Update: Following statewide legislation passed by the Texas government, Uber and Lyft have returned to Galveston and Houston after a hiatus. Given their convenience and the fact that they pick up at both Houston airports, the rideshare companies are our recommended way of getting to the Galveston cruise port.

Good news if you fly into Houston for your cruise. On August 6th, the city of Houston approved new regulations that will allow ride services Uber & Lyft to operate legally in the city.

If you haven’t heard of these companies, you soon will. Uber & Lyft are two different rideshare programs. Drivers sign up on the site and are vetted to offer rides, usually using their personal vehicle. Once approved, passengers can hire out these drivers — just like using a taxi — but usually at much lower rates. Passengers request a ride from their smartphone and several different types of cars are available.

So how much money could you potentially save?

A quick search of Uber shows a ride from Houston Intercontinental Airport to the Port of Galveston would cost $73 – $96 one way. You can expect to pay about $125 – $150 for the same trip via cab.

From Houston Hobby to the port, Uber is estimated to cost $42 – $56 each way. You’d be charged an estimated $75 – $110 for the same trip via taxi.

Note: If you are a first-time Lyft rider, use our sign-up here to download the app and get FREE ride credits for your first rides. Please note that we receive a small commission for new sign-ups from links on this website.

Now before you jump at the chance to save some money off the taxi fare with Uber or Lyft, there are some things to consider. First, while the services are approved in Houston, we haven’t seen any word on these services in Galveston.

If not approved by the city, the drivers could be ticketed for operating an unlicensed taxi cab. As a passenger, that’s not likely to impact you, but it is something you should be aware of. So far we haven’t heard any reports of this happening.

(Following statewide regulation, these are no longer issues.)

As well, we aren’t sure how prevalent the services are outside of major cities. It could be that while it’s easy to find a ride using the apps in Houston, getting a ride back from Galveston might be tougher. Of course, you might be able to arrange something with your driver on the way from the airport for when you return from the cruise.

No matter what, we view having more options getting to and from the cruise port as a good thing — especially when they show promise of being less expensive than other alternatives.

Getting from the Houston airports to the cruise terminal is without a doubt the biggest hassle about sailing from Galveston. It is the only thing that keeps the island from being a perfect cruise port.

We’ve compiled a lot of information to help you make sense of your transportation options, but we often get questions about renting a car in Houston to get to Galveston.

In fact, we’ve written about car rentals in the past, but it’s time for an update.

Here’s the low-down: Getting from the airport to the cruise port is expensive. Expect to spend about $200 at a minimum for round-trip service from a traditional shuttle service. That cost can go higher if you have more people or with the various options.

But if you rent a car, you could potentially save money. It all depends on the rate you can book and whether you can do a one-way rental.

One-way rentals: Currently, only Enterprise offers a rental car agency on the island. So if you want to pick the car up in Houston, and drop it off in Galveston, it’s Enterprise or bust.

Even so, one-way rentals with the company can be hit or miss. Sometimes cruise passengers can book a one-way rental from the airport, other times the company doesn’t offer them. Your best bet is to call the company directly or check on its website to see if you can book a one-way from the airport to Galveston.

You could also rent from other Enterprise locations in the Houston area, which will be more happy to accommodate a one-way rental. Keep in mind you may still have to pay for transportation to and from the rental agency.

Round-trip rentals: More than likely, you are going to have to book a round-trip car rental. This is convenient because you will have your ride back to the airport ready once you get off the ship. It is inconvenient, however, because you will have to pay for parking and the car rental while you are on your cruise. This extra cost is why is why the daily rental rates are so important to determining whether to rent a car or go with another transportation service.

We have seen times when daily rates for car rentals are as high as $60 for the cheapest option. But we have also seen rates for as little as $20 a day. At $20 a day, a 7-day rental plus parking would run about $200. That’s roughly the cost of the cheapest options from the Houston airports to the Galveston cruise terminal, but with the added benefit of having your own set of wheels.

Unfortunately, there is simply no universal best option for getting from Houston to the Galveston cruise port. The best option depends on the number of travelers, your personal schedule, and the current rental rates. But by knowing your options, you can be better prepared to save money and have a great vacation.

Many people go on cruises because it’s an affordable way to vacation. Depending on the deal, you can travel the Caribbean for a week for as little as a few hundred dollars.

Of course, that’s just the base cost. While there are plenty of “freebies” included in your fare, there are charges for drinks… shore excursions… photos… and more. In fact, many people report that their total cruise cost can be double (or more) the base fare by the time they are done.

On the other side of the equation, cruise lines have to pay for port fees, millions of gallons of fuel, tons of food, and of course, those massive ships.

