DCL signs new agreement with Port of Galveston

[MsOnceUponATime]

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...gns-new-agreement-with-the-port-of-galveston/

I cannot tell you how excited we are to have DCL in our backyard for at least 10 more years!! We have sailed out of Galveston a number of times (that's the port that I get my seasickness in) and Port Canaveral a number of times and naturally Galveston is so convenient that I'll forgive DCL for the port of Galveston not being nearly as nice as Port Canaveral.

I cannot wait to see the itineraries and the number of sailings per year!!

 

[DisneYE]

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-storie...gns-new-agreement-with-the-port-of-galveston/

I cannot tell you how excited we are to have DCL in our backyard for at least 10 more years!! We have sailed out of Galveston a number of times (that's the port that I get my seasickness in) and Port Canaveral a number of times and naturally Galveston is so convenient that I'll forgive DCL for the port of Galveston not being nearly as nice as Port Canaveral.

I cannot wait to see the itineraries and the number of sailings per year!!

Good to hear. good for you and all Texans.
But Galveston needs to upgrade their port, its quite run down imo (esp. if you compare to PC) and the nearby area is almost sleazy.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Can Galveston accommodate either of the new class of ships? If not, that would seem to indicate one or both of the Classics will be hanging around stateside for part of the year after the new ships debut.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Can Galveston accommodate either of the new class of ships? If not, that would seem to indicate one or both of the Classics will be hanging around stateside for part of the year after the new ships debut.

"The new agreement outlines plans for a shared cruise terminal that will accommodate a ship equal to or larger than the Disney Magic/Disney Wonder class of vessel."
https://abc13.com/travel/disney-cruises-will-sail-from-galveston-for-another-decade/5093678/

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Good to hear. good for you and all Texans.
But Galveston needs to upgrade their port, its quite run down imo (esp. if you compare to PC) and the nearby area is almost sleazy.

I'm not a Texan, but I do happen to live here - so yes, very good for all of us who have Galveston as an easy access port! And I totally agree - Galveston needs to upgrade their port area. RCL is upgrading their terminal/s from what I read last night and I do so hope that Disney follows suit. The area is very industrial - it's not that it's run down (nor sleazy), it's just in desperate need of cleaning up which I doubt it will ever get. That said, it does have a very booming economy on the seawall side of the island as well as the "strand" area of the island. Galveston is trying -- thus why Disney has signed on for at least 10 more years!

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

"The new agreement outlines plans for a shared cruise terminal that will accommodate a ship equal to or larger than the Disney Magic/Disney Wonder class of vessel."
https://abc13.com/travel/disney-cruises-will-sail-from-galveston-for-another-decade/5093678/

So maybe yes, maybe no. Depending on what they work out.

 

[T & R]

Just wish DCL would do a Texas resident rate like they do for Floridians.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Just wish DCL would do a Texas resident rate like they do for Floridians.

In 2013 I was able to book an 8 night, from Galveston with a stop at Disney World, Key West and Castaway with a KIDS SAIL FREE rate!! That'll never happen again... but I'm all for a Texan resident rate!!

 

[scgustafson]

Just wish DCL would do a Texas resident rate like they do for Floridians.

Resident rates are used to fill otherwise empty ships, but that is not an issue out of Galveston.

 

[dclpluto]

Resident rates are used to fill otherwise empty ships, but that is not an issue out of Galveston.

Didn’t dcl pull out of Galveston one year because of low bookings? Maybe lots more people are supporting Galveston dcl than they did. But with three new ships coming they are going to need it.hopefully we will see some nice discounted cruises.

 

[gatordoc]

Live in Florida and just did our first cruise out of Galveston (repo to San Juan as first leg of back-to-back). Travel went smoothly and everyone was really friendly. We’d definite cruise from there again for the right itinerary.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Live in Florida and just did our first cruise out of Galveston (repo to San Juan as first leg of back-to-back). Travel went smoothly and everyone was really friendly. We’d definite cruise from there again for the right itinerary.

So glad that you enjoyed your cruise!
I've done that repo cruise as well. It was very quiet (as most of the local kids had already gone back to school) and relaxing. BUT! That's the Disney cruise where we experienced the worst swells and bad weather on too. That is, until we got to USVI and BVI. I'm hoping the new itineraries prove to explore new places from Galveston!! I can't find any information anywhere that talks about when exactly they'll increase the number of sailings from Galveston. I'm trying to be patient.

