HARMONY OF THE SEAS 12/03/2023

[NRichard10]

Hi All,

My husband and I are cruising on the 12/3/23 Harmony out of Galveston. 

We have been on many cruises, but first time out of Galveston so I have many questions that I hope can be answered on this forum.

1. We are flying to Houston either one or two nights prior to cruise. We are trying to decide if we should fly in and out of George Bush or Hobby? How far are each of these airports from the Port?

2. I saw on one of the boards that there is some kind of Festival going on in Galveston the weekend of departure and hotels are hard to come by and expensive if you can get one. If this information is correct, should we try to stay in or near Galveston or near the airport, or somewhere in between? We would maybe like to see some sites if time allows.

3. With coming in a couple of days before cruise, what would be the best way to get to Galveston from the airport? Shuttle, Uber, Car Rental, some other way? Are there rental car companies near the port to drop off a car rental if we rented at the airport?

4. Does anyone know how much the RCCL after cruise shuttle is back to airport? Does the shuttle service both airports or only one?

5. Not familiar with Galveston at all so this may be a stupid question. Is the Port of Galveston on an Island or on the mainland?

 

Thank you all for any help you can provide. I just want to have all of my ducks in a row for this cruise. I hate going somewhere for the first time when I am unfamiliar with the area.

 

 

[George C]

16 minutes ago, NRichard10 said:

Hi All,

My husband and I are cruising on the 12/3/23 Harmony out of Galveston. 

We have been on many cruises, but first time out of Galveston so I have many questions that I hope can be answered on this forum.

1. We are flying to Houston either one or two nights prior to cruise. We are trying to decide if we should fly in and out of George Bush or Hobby? How far are each of these airports from the Port?

2. I saw on one of the boards that there is some kind of Festival going on in Galveston the weekend of departure and hotels are hard to come by and expensive if you can get one. If this information is correct, should we try to stay in or near Galveston or near the airport, or somewhere in between? We would maybe like to see some sites if time allows.

3. With coming in a couple of days before cruise, what would be the best way to get to Galveston from the airport? Shuttle, Uber, Car Rental, some other way? Are there rental car companies near the port to drop off a car rental if we rented at the airport?

4. Does anyone know how much the RCCL after cruise shuttle is back to airport? Does the shuttle service both airports or only one?

5. Not familiar with Galveston at all so this may be a stupid question. Is the Port of Galveston on an Island or on the mainland?

 

Thank you all for any help you can provide. I just want to have all of my ducks in a row for this cruise. I hate going somewhere for the first time when I am unfamiliar with the area.

 

 

Hobby is much closer than George Bush

I would look at hotels.com to see prices of hotels in Galveston, we are on same cruise a week earlier , we booked Moody Gardens which is an upscale resort, but there are lots of cheaper hotels .

we normally just use Uber or Lyft , there are several other hotels, restaurants and stores near the Hilton that are walking distance.

Galveston is an island . I would join your roll call , i am sure you can get additional help there.

[offtosee]

Galveston is an island, but it is accessible by car.

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, NRichard10 said:

Hi All,

My husband and I are cruising on the 12/3/23 Harmony out of Galveston. 

We have been on many cruises, but first time out of Galveston so I have many questions that I hope can be answered on this forum.

1. We are flying to Houston either one or two nights prior to cruise. We are trying to decide if we should fly in and out of George Bush or Hobby? How far are each of these airports from the Port?

2. I saw on one of the boards that there is some kind of Festival going on in Galveston the weekend of departure and hotels are hard to come by and expensive if you can get one. If this information is correct, should we try to stay in or near Galveston or near the airport, or somewhere in between? We would maybe like to see some sites if time allows.

3. With coming in a couple of days before cruise, what would be the best way to get to Galveston from the airport? Shuttle, Uber, Car Rental, some other way? Are there rental car companies near the port to drop off a car rental if we rented at the airport?

4. Does anyone know how much the RCCL after cruise shuttle is back to airport? Does the shuttle service both airports or only one?

