UK Cruisers Houston transfers to Galeveston

[Reina del Mar]

Have just booked Royal Caribbean cruise with flights from Heathrow to Houston, overnight at Marriott at the airport, RC transfers to Galveston port.

(Arrive Sat board Sun)

 

Would like to hear from anyone who has done this and has any advice regarding a quick visit to Walmart or similar for wine/ last minute supplies. :)

 

 

Thanks for any suggestions / information.

[lrn2cruise]

Hi!!!! Welcome to Texas (soon!) I have not cruised out of Galveston, but I live in Texas and know some of Houston and Galveston.

 

I mainly want to bump your post up and see if you can get more response.

 

I assume you are landing at Bush Airport since you are coming from Heathrow. Correct?

 

So RC will get you from the airport to Galveston? Where are you planning on staying in Galveston?

 

The Walmart in Galveston is on the Seawall Road, but is several miles down from the port. Galveston is not a huge place, but you might need to take a taxi, etc?

 

Saturday, you should find some fun things to do around Galveston. There is a new pier with rides, etc, Moody Gardens is fun. Good seafood at Guildos.

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks for trying to help.

 

We arrive in Houston in the afternoon (Saturday) and stay at the Airport Marriott. We need to do our last minute shopping around that area, but will not have a car.

We are then taking the RC transfer to the ship on Sunday. So unfortunately will not have time for pre-cruise exploration of Galveston, but have a few days on our return when we will stay in Galveston and have a hire car

...Thanks for your suggestions

[TravelinGert]

I am not sure I am the best person to answer as my experience is limited. If you've never been to Texas, you'll find our public transport options are not quite up to European city standards. They are much improved in the last twenty years, and the trains in Houston are quite decent. The buses, in my experience, show a bit more variety as to quality. They still work just fine.

 

I'm assuming you're flying into the Intercontinental north of the city. From the Marriott there, you can access the 102. From there, you have access to the Greenspoint Mall and a Walmart just south of there. It is doable. Since you didn't name dates, I will warn you if it is summer you should bring a bottle of water with you and expect to purchase one at Walmart for the wait / trip back. The heat here can really creep up on people who aren't used to it.

 

I have also had occasion to make use of a taxi in that area. I did not think they seemed quite as professional as my experience in London, but everything turned out fine. We're just a good bit more relaxed here, I guess. It is several miles to the nearest Walmart, so the fare won't be as small as you might expect. The public transport option will surely be cheaper.

[JasonTehGreat]

Hi,

 

I actually have lived in Houston and Galveston.

 

One thing to check is that Marriott may offer a shuttle service that may or may not take you to Walmart. I also agree that a taxi will be a good option. I will say this however, I am not a fan of the buses in Houston. I lived in a nice area of town (The Galleria Area, actually 2 blocks from the Galleria) and I did not care for the buses.

 

There are a few things you may like in Galveston. There is a Mexican Restaurant called "The Original Mexican Cafe" on 14th St, just a couple of blocks from The Strand. On Seawall and 4th there is a Walgreens which has lots of everyday toiletry items (I worked in the Pharmacy at that store). If you get a chance to go to Moody Gardens, you should. Also stop by Walgreens before you go to Moody Gardens because sometimes they have 50% coupons free in the store. Not always, but sometimes. If they don't there is a grocery store called Arlans that may have some.

 

There is a Bank of America building off of 22nd St and The Strand that has paid parking and the lot is usually pretty safe. There is another bank across the street that has a garage that is paid parking as well.

 

If you have any specific questions please let me know and I will be happy to help.

 

 

Jason

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks for your suggestions one and all.

 

We would be most unlikely to use a local bus , a taxi seems the best option if no shuttle is available. Hopefully they will be reliable.

We were actually in Galveston in August with a hire car . We ate in Fish Tales and walked the strand , ended up parking in a side street quite close to the Galvez hotel !

The info about Moody Gardens sounds great...will make a point of visiting. Hopefully our hotel, the Hilton will offer safe parking.

