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Sailing from Galveston


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I am sailing from Galveston for the first time this fall (I hope).  Any tips, places to stay etc. would be appreciated.  Most importantly, which airport should I use.  Air to Sea recommends Bush, but Hobby seems more convenient (and more expensive).  I will not be renting a car, so will need to get from airport to hotel to port.  

Many thanks.

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1 hour ago, Fairlynew said:

I am sailing from Galveston for the first time this fall (I hope).  Any tips, places to stay etc. would be appreciated.  Most importantly, which airport should I use.  Air to Sea recommends Bush, but Hobby seems more convenient (and more expensive).  I will not be renting a car, so will need to get from airport to hotel to port.  

Many thanks.

there is a forum that has lots of information about sailing from Galveston. 

 

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1 hour ago, stevendom57 said:

Fly into Hobby if possible. Stay in the Clear Lake/Webster area because the hotels are much cheaper there. Take an Uber to the port.

 

Good advice except substitute Lyft for Uber.  Galveston has an agreement with Lyft that makes them the better choice.  If you have time and are staying in Clear Lake/Webster, a trip to the NASA Houston Space station is worth it.

 

Galveston Wharves Signs Agreement with Lyft to Operate at Port of Galveston | AJOT.COM

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Hobby is much more convenient. Your flight might be more expensive, but weigh it against how much you would pay in baggage fees (southwest is the big airline at Hobby 2- free bags) and Uber/Lyft rides to the port from IAH. Clear Lake area is halfway between the airport and the port, 35-40 minutes from the port. Very convenient, lots of restaurants and reasonable hotels. Also, Space Center Houston/Johnson Space Center. 

 

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10 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

We stay at the Hilton NASA Clear Lake.  Right across the street from NASA, a 12 minute drive to the Kemah Boardwalk, and a 30 minute drive the luggage drop off at the terminal.

That's a nice hotel. Right on Clear Lake.

Other good places include the Boardwalk hotel in Kemah, Holiday Inn Express in Kemah and Hampton Inn in Seabrook. It depends on what exactly you want to do and how much you want to pay for the convenience of being close to the action.

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Our Independence of the Seas  9/12/21 cruise:

      We are taking a  non-stop flight from Knoxville on Allegiant air to  the Hobby airport.  We're then taking Delta 1 stop when returning home from Hobby. So you may want to check out these airlines in addition to Southwest. 

     We haven't stayed in Galveston before, so we have researched places to stay in Galveston..

     So based on information on web sites, it is our plan to stay 1 night after the cruise on the 'seawall" beach front at 4 Points by Sheridan(now Marriott) . It's across the street from the famous Murdochs gift shop on a beach pier.  (They sell beer and frozen alcoholic drinks or other on the back deck where you sit in rocking chairs and watch the ocean.) 

    The hotel is also very close to the Pleasure Pier, where Fish Tales and Bubba Gump seafood restaurant are. . Other restaurants  are also close by, like "Millers" and "BLVD"... 

    Hope this helps!

    

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It's been several years ago. but flew into Hobby the day before and took one of the Galveston Express shuttles right to our hotel across from the beach.  After checking in to the hotel, we were able to just walk across the Seawall Blvd and stroll down the beach until sunset.  We got to walk on the Pier, shop at Murdoch's and ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp ( only an OK review for the food ).  Then in the morning took a Lyft to the terminal.  We got a local driver, so he went a couple blocks out of his way to show us a few touristy sites.  This was also shortly after a hurricane, so there were still water lines on some of the downtown buildings showing how bad the flooding was.  Also found a reasonably priced liquor store a few blocks away to get our 2 bottles of wine for the cruise.

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Lots of good advice above, including the link to my thread at All Things Galveston.  I like to stay on the island, usually at the Tremont Hotel because its a beautiful hotel, has a nice rooftop bar, and is walking distance to all the shops and restaurants on the Strand. It's also just a few blocks from the cruise terminal if you want to walk to the ship.  I'm finding crazy expensive prices on Galveston Island for our upcoming cruises this year, way above historical pricing.  Therefore we are staying at the NASA Hilton for a couple upcoming cruises. There are other good hotel suggestions above.

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  • 2 years later...
On 8/9/2021 at 12:02 PM, wordell1 said:

Good advice except substitute Lyft for Uber.  Galveston has an agreement with Lyft that makes them the better choice.  If you have time and are staying in Clear Lake/Webster, a trip to the NASA Houston Space station is worth it.

Galveston Wharves Signs Agreement with Lyft to Operate at Port of Galveston | AJOT.COM

Uber has now also signed the agreement

On 8/10/2021 at 1:45 PM, smokeybandit said:

Do you just uber/lyft from Hobby to Kemah to the port?

It can sometimes be difficult to get a rideshare if you end up staying on or near Galveston. Most of them want to be at the cruise port to pick up fares to airports from departing guests. This might be better if you are staying on the mainland rather than the island, but you could alternatively book a traditional taxi ahead of time for this trip. Some people also stay near the airport at a hotel with a shuttle, then shuttle back to the airport to get one of the shuttles from the airport to the cruise port. Rideshares may also be expensive. We paid about $150 but from Bush for an Uber XL (4 of us), and it was around 11:30pm so there may have been a bit of a surcharge.

The All About Galveston thread will say more, although it is such a huge thread that it might be a lot to read. @Galveston Steve - I think I remember that you keep the first few posts updated with new information as it comes in, is that correct?

On 8/10/2021 at 5:19 PM, smokeybandit said:

Only times I've gone out of Galveston I rented a car, dropped it off in Texas City, ubered back to the hotel in the island and took the hotel shuttle to the port.

Not sure I want that much hassle this time

Some of the car rental places are closed on Sundays so just check that if you need transportation on a Sunday.

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