5. Not familiar with Galveston at all so this may be a stupid question. Is the Port of Galveston on an Island or on the mainland?

 

Thank you all for any help you can provide. I just want to have all of my ducks in a row for this cruise. I hate going somewhere for the first time when I am unfamiliar with the area.

 

 

Hobby is a little closer but I've flown into both and barely noticed the difference. I think the it is about 15 minutes difference.

 

Hotels in Galveston are always expensive. I managed to find a deal on our Dec 10th sailing but that is rare. If you are looking to economize look for a hotel in Texas City.  That might work out a little better for your car rental as there is likely to be more options than Galveston.  You'll have a 20 minute uber ride on your cruise morning.  

 

We have always used Uber/Lyft. 

 

Royals Shuttle to IAH is $54.  Hobby might be a little cheaper.

 

It's an island.  

[wolfganghowell]

Dickens on the Strand is that weekend so it will be a little busy.  I would try to fly into Hobby - much closer.  I would not book a hotel by either airport - Bush is pretty remote and Hobby is in a sketchy area.  We've stayed at a new Home 2 Suites in Galveston - decent rates and great location.  Galveston is pretty small so you can Uber around if needed - if you rent a car there is nowhere to drop it off on a Sunday so you would be paying for a week and also have to pay for parking.  Probably easier to just Uber or Lyft.  Royal does shuttle to and from both airports.  We're on the week before you so we'll try to take care of the ship!  🙂

[NRichard10]

5 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Hobby is a little closer but I've flown into both and barely noticed the difference. I think the it is about 15 minutes difference.

 

Hotels in Galveston are always expensive. I managed to find a deal on our Dec 10th sailing but that is rare. If you are looking to economize look for a hotel in Texas City.  That might work out a little better for your car rental as there is likely to be more options than Galveston.  You'll have a 20 minute uber ride on your cruise morning.  

 

We have always used Uber/Lyft. 

 

Royals Shuttle to IAH is $54.  Hobby might be a little cheaper.

 

It's an island.  

Thank you. Do you prefer Uber or Lyft? Do you make reservations ahead on the app or just wait until that morning? What do you use from port to airport?

I'm thinking of booking IAH because we will be flying from Rhode Island in December and there is always a chance of snow. I might have a better chance of getting out Providence by flying into a bigger airport. Just a thought.

[NRichard10]

4 minutes ago, wolfganghowell said:

Dickens on the Strand is that weekend so it will be a little busy.  I would try to fly into Hobby - much closer.  I would not book a hotel by either airport - Bush is pretty remote and Hobby is in a sketchy area.  We've stayed at a new Home 2 Suites in Galveston - decent rates and great location.  Galveston is pretty small so you can Uber around if needed - if you rent a car there is nowhere to drop it off on a Sunday so you would be paying for a week and also have to pay for parking.  Probably easier to just Uber or Lyft.  Royal does shuttle to and from both airports.  We're on the week before you so we'll try to take care of the ship!  🙂

Thank you for your help. I will look into everything that you mentioned. Always nice to get feedback from other people that know the area.😊

[Tree_skier]

8 minutes ago, NRichard10 said:

Thank you. Do you prefer Uber or Lyft? Do you make reservations ahead on the app or just wait until that morning? What do you use from port to airport?

I'm thinking of booking IAH because we will be flying from Rhode Island in December and there is always a chance of snow. I might have a better chance of getting out Providence by flying into a bigger airport. Just a thought.

Used to be Lyft was the only option going into Galveston. They had some sort of contract or arrangement with Lyft.  However, now they have opened it up to Uber as well.  I use Uber mostly because I get $120 a year ($10 a month) credit with them through American Express.  I'm actually booking a private shuttle for our next one.  We've got 7 of us on this one. It includes pick up from the airport in two XL SUV's and a transfer the following morning to the cruise ship.  It's about double the price of doing the Uber but since it is a special cruise with my daughter and her family I decided to spend a little extra.

[Texas Tillie]

20 minutes ago, NRichard10 said:

Thank you. Do you prefer Uber or Lyft? Do you make reservations ahead on the app or just wait until that morning? What do you use from port to airport?

