night before the cruise just to be safe. $50-$75 for a room and peace of mind is well worth it to me.

[mslvp7]

Hi.

 

Everyone NOT living in Fresno needs to understand something -we have LOUSY air service out of here & live 3 1/2-4 hours away from a "real" airport - San Jose, Sacramento, LA, SF, Oakland. So, this couple really has no choice. Other than renting a limo to drive you to SF/LA & staying in hotel for a few hours. (Oh, that's 3-4 hours when there is NO traffic, meaning 8pm-4:30am, M-F, & 8pm -6am, Sat & Sun, with no wrecks, etc.)

 

Personally, in this case, I'd risk it. See my ideas below on how to minimize your risk.

 

So, in this instance they have no choice. I do think I'd alert the airlines you need to meet a "tour" - don't tell them a cruise ship but a tour & let them know that tour is leaving 1 hour BEFORE the cruise leaves. Then, request to be allowed to leave the plane first with your carry on luggage. Remind the steward/stewardess of this when you board & again just before everyone gets settled to land.

 

Check into sending your checked luggage ahead of time directly to the cruise ship-don't send it on the airlines; it will sit somewhere, possibly unguarded, & might be difficult to find. Be sure it's properly marked with your name, office (never home addy) address & contact info along with cabin # - place this info INSIDE each case also. As you board, ask the staff to double check that your luggage arrived; you might be able to do this on Friday if your luggage was sent on Thursday. Or, have a friend check for you on Sat. before the wedding.

 

Then, reserve a car (or taxi) to meet you at your gate-see if they'll actually come to the gate or as close to gate as possible - get their cell phone #, give them your cell phone # so you can contact them as you enter the terminal.

 

Ask your travel agent to handle most of this - I'm a TA so I know they can do this.

 

Happy wedding & happy cruise.

 

I, too, dream of having a "real" airport here someday.

[FresnoCA]

MSLVP7, thanks for the reassurance as I was starting to get a little nervous after reading all these replies.

 

Luckily this flight has moved up an extra 20min since I booked it. So we are now scheduled to arrive at 1:45pm in Hobby Int. I have also booked a limo to be waiting at baggage claim when we arrive. Even with traffic we should hopefully make the 30-40 mile drive within 2 hours...

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed and be sure to post back my travel adventures. Thanks everyone.

[DougYWG]

FresnoCA, your faith in the airlines is touching. And totally misguided. If I was you, I would not be a little bit nervous, I would be a nervous wreck. I hate to rain on your parade, newlyweds and all, but let's be realistic. You are caught between a wedding on Saturday and a cruise on Sunday.

 

I don't quite see the point of asking to be first off the plane. You'll only be standing at the carousel with everybody else waiting for your baggage. And if you sent that on ahead, how long does it take to unload a plane? You're going to miss the cruise by that much?

 

You can't send your baggage ahead as checked baggage. You have to travel with it. You could send it ahead as cargo. You would have to arrange that it somehow gets from the airline cargo terminal to the cruise terminal and have them hold it for you. Can they do this?

 

You should travel with the cruise line phone number at the port. If you're late, at least you can call them from the airport and say you are on the way. They will probably hold the ship, it happens a lot, but within reason. An hour?

 

Just a thought - could you move everything up three hours and get away Saturday night?

 

I'd love to give you reassurance but I can't. Thirty years of frequent airline travel has taught me that you have to plan for something going wrong cos it will.