A few inquiries about leaving from Galveston,TX.

[tugboat]

Indeed. What a racket that is.

 

Hey we have to do something to try to stay close to New Orleans, don't be sour grapes because you lost your RCL ship, they will discover there mistake and come back soon.:D

[BecciBoo]

Tug and we are old friends:

 

Here he is getting his award I made him at the M&M: That is a cow paddy! The award was for best Bull Chipper! LOL Oops we are sure highjacking now.......

Edited December 16, 2015 by BecciBoo

[tugboat]

I don't mess with hotels on the island anymore. Now that I have my own personal chauffeur, I can stay in Clear Lake at reasonably priced hotels.:)

 

That's what we like to hear.:cool:

[time4u2go]

Hey we have to do something to try to stay close to New Orleans, don't be sour grapes because you lost your RCL ship, they will discover there mistake and come back soon.:D

 

Not sure what you are talking about. I didn't lose an RCL ship. :confused:

[tugboat]

Tug and we are old friends:

 

Here he is getting his award I made him at the M&M: That is a cow paddy! The award was for best Bull Chipper! LOL

 

Thanks for the Memories :)

[mil76]

So make Galveston pay stay in Houston and come down the day of your cruise it is the 4th largest city in the Nation.

 

IMHO Galveston stinks brown water and a oil spell. but it is only 55 minutes from the house.

 

If you leave where you have to fly to cruise why not fly to Florida bigger better ships on night stays

 

If Galveston stays unpopular the prices stay low for cruises for us Texans.:(

 

Flying into Hobby and staying in Houston is the trick. Fly into Hobby, stay at a hotel by Hobby, take a shuttle from the hotel directly to the port in the morning. On the way back take a shuttle directly from the port to Hobby. The next $ I spend in Galveston (other than what is built into the cruise fare) will be my first.

 

Sure, I can't walk off the ship at 6:15am and be sitting at the gate at FLL by 6:50am for an 8:30 flight, but for the $500pp I save in airfare and cost of the cruise over Florida for Spring Break, I find myself willing to deal with Galveston every year.

[tugboat]

Not sure what you are talking about. I didn't lose an RCL ship. :confused:

 

Ok my mistake I was thinking

 

That was a streetcar on Canal street my bad

[time4u2go]

Ok my mistake I was thinking

 

That was a streetcar on Canal street my bad

 

It is a New Orleans streetcar. I just like the picture. (It's actually St. Charles Avenue)

Edited December 16, 2015 by time4u2go

[tugboat]

It is a New Orleans streetcar. I just like the picture. (It's actually St. Charles Avenue)

 

I like the picture too:)

[maitai-1010]

we just got off 12/13/2015 liberty of the sea and book on Galveston Express round trip

I will use them again, but you need backup plan in case it didn't work

Bob, thank you for all the info you post i learn a lot from you thanks

happy Cruising.

[Funbobby68]

We flew into bush international and rented a car . It was cheaper for us to pay for parking at the cruise terminal for the week while we sailed and then had the car for the day we returned. Our flight did not leave till 6pm that day so squeezed in some Texas BBQ and Johnson space centre as well , will be doing the exact same thing again in May , with a few extra days in Galveston this time

[Zou Bisou Bisou]

Excuse me, but I consider 7 months in advance plenty of planning ahead. Many hotels do not even register availability in advance of the prior year. In November, I spoke with several of the highest level hotels which we prefer such as Tremont House, Galvez and Harbor House and they all required 2 nights . We wanted to be close to the pier and have parking privileges. I never said that ALL Galveston hoteliers do this.

 

We prefer not to stay at motels. Even Holiday Inn Express tried to charge us for an additional night on one cruise and it took some time till AMEX could remove the charge, but they finally did. This attitude has left us with no desire to stay on island any longer. But since my family is cruising with us, I tried to inquire about our next cruise because they are out of state. Now they have elected to stay here in San Antonio where they are not charged for a night they will not be using and then driving down on cruise day.

 

So we get it that you have the opposite opinion of some of us, who also happen to be experienced Galveston cruisers. But our opinions are also valid...no need to adopt such an insulting tone with one of the most respected voices on these boards such as Bob.

