Rental car or limo from port to Houston from Galvaston?

[OMargie]

I posted this question on another thread sort of not related so I'm afraid not enough pros with experience in this area will see it. So here is the question again. We have a rental car through Enterprise, who is supposedly right at the port, for pickup after our sailing on the GP on 1/28/05. I've been reading all of the problems going on with this and that on the Grand. Our flight from Hobby leaves at 1:15 pm, which if all goes well, should be ok. But if not, does anyone have suggestions as to whether we should schedule a limo or is getting a car through Enterprise fairly quick and easy to do?

Margie

[Mandee]

I'm not sure about how easy it is to get a rental car after disembarking but having a limo was amazing. She was right there waiting for us after we cleared customs. We jumped into the car and we were off. It was also nice not having to navigate our way back to the airport in a place we weren't familiar with (the drive to Galveston was somewhat interesting).

 

A rental car is definately better than a bus/cab, but I'd go with the limo.

[OMargie]

Thanks for the info Mandee.

[FrogCruiser]

Wha does the limo cost to/from the port from IAH?

[TNTLAMB]

With our original group of 6 it was $125.00 each way if prepaid, when our group grew to 8 it was $250.00 still a bargain compared to cruise cattle cars at $35.00 per person each way. I believe it was through Houston Limo Network Town cars were less we ended up with a mini-bus.

[izmack]

We used A Hallmark Limo and were very pleased. It was $120 for a car for 2. When our bags were lost coming into Houston, the driver (the owner's wife) stayed with us for over 2 hours trying to trach them down. Superb service and would use them again in a minute....

 

Geri

[griswalds]

We have done the Houston - Galveston trek twice now over the past year and a month. I had a booking with Enterprise to pick up a car (0ne way) and drive it to Houston and drop it off at the airport. It was disaster. First Enterprise was not located where they said they would be...wrong terminal....ooops. Then there was a very long line up with 1 person working. Then you had to wait to get a ride to the car. After waiting approx 1 hour in line we cancelled the reservation and took a cab.

 

This is a real challenge as I do not believe any of the other rental agencies offer one way rentals without the large surcharge. It is approx 1 hour driving from the airport to Galveston ay non rush hour.

 

We have had both limo and cab rides and you can probably get a good rate for a cab if you ask the price before you leave.

 

Good luck

 

Griswalds

[joanne1]

griswalds, had to say hi seeing how we are neighbours. We will be heading down to Galveston the end of March and there will be six of us. We are actually flying in late Thursday, staying by the airport, and then renting a van and driving to Galveston early in the morning so the guys can golf on Friday. Because we don't get on the ship until Saturday we would really like to have the vehicle but it sounds like your experiences were not very good. Were they going to charge you a drop off fee - have heard yes and no. Can you give me any more details? would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[Hulagirl]

Hi Joanne: Glad you posted as I've wanted to let you know about our cruise on the Grand. It turned out to be a great trip and we lucked out all the way around. Staying at the Hotel Galvez worked out so well for us because of the odd check in on that cruise. We ended up taking a taxi to the ship and were probably some of the first few on.

 

Now the limo service we hired turned out to be a total bust. Don't book with Extreme Elegance at all. They were horrible and it was so frustrating. We (there was 7 total in our group) ended up taking a taxi from the ship back to the airport that last morning. The limo company, when Lady Jag (board name) called, said they had no record of our return reservation. Now we had reconfirmed the whole thing and they are a mess. Turned out the taxi was a bit cheaper in the long run and worked great.

 

I thought of you in Galveston since I know you want to shop. As nice of a place as it is, the shopping is not what you are looking for. There were so many places along the way from Houston to Galveston that I would have loved to have stopped at, but couldn't do it. From what I understand, there is a mall in Houston called the Galleria (I hope that is the name). This was told to me and hopefully someone from the area can confirm or deny that, but it is supposed to be excellent for shopping. I should have looked it up before I posted, but didn't think of it. So do your shopping before getting to or after the cruise from Galveston. We loved the area and would like to go back.

 

We are looking forward to the Sapphire in April now. Will be nice to have a shorter flight for a change. The Grand was in great shape and as much as I was against MUTS, we thoroughly enjoyed sitting out there one night watching a movie. Was fun!

 

Happy planning for your cruise. How is Lainie liking being at home and not working on a ship?

 

Hulagirl

[dcl1710]

Omargie - we were one of the families on the 12/31 disembarkation fiasco. The taxi we took at the last minute cost $135 to go to Bush International. That should be the most you pay. We had a large van because of our luggage - scuba gear. If you rent from Enterprise at least at the pier in Galveston there is a Enterprise stand right outside of customs. I don't know how it is a t Bush International or Hobby. Good luck and I hope you have a great trip - don't sweat this stuff and have fun!

