Bayport Cruise Terminal (Houston)

[sminfiddle]

I am also worried about parking. With Norwegian and princess are both there, it seems like 800 spots is not going to cut it.

 

I am in Houston leaving on January 4th. And I don't think that Park&Cruise lots will be up and running yet, especially without very much data on the parking market.

 

I visited in person in September when there were 1000 paved spots and there was a cleared, leveled, and sanded area about to be paved for 200 more.

Still, I hope my favorite parking company Lighthouse puts up a covered lot and runs a shuttle like they do in Galveston. They were very affordable yet classy, comfortable and quick.

 

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[Roses2]

I am at a total loss as to why anyone would recommend Princess transfers over taxi or private car/limo. We generally find that we can hire a private car/limo for the two of us for the same or less cost at almost every U.S. embarkation port.

 

We have found it to be true in New York, Seattle, San Francisco. A taxi is much less cost than Princess transfer in Ft. Lauderdale. Even in London the private car transfer from Heathrow to Southampton is less than a Princess transfer.

 

We are planning for a Princess Cruise out of Houston on the Caribbean Princess now and appreciate all the good information folks have posted on hotels, areas, shops, etc. Keep it coming!

[kluv2cruz]

Glad to hear you are departing late on the day the ship gets back. In Galveston (which we've cruised out of the past two years in the first week of January), fog can be a big factor, and I imagine it will be for Houston too as I think you have to use the same channel to get into the port area. On last year's cruise, we were delayed 7 hours coming in - did not dock until 2 PM, so folks with flights out of IAH 4 PM or earlier were in a bind.

 

Yikes! Hadn't thought of that. Good to know about. Kluv...

[chris2597]

I don't think Norwegian is scheduled to sail out of Houston until 2014. I called the cruise port and was told that there would be more than enough parking.

[Galveston Cruiser]

I don't think Norwegian is scheduled to sail out of Houston until 2014. I called the cruise port and was told that there would be more than enough parking.

 

What else are they going to say:confused:

[1CruiserGuy]

We arrive at IAH as the birds are barely starting to chirp at 4:30 a.m. and of course have all day to get to the cruiseship at Bayport terminal. At the end of the cruise our flight isn't until 5:30 p.m. We are cruising over New Years.

 

The cruiseline does have an excursion to get to the airport that includes the space center for $89 - that's $360 for the 4 of us! I know a cab direct airport to port is about $100, so I figure somewhere between these 2 amounts we should be able to see the highlights of Houston and keep us all interested on the day of arrival &/or the day of departure.

 

The 18 year old loves shopping (but has no$) and the 20 year old is Mr. Outdoor adventure who loves climbing and hiking. He might be interested in the space center. Is there a factory outlet mall or somewhere that would have cool skaterboy type teen clothes for a great price and an REI outdoor type store? Or is there a cool indoor climbing wall? The challenge is of course having all our luggage with us. My DH is into vintage english motorbikes so a vintage (non-harley) bike museum would be a hit too. Keep in mind the transportation challenges of not spending a fortune in taxis. Tall order eh? Thanks for all ideas including a not to be missed easy to get to restaurant for lunch on both arrival and departure days. We arrive and leave on a Saturday. Are there any amazing outdoor markets? Luggage still a challenge :-)

 

Hi kluv2cruz,

 

I thought I'd try to answer some of your Bayport/Houston questions. I didn't spend a lot of time reading the thread, so I hope this will be helpful.

 

As an earlier poster mentioned, the Bayport area is highly industrialized, with quite a few chemical plants. Also, the Bayport Passenger Cruise Terminal is at the mouth of the Bayport Turning Basin, with freighters being loaded and unloaded 24/7.

 

The best places to eat near Bayport are just south, in Seabrook, TX and Kemah, TX, about 5 miles away. There are plenty of restaurants, and the Kemah Boardwalk has restaurants and amusement rides.