I'm thinking of booking IAH because we will be flying from Rhode Island in December and there is always a chance of snow. I might have a better chance of getting out Providence by flying into a bigger airport. Just a thought.

 

Assuming you are going to be flying out of Providence. Think you'll have to make a connection as there aren't any nonstops to either Houston airports. Hobby is mostly Southwest but you can also fly American to DFW and then on to Hobby or Delta to Atlanta then on to Hobby. Just be aware that IAH is a huge airport, 5 terminals whereas Hobby is one terminal. it is about 40 miles from Hobby to Galveston and 70 from IAH to Galveston.

[cruise_co]

We will be getting on the ship as you are getting off. 

For comparison for you:

I just purchased airfare from Southwest into Hobby, they are having a great sale through today. We are also coming in 2 days early. We are in Denver, so December and Southwest are not exactly compatible..

We have High Rollers by Shugg booked for transportation from the airport, hotel to port, and then port to hotel. We usually prefer Lyft but our children are flying in at different times and High Rollers was willing to make several pickups and I can pay for it all in one transaction. She was very reasonable too.  

We are booked at the Harbor House

 

I cannot recommend any of it as this will be our first time in Galveston. But Erica of High Rollers is getting rave reviews on the Royal Caribbean Galveston board.  And the Harbor House looks like fun, so we booked it.

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by cruise_co

[ssb]

17 hours ago, cruise_co said:

We will be getting on the ship as you are getting off. 

For comparison for you:

I just purchased airfare from Southwest into Hobby, they are having a great sale through today. We are also coming in 2 days early. We are in Denver, so December and Southwest are not exactly compatible..

We have High Rollers by Shugg booked for transportation from the airport, hotel to port, and then port to hotel. We usually prefer Lyft but our children are flying in at different times and High Rollers was willing to make several pickups and I can pay for it all in one transaction. She was very reasonable too.  

We are booked at the Harbor House

 

I cannot recommend any of it as this will be our first time in Galveston. But Erica of High Rollers is getting rave reviews on the Royal Caribbean Galveston board.  And the Harbor House looks like fun, so we booked it.

 

Your selections are all good

[Liljo22]

Southwest pretty much runs Hobby so there are only a few other airlines that will fly into there.  If you are ok with Southwest, Hobby is the easier of the airports to fly in to.  Webster is the next closest "big city" to Galveston.  You can find a lot of mid tier hotels near the highway that will be close to a lot of restaurants.  You will also be close to NASA/Space Center Houston and the Kemah Boardwalk if you would like to visit.  

[GACRUISER456]

On 6/15/2023 at 5:35 PM, cruise_co said:

We will be getting on the ship as you are getting off. 

For comparison for you:

I just purchased airfare from Southwest into Hobby, they are having a great sale through today. We are also coming in 2 days early. We are in Denver, so December and Southwest are not exactly compatible..

We have High Rollers by Shugg booked for transportation from the airport, hotel to port, and then port to hotel. We usually prefer Lyft but our children are flying in at different times and High Rollers was willing to make several pickups and I can pay for it all in one transaction. She was very reasonable too.  

We are booked at the Harbor House

 

I cannot recommend any of it as this will be our first time in Galveston. But Erica of High Rollers is getting rave reviews on the Royal Caribbean Galveston board.  And the Harbor House looks like fun, so we booked it.

 

We have a noon flight out of Bush.  We plan to walk off with luggage as soon as we can.  I have heard Lyft rates can be crazy going from the port to the airports.  Have you seen that?  Is it hard to get a ride at that time?

[NRichard10]

We currently have a flight out of Houston Hobby at 10:15am. I thought we would be able to leave the ship in time to make this flight, but I am told we should not book any flight before 12:00pm if we want to make the flight. I guess I am going to have to change our flight now. I'm sure I won't get the same great flight rate that I had. I didn't realize it was going to be such a problem with transportation back to the airport even with walking off the ship as soon as we are able to disembark.

☹️