Houston

[satxdiver]

I don't understand why the cruise lines are staying in Galveston and Houston. The cruise prices are ridiculously low, the port charges are ridiculously high and the transfer charges from the airports are rediculously low. Moral - go straight to the ship from the airport to the cruise terminal NOW. This can't last long.

 

Carnival has 3 ships permanently in Galveston and RCI has one ship permanently in Galveston while Princess and NCL each have a ship in Houston during the winter season. Carnival and RCI have been there forever while Princess and NCL are returning after a period of being gone. As for port charges, Bayport (Houston) is letting the two ships stay there for free. There are plenty of pax in the middle part of the country that would like to drive to the port.

 

The Webster, Clear Lake and NASA areas as well as Kemah are within 10 miles of Bayport. Most hotel chains are there and for some there are several properties. Restaurants, shopping and of course NASA/Johnson Space Center are there.

[Mekamax]

Clear Lake is a nice area near the port with lots of nice restauarants and the Nature Center and NASA. Lots to do in Kemah with the Boardwalk too. Much better by way of cost and time than Galveston. We sailed out of Houston 3 times last year and this year. Very nice small port where you can park and walk into the terminal. Don't know why people are negative. Stay on deck and watch the ship sail down the ship channel as this is something you can't do in Galveston. Dolphins jumping and other ships will pass real close. So fun!!! Hope you all enjoy the experience. We will be on the Emerald Princess too this year. :)

[MaChere]

As others have said, the Kemah and Seabrook areas are great for pre or post cruise stay. There are quite a few nice bed and breakfasts as well.

 

http://www.visitbayareahouston.com/Cruising/Pre-and-Post-Cruise-Stay

[Tushaye]

We're taking the Jan. 11th Emerald Princess Cruise out of Houston but need transportation from Houston's Hobby Airport to the port area the day before the cruise and staying at the Best Western Seabrook the night before the cruise and then taking the free hotel shuttle to the ship the next morning. However, since we can't take the Princess shuttle the day before sailing we need to find inexpensive transportation from Hobby Airport to the hotel near the port. Any suggestions?

Edited October 31, 2014 by Tushaye
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[GradUT]

Having researched this myself for our December cruise, it appears that there are no inexpensive options for getting from Hobby Airport to the area near the Port of Houston.

 

Here is a link to the Port of Houston website which gives taxi rates (see Question 5 of the FAQs: http://www.portofhouston.com/cruise-information/frequently-asked-questions/

 

A second option would be using Uber or Uber X. I'm not sure what the exact cost would be, but it will be less than a taxi.

 

A third option would be SuperShuttle. According to their website, a shared ride from Hobby to your hotel would be $40 for the 1st passenger and $7 for each additional passenger.

 

A fourth option would be to stay in a hotel near Hobby Airport that has a free shuttle service and then shuttle back to the airport on Sunday for a Princess transfer.

 

Finally, a one-way car rental would not be an option because all the car rental companies near the Port of Houston close at noon on Saturdays and are closed all day Sunday.

 

The best choice for you will depend a lot on how many are in your party.

[PenguinLife]

It depends on how big your group is, Super Shuttle offers a private shuttle from Hobby to the Clear Lake / Kemah hotels with up to 7 passengers for $75 one way ($100 for up to 10 passengers)

 

p.s keep in mind you are talking about a 30 mile trip one way

Edited October 31, 2014 by PenguinLife

[caribill]

We're taking the Jan. 11th Emerald Princess Cruise out of Houston but need transportation from Houston's Hobby Airport to the port area the day before the cruise and staying at the Best Western Seabrook the night before the cruise and then taking the free hotel shuttle to the ship the next morning. However, since we can't take the Princess shuttle the day before sailing we need to find inexpensive transportation from Hobby Airport to the hotel near the port. Any suggestions?

 

I agree with the following choice, about as inexpensive as it can be.

 

 

A third option would be SuperShuttle. According to their website, a shared ride from Hobby to your hotel would be $40 for the 1st passenger and $7 for each additional passenger.

 

[DebJ14]

For those cruising out of Houston on January 18 just be aware that is the day of the Chevron Houston Marathon. For that reason I would avoid staying at a Downtown hotel.

 

It would be better to stay close to one of the airports if taking the Princess shuttle or stay in the Clear Lake or Kemah area where there will be restaurants and activities if you want them. The Boardwalk Inn at Kemah and the Hilton on Clear Lake are probably the nicest places to stay in that area. There are also lots of budget friendly properties.

Edited October 31, 2014 by DebJ14

[zachnyc]

We took other's advice and ended up booking the Four Seasons Houston. It was not much more expensive than choices near the port if you don't have a car. Houston IAH is about $100 taxi to the port or hotel in port area. Taxi from hotel there to port about $20. Cheapest decent hotel option is the Hilton NASA which was about $104 with tax. Total $224. Four seasons downtown with transfers from airport to hotel and from hotel to ship total $277. If you can swing the $53 difference it seems worth it.

[caribill]

We took other's advice and ended up booking the Four Seasons Houston. It was not much more expensive than choices near the port if you don't have a car. Houston IAH is about $100 taxi to the port or hotel in port area. Taxi from hotel there to port about $20. Cheapest decent hotel option is the Hilton NASA which was about $104 with tax. Total $224. Four seasons downtown with transfers from airport to hotel and from hotel to ship total $277. If you can swing the $53 difference it seems worth it.

 

Supershuttle can reduce that $100 to about half that for two people if going to a hotel that is still in Harris County such as the Hilton NASA.

Edited October 31, 2014 by caribill

[Susie51]

I'm using Super Shuttle and have a reservation of $87 total for two from Bush to hotel near the port. From the hotel we will take a taxi or a shuttle van.

[caribill]

I'm using Super Shuttle and have a reservation of $87 total for two from Bush to hotel near the port. From the hotel we will take a taxi or a shuttle van.

 

Which hotel?

 

I see a quote of $65 from IAH to Hilton NASA hotel in Clear Lake.