Rental cars to/from Galveston - forget it!

[coffeegirl23]

It seems the rental car business has decided to forget the cruise passengers here. I just learned that if I want to rent a car from Enterprise to get from Houston to Galveston, I can't do it because they close in Galveston at noon on Saturdays and have no after hours drop-off, and they are closed on Sundays so you can't get a car to go back to Houston after the cruise. Hertz will rent you a car to go back on Sunday but charge DOUBLE!!! if you rent one in Houston on Saturday (day before the cruise) and can't drop it off in Galveston before noon Saturday (because even though they have after-hours drop-off, they charge till they reopen on Monday). I really didn't want to do a shuttle but it looks like we are headed that way. Any other ideas (besides limos, which are out of my budget - there are only two of us)?

[cruiseequalsfun]

You may want to recheck your information on Enterprise from Houston to Galveston.

 

I made my reservation several months ago on Enterprise to pick up a car on Sat 8/25 and drop it off on Sunday 8/26 in Galveston. I was told they would then offer a shuttle to the pier.

 

Since then, I found out from my roll call thread that the Enterprise Galveston office is now closed on Sunday's but everything would still be ok.

 

I called 2 days ago the Galveston office directly and they stated that it is closed on Sunday's but leave the car there, place the key's in the drop box, and call a cab (they have cab companies listed on the door there) to get to the pier. I am hoping that information is correct, as I leave on my cruise in 1 week!

 

I can let you know how it works out when I get back!

 

As an FYI, all along I was returning to Houston on a Sun through Hertz - because Hertz was cheaper than Enterprise for the date!

 

Good luck.

[HDnowM]

I've been looking into this, and have pretty much decided that the best bet is to rent a car at the airport in Houston on Saturday. Pay for it all week while it's parked at the cruise terminal. Hop in to it when we return the next Sunday and return it to the Airport.

 

I got a quote of $305 including taxes from Alamo. The parking will be $65 (prepaid). I think it's worth the extra cost, which when I add it all up, is not that much. I have 4 people to consider though, and the shuttle alone would run me $320. At least I can come & go as I wish.

[coffeegirl23]

Cruiseequalsfun - yes, please let me know how it works out. I am thinking of renting a car for the whole week like HDnowM but with only two of us that is kind of extreme. Have a great vacation!

[Choozin Croozin]

You may want to recheck your information on Enterprise from Houston to Galveston.

 

I made my reservation several months ago on Enterprise to pick up a car on Sat 8/25 and drop it off on Sunday 8/26 in Galveston. I was told they would then offer a shuttle to the pier.

 

Since then, I found out from my roll call thread that the Enterprise Galveston office is now closed on Sunday's but everything would still be ok.

 

I called 2 days ago the Galveston office directly and they stated that it is closed on Sunday's but leave the car there, place the key's in the drop box, and call a cab (they have cab companies listed on the door there) to get to the pier. I am hoping that information is correct, as I leave on my cruise in 1 week!

 

I can let you know how it works out when I get back!

 

As an FYI, all along I was returning to Houston on a Sun through Hertz - because Hertz was cheaper than Enterprise for the date!

 

Good luck.

 

Any follow up on this???? I have a great rate to fly into IAH but it costs more to get to the pier than the airfare.

[cruiseequalsfun]

Hi. What I posted earlier is still correct!! It pretty much worked as I described.

 

We picked up Enterprise rental car at IAH airport without any issues on a Sat, spent the night in Houston, and drove down to Galveston the next am- Sun. After you cross the bridge, the Enterprise location is right on the right side of the road. We missed it, did a U-turn, filled up the gas tank and looped back to Enterprise. We called the 1st taxi company listed on the door (Yellow Cab). Do NOT call them. It took forever! More than 30 minutes! Others waiting there called the 2nd one on the list and they came in about 10 minutes, so call them! We dropped our keys in the key drop box and left. I have not checked my credit card yet to ensure I was charged the correct amount (~32). The cab to the cruise ship was about $13 + tip.

 

On the return, we went to the Hertz location in the Carnival terminal - Sun am. It was absolutely pouring rain, so that was no fun at all. No line at all at Hertz to get the keys, the rain slowed us down quite a bit though as there was no cover to go to the bus, so we waited out the storm for about 45 min. The shuttle dropped us off at the car and we drove to IAH. It was about $62 for the one-way rental back. We stopped a mile or so from the airport to add fuel to the car. Not bad at all. The rental car did have issues though - worst rental car experience I've had (and I rent cars 50+ times a year). Gas tank not full, warning light on the whole way up, trash in the car when we got it, could not figure out how to start the car (odd - yes!), etc, and since the bus just drops you off and leaves, it made it difficult, but I would still rent the car again in the future. If I had to do it again, I'd have asked the driver to wait, until I checked out the car before letting them leave me.

 

Overall it was for 2 people. RCCL was charging $90 per person. We still made out better than that and were on our time!