[tbruin3235]

From what I understand, there is a mall in Houston called the Galleria (I hope that is the name). This was told to me and hopefully someone from the area can confirm or deny that, but it is supposed to be excellent for shopping.

Hulagirl

 

Yes, Galleria is it's name. The Galleria is located at the intersection of Westheimer Rd. and Post Oak Boulevard just off Loop 610. There's some info at http://www.simon.com/mall/mall_info.aspx?ID=805

[houstoncruisers2001]

We used A Hallmark Limo and were very pleased.

 

Hallmark is a good company, though I drive for a friend of theirs. Mike & Teresa do a good job. Good choice.

[scootepie66]

Has anyone used or have any info on NRGD Limos?

[joanne1]

Hi Susan, I was following your reports back and thanks for all of the advice. I have heard great things about Hotel Galvez and heard from others that it runs about $100 per night. Well, I checked it out and for the nights that we are looking at it is $240 x 3 and I could almost pay for another cruise :D , so we will keep looking. We are thinking about trying Priceline but we are still waiting for one more couple to decide if they are joining us or not.

 

As far as shopping goes, I am not a big shopper but I would like to visit a couple of stores that we don't have here (like Victoria's :D ). We are probably going to rent a vehicle for Saturday after disembarkation and stay in Houston on Saturday night, because we leave early Sunday morning - they guys could golf somewhere in Houston and they could drop us off at the mall.

 

Thanks for all of the info and enjoy your next cruise - I get jealous everytime I see your signature!!

[houstoncruisers2001]

Well, I checked it out and for the nights that we are looking at it is $240 x 3 and I could almost pay for another cruise

 

Unfortunately, most Galveston hotels/motels run alot higher during the spring, summer & fall months especially on the weekends. Not that most of them are worth it, that's just the way it is.

 

Houston hotels, on the other hand, are CHEAPER on the weekend. Something to consider.

[twodudes]

Hi there..

 

We hired with Hertz to/from Galveston in 2003. They could not have gone more out of their way to be of service. On the departure leg, we dropped our bags and 2 of our party at the Pier and drove the 3-4 miles back to Hertz in Galveston. They were so friendly, and mentioned that they would have happily driven us all down from the depot if we didn't know where it was!

 

On the return, I was really worried about not having NeverLost as they could not guarantee it, however the Manager at the time (her name was Hope) was great, and made sure a car was available for me. After disembarkation, a Hertz Rep was making continual circles with a minivan and taking one driver from your party back to the office to collect a rental.

 

Average costs for a Taurus/Sable were only around US50p/day all up - we chose to drive back to Dallas Ft Worth airport as we had better connections there with American to Vegas.

 

All in all, if I ever cruised from Galveston again I would rent and use Hertz. It's great to have control of your transfer and to not worry about other people.

 

Cheers,

Ash

[joanne1]

twodudes, thanks for your recommendation. Did they charge you a drop off fee because of pick-up from one depot and leaving it at another?

 

houstoncruisers2001, thanks for the cheery news on hotel costs in March ;) . I will be booking soon and would like to stay in Galveston for at least the night before the cruise because the guys would like to try golfing there. They are planning on golfing once in Galveston (I think there is only one course there) and once in Houston on our return day. Do you have any recommendations for a golf course in Houston that they should try? I know nothing about the massive area of Houston so is there anything in the same end of the city as the Galleria Mall?

 

Thanks

[houstoncruisers2001]

houstoncruisers2001, thanks for the cheery news on hotel costs in March ;) . I will be booking soon and would like to stay in Galveston for at least the night before the cruise because the guys would like to try golfing there. Do you have any recommendations for a golf course in Houston that they should try? I know nothing about the massive area of Houston so is there anything in the same end of the city as the Galleria Mall?Thanks

 

As far as Galveston goes....the La Quinta at 1402 Seawall Blvd or the Ramada Express at 2300 Seawall Blvd would be some what cheaper than the Galvez or San Luis, though not near as fancy. I drop alot of cruisers off at these hotels though. If you just want a basic place to stay I'd check them out.

 

As far as golf in the Galleria area of Houston....there's not much because the clubs are mostly private in that area. You might check into Memorial Park, which is city owned. It's close to the Galleria area and its considered a great public course with alot of history.

 

http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalgolf/memorial/

[twodudes]

Hi - you can pick up and drop off in Texas with no location drop fees with Hertz. They treat this the same in CA when we rent there.

 

Cheers!