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Looking for help from some Texans!


emen822
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My sisters and I are cruising in February on the Liberty of the Seas.  We don't yet have our flights booked but are 99% sure we are flying into IAH and not HOU.  That being said, we are looking to stay in the Humble area since Galveston is having Mardi Gras during the same week as our cruise.  Two questions:  Is Humble a good choice (safe?)?   From the looks of the map, it seems there are lots of places nearby that we could walk to eat.  My next question is getting to the port the next day.  I know there are several shuttles who pick up at the airport and go to the pier but does anyone know of any shuttles that will pick you up at the hotel where you are staying?  Just wondering if we will need to go back to the airport in the morning to catch a shuttle.

 

Thanks for your help!

Mary

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There are many hotels on JFK Blvd near IAH (Sheraton, Doubletree, Marriott, "Comforts") depending on your budget. There are also another group of similar hotel properties with addresses on the North Sam Houston Tollway. Many offer complimentary transportation from the IAH terminals to the hotel. There is also a Marriott hotel on the airport property, between the terminals at IAH that is connected to the terminals by a complimentary people-mover.

 

As for transportation choices IAH-Galveston port-IAH, there are quite a few similar threads on this board that discuss the many transfer opportunities. If you are comfortable with Uber or Lyft, both will pick up at the hotel and drive to the port; average fare IAH hotels-Galveston port is $75 +/- per car/each way, with an estimated 90 minutes transit time.

 

Rob

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9 minutes ago, ryndam said:

There are many hotels on JFK Blvd near IAH (Sheraton, Doubletree, Marriott, "Comforts") depending on your budget. There are also another group of similar hotel properties with addresses on the North Sam Houston Tollway. Many offer complimentary transportation from the IAH terminals to the hotel. There is also a Marriott hotel on the airport property, between the terminals at IAH that is connected to the terminals by a complimentary people-mover.

 

As for transportation choices IAH-Galveston port-IAH, there are quite a few similar threads on this board that discuss the many transfer opportunities. If you are comfortable with Uber or Lyft, both will pick up at the hotel and drive to the port; average fare IAH hotels-Galveston port is $75 +/- per car/each way, with an estimated 90 minutes transit time.

 

Rob

Thank you.  I wasn' t sure if Uber/Lyft was our only hotel pick up option but it seems it might be that way.  Will have to see if we want to do that rather than taking the shuttle back to the airport for the pick up.

 

I appreciate your response.

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emen822 -- not from Texas but have the same situation for my November cruise. Flying into and staying near IAH, and need a shuttle to Galveston the next morning for embarkation. I have not been able to find that any of the shuttles offer hotel pick up. This is only from my research online; I haven't actually called any of the shuttle companies, so maybe it's available and just not advertised on websites. I'm going to stay at the Marriott in the airport, so I can just walk back over to the airport in the morning to catch my shuttle. My flight lands after dinner, so I just need to worry about breakfast. I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I had planned to just suffer through hotel coffee for the morning and bring a granola bar or something from home.

 

As far as safety - crime-wise I think Humble is fine. I'm just not sure how pedestrian friendly the streets are - busy streets/highways, and not sure of the sidewalk situation. But I'm not super familiar with it. So hopefully, someone more local and/or familiar will be able to help with that aspect.

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Remember that Houston is a car place, especially out in the suburbs like you will be around the airport. As "ryndam" pointed out, there are many places to stay near the airport that have shuttles between the hotel/motel and the airport. Use a google search to see what eating places are near each of the hotels. I can tell you from observation that they will mostly be fast food places.

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Hotels along Beltway 8 in the Greenspoint area will not have anything to walk to nor would you want to walk there. It's not a great area.

 

Hotels off US59 and the FM1960 area also won't have much to walk to but it's a much better area and there are lots of food choices. There are sidewalks so you *could* walk it but like others have said, this is a car place. Not many people walk anywhere so things are very spread out.

 

What hotels are you considering? I am very familiar with the area and can steer you away from the worst ones if you want.

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On 9/12/2019 at 7:57 AM, lab_love123 said:

emen822 -- not from Texas but have the same situation for my November cruise. Flying into and staying near IAH, and need a shuttle to Galveston the next morning for embarkation. I have not been able to find that any of the shuttles offer hotel pick up. This is only from my research online; I haven't actually called any of the shuttle companies, so maybe it's available and just not advertised on websites. I'm going to stay at the Marriott in the airport, so I can just walk back over to the airport in the morning to catch my shuttle. My flight lands after dinner, so I just need to worry about breakfast. I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I had planned to just suffer through hotel coffee for the morning and bring a granola bar or something from home.

 

As far as safety - crime-wise I think Humble is fine. I'm just not sure how pedestrian friendly the streets are - busy streets/highways, and not sure of the sidewalk situation. But I'm not super familiar with it. So hopefully, someone more local and/or familiar will be able to help with that aspect.

