Houston-Galveston transfer?

[sistergroove]

Hello,

Has anyone had good luck with a shuttle or limo service from Houston Intercontinental airport (IAH) to the Galveston port? We had a terrible experience a couple years ago when our limo did not show up for the return trip back to Houston (Extreme Elegance limo, never, never use them again even if they were free!)

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Hulagirl]

We just had bad experience with Extreme Elegance limo service also. Agree, would never use them again even if they were free also. Houstoncruiser2001 on the CC board works for a limo service so you might want to do a search under his name and see if you can contact him. How I wish we had realized his cruise was 2 weeks before ours and had booked through his company.

 

Hulagirl

[Trvlbugs]

Hi, we just used housten limo for our transfer. They were great. We booked with cliff and romeo was our driver, he was super cool.

We even had a long wait until our flight after departing the ship so he took us to starbuck and to shop for a bit. I highly recommend!!!

[luvtojump]

Houston Limo sounds great. It that their name? I am trying to get a phone number for them. Any idea regarding price for a sedan versus a limo?

[Decali]

We just had bad experience with Extreme Elegance limo service also. Agree, would never use them again even if they were free also. Houstoncruiser2001 on the CC board works for a limo service so you might want to do a search under his name and see if you can contact him. How I wish we had realized his cruise was 2 weeks before ours and had booked through his company.

 

Hulagirl

 

 

What was the problem with Extreme Elegance?

 

We used them that week coming and going and it worked out just fine. We're going to be going again this year and I was going to book them again but now I'm not so sure.

[Hulagirl]

Extreme Elegance dropped the ball all the way around for our transportation. The first call we made to them was good, but after that it wasn't. We should have dropped them instantly, but thought we were doing right and had read some good reviews and only one bad at the time. They couldn't get the reservations right even after we had called and reconfirmed. On the last day when Lady Jag called for the stretch Expedition we had confirmed with them, she was told first they didn't have a vehicle like that and second they didn't even have our reservation. Now this is again after we had reconfirmed all of this with them. We ended up taking (7 of us) a taxi van back to Bush airport, which worked out fine, but was frustrating. I just can't say enough how bad this company is.

 

Have heard that Gulf Coast Limo Service is excellent and their drivers are tops. Wish we had known this before our cruise and gone with them.

 

Houstoncruisers2001: We do have great minds and I know that this company had been mentioned to me while I was on my cruise. I knew I had been told to go to the Galveston web site and look for the sixth limo company, and glad I did. Hope this helps people flying into Houston that don't know what company to go with

 

Yes, it is still raining. Ugh, I'm so sick and tired of it. We are now at 25 days straight with measureable rainfall here in Seattle. The record is 33 days set back in 1953 and I do think we are going to break that. This really isn't a record that I myself even want to come close to. Only thing I can say is, thank goodness it isn't snow. What a mess that would be.

 

Hulagirl

[Nancyquilts]

We've used the ship's transfers once, and Galveston Limo several times - a regular schedule down from Hobby and Bush, and good pickup service at the dock. We won't go with the ship's transfers again. Nancy

[sistergroove]

What was the problem with Extreme Elegance?

 

We used them that week coming and going and it worked out just fine. We're going to be going again this year and I was going to book them again but now I'm not so sure.

 

They were great on the way to Galveston. They showed at the airport as arranged, and the car and driver were just fine. However, on the way back to IAH, they were not at the port to meet us. I called repeatedly over an hour and just got a busy signal. I finally got through and was told that someone would be there in a couple hours. At this point we were in danger of missing our flight home, (plus picture 2 adults and 2 little kids sweltering in the 95 degree heat while standing out in the sun with luggage, waiting for a white SUV...) After another couple hours I finally got through to them again, and the supervisor absolutely screamed at me, told me to stop bugging him, and told me that they just weren't going to come at all. We were stranded in Galveston. Luckily, Carnival took pity on us, and we were able to use their shuttle service back to Houston. I now feel paranoid that any service we use has the possibility of not showing. Makes me nervous!

[sweetmommieof4]

What would the best way for 2 adults and 4 kids to go from Houston Hobby to our hotel in Galveston? Any ideas on prices?

[billeelou]

extreme was late pickinmg us up in October, and did not show for the return trip the following week, booked a month in advance....took a cab back.

[Hulagirl]

Lady Jag posted this on another thread after me under Cruise Air. I know she wouldn't mind me copying it and pasting it here.

 

Quoting Lady Jag:

I can't agree with HulaGirl more. We had read reviews of them before we left and there was only 1 bad one. We thought it was just one odd case. We should've paid more attention.

