Galveston Express — Local services in Galveston

Worst shuttle experience in nearly 20 cruises. Knowing it was Easter Sunday we booked Galveston Express for the 9:00AM shuttle well in advance for our 12:10 flight out of Hobby Airport. Since bookings were only available on the hour and we were not certain we would be able to make the 8:00AM shuttle since the ship was not scheduled to dock until 8:00AM we booked the next earliest option. Paid double the cost of an UBER/Lyft because we knew we had a tight window and wanted a guaranteed ride. We followed the instructions given by the booking paperwork and were in the designated pick up area by 8:15. We approached the Galveston Express van parked there at the time and he said his van is full and to wait for next one. Next one ( actually 3 ) showed up exactly at 9:00AM but apparently were private booked shuttles for larger parties. It was at that point that we found from another customer that they had an email with pick up information. Who would have thought to check email on a hectic travel morning unless they had a reason to do so? So after waiting nearly an hour in the specified at booking spot we saw that the email said to go to a completely different area and look for a coach bus. That area was packed with ship chartered shuttles and Galveston Limo buses and no Galveston Express buses to be found. Called Customer service and were told that 2 buses were in port in spots 5 and 6 waiting for us as we were standing right by those spots with completely different buses. After at least 15 minutes of back and forth the story has changed to a bus will be arriving to spot number 3 in a few minutes. Great a bus shows up into spot 3( bus in enclosed picture) just as described except the driver of that bus says that they are there as a Royal Caribbean bus not Galveston Express bus. At this point the clock is pushing 10:00AM, Uber has tripled in price since we got off the ship before 8:15 and ride share and taxi pick up lines are a mile long and we are come close to missing our flight. Exactly the situation we planned to avoid by booking with a shuttle service instead of depending on the chaos that can be had with ride share. The bus finally showed up a moment after we hit the Uber request button in an attempt to still make the only direct flight home available that day. If we would have been matched with a driver quicker would have gone with the Uber at that point but since the bus was there before the Uber ended up taking the bus and praying for no additional delays. Did not leave port until 10:20AM. Arrived at the airport at 11:10AM not a minute to spare before the 60 minute before flight checked bag window. Thankfully, we were able to make it through security before boarding started on a sold out flight and the chances of the airline being able to get us to our destination same day had we missed our flight due to this ridiculous service ( requiring 4 available seats on multiple flights) were slim to none! Totally unprofessional for a business that supposedly shuttles customers from that ship at least weekly, one would think they would have it down to a science. Now looking at other reviews this seems a pretty common occurrence with the Galveston Express. Would not recommend using them unless you have a much later flight or enjoy standing around a crowded port waiting for them to get their act together. Even their in port reps felt the need to hide away from frustrated customers.

Even if there was an 9:00am bus that we ended up missing due to poor communication from the company ( Possible one was leaving at 9:10 as we made it to the bus area) Would it have been unreasonable for the company reps to walk over to the van area and flag down people waiting for shared shuttle in the van area in addition to the email we had no idea to look for? They were not directing people as we walked out just after 8:00am. Phone calls could have been made, texts could...

Long review. TL;DR 100% recommend.

Honestly a great experience with Galveston Express. We took them from IAH to Galveston and then from the cruise port back to IAH.

First, we found out two days before our trip that the hotel we'd booked in Galveston was closed permanently (that's another story) and I was worried because it was so soon before our ride that we wouldn't be able to change the destination. But I emailed them as soon as I knew and they updated our reservation without even a second thought.

Next, our flight into IAH was delayed and we landed at the time we were supposed to meet the shuttle. Obviously with taxiing and checked luggage and the mess that is IAH as a whole, there was no way we would make it in the window for pick up. I called them and explained the situation and they immediately found me the next available shuttle and switched us over.

Well... Did I mention IAH is an absolute disaster?

We nearly missed the SECOND shuttle. The driver was so kind and called me to find out our status and I explained where we were in the journey to the pick up point. At no time did he seem bothered or rushed. He was kind and understanding.

When we finally reached them (their directions for where to find them were spot on), we made it right at the cut off. He was still kind and didn't express any annoyance. The ride was comfortable and truly a 10/10 experience.

Then after the cruise we took them back to IAH. In general, everything went smoothly. Their directions for the pick up area was like 90% spot on. Only little things I might suggest they add is that the attendant booth is located under the skywalk. That little detail would have saved only about 30 seconds on our search - but also a port security person knew exactly where the attendant booth was and pointed "right below that sky walk". Easy peasy! The shuttles were running behind schedule due to various traffic issues and they did their best to stay as close to schedule as they could - as evidenced by their changing of schedule/routes for drivers on the fly. Only suggestion I'd have for this whole situation would be to more proactively communicate the delays with the riders. But you know, there's always at least one person in the group that'll be calling and pushing for info, so the details got to us regardless.

Then, the drivers who arrived were kind and understood the urgency to get on the road (they were about 30 min behind), packed everyone up quickly and rolled out. The ride was comfortable, with no issues. Drop off was smooth, the driver was still kind and smiley after all that, and we set off to navigate IAH once again.

Travelling for vacation is never easy but I can definitely say these folks made it...

I would definitely use this service again. When I first emailed to request information on booking a shuttle for 3, from Hobby to a condo in Galveston, I received an immediate email response with a contact #. I called and left a message and got a call back within minutes. The gentleman who called me back was very kind and answered all my questions. After booking, I immediately received a confirmation email with all the information I would need.

After arriving at Hobby, we went to the pick-up location and our driver, Tom, was waiting outside of the shuttle, dressed professionally, and approached us with a smile. He put our luggage in and opened the door for us. The shuttle was clean & comfortable. (It was just three of us, so I was afraid he would be disappointed, but he was a very pleasant person). He asked if we had any music preferences which I thought was very courteous. In finding out this was our first visit to Galveston, he told us a lot of his favorite things to do and places to eat. I really appreciated that. I felt bad later, as I had never used a shuttle service before and I didn't know if you tipped the shuttle driver, or not. I didn't, but I feel like I should've because he made my first shuttle experience wonderful.

Our 6am shuttle back to Hobby , was right on time. He gave me a courtesy call, which eased my traveling back home anxiety. His name was John. He was just as helpful with our luggage and the music preferences. He mentioned he had to pick one more person up. Unfortunately, despite his numerous attempts at calling and driving around the hotel for this other person, she was a no-show. I wasn't aware that she was supposed to go to the other airport (Bush). I assumed that if we were on the same shuttle, we were going to the same airport. Not knowing my way around Houston (and the fact that our ride seemed a bit longer than the first time) when we ended up pulling into Bush airport, I had to ask if Hobby was nearby. Needless to say, it was high tension at that point. John high-tailed it back to Hobby (pretty well, I might add, considering the traffic), apologizing several times. We just barely made our flight (mainly because of waiting to go through security). What matters is that he got us there.

This shuttle service is a very good & reasonable price, the vehicles are nice, they are easy to contact & book with & the drivers are friendly. If you use it, just be sure to communicate with your driver about your...