Transportation has been a thorn in my side for this port. Apparently, Galveston or Houston doesn't have a good transportation agreement. Maybe there is some kind of economic situation I'm not aware of that causes this problem, but I don't really want to figure that out. My problem is COST! I've been out of Port Canaveral several times now and the closes airport to that port (or Coco Beach) is Ft. Lauderdale, which is a 45min. drive to port. Not much of a problem because the taxi ride or shuttle (whatever you book) will cost you about $30-$50 each way. An added expense, but when sharing, not that bad and even if you aren't sharing, not bad for a 45 min. trip.
Houston Hobby Airport is a 45-50 min. drive to Galveston (where my hotel is and the port is)......................................................................................................................................
$100-$125 ONE WAY!
How is it that the same distance in Florida is half that?
I will take a guess and make an assumption. Galveston port has all these rules about alcohol and now they are going to TX their residents on the duty free stuff they buy on a cruise. Plus, when I looked into renting a car (trust me, not worth it) there were all these taxes and charges added on. It was crazy! So, my assumption is that the TX government adds all the taxes, rules, regulations and charges for anyone running transportation services that the overall cost goes through the roof. Thank you TX for the welcome.
I would also mention that the prices for hotels on the coast are high too. I paid less for a major hotel in downtown Miami last year. I paid less for a hotel a block off the beach in Coco Beach. Its November in TX, it can't be that great there.
Next up, Fog.
Now, I knew this coming in, so its nothing I should complain about, but something you should know. Gulf ports tend to have fog problems that add on delays to embark and debarks. So, you might get on board later or get off later. I should mention this tends to be only in the fall/winter months. So, if you are flying out on your debark day, I suggest a late flight. For the first time ever, I had a good flight plan where I would leave out about 1:30pm. Cruise lines suggest not booking flights before 12pm. I would be back by 7pm with another hour to drive home. But, with the fog......I picked the 4:40pm flight and will be back by 11:30pm and another hour to drive. Good thing I'm taking the next day off from work. I'm hoping a friend or family will drop me off and pick me up to save on parking.
The rules are a bit crazy there too. You can't get your Bon Voyage liquor delivered until the second day and you can't purchase the Cheers program until the second day either.
In real terms, most of the above doesn't really matter. Its a cruise and cruises cost money and you will always have to deal with "stuff" on vacation. But as you can tell, I'm already preparing myself for all of this "stuff" so that I don't let it come as a surprise when I get there. I think most things that "hurt" a vacation are things that catch you off guard and probably things you could have prevented (which always pisses me off more-my own stupidity).
The point of this post is to not only give you pointers on the port of call, but also to illustrate that research and knowledge about where you are going is important.