[04cruises]

We also just rented a car through Enterprise at Bush and dropped it on Sunday in Galveston.No problems. The rate was several hundred less then Hertz. We got a clean car,great service,and a fair rate as we had the car for 4 days.Suggest everybody try Enterprise. We took the shuttle back to the airport.We had a great cruise.

[Choozin Croozin]

Hi. What I posted earlier is still correct!! It pretty much worked as I described.

 

We picked up Enterprise rental car at IAH airport without any issues on a Sat, spent the night in Houston, and drove down to Galveston the next am- Sun. After you cross the bridge, the Enterprise location is right on the right side of the road. We missed it, did a U-turn, filled up the gas tank and looped back to Enterprise. We called the 1st taxi company listed on the door (Yellow Cab). Do NOT call them. It took forever! More than 30 minutes! Others waiting there called the 2nd one on the list and they came in about 10 minutes, so call them! We dropped our keys in the key drop box and left. I have not checked my credit card yet to ensure I was charged the correct amount (~32). The cab to the cruise ship was about $13 + tip.

 

On the return, we went to the Hertz location in the Carnival terminal - Sun am. It was absolutely pouring rain, so that was no fun at all. No line at all at Hertz to get the keys, the rain slowed us down quite a bit though as there was no cover to go to the bus, so we waited out the storm for about 45 min. The shuttle dropped us off at the car and we drove to IAH. It was about $62 for the one-way rental back. We stopped a mile or so from the airport to add fuel to the car. Not bad at all. The rental car did have issues though - worst rental car experience I've had (and I rent cars 50+ times a year). Gas tank not full, warning light on the whole way up, trash in the car when we got it, could not figure out how to start the car (odd - yes!), etc, and since the bus just drops you off and leaves, it made it difficult, but I would still rent the car again in the future. If I had to do it again, I'd have asked the driver to wait, until I checked out the car before letting them leave me.

 

Overall it was for 2 people. RCCL was charging $90 per person. We still made out better than that and were on our time!

 

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you had an unpleasant end to a pleasant journey. At least it all worked out.:)

[coffeegirl23]

just a follow up - I decided to rent the car for a week, and with triple A, the best rate was with hertz at $250. well, that was three weeks ago. when i called to finally make the reservation, they told me it would be $340!!! i ended up getting a car from Avis through Hotwire for $222. I just can't understand why Enterprise would tell me there is no after hours drop off, and other people are doing just that! that would have been so much less expensive - and it sounds like no $60 drop fee was being charged either. It is so complicated and just too expensive for non-cruise expenses - i will probably never cruise out of Galveston again!

[Choozin Croozin]

just a follow up - I decided to rent the car for a week, and with triple A, the best rate was with hertz at $250. well, that was three weeks ago. when i called to finally make the reservation, they told me it would be $340!!! i ended up getting a car from Avis through Hotwire for $222. I just can't understand why Enterprise would tell me there is no after hours drop off, and other people are doing just that! that would have been so much less expensive - and it sounds like no $60 drop fee was being charged either. It is so complicated and just too expensive for non-cruise expenses - i will probably never cruise out of Galveston again!

 

I tend to agree with you. I did not do my research before booking this port. I thought it would be fun to go out of a different port and see some new scenery around the port. It seems to be only convenient for the people that live there. (nothing against y'all down there):D Just the transportation industry. :mad: Can't imagine all these car rental places being closed on Sundays with the cruise ships coming and going then. Then they can charge you for that extra day drop off charge!

[04cruises]

We booked ours through the airport office with Enterprise.When you go through the 800 numbers they just give you standard policy.We always use local locations.

[Lightsluvr]

We booked ours through the airport office with Enterprise.When you go through the 800 numbers they just give you standard policy.We always use local locations.

 

So did Enterprise tell you to just drop the car at the closed office and call a cab? I think we will drop our party and luggage at the cruise port and just the driver take the rental car to ERAC's (closed) office. With just one person coming back to the port, perhaps I'll be lucky and split cab fare with another cruiser.

 

We have a Hertz vehicle rented for the trip from the Port to Hobby Airport. I guess I'll have to walk over to the Carnival terminal???

 

LL

[charlesjoy]

So did Enterprise tell you to just drop the car at the closed office and call a cab? I think we will drop our party and luggage at the cruise port and just the driver take the rental car to ERAC's (closed) office. With just one person coming back to the port, perhaps I'll be lucky and split cab fare with another cruiser.

 

We have a Hertz vehicle rented for the trip from the Port to Hobby Airport. I guess I'll have to walk over to the Carnival terminal???

 

LL

 

From everything I've read Hertz rental office is in the Carnival terminal but it is just a short walk from the other terminals. We also plan to rent a Hertz rental car from Galveston to IAH on our return. Haven't called about it yet so was wondering what they charged you for the one way rental?

 

Thanks for the info.