 

If you're traveling down to Bayport from the airport (IAH), La Porte, TX is just north of Bayport, and has some chain restaurant eateries, but not as nice or diverse as Seabrook/Kemah, which is beyond Bayport, on TX State Hwy 146.

 

Space Center Houston (visitors center) is another 4 or 5 miles beyond Seabrook, in Nassau Bay, TX. You can easily spend 4+ hours if you want to see the whole thing, including a tram ride to the Mission Control Center. I've given plenty of tours to friends and family, as I used to work in Mission Control. Tickets, at the entrance, are something like $21 pp.

 

The nearest outlet mall that I know of is Tanger Outlet, which is about 20 miles south of Bayport on I-45 ('Gulf Freeway') on the way to Galveston (30 to 45 minutes by car). I don't know if they have any teenage/skateboard clothing. The shops along Galveston's Seawall Blvd would definitely have that sort of thing, but that's a bit far afield, due to your 'same day' Houston arrival and departure schedule.

 

Sorry, but there isn't a motorcycle museum in Houston, as far as I know. So, no Rudges or Enfields!

 

I hope this helps.

[P.A.]

I am at a total loss as to why anyone would recommend Princess transfers over taxi or private car/limo. We generally find that we can hire a private car/limo for the two of us for the same or less cost at almost every U.S. embarkation port.

 

We have found it to be true in New York, Seattle, San Francisco. A taxi is much less cost than Princess transfer in Ft. Lauderdale. Even in London the private car transfer from Heathrow to Southampton is less than a Princess transfer.

 

We are planning for a Princess Cruise out of Houston on the Caribbean Princess now and appreciate all the good information folks have posted on hotels, areas, shops, etc. Keep it coming!

 

This would have been our first time to do the Princess transfers, and I still have them reserved, however, We are thinking of canceling them and getting a taxi in HOU when we sail in November. They are only $24pp one way, which to me is reasonable, but we are wanting to stop at a grocery before boarding the ship, so that is why we will probably cancel and get a taxi. Now on our return, we may still use the Princess transfers, however, out flight doesn't leave till 5:20PM and I don't really want to get to the airport at 9am and wait ALL day, so we are still up in the air about that. I do have a friend who lives not too far from the port and I may ask her if she can take/pick up. Just not sure if her vehicle will hold 4 of us plus all our luggage tho.

 

We've only sailed out of FLL and when we do we always stay at a hotel that has FREE shuttle service to/from airport & cruise terminal, so we have never needed the Princess transfers. Plus FLL cruise terminal is a lot closer than Houston's is. We also have always come in to FLL the day before. So this cruise in November will be a little different for us being that we are flying in the day OF. I generally always recommend flying in the day before, but this time it just didn't work out for us to do that. Our flight is only an hour and we will be in HOU at 8:45am so I think we will be just fine. Praying there isn't any delays due to fog.

Edited October 10, 2013 by P.A.

[sminfiddle]

Sorry, but there isn't a motorcycle museum in Houston, as far as I know. So, no Rudges or Enfields!

There is an Art Car Museum though.

[1CruiserGuy]

There is an Art Car Museum though.

 

This is true!

 

And I just thought of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport (HOU).

 

The nearest auto museum that I know of is out I-10, west of Houston (Sealy? or Schulenburg?). And I don't know if they have any motorcycles.

 

I've never been to either of them.

[ssb]

There is an Art Car Museum though.

 

If you are interested

in Galveston there is:

 

lsfm.org[/url]

Lone Star Flight Museum is where you can ride Warbirds and other historic WWII airplanes

and with many vintage aircraft on display!

A vintage Indian Cycle is on display there

 

www.galvestonrrmuseum.com

the Galveston Railroad Museum, one of the five largest in the country, is a complex of historic facilities and unique attractions located ...

 

www.galvestonhistory.org/Texas_Seaport_Museum.asp

explores Texas' rich legacy of seaborne commerce and immigration. The Museum's staff and volunteers bring the past to life with special exhibits and with the Historic Tall Ship of Texas Elissa

 

www.galvestonhistory.org/1877_Tall_Ship_ELISSA.asp

Elissa, the Official Tall Ship of Texas, makes a passage in the Gulf of Mexico. No. 19 on the Places to Visit Map.

