Galveston Cruises and Newbie questions

[Vellamint]

I am in the planning stages of a cruise departing from Galveston Texas.

I have tried to find all my answers with the search function but am not having much luck.

 

I HAVE determined that although Houston Airport is closer most airlines fly to Bush International and that some cruiselines no longer have transfers from Houston.

 

What I am trying to find out is:

 

Can I get the cruise transfers even if I book my own flight.

 

What is the earliest time home I can book after the cruise is over without cutting it too close. 1:00 pm? 12:00 pm? 2:00 pm? etc..

 

I know I should probably fly in the night before as we are coming from the Northeast (potential storms) but dont really have the extra day to spare if we dont have to......

 

If we purchase our own airfare and the flight is delayed....is this covered under our insurance (that we will buy on our own not through cruiseline).

 

If we purchase airfare through the cruiseline....well....I have alot of questions about this. They HAVE to get you to the ship on time so do they get you flights the morning of the cruise or do they sometimes get you in the night before and if it winds up the night before....what about hotels? They pay or we pay?

 

How bad are the cruise flights.....I would hate leaving at 5 am and connecting two times.....but with the ship departure at 4 or 5 o'clock I suppose there are only so many connections they can have you make...right?

 

Thanks in advance for your time......a girlfriend and I usually do a "girl trip" every year and we are thinking of doing a cruise this year....but it is kind of last minute.

[treinke]

You might be better asking these questions on the general board for your cruise line. They aren't necessarily specific to Galveston.

[JerseyBoy]

Vellamint - I will answer some of your questions based on my own experiences.

 

1. Call your cruise line and they should be able to tell you how long disembarkation will take. I called Princess for our Sept cruise out of LA and asked how long it will take to get off the ship and to the airport. They broke it down by the minute, approximately 2 1/2 hours. We were told don't book a flight before 12:30pm. Of course it all depend what time your ship docks, distance from the airport etc.

 

2. I have never used the cruise company for booking my air, I have always done it myself, it is usually cheaper that way and you get better flights (from what I read from other people).

 

3. As far as transportation from the airport and back, well I am booked on the Grand Princess for March 24, 2007 an am in the process of planning all of this. I have never had a problem with using the airport shuttles to the Hotels/piers. Use Google and search on Airport Shuttles for Galveston.

 

Being from the Philadelphia area we usually fly in to the departure city the day before to avoid the stress of getting to the ship ontime, we only flew in on the day of the cruise when we sailed out of Puerto Rico and the ship was leaving at 11:00pm at night, this allowed for plenty of time.

 

Check your trip insurance policy for the specifics as to what is covered. Usually the trip insurance only covers medical emergencies, not missing the ship because you were delayed.

 

Hopefully this helps, and I am sure other CC members will jump in with some answers. As the previous poster said, go the thread for your cruiseline and post questions about the cruiseline.

 

Good luck.:)

[wrp96]

Things specific to Galveson:

 

Houston Hobby (HOU) is 45 minutes to an hour away from Galveston. If you do cruiseline air, you most likely will NOT be booked into Hobby. George Bush (IAH) is 1.5 to 2 hours away from Galveston.

 

If you book your own flight don't book anything earlier than noon out of Hobby, 1pm out of IAH BUT the more time you give yourself the better. Add more time if you are flying during the week instead of the weekends because Houston traffic can be horrible.

 

If you don't book cruiseline air, then yes you usually can book cruiseline transfers. There are some caveats though. You have to fly in day of cruise. Your flights have to be within their time schedule (i.e. not too late in the day). And they have to have transfers from your airport (most don't have transfers from Hobby at all). In Galveston it is better to NOT use the cruiseline transfers. There are some really good shuttle services and private car services that cost less than the transfers and are more reliable.

 

What flights the cruiseline would put you on depends on a lot of things. They will book whatever is cheapest for them at the time they book your flights (which is usually 60 to 90 days out). If it is the 5am flight with 3 connections (assuming it gets you in in time), then that is what they will book. If you are concerned but still want to do cruiseline transfers, do what is called an air deviation. This is where you pay a little extra and get to choose your own flights but you still book them through the cruiseline.

 

As to your question about who pays for the hotel if you fly in the night before, it depends. If you are the one that makes the decision to come in a day early, then you absolutely pay for the hotel (and are required to make the arrangements). If the cruiseline makes you come in a day early, whether or not they pay depends on the cruiseline. I know that RCCL will pay for it, but that Carnival will only pay for precruise hotels in certain ports so you have to check with your specific cruiseline. If you do cruise air though, they are more likely to put you on a redeye flight than fly you out a day ahead of time.

 

It is definitely better though to come in a day ahead of time. I'm sure you could find a late flight out of the Northeast (depends though on your local airport) into Houston that would allow you to work the day before but still come in a day early.