[cruiseequalsfun]

Haven't called about it yet so was wondering what they charged you for the one way rental?

 

 

Hertz charged us ~69 all taxes included - one-way to IAH on a Sunday am - AAA rate I believe.

[read52]

****************************************************************

*************************. We thought of renting a car and visiting with our son in San Antonio and then driving up but 5 hour drive is too long. We are probably going to take the hotel and transfers with RCCL since we are coming from Maryland.

[Host Kat]

Please note, the Cruise Critic Community Guidelines do not allow personal ads of any kind in posts. This would include personal ads looking to share cabins, tours, transportation, etc.

 

Posts of this nature are removed from all forums... with one exception. If you are sailing on a specific ship and departure date, you can post your share request on the Roll Call for your cruise. You are targeting the specific group of people who would be most inclined to share since they are already sailing on your cruise. Please remember, do not start a new Roll Call thread with your share request. Use the existing Roll Call thread to make your posts.

 

, per our Community Guidelines, your post should be removed at once due to your share request. However, I edited your post and will leave it on the thread so you can see this reply & not wonder where your post went. I sincerely hope this will be satisfactory, even though it is not the type of answer you were seeking.

Kat

[04cruises]

We flew into to Bush on Thur. PM and was in a car in a very short time. We dropped off the car in Galveston on Sun AM. We did have to take a cab to port and had to wait a few minutes for it so I would suggest calling all three cab services on the door and take the first one to get there.Our total bill with Enterprise was like $60. The trick was to call the airport office directly.We talked to a lady named Ashley who was very helpful.We would use Enterprise again in that area.Have a great cruise.

[EinDog]

A copy of a post from another thread, but I feel it is appropriate here as well. We learned the route from this thread, and it seems to work OK...

 

We just returned from a cruise out of Galveston on the Voyager.

 

Based upon information from this board, we traveled to the port like this:

 

Called the Enterpise office at IAH to reserve one way car to Galveston. (Can't book this online)

Booked Hertz one-way Galveston to IAH online.

Reserved Courtyard Hotel online.

 

Flew in the night before (arrived 10pm).

 

Rented a car from Enterprise, one way to Galveston. $35.30

Stayed at the Courtyard near IAH. $88.92

 

Sunday:

Dropped DW, Mom, Aunt, Luggage at the Pier.

Dropped the car at the Enterprise lot in Galveston. Unattended. Left keys in box, caught taxi to the Pier. Split the cab fare with another renter.

 

Return Sunday:

Walked to Carnival terminal. Picked up rental contract from Hertz. Shuttle bus to their cars.

Returned to the Pier to pick up DW, Mom, Aunt and luggage.

Dropped Hertz car at IAH. $83.98

 

(All prices as reported on credit card bill online.)

 

Everything worked out fine, but it did not feel like a comfortable, in-control kind of process. If Hertz would allow drops on Sunday to an attended lot (without charging an extra day), or if Enterprise would allow Sunday rentals (and provide a shuttle), it would be much better.

 

The cruise was fine. The hassle getting to and from the port, plus the mess at the terminal will be considered for future bookings. Galveston will have to be cheaper to justify the hassle. (We will fly to whatever port we cruise from.)

 

-Norm

[mizz_colleenb]

Norm - thanks for the great information regarding car rentals and how it worked for you!

 

I've read on CC that we should plan on 60mins to get to the Hertz counter, the car lot and back to the terminal.

 

Is this time estimate about right? We have a 3pm flight out of IAH and are toying with not doing self-disembark.

[Hypo]

The last time we cruised from Galveston, Hertz did not open their counter in the Carnival terminal until sometime between 9 and 9:30.

 

Hypo

[bilyclub]

Norm - thanks for the great information regarding car rentals and how it worked for you!

 

I've read on CC that we should plan on 60mins to get to the Hertz counter, the car lot and back to the terminal.

 

Is this time estimate about right? We have a 3pm flight out of IAH and are toying with not doing self-disembark.

 

I got back Sunday, and got scared when the Voyager was very very slow in getting us off. Finally we just headed off on our own, clearing customs a little after 10. Got my contract at Hertz at 10;22, was at the car around 11. Drove up to IAH and ate at a crowded Chilis in Humble and still cleared the TSA checkpoint by 2. FYI

[mizz_colleenb]

I got back Sunday, and got scared when the Voyager was very very slow in getting us off. Finally we just headed off on our own, clearing customs a little after 10. Got my contract at Hertz at 10;22, was at the car around 11. Drove up to IAH and ate at a crowded Chilis in Humble and still cleared the TSA checkpoint by 2. FYI

 

Excellent info bilyclub and Hypo. I'm feeling more confident that we can do the rental from Galveston to IAH, rather than spending $150+ for a Limo/Shuttle.

[bilyclub]

The Hertz car also had never lost in it for no extra, that how we found the Chilis. They also sold us a 1/4 tank of gas for a little over $9, which was just enough to get to IAH.