 

www.oceanstaroec.com

Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum enjoy experiencing the offshore industry first-hand on an actual retired jack-up drilling rig.

 

In November the first weekend thursday thru sunday is a Rally along with 400,000 of your closest friends

www.lonestarrally.com

2013 LSR Bike & Car Shows; Entertainment. Sons Of Anarchy; Bands; Miss Lone Star Rally ; Bike Events. Poker Run; Outlaw Dave's Ranch Ride; Indian & Victory 2014 …etc and more

Edited October 10, 2013 by ssb

[sea_u_onboard]

I am also worried about parking. With Norwegian and princess are both there, it seems like 800 spots is not going to cut it.

 

I am in Houston leaving on January 4th. And I don't think that Park&Cruise lots will be up and running yet, especially without very much data on the parking market.

Norwegian won't be sailing out of Houston until Oct 2014 - so you should be fine. We sail the week after you but haven't decided if we are going to fly or drive.

[chrismch]

We'll be driving to the port - which will be a first for us in TX as we usually sail out of FL. Never seen that part of TX before, but will only be there to drop off the car and get on the ship in Jan 2014

[kluv2cruz]

There is an Art Car Museum though.

 

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions, all of you. Art car museum and oil rig museum will both be very interesting. AND both my boys have sailed several summers on a tall ship so that's great too. I think we may need to rent a car!

 

And I like the idea of the boardwalk area for lunch. Sounds like it will be a hit.

 

Thx!

Edited October 11, 2013 by kluv2cruz

[sminfiddle]

Free Museums

 

"Spend your day exploring Houston's museums, while saving big with a well-edited list of the city's most-loved free things to do. Fortunately, for locals and visitors alike, more than a dozen of Houston's most memorable museums won't break the bank--in fact they won't even cost a dime."

 

And a good half dozen of the biggest, best museums in the Museum District are all Free every Thursday afternoon... good for cruise visitors coming in a few days early:

Museum Free Days

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum: Free Thursday 1 - 5 pm

Children's Museum of Houston: Free Thursday 5 - 8 pm

The Health Museum: Free Thursday 2 - 5 pm

The John C. Freeman Weather Museum: Free Thursday 12 - 4 pm

Houston Museum of Natural Science: Free Thursday after 2 pm

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Free Thursday 10 am - 9 pm

Houston Zoo: Free the first Tuesday of the month after 2pm (September through May only)

 

 

Closer to the Cruise Terminal is a monument -well, more like a "Happening" -well, more like an "I Don't Know How To Categorize It Because It's One-Of-A-Kind" - that I always try to take visitors to. Just click it.

The Orange Show

Edited October 11, 2013 by sminfiddle
etaoin shrdlu

[1CruiserGuy]

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions, all of you. Art car museum and oil rig museum will both be very interesting. AND both my boys have sailed several summers on a tall ship so that's great too. I think we may need to rent a car!

 

And I like the idea of the boardwalk area for lunch. Sounds like it will be a hit.

 

Thx!

 

Glad you liked our suggestions.

 

I've been to the Ocean Star Oil Platform Museum and the Elissa, which are both within very easy walking distance of the Galveston Cruise Terminal. Both are great.

 

Just realize that Texas is a big place, and that the travel time from the Ocean Star Oil Platform Museum in Galveston to IAH airport on north side of Houston is 1.25 hours in good traffic (70 miles). It's even further from Seawall Blvd that runs along the beach.

 

The Air Car Museum is just west of downtown Houston, and would be just off this route by a few minutes.

 

From Galveston to Hobby Airport (southeast Houston, Southwest, AirTran, Delta airlines), it's at least a 45 minute, 40 mile trip.

 

I haven't been to the Bayport Cruise Terminal since they reactivated it (it was built and then 'mothballed' for several years), so I don't know what the rental car situation will be.

