Which airport

[csk]

Cruising on the Voyager in March, which would be the closest and best airport to fly into, never been to Texas before, and all new to me, thanks

[wrp96]

Hobby (HOU) is the closest if you can get a flight into there. It's about 45 minutes to an hour away from Galveston. Southwest flies into there as do Jet Blue, Air Tran, Delta, and American. If you are booking a flight home, a flight after 12pm is recommended.

 

George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is farther away (1.5 to 2 hours) but is served by all the major carriers so may give you more choices of flights. Book flights home no earlier than 1pm - but after 2pm would be better.

[soxfan1495]

We are going on the Voyager in February. Since there are four of us, economy in choosing the flight (from New England) was very important. After researching many options, we booked using hotwire and kayak on United Airlines flying into Austin, and the cost was something like $150 less per person than Houston when we booked. Actually, one of the key reasons we decided to go on the Voyager is that it would have been so much more expensive to have had to go to Florida to start the cruise.

 

There are also relatively inexpensive flights into San Antonio. The drive from Austin or San Antonio is maybe four hours to Galveston, but it will be worth it for us (we will fly in on Saturday, drive a couple of hours and then drive the other two hours the next morning). One-way rentals to/from the Austin airport to Galveston using Hertz are convenient since Hertz has an office in Galveston and will provide a free shuttle to the cruise terminal.

[houstoncruisers2001]

Soxfan.....not a bad idea the way airfares are these days.

 

We had a blast on Voyager.

[wrp96]

Soxfan, have you checked to make sure the Hertz office will be open on Sundays? I thought in the past it was only available for drop offs but I may be wrong.

[soxfan1495]

According to Hertz, the Hertz office in Galveston will be closed until January 1. After that, it will be open for business, including being open on Sundays from 9 am to 12 noon.

 

They advise that when you rent one-way in Austin (or any another location), and drive to Galveston for a cruise, that you should first drop your luggage at the RCI cruise terminal (terminal #2) and then drive to the Hertz office at 6115 Avenue L to drop the car off. Then, there is a free shuttle to the cruise terminal, leaving on Sunday mornings at 10:30, 11:30 or 12:30.

 

When returning from the cruise, there is a free shuttle, leaving continuously, from the cruise terminal to the Hertz office.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Check the address with Hertz. Avenue L does not go to

61st St. The Hertz office was at 1021 61st st before the storm. Perhaps they are repairing the office.

[soxfan1495]

Thanks! I will definitely check that out before leaving. I can just see myself driving around Galveston on Sunday morning and not finding the office...