Thank you for your reply.  I was reading reviews about one of the shuttle companies and two of the reviewers said that the driver called in the morning and offered to get them at their hotel instead of making them go to the hotel.  But that sounds like luck!  Staying closer to the airport is definitely a good option.  We still don't have flights booked so the hotel is still on the back burner.

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On 9/12/2019 at 8:33 AM, Texas Tillie said:

Remember that Houston is a car place, especially out in the suburbs like you will be around the airport. As "ryndam" pointed out, there are many places to stay near the airport that have shuttles between the hotel/motel and the airport. Use a google search to see what eating places are near each of the hotels. I can tell you from observation that they will mostly be fast food places.

Thank you for your reply.  I did notice a lot of places were fast food and for one dinner, that's fine.  I do want to try Whataburger or something like that since we don't have those in New York.  😀  

 

On 9/13/2019 at 5:24 PM, aknguyen said:

Hotels along Beltway 8 in the Greenspoint area will not have anything to walk to nor would you want to walk there. It's not a great area.

 

Hotels off US59 and the FM1960 area also won't have much to walk to but it's a much better area and there are lots of food choices. There are sidewalks so you *could* walk it but like others have said, this is a car place. Not many people walk anywhere so things are very spread out.

 

What hotels are you considering? I am very familiar with the area and can steer you away from the worst ones if you want.

Thank you for the offer!  Right now I was looking at the Staybridge Suites on Canyon Lakes Trace Drive.  How does that seem as far as being able to walk anywhere?  We would likely just need to eat dinner and also stop to get some booze and toiletries.  

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49 minutes ago, emen822 said:

Thank you for the offer!  Right now I was looking at the Staybridge Suites on Canyon Lakes Trace Drive.  How does that seem as far as being able to walk anywhere?  We would likely just need to eat dinner and also stop to get some booze and toiletries.  

 

Others may offer a differing opinion, but this property seems quite a distance from IAH. As others have mentioned, Houston, as a rule, is not a walking town. A car is a necessity, not a luxury. Most guests staying at properties that far from IAH either have their own vehicles or rent a vehicle during their stay. Not quite certain that anything will be close enough walking distance from this property.

 

Have you considered any of the properties along JFK Blvd.? There is a retail strip center adjacent to the Doubletree and across the street from the Sheraton with restaurants, a liquor store and a convenience store for toiletries. (It's Presidential Plaza Shopping Center at 15655 JFK Blvd, Houston, TX 77032.) There is also a Hampton Inn on JFK that has been recently renovated and walkable to this center (and a complimentary breakfast).

 

Keep in mind that all liquor stores in Texas are closed on Sundays, and those retailers that sell beer or wine cannot sell before noon on Sundays.

 

Rob

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17 minutes ago, ryndam said:

 

Others may offer a differing opinion, but this property seems quite a distance from IAH. As others have mentioned, Houston, as a rule, is not a walking town. A car is a necessity, not a luxury. Most guests staying at properties that far from IAH either have their own vehicles or rent a vehicle during their stay. Not quite certain that anything will be close enough walking distance from this property.

 

Have you considered any of the properties along JFK Blvd.? There is a retail strip center adjacent to the Doubletree and across the street from the Sheraton with restaurants, a liquor store and a convenience store for toiletries. (It's Presidential Plaza Shopping Center at 15655 JFK Blvd, Houston, TX 77032.) There is also a Hampton Inn on JFK that has been recently renovated and walkable to this center (and a complimentary breakfast).

 

Keep in mind that all liquor stores in Texas are closed on Sundays, and those retailers that sell beer or wine cannot sell before noon on Sundays.

 

Rob

Thank you for your help!

I really have no clue about the area and was just searching for places that I would be ok to stay at 🤣. We only flew into Texas once before to cruise but our flight was cancelled at the last minute so we scrambled to find a hotel near IAH that same day.  My sisters also love having the airport shuttle 🤷‍♀️ and that hotel did offer it.  Now I'm off to research some more...

 

Thank you again!

Mary

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That Staybridge is perfectly fine as is the area. I don't know if they have an airport shuttle, though. I've never had to use it since I live in town. There's a Walmart nearby and I personally like the Mi Rancho restaurant that is very close. I also like the Los Cucos that's just across the Beltway. But again, walking isn't the norm around here. You can certainly do it but it's not a pedestrian friendly town in that drivers aren't going to be very patient.

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Man, am I glad that I stumbled across your post!

We are going on a cruise for the first time in 10 years.  We usually stay at the Best western Seawall.

I was not aware that we would be arriving on a double-whammy day.  February 14th is of course Valentines Day, but apparently it is also the first day of Mardi Gras.  Oh no.  I just checked room rates.  For most paces they are almost double!  C'mon, $205 for the Best Western Seawall?  It was an old property 10 years ago.  Have they built a brand-new hotel?