 

We've used stretch limos for our trips for about the past 3-4 years and I have NEVER, ever seen such a poorly run company as Extreme Elegance. We booked on 9/4/05 for a December 17 & 24 pick up and re-confirmed many times in that time span between the booking and the cruise.

 

Somehow, they "lost" our reservation for the 24th. The person that answers the phone hardly speaks English at all, doesn't understand you well at all and has a hard time writing down phone numbers even! When I called on the 24th to tell them where we'd be waiting for our SUV Stretch Limo, the person on the phone said they don't have an SUV Stretch Limo and would've never booked that. (This is after about 6 calls to reconfirm and everything was fine.)

 

She said she'd send a Town Car for the luggage and a reg. stretch limo for the passengers and would charge us the same price! I said there was no way I was going to accept that when the other arrangement was promised. About 10 mins. later, the Extreme Elegance woman calls me back on my cell and tells me they "found" the SUV Stretch Limo. ???? Huh? How can you suddenly "find" that? Needless to say, we weren't going to do business with them. We couldn't trust that they'd even show up when promised.

 

It's a long story and I've documented all the calls. Bottom line, if you want trouble-free transportation, don't go with this crack-pot company.

 

______

I can't agree with her more on this.

 

Hulagirl

[cnmiranda]

If I'm looking correctly it seems there is only a $20-30 dollar difference between a taxi and a limo. Still researching.

[luvtojump]

I emailed Gulf Cost Limo yesterday around noon and have not heard back from them.

 

I will give it until Monday and then try again.

[cruzin girl]

We have booked with Galveston Limo and they were excellent! Although it was not a limo it was a lincoln the ride was very comfortable and they were there waiting for us both to and from. I would use them again.

[cindivan]

www.anrgd.com

 

We booked a round-trip limo through this company (2 seniors, 2 adults, 3 kids) and it $372 round trip including tip. Princess wanted to charge us $60 per person, so we actually saved money. The limo was there when we got our luggage, and was waiting for us at disembarkation (even after a several hour delay for fog).

 

They stocked their cooler with beers of our choice on the way there (didn't need any more going home...) and Ziggy, our driver, was AWESOME!

 

I highly recommend this service - they made sure they kept on top of our flights and knew when to pick up us when we docked. Very professional and super friendly.

 

HTH someone.

[scootepie66]

Thank you for your review of ANRGD Limos. We have booked them for our upcoming cruise, it was so nice to hear an updated review of them. We did our homework on http://www.limos.com and they had some nice reviews and looked like a well established company. We are looking forward to writing another positive review after our cruise.

[Kruzincouple]

We used Emerald Limo last week from IAH to Galveston. They were waiting at baggage claim when we arrived, helped us with our luggage and off we were to Galveston. On the return, we called them as we got off the ship and they were there waiting for us. Great Service~I would highly recommend them. We paid $150. each way for 4 adults. They have vans and stretch limos. The website is http://www.emeraldlimos.com

[Hlitner]

We also needed to find transportation from Houston to the port for an April cruise. In the end we simply decided to rent a car from Enterprise which will cost us about $65 total. This works out to about $33 per person (we are 2) and they have a drop location right near the port. Hertz also has one way rentals but they were more expensive. The bonus is that we will spend a night in Galvaston and have the car.

 

Hank

[MoonPet]

We returned yesterday from our sailing on the Grand Princess and we used Gulf Coast Limo for our transfers from HOU-Galveston Pier.

 

We are so pleased with the service provided by Gulf Coast - they were prompt, courteous, efficient . . . we could not have asked for anything more.

 

I would not hesitate to suggest them to everyone. In fact, since we are in the process of booking our next cruise out of Galveston, you can be sure that we will call Gulf Coast again.

[Mrs. Gump]

I also just returned from sailing the grand. If you have a larger party, I would recommend Texas Cruise Ship Shuttle. The cost from Hobby to Galveston was $125 one way for up to 8 people (same price for 1 or 8). We had 6 so it ended up only costing under $21 per person plus tip one way. You call him when your plane lands then again when you've got your bags. He pulled up at the curb literally 2 minutes after I called. He also provided a complimentary tour of Galveston before dropping us at our hotel. Return to the airport was just as smooth.

[rcrj762]

We also used Gulf Coast Limo and returned from our cruise on Feb. 25. What a great company. We were 1 hour delayed coming in and our limo driver was waiting for us holding a sign with our name on it with a big smile. She gave our two children flashing party lights and each a deck of cards. She also gave myself and husband a little gift. When we got of the ship we were early we called Gulf Coast and they were there in five minutes.

