Shuttle service from Houston to Galveston

[Mary229]

18 minutes ago, Magicat said:

I just did a mock ride on Uber from Houston to Galveston Hotel and it was $77.00  Not too bad, might just take our chances and get an Uber.

You can schedule Uber.   Try scheduling one of the upper tier services, the extra cost is worth the peace of mind. 

[ssb]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

You can schedule Uber.   Try scheduling one of the upper tier services, the extra cost is worth the peace of mind. 

Galveston Express $35

[TequilaJane]

FYI when you schedule it does not hold a car for you. It automatically requests a car before your pickup time. If no cars are available you are out of luck. 

[nicnic96]

Here's my plan, maybe someone can suggest something better.  Flying into Hobby the day before.  Staying at Holiday Inn Express Clear Lake, TX.  There are 5 of us and we want the flexibility of having a car to get to Church, go to dinner, and run to the store for last minute items.  I found a rental for $70 (incl. everything) for Hertz that is pick up at Hobby and drop off at League City, TX.  I'll be dropping them off at the port and returning the car and grabbing a Lyft/Uber to the port (looks like another $35).  Because there are 5 of us, a Lyft XL for all of us is $70.  I'm also thinking they can check in and get situated and then I'll join them when I get back.  Not sure if Carnival will let them check in without me.  If not, we can share the XL Lyft.  Anyone have a better idea?

[Irule7]

We just cruised Dec. 12-19th.  We booked Royal Caribbean's shuttle service to the ship and it was great!  We came into the Hobby Airport and it was $31.95 per person.  Because we were on their shuttle we got to check in right away, we didn't have to wait until our originally scheduled check in time. They were making everyone else wait until their scheduled time to check in.  On the way back, we booked an Uber XL and it was $108 for an Uber XL from downtown Galveston to Hobby.

[ssb]

Wow sounds great Irule7 .

 

[CruisinGirl777]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:39 PM, Irule7 said:

We just cruised Dec. 12-19th.  We booked Royal Caribbean's shuttle service to the ship and it was great!  We came into the Hobby Airport and it was $31.95 per person.  Because we were on their shuttle we got to check in right away, we didn't have to wait until our originally scheduled check in time. They were making everyone else wait until their scheduled time to check in.  On the way back, we booked an Uber XL and it was $108 for an Uber XL from downtown Galveston to Hobby.

Did they have any excursions on debarkation day with airport drop off? Or what was the latest shuttle back to the airport? I have a late flight home and trying to make arrangements to fill the day. Going to IAH. 

[ssb]

visitgalveston.com 

galveston.com

galvestonhistory.org

 

Old Town Strand 

Shops and Restaurants 

LaKings Confectionery . 

Pirate Store . 

Historic Elissa Sailing Ship Tour 

Three Short Films on 1900 Great Storm ,

      Pirate Jean Lafitte , and about Galveston Immigration          
     Center Of South US . 

1894 Grand Opera House 

Railroad Museum 

Ocean Star Museum 

Dolphin and Port Tours 

Naval Museum with Sub and Destroyer 

Carriage Ride and Homes tour 

Bishop's Palace 

Moody Mansion

Nautical Antiques 

Moody  Gardens 

Seawall Blvd and 32 miles of Beach 

Pleasure Pier

Carved Trees 

Bryan Museum a must for American History, Texas History, Western Art , and Cowboy Indian Artifacts 

Edited January 8, 2022 by ssb

[erinsmom03]

2 hours ago, ssb said:

visitgalveston.com 

galveston.com

galvestonhistory.org

 

Old Town Strand 

Shops and Restaurants 

LaKings Confectionery . 

Pirate Store . 

Historic Elissa Sailing Ship Tour 

Three Short Films on 1900 Great Storm ,

      Pirate Jean Lafitte , and about Galveston Immigration          
     Center Of South US . 

1894 Grand Opera House 

Railroad Museum 

Ocean Star Museum 

Dolphin and Port Tours 

Naval Museum with Sub and Destroyer 

Carriage Ride and Homes tour 

Bishop's Palace 

Moody Mansion

Nautical Antiques 

Moody  Gardens 

Seawall Blvd and 32 miles of Beach 

Pleasure Pier

Carved Trees 

Bryan Museum a must for American History, Texas History, Western Art , and Cowboy Indian Artifacts 

 

Thank you for the list! I am trying to convince my husband that we should fly down two days before our cruise, since we have never been to Galveston. He said I had to convince him that there was stuff to do... and your list is a great resource!