Looks like maybe the Scottish Inn or Rodeway Inn.  I may even just hole up south of Houston, Clear Lake maybe.

 

I am open for suggestions......

 

ETA - Carnival Vista, 7 day.  Departs February 15th.

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11 hours ago, DryCreek said:

Man, am I glad that I stumbled across your post!

We are going on a cruise for the first time in 10 years.  We usually stay at the Best western Seawall.

I was not aware that we would be arriving on a double-whammy day.  February 14th is of course Valentines Day, but apparently it is also the first day of Mardi Gras.  Oh no.  I just checked room rates.  For most paces they are almost double!  C'mon, $205 for the Best Western Seawall?  It was an old property 10 years ago.  Have they built a brand-new hotel?

Looks like maybe the Scottish Inn or Rodeway Inn.  I may even just hole up south of Houston, Clear Lake maybe.

 

I am open for suggestions......

 

ETA - Carnival Vista, 7 day.  Departs February 15th.

 

Ouch. Yeah, good luck. Galveston is going to be a madhouse. Don't get me wrong, I love Mardi Gras celebrations but it does make the island very crowded and drives prices up. Good old supply and demand. I've paid a ton of money for pretty terrible rooms. hahaha

 

Many roads will be closed too so allow EXTRA time to get to the port even if you stay on the island.

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Well, the deed is done.

 

With much trepidation I booked us a room at the Motel 6 there.  The price was more than fair. I just hope the room is average at best.  The rate was $78.19 for two in a queen room.

 

You know, with us looking at $75 or so dollars for parking (prepaid, open at Galveston Park N Cruise), and the dearth of available rooms - I was contemplating a novel approach to this trip.  Since we are Texas State Parks annual passholders, we get every third night free.  And, they waive park daily entry fees.  I was really almost to the point of booking a campsite for 8 days there.  We would come down the day before and set up the motor home, unhitch the Jeep and be ready to go the next day.  After arrival back in Galveston, drive to the park, hook up the Jeep and head home.  It would have been cheaper.  The only flaw in my plan was that the wife pointed out we'd still have parking costs for the Jeep unless we got a cab or some ride sharing service.  I'm glad she's the brains of the outfit.

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On 9/27/2019 at 9:34 AM, DryCreek said:

Well, the deed is done.

 

With much trepidation I booked us a room at the Motel 6 there.  The price was more than fair. I just hope the room is average at best.  The rate was $78.19 for two in a queen room.

 

You know, with us looking at $75 or so dollars for parking (prepaid, open at Galveston Park N Cruise), and the dearth of available rooms - I was contemplating a novel approach to this trip.  Since we are Texas State Parks annual passholders, we get every third night free.  And, they waive park daily entry fees.  I was really almost to the point of booking a campsite for 8 days there.  We would come down the day before and set up the motor home, unhitch the Jeep and be ready to go the next day.  After arrival back in Galveston, drive to the park, hook up the Jeep and head home.  It would have been cheaper.  The only flaw in my plan was that the wife pointed out we'd still have parking costs for the Jeep unless we got a cab or some ride sharing service.  I'm glad she's the brains of the outfit.

 

Not a bad plan, however Galveston Island State Park is closed the next couple years for renovation.   

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3 hours ago, fresnel468 said:

 

Not a bad plan, however Galveston Island State Park is closed the next couple years for renovation.   

Only the Surf Side.  The Bay Side, and its RV sites will be open.

I think what I was really trying to plan out  was boondocking the night before our cruise, and then paying the higher cost for parking the motor home.  It is roughly double the normal vehicle parking rate, but would have been worth the cost if affordable lodging hadn't been secured.

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Last year we stayed at a hotel near IAH. Took their shuttle back to the airport in the morning. Galveston Limo (small bus) picked us up for about $30 pp. Great. 

2 more ideas. IAH has many restaurants. When you arrive, before you take the hotel shuttle, get a meal. If it's early, get it to go.

When you get to the ship, hand off your bags & walk to the Cruise Stop Store, 2418 Strand Street (5 minute walk). Wine & convenience items. They have a FB page.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We are flying in, from Idaho, in a few weeks.  We elected to stay in Galveston, rather than Houston.  So we will UBER, I guess, once our flight gets in 6pm ish.

 

We are staying at Guidaos, on the sea wall - so it will be dark when we land, but the sunrise, I'm hoping, will be amazing.  

 

Instead of hurry hurry hurry, we are going to take the "lax" perspective on this trip!  Our boarding appt isnt until 12:30 anyways :)

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55 minutes ago, marci4tony said:

We are flying in, from Idaho, in a few weeks.  We elected to stay in Galveston, rather than Houston.  So we will UBER, I guess, once our flight gets in 6pm ish.

Don't know what Uber will charge, but the Galveston Limo-mini bus- about $30 pp.

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