 

If you want to stay at high end hotels in Galveston pre-cruise then either book two nights or fly to Florida where apparently you get the pick of any hotel you want for one night at all times. A Hampton Inn for one night pre-cruise is not exactly a motel. I have stayed at some very high end hotels in my life in many different cities in the U.S, Cananda and Europe. I think I can handle one night in a Hampton Inn in Galveston.:D

 

While a poster may be respected by other regulars, giving out inaccurate information which might disuade others from cruising out of Galveston doesn't seem so respectful to me.

[Zou Bisou Bisou]

We flew into bush international and rented a car . It was cheaper for us to pay for parking at the cruise terminal for the week while we sailed and then had the car for the day we returned. Our flight did not leave till 6pm that day so squeezed in some Texas BBQ and Johnson space centre as well , will be doing the exact same thing again in May , with a few extra days in Galveston this time

 

That sounds like a great way to do it and you can come and go as you please. Parking is under $100 a week so in the scheme of things not so much money after all.

[Camlott]

Just to test what I already knew, I checked every Saturday night from September 2016 through December 2016 (as far out as can be planned at this point). The only full service hotel that had any one night availability during that four month span was Moody Gardens. With the exception of Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is low season (hurricane season).

 

So it is true that a two night minimum isn't required so long as you are ok with that one hotel or staying at a motel. I've never personally stayed at Moody Gardens, but I haven't heard great things about it. I usually do not a consider that property and we prefer to stay in full service hotels. The Hilton Galveston Island is our hotel of choice, but they apparently don't need our business anymore.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

If you want to stay at high end hotels in Galveston pre-cruise then either book two nights or fly to Florida where apparently you get the pick of any hotel you want for one night at all times. A Hampton Inn for one night pre-cruise is not exactly a motel. I have stayed at some very high end hotels in my life in many different cities in the U.S, Cananda and Europe. I think I can handle one night in a Hampton Inn in Galveston.:D

 

While a poster may be respected by other regulars, giving out inaccurate information which might disuade others from cruising out of Galveston doesn't seem so respectful to me.

 

Fact: FtL Hilton Marina was a two night stay on Oct 24th.

[cruise cruise cruise]

since this post has gone here there and everywhere, I will jump in with my question...

Would you recommend staying on the island post cruise?

We fly out of Intercontinental Monday at noon. We are currently booked at Hilton Galveston Island Resort for one night post cruise, but wonder what traffic will be like trying to get to IAH Monday morning. Should we be staying closer to IAH and if so where?

[Funbobby68]

We are booked to stay in Texas city , not a big deal because of the rental car , and the prices off the island ,is way better

[Goodtime Cruizin]

since this post has gone here there and everywhere, I will jump in with my question...

Would you recommend staying on the island post cruise?

We fly out of Intercontinental Monday at noon. We are currently booked at Hilton Galveston Island Resort for one night post cruise, but wonder what traffic will be like trying to get to IAH Monday morning. Should we be staying closer to IAH and if so where?

 

Really depends on what you want to do on your extra day(s). If you wish to take in a full day exploring Galveston, I;d stay. But keep in mind, leaving Monday to IAH will cost you an extra hour in traffic. Minimum.

you're talking about leaving the coastline and sriving not only to houston, but THROUGH Houston.

 

I would do both. Stay all day in Galveston,enjoy it, and then drive Sunday night to or near IAH. But that's me.

 

Enjoy your cruise and your visit to Galveston as well.

[BecciBoo]

Traffic is tedious but bearable at almost any time. Someone said traffic is lightest on Sunday, if that is the norm, I certainly couldn't handle it on the heavy traffic days. Sunday has always been heavy when we drive down.

 

 

And by the way, we HAVE stayed at Hampton Inn and it is quiet and a little off the drag, but this time with so many in my party I would rather stay closer to pier, the only hotels over there are high end. We have stayed at the Hilton and at Moody Gardens, Moody is a little inflated but we had no gripe with their facility. And also at Seawall hotels, the Holiday Express etc. I tried the Galvez to that end but they had the minimum. We have also stayed in Texas City a couple times at the Holiday Express and another local hotel with no minimums and a short 20 minute drive over.

 

But I digress, we have made our decision to drive down day of, we'll have more to spend on the ship.

Edited December 16, 2015 by BecciBoo

[TC1957]

Just to test what I already knew, I checked every Saturday night from September 2016 through December 2016 (as far out as can be planned at this point). The only full service hotel that had any one night availability during that four month span was Moody Gardens. With the exception of Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is low season (hurricane season).