So it begs the question — how much profit do cruise lines actually make from a passenger? Well, Royal Caribbean just gave us an answer. The company just announced its second-quarter earnings to the public, and there are some interesting tidbits.

During the first six months of the year, Royal Caribbean earned a staggering $3.9 billion in revenue, from 2.56 million passengers. That means each passenger generated an average of $1,510 in revenue. About 72% of revenue comes from cruise fares. The rest from other sources, including onboard activities.

So how much does that mean in profit? Royal Caribbean earned a profit of roughly $164 million during the first six months of the year. That sounds pretty big, but it actually isn’t?

Divide that profit figure by the number of passengers, and you see that the line earned only $64 per person in profit. That’s about 4% of every dollar it earns in revenue.

To see all the numbers for yourself, visit Royal Caribbean’s investor relations here.

Note: The article below originally appeared on our sister site, FloridaCruiseTips.com

In today’s world, humans have made day-to-day life relatively passive. Mishaps, unplanned events, or other hurdles have been systematically removed from most of our lives.

There is one area, however, where man will never have full control — the sea and the weather.

And with cruise ports dotting the coast, the big weather concern is a hurricane. So what actually happens if there is a hurricane that impacts your cruise?

First, the likelihood of you ever seeing a hurricane while on a cruise is very, very small. Thanks to radar and advance weather reports, the ships have plenty of time to avoid a major storm. So if you are sailing in the middle of the Caribbean and a storm is nearby, then the ship will sail in a direction that avoids the trouble altogether.

Now, avoiding the storm may mean that your cruise itinerary is adjusted. The cruise line may decide that in order to keep the ship and passengers safe, it won’t be able to port. Sometimes a port will simply be scratched altogether (meaning another day at sea) or the cruise line will replace it with another port.

But what if the hurricane is bearing down on your port of departure in the United States? Or what if it hits your home port while your ship is on your cruise?

In that case, there are several factors that will decide what the cruise line will do.

A major hurricane bearing down on a home port, even if it is several days away, may result in a cancellation of the cruise (and a refund of your money or have the fare apply to a future cruise). After all, if the hurricane destroys the port infrastructure while the cruise ship is gone, then the question of unloading passengers becomes a logistical nightmare.

If the storm isn’t as big a threat or hits on what would be the embarkation day, then it’s possible that the cruise line may decide to delay boarding, shorten the cruise, and refund a pro-rated amount to passengers.

What’s most important is to keep in touch with the cruise line if you think a hurricane may disrupt your trip. The cruise lines will do their best to keep in constant contact with passengers regarding the situation.

Update: The Wharves Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase the fees charged to parking lots and shuttles. While most rates went up a moderate amount, the amount charged to independent lots soared from $8 per parking spot, per month, to $28.88 (a 261% increase!). With this in mind, it’s almost assured that parking prices across the island will rise in the near future. For more information, we highly suggest this article from The Galveston Daily News.

The next meeting of the Wharves Board of Trustees will likely be a contentious one.

This board, which directs the future of the Port of Galveston, is set to vote on Monday on whether to raise parking lot fees. Our opinion is that the board is likely to vote for an increase.

We have told you before about this issue. Right now the port charges fees to the numerous parking lots and hotels with shuttles to the port. According the Galveston Daily News, the port charges private lots $8 per month and hotel shuttles have to pay $10 per trip to the port. So if a parking lot has a 100 parking spaces, they have to pay the port $800 a month in fees.

The parking lots see these fees as adequate. Of course, the port thinks the fees should be higher.

Right now the Port of Galveston has roughly $50 million in debt that it must pay. In addition, the port has continued to invest, bringing more and larger ships to Galveston.

The port sees the parking lots benefiting tremendously from the increased traffic from the investment into the Galveston cruise industry.

Meanwhile, these lots are also competing directly with the port’s parking lots. Right now the Port of Galveston’s official lots are the most expensive option on the island — usually costing $10-15 more for a 7-day cruise than the independent lots.

All of this adds up to what we think will be a vote for an increase in the charges placed on parking lots.

More evidence toward increased fees was cited by the Galveston Daily News, which stated:

“A port team, created at the behest of the wharves board, last year surveyed policies at other ports and airports and conducted an assessment of fees, including application and renewal fees.

In late November, the study team recommended the board consider raising access rates for hotel shuttles to $11.43 a trip from $10.

The study team also recommended raising rates to private parking lots to $9.14 per space from $8.”

Even that increase, however, was mentioned as not being enough by some members of the board.

We’ll update readers as we hear more information. The board is set to meet on Monday, May 18. You can also check the Galveston Daily News, who has closely followed this story.