[ssb]

The list is only a partial one .Galveston is an island with 32 miles of beach and much more being a major tourist destination with over 7 million visitors annually. What do y’all  like to do ? Maybe I can help. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by ssb

[laurspag]

This is interesting to read!  We would very much like to stay at the Harbor Hotel.  We will be flying in the day before, likely to Houston Hobby.   I am not a big fan of Uber...my comfort level is better with a shuttle or limo type service.

 

I am hoping that a lot of you who posted here could maybe check back in, and let us know how the different services worked for you?  It is just my husband and I.  We would also need to get back from the ship to the airport post-cruise.  I think the RCI shuttle that I heard about was $40/per person.   

 

Mainly, it is how to get from the airport to the hotel the day before the cruise that is perplexing.

[Galveston Cruiser]

On 1/10/2022 at 5:29 PM, laurspag said:

This is interesting to read!  We would very much like to stay at the Harbor Hotel.  We will be flying in the day before, likely to Houston Hobby.   I am not a big fan of Uber...my comfort level is better with a shuttle or limo type service.

 

I am hoping that a lot of you who posted here could maybe check back in, and let us know how the different services worked for you?  It is just my husband and I.  We would also need to get back from the ship to the airport post-cruise.  I think the RCI shuttle that I heard about was $40/per person.   

 

Mainly, it is how to get from the airport to the hotel the day before the cruise that is perplexing.

Hobby to Galveston transportation will be taxi, Uber/Lyft, Galveston Limousine or any other private company.  There are no scheduled shuttles between Houston airports and Galveston.

The same applies to return to airport or use cruise line bus shuttle.

[KmomChicago]

I’m surprised there aren’t more posts from people who used the cruise line shuttle. We have one coming up and I think Carnival’s bus from IAH looks pretty good. It’s $52 per person and seems like minimal hassle.

[mondello]

6 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

I’m surprised there aren’t more posts from people who used the cruise line shuttle. We have one coming up and I think Carnival’s bus from IAH looks pretty good. It’s $52 per person and seems like minimal hassle.

I've never used the Carnival bus before as it was always more expensive and least convenient. Thank you for reminding me of this option as it is less than Uber XL for us 3.

On a related note, just started using Uber in Miami last month. Didn't mind paying extra for Uber XL; however, cost from IAH is over $150 plus tip. Does anyone think Uber X will be okay for 3 with 2 suitcases, garment bag and 2 small backpacks? The main reason I ask is they say no rider in front seat although some drivers didn't mind in Miami when we were popping around the city pre-cruise. Uber X plus $20-25 tip would save us a bit.

[laurspag]

I did a little bit of checking, and Galveston Limo offers a shuttle as well as Limo service.  The cost round trip per person is great.  By round trip, I mean airport to hotel, then port to airport.  We are flying in a day early and staying at Harbor Hotel, so I didn't need transportation to the port the day of.

 

It is quite a bit cheaper than using the RCI transfers.  RCI also only went from the airport to the Holiday Inn, so I wanted to look at other options.

 

This is shaping up to be a great vacation for us!  I'm going to book airfare next, so that I can secure the shuttle.  I wanted to get the flights situated first.

 

The round trip shuttle cost was significantly less than what I was expecting.  I would check them out.

[mondello]

@laurspag Yeah, it is really good from what I've seen, beats the pp cost of most options. I like that it is only $5 pp more from IAH rather than Hobby. Good luck with your flights. I grabbed a one way to IAH at a good price but it arrives after midnight the night before cruise. Looks like I'll book the return from Hobby unless I can find a better fare. Seems Hobby is  

pretty much all Southwest.

[KmomChicago]

16 hours ago, laurspag said:

I did a little bit of checking, and Galveston Limo offers a shuttle as well as Limo service.  The cost round trip per person is great.  By round trip, I mean airport to hotel, then port to airport.  We are flying in a day early and staying at Harbor Hotel, so I didn't need transportation to the port the day of.

 

It is quite a bit cheaper than using the RCI transfers.  RCI also only went from the airport to the Holiday Inn, so I wanted to look at other options.

 

This is shaping up to be a great vacation for us!  I'm going to book airfare next, so that I can secure the shuttle.  I wanted to get the flights situated first.

 

The round trip shuttle cost was significantly less than what I was expecting.  I would check them out.

 

That is good pricing, if you buy in advance and of course it's non-refundable. I may cancel our Carnival "shore excursions" and do this instead. @laurspag thanks for the info.

Edited January 16, 2022 by KmomChicago

[Irule7]

On 1/6/2022 at 8:16 AM, CruisinGirl777 said:

Did they have any excursions on debarkation day with airport drop off? Or what was the latest shuttle back to the airport? I have a late flight home and trying to make arrangements to fill the day. Going to IAH. 