[Cruise-a-holic444]

We had sort of a mixed experience with Gulf Coast. First, the driver was not standing anywhere that we could see with our name on a big card, so all wandered out into the parking area to find them, seeing a parked Limo in the distance. The driver saw our group with all the luggage carts heading out that way and sprinted to meet us. He had a sign in his hand, but it was small- we never would have seen it. Also, one of the girls in our party had actually seen him in the airport talking on his cell phone (I think seated) and not actively waiting for us at the exit area (she later said she noticed him because he was an attractive older man- and it was in fact him).

 

Secondly, there had been some mix-up with overbooking or a wedding or something and they had to exchanged vehicles so our limo was sitting out in the parking lot and was dark and hot by the time we got in it, not exactly an exciting limo drive!

 

On the way to the ship, he talked most of the time on his cell phone without raising the window, either straightening something out with the office or some business.

 

Lastly, in setting up the reservation, we had specifically asked to stop at a convenience store or store so we could get cokes and he didn't. We didn't know where we were, obviously and by the time it was clear he was just making a beeline to the port, we saw the ships and felt it was too late to mention. We were disappointed overall. Oh, the driver was the owner. It wasn't worth $100 bucks a person, in our humble opinion. :(

[K9CrazyGirl]

Hi I have a question for all you experienced limo takers..........How on earth do you organize your pick-up from the pier when you don't know what time the ship will get in or clear customs?

 

A group of 4 of us did the Rhapsody out of Galveston for the 4/31/06. We booked round trip transfer via Suburban with Houston Limousine Network (http://www.houstonlimousinenet.com).

 

The trip from IAH to Galveston was great. The driver was friendly and offered to stop at a convenience store and told us alot about the area. We were SO glad we booked a limo instead of trying to do a shuttle.

 

For our return trip, I had asked what time they suggested for a pick up. I think we decided on Noon, but I don't remember that for sure. We could tell early on on debarkation day that the ship and customs were running behind. We immediately called the limo company to keep them updated, and contacted them up until we were actually outside customs.

 

To make a long story short..........they first said they wouldn't be able to come back for us for 3-4 hours, barely enough time to make our flight. We convinced them to wait for us, but it cost another $75 in cash. We were pretty upset and it totally ruined the post-cruise high. =-)

 

Now, I totally understand it being a business and having other reservations before and after ours. My questions is: Is there a better way? How can we avoid a problem like this for next year's cruise (Rhapsody 5/27/07)? Obviously, overnighting in Galveston after the cruise would solve this, but if our work schedules and budget don't allow for that, what should we do?

 

Thanks!

 

Jen - K9CrazyGirl

[traveler/]

Hi I have a question for all you experienced limo takers..........How on earth do you organize your pick-up from the pier when you don't know what time the ship will get in or clear customs?

 

A group of 4 of us did the Rhapsody out of Galveston for the 4/31/06. We booked round trip transfer via Suburban with Houston Limousine Network (www.houstonlimousinenet.com).

 

The trip from IAH to Galveston was great. The driver was friendly and offered to stop at a convenience store and told us alot about the area. We were SO glad we booked a limo instead of trying to do a shuttle.

 

For our return trip, I had asked what time they suggested for a pick up. I think we decided on Noon, but I don't remember that for sure. We could tell early on on debarkation day that the ship and customs were running behind. We immediately called the limo company to keep them updated, and contacted them up until we were actually outside customs.

 

To make a long story short..........they first said they wouldn't be able to come back for us for 3-4 hours, barely enough time to make our flight. We convinced them to wait for us, but it cost another $75 in cash. We were pretty upset and it totally ruined the post-cruise high. =-)

 

Now, I totally understand it being a business and having other reservations before and after ours. My questions is: Is there a better way? How can we avoid a problem like this for next year's cruise (Rhapsody 5/27/07)? Obviously, overnighting in Galveston after the cruise would solve this, but if our work schedules and budget don't allow for that, what should we do?

 

Thanks!

 

Jen - K9CrazyGirl

For our 4/29/07 cruise I booked a one way rental car from Hertz (AAA discount) for p/up from their office at the pier. They open at 9am. Our flight from Hobby is at 1215pm. We will take early or priority disembark so should not be a problem being ready by 9. I personally don't take shuttles if I can help it, because you are subject to other pickups, etc. I will try and post how it turned out.

[insag]

Did I just miss-up,

We will be on The Princess Grand March 31, returning April 7 and I just booked the return flight for 11:45am

Help, Need a driver for 3 that we can be sure that they are there to

 

Tina