We intend travelling to Clearlake for post cruise shopping junct 30 shopping mall and outlets in between Galveston and Clearlake...

 

Anyone actually know if Marriott at Houston International Airport runs a local shuttle...not showing on web page ?.

 

 

Thanks again.

[Kellie Poodle]

Thanks for trying to help.

 

We arrive in Houston in the afternoon (Saturday) and stay at the Airport Marriott. We need to do our last minute shopping around that area, but will not have a car.

 

We are then taking the RC transfer to the ship on Sunday. So unfortunately will not have time for pre-cruise exploration of Galveston, but have a few days on our return when we will stay in Galveston and have a hire car

 

...Thanks for your suggestions

 

Ask if the Marriot shuttle can take you to a local store. Sometimes hotels are nice about that.

[J & G]

Have just booked Royal Caribbean cruise with flights from Heathrow to Houston, overnight at Marriott at the airport, RC transfers to Galveston port.

(Arrive Sat board Sun)

 

Would like to hear from anyone who has done this and has any advice regarding a quick visit to Walmart or similar for wine/ last minute supplies. :)

 

 

Thanks for any suggestions / information.

 

I live in the Houston/Galveston area and I would not advise you to shop anywhere around the airport. The hotels are nice, but steer clear of the Greenspoint area. I would not shop in that area for any reason.....

 

I would suggest that you take the RC shuttle to Galveston on Sunday, drop your bags, and catch a cab to the nearby Walgreens on Seawall and Ferry Road. I think they carry wine....and a lot of other stuff. Have the cab driver wait for you so you won't have to try to get a cab back to the port. He will charge you to wait, but it will be worth it to know he's there when you come out.

 

If a Walmart is what you're looking for, there is one about 20 minutes from the port, by cab. The crew from the ship all head for there in the afternoon....you will see them coming back to the ship with their purchases.

[Galveston Cruiser]

First: Welcome to Texas:)

Second: You can't purchase wine, beer, etc. before noon on Sunday anywhere in the State.

Third: Walmart is 10 minutes from the cruise terminal

Fourth: CVS drugstore is closer to port than Walgreens at Broadway & 25th.

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks. Sounds like it would be easier to get to a Walmart, Walgreens or CVS on Saturday to get some wine and sundries.

 

It doesn't appear the Marriott at the airport runs a local shuttle, so looks like we need to get a taxi to the nearest store.

 

Any suggestions ?

 

Thanks

[TravelinGert]

As long as you call for the taxi or pick one up at the taxi stand at the airport, it should be fine. I've not heard gypsy cabs were a difficulty in Houston, but that would alleviate any concern on your part as to that. There's generally nothing wrong with taxi service in Houston / Galveston. Just the cabbies tend to dress and behave more informally verses my experience of European and especially British cabs, so I thought it might be well to warn you of that. You might find it works best to make a stop off at the shops on your way down to the cruise port. There are several Walmarts along 45 heading down.

 

I believe you were warned off Greenspoint as it is somewhat the bad side of the tracks one might say. We were at that Walmart on a couple of occasions during daytime and it seemed fine. We've also been to the Walmart near the home of a family member in one of the most elite areas of the Houston suburban area several times. We walked up on a mugging in progress the one time, and saw an attempted car jacking another. I've also never personally had a problem in Houston, so it just shows the occasional difficulty can spring up anywhere. Keep your head up and be aware wherever you go, and you're likely to be fine.

[Reina del Mar]

Thanks for trying to help.

 

Our problem seems to be that we have booked to Marriott overnight at the airport, and the RCCL transfer to the ship next morning, so can't get taxi to stop en route. Could embark, then get off again I suppose, if there's somewhere close to the docks.

 

Possibly we could get taxi from Marriott to a Walmart/CVS/ Walgreens.

 

We have stayed in Clearlake area previously and certainly found no issues being out and about there, so hopefully airport area will be the same.

 

Thanks again.