 

So it is true that a two night minimum isn't required so long as you are ok with that one hotel or staying at a motel. I've never personally stayed at Moody Gardens, but I haven't heard great things about it. I usually do not a consider that property and we prefer to stay in full service hotels. The Hilton Galveston Island is our hotel of choice, but they apparently don't need our business anymore.

 

Then, at least for me, you need to define full service. I just searched "Galveston hotels" and found 4 in the significant chains that have one night available checking in on 9/10 and out on 9/11 of 2016...and none of them are the one you mentioned so that makes at least 5.

 

Now, I didn't bother to check the ones like "Bob's Hotel" or others that sound like they would have hourly rates. I also didn't bother to check every other weekend. So unless you only consider 5 star properties to be "full service" I call horse feathers.

 

I think part of the problem that many run into is they misjudge Galveston. They think it is only "busy" during the summer months. News flash...the beach is an option almost year round in Texas. Granted most of the beaches there don't make the list of 50 best in the US but they aren't the arm pit of the nation either. Fact is most months there is at least one event on the island that will attract lots of people...be it Mardi Gras celebrations, motorcycle rallies, art exhibits, music festivals, Dickens on the Strand, etc.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Flying into Hobby and staying in Houston is the trick. Fly into Hobby, stay at a hotel by Hobby, take a shuttle from the hotel directly to the port in the morning. On the way back take a shuttle directly from the port to Hobby. The next $ I spend in Galveston (other than what is built into the cruise fare) will be my first.

 

Sure, I can't walk off the ship at 6:15am and be sitting at the gate at FLL by 6:50am for an 8:30 flight, but for the $500pp I save in airfare and cost of the cruise over Florida for Spring Break, I find myself willing to deal with Galveston every year.

 

Just to let others know, the hotels around Hobby aren't in the geetest location. Pretty rough area around Hobby, I would suggest if this the tactic employed that one go further out a bit and stay in clear Lake area.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Well some just don't like the travel to/from the airports but using the excuse of 2 night min is very, very, lame. Because it it simply not true. Galveston is much like Ft.L and other cruise ports. Some weekends are 2 nighters, some aren't. Pretty much the same hotel chains etc.

 

Bottomline is you want a 5 star hotel on a busy weekend, you'll either pay the prevailing rates or you won't. We did the same in Ft.L, we had a two night stay, but we planned on staying two nights anyway. Besides, for those that have never taken in Galveston, there is alot to see and do. Galveston is the oldest city/town in Texas and there is plenty to see and do.

[Funbobby68]

I was disappointed in not have enough time last year to explore Galveston , great place to tour around .....can't wait till may

[Camlott]

Then, at least for me, you need to define full service. I just searched "Galveston hotels" and found 4 in the significant chains that have one night available checking in on 9/10 and out on 9/11 of 2016...and none of them are the one you mentioned so that makes at least 5.

 

 

Ok, I'm done with this conversation but here is my short list of what I consider to be full service hotels on Galveston Island. If there are some that I have missed, I'm open to suggestions. These are the ones that I know of and look for when booking a pre-cruise hotel.

 

Tremont House

Harbor House

San Luis Resort

Doubletree

Moody Gardens

Holiday Inn Resort

Hotel Galvez

Hilton Galveston Island

 

With the exception of Moody Gardens, if you want a one night stay on a Saturday at any of the other properties you are out of luck more often than not. As I said earlier in the thread, I get it... Galveston's travel related businesses are geared towards those who are vacationing on the island, not cruisers.

 

They aren't unfriendly people by any stretch of the imagination (we love the island and have found everyone to be very hospitable), the hotels and car rental agencies just have unfriendly policies towards cruise business.

 

I love cruising out of Galveston and would never want to discourage anyone else from doing so. But to pretend that cruising out of Galveston is as easy as pretty much any other port is disingenuous. For those that aren't close enough to drive in the morning of the cruise, Galveston cruising can be a challenge (more so than other US ports).

Edited December 16, 2015 by Camlott

[George C]

Just to let others know, the hotels around Hobby aren't in the geetest location. Pretty rough area around Hobby, I would suggest if this the tactic employed that one go further out a bit and stay in clear Lake area.

 

I will book my hotel by Hobby in next few days , the cost is about half then a decent place in Galveston. Really enjoyed Doubletree earlier this year, nice restaurant , lounge and small outside pool, for a little over 100. If I could get Hilton for 200 in Galveston I would have done it, but I have no interest in staying 2 nights and paying over 200 for a place that cost half that a year previous, on same week. Staying last week in April.