Airport Tranfer (Galveston)

[Squirreladd]

My family are booked for a March Cruise on the Jubilee. My mother needs a wheelchair lift, so to play it safe we plan to take the carnival transfer. However when I look in the manage cruises section the option is only available for us to get a transport from port to the airport at the end of the cruise with no option to get from the airport to the port at the end of the cruise. Is this a common thing and will the option show up eventually or should we look for alternative options to get from the airport to the port. This is for the 3/16/2024 sailing.

[glrounds]

a little confusing with the wording me thinks.

[Squirreladd]

7 minutes ago, glrounds said:

a little confusing with the wording me thinks.

There is no option for a transfer from HOU or IAH to the port. However, there is an option for the other way around port to the airport. I am wondering is this normal or does this mean i have to find another way to port from airport. 

 

I would normally do uber, but with my mother it is close to impossible to find an uber that can take a mobility scooter so that rules that out. Some cabs may have it but from the airport to the port it is extremely expensive ~300$. Our best option is carnival, who seems do not have an option available. 

[Haljo1935]

You could call Carnival, maybe they just haven't posted yet for some reason, but they could tell you for sure.

[firefly333]

5 hours ago, Squirreladd said:

My family are booked for a March Cruise on the Jubilee. My mother needs a wheelchair lift, so to play it safe we plan to take the carnival transfer. However when I look in the manage cruises section the option is only available for us to get a transport from port to the airport at the end of the cruise with no option to get from the airport to the port at the end of the cruise. Is this a common thing and will the option show up eventually or should we look for alternative options to get from the airport to the port. This is for the 3/16/2024 sailing.

I would call. I know for rcl my ta always can buy it for me and add it to my cost. 

[SailawayKC]

That's weird, I just checked the week before and it doesn't show to the port either. I would call Carnival. My cruise for this October is showing both.

[Sarcastic Mama]

I would call Carnival or check with a private limo service in Houston.  We live in Houston and take one from the house to port and port back home.  I'm sure they can do airport transfers. Just need to call and ask.   

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, Squirreladd said:

My family are booked for a March Cruise on the Jubilee. My mother needs a wheelchair lift, so to play it safe we plan to take the carnival transfer. However when I look in the manage cruises section the option is only available for us to get a transport from port to the airport at the end of the cruise with no option to get from the airport to the port at the end of the cruise. Is this a common thing and will the option show up eventually or should we look for alternative options to get from the airport to the port. This is for the 3/16/2024 sailing.

Are you arriving a day before the cruise departs?

If so, the cruise lines don't do transfers except on departure days.

You can book a room near the airport and shuttle back on departure day and then get a cruise line transfer.

[terrysko2000]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Are you arriving a day before the cruise departs?

If so, the cruise lines don't do transfers except on departure days.

You can book a room near the airport and shuttle back on departure day and then get a cruise line transfer.

We just ran into this - flying in the day before - wouldnt let us book the transfer so we are staying at an airport hotel and will transfer to Galveston the day of the cruise. 

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, terrysko2000 said:

We just ran into this - flying in the day before - wouldnt let us book the transfer so we are staying at an airport hotel and will transfer to Galveston the day of the cruise. 

We booked our own fligths to arrive the day before our Galveston cruise.  We're spending the night at the Marriott IAH airport.  We've done this before.  There is a tram that stops at each baggage claim and at the hotel.  Very easy and free.  Some take a shuttle to an off-site hotel but we prefer to stay at the Marriott.  Just makes things simpler.  

We did this when we were on a Princess cruise where we booked a princess transfer the morning of the cruise.  Princess used the Marriott as their pickup point for transfers to the port.  When we checked in, we were given baggage tags for the transfer and told to leave our bags in the room.  The transfer included bag pickup.  We went down to breakfast where we met several people who were also on the same cruise.  The Princess rep assigned us to a bus for the transfer.  

This went so smooth wife insisted on staying at the Marriott again this time although we're on a different cruise line.  We're also booking a private transfer.

[terrysko2000]

25 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

We booked our own fligths to arrive the day before our Galveston cruise.  We're spending the night at the Marriott IAH airport.  We've done this before.  There is a tram that stops at each baggage claim and at the hotel.  Very easy and free.  Some take a shuttle to an off-site hotel but we prefer to stay at the Marriott.  Just makes things simpler.  

We did this when we were on a Princess cruise where we booked a princess transfer the morning of the cruise.  Princess used the Marriott as their pickup point for transfers to the port.  When we checked in, we were given baggage tags for the transfer and told to leave our bags in the room.  The transfer included bag pickup.  We went down to breakfast where we met several people who were also on the same cruise.  The Princess rep assigned us to a bus for the transfer.  

