Leaving out of Galvaston, TX

[topo gigio]

Hi all. I am going on my first Disney cruise (second overall cruise) and we are leaving from Galvaston, TX. I know that I need to fly into one of the Houston airports and get to Galvaston. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to specifically go about doing this, such as company names, or specific hotel names that will come and pick you up at the airport? Also, has anyone stayed at any hotels that they would recommend? If so, what are the names of the hotels and why did you like them?

We are flying in a day early and spending an extra day in Galvaston as well. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. My husband and I will have a 9 year old and a 2 year old. Many thanks!!!

 

[undertheradar]

What is your sailing date, that could change how others respond.

 

[dcassetta]

The Galveston thread http://www.disboards.com/threads/all-things-galveston-updated-5-21-14.2988332/

There are two major airports in Houston, Houston intercontinental(George Bush) and Houston Hobby. Houston Hobby is the airport that is closer to Galveston. There are hotels in the area of both airports that provide local transportation, if you wish to stay in the area of the airport.There are no hotels in Galveston that provide transportation to or from either airport. You will need to either rent a car or arrange for a shuttle or private transfers.

Some of the hotels in Galveston do provide transfers from the hotel to the cruise port. http://www.galveston.com/parkandcruise/

 

[topo gigio]

Oh, sorry: we leave on December 4.

 

[dittymau]

Hi all. I am going on my first Disney cruise (second overall cruise) and we are leaving from Galvaston, TX. I know that I need to fly into one of the Houston airports and get to Galvaston. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to specifically go about doing this, such as company names, or specific hotel names that will come and pick you up at the airport? Also, has anyone stayed at any hotels that they would recommend? If so, what are the names of the hotels and why did you like them?

We are flying in a day early and spending an extra day in Galvaston as well. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. My husband and I will have a 9 year old and a 2 year old. Many thanks!!!

Depending where you fly and which airline is important. Houston Hobby is south of the city and closest to Galveston. Southwest is the primary carrier there, limited service from AA and Delta. Houston Bush is north of the city and would have more flight options depending on your home airport. You would need to arrange shuttle service or rent a car, the difficulty is one way rental pick up at airport drop of Galveston is not available so complicated. There are many good hotel options on the beach I recommend for service and location the Hilton Galveston. There are many places to visit such as Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn.

 

[thumpie's mom]

Have you thought about going directly through DCL for hotel and transportation?

 

[hudson3709]

If you want to be near the port we loved Harbor House - you can walk to the ship (but it is a little far with bags We also enjoyed Marriott Courtyard Galveston Island Gulf Front if you want to be by the Gulf. But to stay in Galveston you will need to arrange private transfers - it's far from the airport. We preferred staying near the airport and taking Disney Transfers the morning of the cruise last time. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Huskiesrule]

Be aware that DCL transfers are $90 pp for Galveston and one of the hotels they are using is the San Luis which will run you another $200+ for one night. I would look into renting a car and there are many good hotel options in Galveston. Unless cost is not an issue, in which case I would book everything through DCL.

 

[dcassetta]

One way car rentals to and from Galveston are not available. So, if you decide to rent a car you will need to either pay for parking, or stay at a hotel that provides parking during your cruise.

 

[topo gigio]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! Many of you recommend getting a shuttle or a private transfer from Houston to Galvaston. How do I find these shuttles or private transfers? Do you remember the names of the ones you used? Or do you recall general websites to look them up? Thanks so much!

 

[hudson3709]

We used Sam's Limo on the way back, but I would not recommend them as the limo was not as clean as I would have liked.

 

[aggiedog]

check out the link at the beginning. There are a few links for shuttles.

 

[FergusBC]

We used Royal Elite Limo (formerly Cornerstone) to get from IAH to Galveston. It was a bit pricier but would highly recommend! Our flight landed a bit early but our smartly dressed driver was already waiting for us as we came out of the arrival area. We drove through rush hour traffic in a spotless stretch Cadillac SUV that made us feel absolutely decadent ! We had considered the one way car rental but Enterprise wanted to charge a $150 drop off fee! Um. Yeah. No!

On our return, we had a late flight out so we just cabbed it from Port to the Budget Car Rental in Texas City and picked up a car there. That way we had our own car for the day and it was still less than $100 for the cab & rental together

When we were doing our research for Galveston I know some people had been able to find some good deals for a weekly rental. That way they picked up their rental at the airport and just parked it while they were on the cruise. I suppose if you got a hotel with free parking that would be a bonus

 

[FergusBC]

If you want to be near the port we loved Harbor House - you can walk to the ship (but it is a little far with bags We also enjoyed Marriott Courtyard Galveston Island Gulf Front if you want to be by the Gulf. But to stay in Galveston you will need to arrange private transfers - it's far from the airport. We preferred staying near the airport and taking Disney Transfers the morning of the cruise last time. Hope that helps a bit.

We stayed at the Harbor House as well and totally loved it! Very interesting area with lots of great restaurants nearby. And best of all we got to watch the Wonder glide in past our window!