I'm not sure, we didn't look into that.  I know when we sailed out of Galveston with Princess several years back, they had an excursion to NASA and then they dropped you off at the airport.  

Royal had only one shuttle back to the airport and it left at around 9:00 am.  Our flight was at 6 pm and we didn't want to spend that much time at the airport.  We walked over to downtown Galveston and dropped our bags at The Cruise Stop, it's a shop there and they will watch your bags for $5 each.  Then we walked around downtown and then down to the beach.  

[CruisinGirl777]

On 1/22/2022 at 7:12 PM, Irule7 said:

I'm not sure, we didn't look into that.  I know when we sailed out of Galveston with Princess several years back, they had an excursion to NASA and then they dropped you off at the airport.  

Royal had only one shuttle back to the airport and it left at around 9:00 am.  Our flight was at 6 pm and we didn't want to spend that much time at the airport.  We walked over to downtown Galveston and dropped our bags at The Cruise Stop, it's a shop there and they will watch your bags for $5 each.  Then we walked around downtown and then down to the beach.  

Thanks, I am thinking of doing the same thing. Explore Galveston beach and then head to the airport later. We also were thinking of going to the Space Centre but renting a car with different drop off location seems to be a pain. 

[johnboy036]

I've used Galveston Express twice and will use it again on my upcoming cruise (Feb28th) on the Breeze. They provide timely and friendly service at a fair price. They will drop you off at any Galveston Island hotel and pick you up at the pier or vice versa.  If you are 55+ they have a senior rate (save $5) unless you are being picked up in Galveston on Sunday before 2 PM. 

[Morecruisesplz]

On 7/25/2021 at 3:59 PM, jcc1025 said:

We have made this trip several times and will again in a couple of weeks. We have always used Elite Limo in Houston and have always been very happy with their service. Not sure how their price is, since its a private service I am sure you could get something less expensive but I hate the hassle of group travel and am willing to pay a little more the the service. I would recommend them to anyone. 

Cost?

[jcc1025]

On 2/1/2022 at 3:32 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

Cost?

We always go in the day before and spend the night, the last time a one-way trip for four including tax and gratuities was about $280. We use the ship shuttle bus service to return to the airport. 

[csm5986142]

On 1/14/2022 at 11:19 PM, mondello said:

I’m surprised there aren’t more posts from people who used the cruise line shuttle. We have one coming up and I think Carnival’s bus from IAH looks pretty good. It’s $52 per person and seems like minimal hassle.

 

We just did this and won't do it again.  From IAH, the shuttle went to HOU, waited for people from HOU to board, then finally proceeded on to the port.  IAH to the port is a long trip without going to the other airport.   

Leaving the ship and going back to IAH, we boarded the shuttle we'd requested for 8:00am, and waited 45 minutes before we left.  I don't know if that is typical for shuttles or not, but I have no patience. 🙂 Uber or Lyft for me from now on.  It's just so efficient.  And we had travel companions who did take Uber, and they got to the airport way before us and paid $20 less (for 2 people).

[erinsmom03]

7 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

 

We just did this and won't do it again.  From IAH, the shuttle went to HOU, waited for people from HOU to board, then finally proceeded on to the port.  IAH to the port is a long trip without going to the other airport.   

Leaving the ship and going back to IAH, we boarded the shuttle we'd requested for 8:00am, and waited 45 minutes before we left.  I don't know if that is typical for shuttles or not, but I have no patience. 🙂 Uber or Lyft for me from now on.  It's just so efficient.  And we had travel companions who did take Uber, and they got to the airport way before us and paid $20 less (for 2 people).

 

Thank you... we are leaning towards Uber/Lyft for our cruise in March.

 

[mondello]

3 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

 

We just did this and won't do it again.  From IAH, the shuttle went to HOU, waited for people from HOU to board, then finally proceeded on to the port.  IAH to the port is a long trip without going to the other airport.   

Leaving the ship and going back to IAH, we boarded the shuttle we'd requested for 8:00am, and waited 45 minutes before we left.  I don't know if that is typical for shuttles or not, but I have no patience. 🙂 Uber or Lyft for me from now on.  It's just so efficient.  And we had travel companions who did take Uber, and they got to the airport way before us and paid $20 less (for 2 people).

Yeah, the waiting game is why I've never used the Carnival bus. This time we have 3 with 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks. The bus is less than Uber XL.

add: first time from Galveston and had to use IAH, Hobby didn't work out for us: although we did get Hobby for the return flight.

Edited February 3, 2022 by mondello
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