This went so smooth wife insisted on staying at the Marriott again this time although we're on a different cruise line.  We're also booking a private transfer.

Thank you for the information! We are also looking at the Marriott. This is a first for us out of Galveston. We usually go out of Ft Lauderdale. It’s fun to try new places. 

[RocketMan275]

48 minutes ago, terrysko2000 said:

Thank you for the information! We are also looking at the Marriott. This is a first for us out of Galveston. We usually go out of Ft Lauderdale. It’s fun to try new places. 

Your most welcome.

Please note that we haven't sailed out of Galveston/Houston in several years so things may have changed.

The IAH Marriott gets fairly decent reviews.

One thing, we arrived fairly late and there weren't too many places to eat once you left security.   We wound up getting a bottle of wine and some snacks from their refreshment store.  

The breakfast buffet was acceptable and as I said, we got to meet several who were on our cruise too.  Seating was scarce so we invited a couple or two to share our table.   

There are multiple options for tranferring to galveston.  Try googling "houston to galveston cruise port".  That will identify options and costs.  

[RocketMan275]

On 9/12/2023 at 7:56 AM, terrysko2000 said:

Thank you for the information! We are also looking at the Marriott. This is a first for us out of Galveston. We usually go out of Ft Lauderdale. It’s fun to try new places. 

I've been looking at places to eat.  The restaurant at the Marriott is expensive.  Easily drop $100 for dinner for two.  The breakfast buffet is $25 PP.  Two options.  First, not many places outside of security at the airport.  There are a Subway and Starbucks.  Eber does delivery to the marriott.   I think we will do subway or delivery.

[MrMan]

My suggestion would be to stay on the island.  A lot more to see and do than an airport hotel.

[beshears]

TerrysKO2000, just curious, you mentioned of flying in the day before to the airport. Was it Hobby or the other one? The reason I ask, you mentioned of staying at the "airport hotel." I had just read that the area around Hobby, especially to be walking around wasn't very safe.

[Texas Tillie]

4 hours ago, beshears said:

TerrysKO2000, just curious, you mentioned of flying in the day before to the airport. Was it Hobby or the other one? The reason I ask, you mentioned of staying at the "airport hotel." I had just read that the area around Hobby, especially to be walking around wasn't very safe.

 

He flew into Houston Bush Intercontinental (aka The Big Airport) and stayed at the Marriott within the airport complex. If you stay at a hotel like the Doubletree or others that have food at the hotel near Hobby and take their shuttle to the hotel and then back to the airport and take the cruise line's shuttle to the port, it's probably easiest and cheapest.

[beshears]

Thank you for your input. I just heard back from Galveston Express which looked pretty good, other than I happen to noticed that I need to make sure that they WILL pick us up at the hotel we are at, as I guess??? there are some hotels they do not do pick up at.

[RocketMan275]

14 minutes ago, beshears said:

Thank you for your input. I just heard back from Galveston Express which looked pretty good, other than I happen to noticed that I need to make sure that they WILL pick us up at the hotel we are at, as I guess??? there are some hotels they do not do pick up at.

Did you see this:  "If you would like to be picked up or dropped off at a hotel near the airport we offer service from select hotels for an additional $50 to your reservation. (not per person)"?

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, beshears said:

Thank you for your input. I just heard back from Galveston Express which looked pretty good, other than I happen to noticed that I need to make sure that they WILL pick us up at the hotel we are at, as I guess??? there are some hotels they do not do pick up at.

That depends on where your hotel is. 
 

Presumably if you are staying at the airport your hotel has a shuttle? Easy enough to get shuttle back next morning otherwise there is a surcharge per party as noted on their website.

[beshears]

Rocketman275, I appreciate you bringing that to my attention. I had just posted earlier of the SAME thing. As we don't know which hotel we will be going to, and before I use them, I wanted to make sure they DO the hotel we will select, and I made a notation for myself about the $50 fee as well.

[beshears]

C-Leg5, I was GLAD that I READ ALL of that information "ahead" of time before booking with them. 🙂

[terrysko2000]

 

 

**my travel agent contacted Princess … we are flying into IAH a day before (Feb. 17)using EZ air. they are doing a shuttle to Galveston the day before and we have reservations at the Courtyard on Galveston. Then a transfer from the hotel to the ship. This is our first time cruising out of Galveston. I am very relieved!