Just booked! I have logistics questions..

[katyringo]

We booked our first Disney cruise!

It's a one way from Galveston to San Juan. 7 nights on the Magic. March 2025 so plenty of time!

I have some logistics questions.

We plan to fly into Hobby the day before the cruise.

Is my understanding that I can book a hotel and transfers to the hotel and then to the port through Disney? I realize this may not be cheapest option but is it the most convenient/ safe? It will be me, hubby, two kiddos.

In San Juan- same question- except I'm more confused. Will Disney have transportation and a hotel I can book for after the cruise there? Best mode of transportation in San Juan from hotel to airport?

Thanks in advance!

 

[happycamper47]

DId you look at this? There is a number to call for info.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ports/pre-post-hotel-stays/

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

For my cruise I looked at the DCL website to find out which hotels were affiliated and booked the hotel through their website but then booked the Disney bus from the hotel to the cruise by calling dcl. Mine was out of Miami but I definitely think this was the easiest option. The only downside was I had to get my own transportation from the airport to the hotel.

 

[Cheburashka]

We booked our first Disney cruise!

It's a one way from Galveston to San Juan. 7 nights on the Magic. March 2025 so plenty of time!

I have some logistics questions.

We plan to fly into Hobby the day before the cruise.

Is my understanding that I can book a hotel and transfers to the hotel and then to the port through Disney? I realize this may not be cheapest option but is it the most convenient/ safe? It will be me, hubby, two kiddos.

In San Juan- same question- except I'm more confused. Will Disney have transportation and a hotel I can book for after the cruise there? Best mode of transportation in San Juan from hotel to airport?

Thanks in advance!

Booking a hotel and transport to the port via Disney is typically the most convenient thing to do, yes. It isn't any more expensive than booking the same hotel would be on your own, unless you would have access to some special discounts on your own. Even if you book the hotel on your own, you can still use Disney transportation from that hotel to the port, if Disney transport is offered from that hotel.

DCL usually offers both pre and post cruise hotels. Just call them (or your travel agent) and ask. San Juan isn't a big place (just cruised out of there last month). The easiest way to get to the airport is simply to take a taxi from your hotel. San Juan is part of the USA, so they use American currency.

 

[unrequited23]

We were looking at a Galveston cruise for 2024. At that time, Disney only provided transfers from IAH not Hobby.

 

[Clarkson U]

I personally would use an Uber or taxi service in San Juan. We used both in the past without any issues and just book your own room. San Juan is a part of the US so uses dollars, easy to navigate, etc.

Idk much about Galveston so will that to others who have been there or live there.

 

[auntlynne]

San Juan - unless you want to stay at the Carib Hilton or Marriott Stellaris (the two hotels they have used in recent years), you can start looking at TripAdvisor to see which hotel would best meet your needs for location and price. Those two are expensive and not necessarily the nicest hotels (more so the reports of the Hilton)

We (and many other guests) on our cruise based in San Juan stayed at the Residence Inn in Carolina. This is about a mile north of the airport and 2 blocks from the beach and ~20 minutes from the cruise port; a little farther from Old San Juan. It was new, with a lively lap pool and a play pool for kids. Next door was a Hampton Inn. A Residence Inn was about 1/2 mile away. A modern supermarket, Pueblo, was a 5-10 minute walk. The area seemed safe. We did not hear the airport from our hotel room.

If looking at hotels in Old San Juan, the Sheraton will undergo renovations this coming year. But note that the cruise pier for Disney is not the ones looked right in front of the Sheraton. You cannot walk to the cruise from Old San Juan - it is across the water. Near the Hyatts, AC (or Aloft) by Marriott, maybe others. There is a shopping mall there; this is a modern area.

We used Uber to get from airport to hotel and hotel to port. (We did not have children who needed car seats.)

Galveston - definitely start looking at what options you have. This seems to be less straightforward than a lot of ports. I think the distance from airport to port and the lower cruise volume in Galveston contribute. Hopefully, that will improve as more ships are going there (Carnival is putting a large ship there soon; Royal Caribbean just built a new terminal). Do an internet search or go to Cruise Critic, where plots of cruise line customers share info.

Best of success in planning. Congratulations.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Another vote to just taxi or Uber in San Juan. Plenty of taxis right at port, reasonably priced, and well regulated so you're not going to get scammed. Also used Uber (no Lyft there): it was easy and efficient.