 

[Keyser]

Didn’t dcl pull out of Galveston one year because of low bookings? Maybe lots more people are supporting Galveston dcl than they did. But with three new ships coming they are going to need it.hopefully we will see some nice discounted cruises.

My understanding is that the Galveston cruise bookings were very much tied to the Texas school calendar: heavy bookings at Christmas and Spring Break, then very low activity otherwise. Since it feels like most of Texas tends to have Spring Break the same week, that meant that there were just a few sailings that were packed, and most others were struggling to fill. The Florida and Alaska itineraries (not sure about the California and East Coast ones) would get lots of people coming in to sail from all over the country, and would thus be able to fill more easily at other times of the year. I am curious if the Galveston cruises are starting to get many non-Texan travelers, or if this is just a sign that the current reduced Galveston schedule is stable enough to keep going long-term.

 

[scgustafson]

My understanding is that the Galveston cruise bookings were very much tied to the Texas school calendar: heavy bookings at Christmas and Spring Break, then very low activity otherwise. Since it feels like most of Texas tends to have Spring Break the same week, that meant that there were just a few sailings that were packed, and most others were struggling to fill. The Florida and Alaska itineraries (not sure about the California and East Coast ones) would get lots of people coming in to sail from all over the country, and would thus be able to fill more easily at other times of the year. I am curious if the Galveston cruises are starting to get many non-Texan travelers, or if this is just a sign that the current reduced Galveston schedule is stable enough to keep going long-term.

Our two Galveston cruises were only about half Texans, with about a third from the neighboring states, and most of the rest from the rest of the US, with a small international portion.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

As a Houstonian, I cannot wait for there to be more options out of Galveston. I promise to do my part to keep the sailings fully booked!

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

As a Houstonian, I cannot wait for there to be more options out of Galveston. I promise to do my part to keep the sailings fully booked!

I have a month long sabbatical coming up in 2021. I am COUNTING the days until the 2021 itineraries come out! I will also do my part to keep the sailings fully booked over the next 10 years while DCL is here!

 

[smmco]

I'm not a Texan, but I do happen to live here - so yes, very good for all of us who have Galveston as an easy access port! And I totally agree - Galveston needs to upgrade their port area. RCL is upgrading their terminal/s from what I read last night and I do so hope that Disney follows suit. The area is very industrial - it's not that it's run down (nor sleazy), it's just in desperate need of cleaning up which I doubt it will ever get. That said, it does have a very booming economy on the seawall side of the island as well as the "strand" area of the island. Galveston is trying -- thus why Disney has signed on for at least 10 more years!

I don't get the sleezy comment either. That poster must not have a lot of cruise experience. There are plenty of run down ports around the world, but Galveston's not one of them.

 

[RAD]

We did a cruise out of Galveston in November, it was a cold, windy day, and the worst part of the experience was the parking run by the port. It's a big open lot, no cover of any kind. They had us waiting out in the open for over 20 minutes waiting for a bus to come take us to the terminal. Some folks gave up and started walking, and looking at the route they had to navigate train tracks and big puddles. But once we got in the terminal it was nothing worst the some others that we've been in, just big open waiting areas with a bunch of chairs. So IMHO the #1 thing the need to do is come up with a better parking solution, since if it had been raining, like the day before, all of us would have been soaked, not a nice was to start a cruise.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

I cruised out of Galveston twice, once with Carnival and once with DCL. While the port is very simple, I didn't find anything really wrong with it. Actually, DCL had it pretty well organized; unlike Carnival, which was very chaotic.

That said, I'm surprised to see that they signed the contract for more cruises from Galveston. We were able to take a cruise from Galveston with DCL because of the great sale on top of the already low price. From what I've seen, the only DCL cruises that cost less p.p.p.n are those from San Juan and re-positioning cruises. That to me indicates that they need to keep the price low to fill the ships... not a situation where you're going to commit to of the same.

Just makes me even more curious to see what they're going to do once the new ships are out... it's all part to a greater plan.

 

[TexasBee]

Whoo hoo! My Girl Scouts want to take a cruise together next summer, and I was worried that Disney would stop offering Galveston. They're going to be excited!