 

Come to think of it, the only time I've been aboard the Elissa was when it was temporarily docked at the unused/mothballed Bayport Cruise Terminal. It's normal, permanent home is down in Galveston.

Edited October 11, 2013 by 1CruiserGuy

[LARGIN]

Need info for Transportation from Hotel near Hobby to Bayport Cruise Terminal.. Elite Limo wants $222 one way..

[1CruiserGuy]

Need info for Transportation from Hotel near Hobby to Bayport Cruise Terminal.. Elite Limo wants $222 one way..

 

I used AdvantageLimos.com a couple of times, a couple years ago. Other than not being able to get them on the phone on one occasion, for a booking, they seemed reliable.

 

Their towncar rate from the NASA/Clear Lake area, which is south/beyond Bayport Terminal, to IAH was $115 one way (a year or two ago). Hobby (HOU) is half as far, but I doubt the rate will be less.

 

Since I have limited experience with them, your "mileage" may vary (caveat emptor).

 

Other than being a prior customer a couple years ago, I have no/zero affiliation with AdvantageLimos.com.

[LARGIN]

I used AdvantageLimos.com a couple of times, a couple years ago. Other than not being able to get them on the phone on one occasion, for a booking, they seemed reliable.

 

Their towncar rate from the NASA/Clear Lake area, which is south/beyond Bayport Terminal, to IAH was $115 one way (a year or two ago). Hobby (HOU) is half as far, but I doubt the rate will be less.

 

Since I have limited experience with them, your "mileage" may vary (caveat emptor).

 

Other than being a prior customer a couple years ago, I have no/zero affiliation with AdvantageLimos.com.

 

Thanks.. I just found out that Execucar, part of Supershuttle is now in Houston. We used them in LA when we went to Hawaii and had no problems. Their price for an SUV from our hotel to Baypoint was $85 plus tip or $102. A Town Car was $72 plus tip..

 

[kluv2cruz]

Thx again. Walking distance to the oil platform museum and the tall ship might be perfect for arrival day. I can almost hear "are we there yet?" But maybe they'll surprise me!

Edited October 12, 2013 by kluv2cruz

[chrismch]

How long does it take to get out into the open water?

 

I looked at Google maps and it only looked like their was one pier - unless the building in front is really long.

[ssb]

How long does it take to get out into the open water?

 

I looked at Google maps and it only looked like their was one pier - unless the building in front is really long.

 

Galveston 1/2 hour

Houston 2-3 hours ?

[1CruiserGuy]

Walking distance to the oil platform museum and the tall ship might be perfect for arrival day.

 

It's walking distance from the Galveston Cruise Terminal, not the Bayport Cruise Terminal (S.E. Houston), just to make sure there's no confusion.

 

Also, "The Strand," Galveston's historic district, runs just in front of the Galveston Cruise Terminal. Galveston holds multiple festivals along the Strand throughout the year. Mardi Gras, Dickens On The Strand (Xmas festival) and various arts & crafts gathering are all very popular.

[tango55]

Does anyone know approximately how much a cab would cost from the cruiseport in Houston to the seawall area in Galveston?

 

We are staying there for a few days post cruise - and were going to rent a car but only see one car rental agency near the cruise port?

 

Thanks in advance - am enjoying this thread!

 

Terry

[TruckerDave]

It is in the neighborhood of 40 miles as the crow flies. If you are taking some time post cruise just grab a shuttle/cab to whichever airport you are flying out of and get rental car there. You really do need a car to see anything in the Houston area. The public transportation options are pretty much nonexistent and stuff is so spread out a vehicle is needed.

 

 

Sent using a small piece of fruit.

[tango55]

Thanks, but we're staying in Galveston, not Houston. We've seen it. We understood we wouldn't need a car if we were staying in the seawall area of Galveston? I just need to know the quickest ( and cheapest) way to get from the cruiseship to our hotel. I've tried 2 shuttle companies and they seem high to me. Is it because there are so few options? That's why I'm wondering about a cab?

 

Thanks, Terry