Magic Concierge Questions/Help

Love2Cruise2015

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 19, 2015
My family and I will be sailing, for the first time, on the Disney Magic in a concierge suite in December and sailing for the first time from the Galveston Texas port and I was hoping my fellow Disney Cruisers could give us some tips and tricks of sailing concierge and taking Disney Transportationto and from the Galveston airport and what the Texas port is like ?

Thank you for all your help!
 
Can’t help with the concierge but we just went out of Galveston last month.

We did not know that DCL will pick you up a day before at the airport. They take you to a hotel , pick more people up the day of cruise at the airport. We saw them down at the luggage pick up they were waving hands easy to spot. This was at Bush airport.

Since we didn’t know they did this we came in the day before and took an Uber from the airport to the Port where we stayed at Harbor House right at the Pier. It isn’t the cheapest place but it was nice to see The Magic in the morning. Close to walk to restaurants and downtown.

We even walked to the ship from there it took 10 mins . There is a side walk the whole way. They do have a shuttle from the hotel to the ship too.

Then we took DCL transportation back to the airport. We did have confusion here. We are Canadian and the lady directing the buses told us international flights go out of C terminal but we knew Air Canada goes out of A so we asked the bus driver to take our luggage off there, another family did too. We were right. Maybe going on another airline goes out of C but all signs said it was A too. He had to stop there to let others out so we just followed…lol
 
Galveston Port.
 

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Can’t help with the concierge but we just went out of Galveston last month.

We did not know that DCL will pick you up a day before at the airport. They take you to a hotel , pick more people up the day of cruise at the airport. We saw them down at the luggage pick up they were waving hands easy to spot. This was at Bush airport.

Since we didn’t know they did this we came in the day before and took an Uber from the airport to the Port where we stayed at Harbor House right at the Pier. It isn’t the cheapest place but it was nice to see The Magic in the morning. Close to walk to restaurants and downtown.

We even walked to the ship from there it took 10 mins . There is a side walk the whole way. They do have a shuttle from the hotel to the ship too.

Then we took DCL transportation back to the airport. We did have confusion here. We are Canadian and the lady directing the buses told us international flights go out of C terminal but we knew Air Canada goes out of A so we asked the bus driver to take our luggage off there, another family did too. We were right. Maybe going on another airline goes out of C but all signs said it was A too. He had to stop there to let others out so we just followed…lol
 


First a question, the Galveston Airport does not service any of the airlines. Since there are two options in the Houston area, which airport, Hobby or Bush? I have not been to the area for a cruise yet (next year) but have been many times for work. The cruise busses I have seen were at Bush and there was a check in desk just off the escalators near baggage claim. We have done Disney transfers in London, from the Hotel, and once checked in you received a boarding group number and waited until you were called. Guessing if you are doing direct from the airport it will be a more linear load and go process. Your bags will be on the same bus. Once you arrived it will drop you for the standard check in process at the port.

We haven't done the wish yet but have done the others, including concierge. Not sure what "tips and tricks" you might be looking for but it depends somewhat on what you would like to get out of the cruise. Some people like to do as many activities, others like to relax.

We prefer the Classic ships to some degree but there are a few drawbacks to sailing in concierge, mainly that the rooms are a little far from the lounge. It really is nice on the Dream class to have quick access to the lounge. The outdoor concierge space on the Magic is also a little smaller than the others. Enough for the negatives. The area is still nice and if you are in one of the suites near midship, it really isn't too hard to get to the lounge quickly. Get to know the hosts and servers a little and you will have a great time. Most people find the benefit of concierge booking stuff right as the stroke of midnight so they can get what they like for reservations, especially cabanas. There are quite a few smaller details that can be shared if we know more about what you want to get out of your experiences or any specific questions.

Happy sailing!
 
Can’t help with the concierge but we just went out of Galveston last month.

We did not know that DCL will pick you up a day before at the airport. They take you to a hotel , pick more people up the day of cruise at the airport. We saw them down at the luggage pick up they were waving hands easy to spot. This was at Bush airport.

Since we didn’t know they did this we came in the day before and took an Uber from the airport to the Port where we stayed at Harbor House right at the Pier. It isn’t the cheapest place but it was nice to see The Magic in the morning. Close to walk to restaurants and downtown.

We even walked to the ship from there it took 10 mins . There is a side walk the whole way. They do have a shuttle from the hotel to the ship too.

Then we took DCL transportation back to the airport. We did have confusion here. We are Canadian and the lady directing the buses told us international flights go out of C terminal but we knew Air Canada goes out of A so we asked the bus driver to take our luggage off there, another family did too. We were right. Maybe going on another airline goes out of C but all signs said it was A too. He had to stop there to let others out so we just followed…lol
We are Canadian also- Ontario, Canada to be exact. We have never sailed from this port and are trying to figure out/plan whether or not to stay near the hotel and taking Disney transfer to the port or take an Uber and stay at a hotel near the port. If you dont mind sharing, how much did it cost to take an Uber from the airport to the port (as Disney charges $45 per person each way and we are also trying to figure out calling an Uber or looking into a car service)
From your recent experience would you recommend staying at a hotel near the airport and taking Disney transfer to the port or staying near the port?
 


First a question, the Galveston Airport does not service any of the airlines. Since there are two options in the Houston area, which airport, Hobby or Bush? I have not been to the area for a cruise yet (next year) but have been many times for work. The cruise busses I have seen were at Bush and there was a check in desk just off the escalators near baggage claim. We have done Disney transfers in London, from the Hotel, and once checked in you received a boarding group number and waited until you were called. Guessing if you are doing direct from the airport it will be a more linear load and go process. Your bags will be on the same bus. Once you arrived it will drop you for the standard check in process at the port.

We haven't done the wish yet but have done the others, including concierge. Not sure what "tips and tricks" you might be looking for but it depends somewhat on what you would like to get out of the cruise. Some people like to do as many activities, others like to relax.

We prefer the Classic ships to some degree but there are a few drawbacks to sailing in concierge, mainly that the rooms are a little far from the lounge. It really is nice on the Dream class to have quick access to the lounge. The outdoor concierge space on the Magic is also a little smaller than the others. Enough for the negatives. The area is still nice and if you are in one of the suites near midship, it really isn't too hard to get to the lounge quickly. Get to know the hosts and servers a little and you will have a great time. Most people find the benefit of concierge booking stuff right as the stroke of midnight so they can get what they like for reservations, especially cabanas. There are quite a few smaller details that can be shared if we know more about what you want to get out of your experiences or any specific questions.

Happy sailing!
This will be our 9th cruise but we have never sailed Concierge before (we were lucky enough to get upgraded due to the room we selected being converted to a concierge room when they do renovations/dry dock this May) and I was wondering what things we can expect like cans of Pop in our room (does that cost extra?), I thought I had read somewhere on the discussion boards that Concierge get free popcorn at shows or the movies ?
How does tipping work? Can you pre pay tips?
 
Lived near the area growing up. Grandparents lived in Galveston. Both Hobby and Bush are in Houston. Hobby is the closest airport. It is smaller than Bush International, which services more airlines. It's about ~1.5 hr drive from Bush, about 50 min from Hobby. Depending on day of week and time of day(avoid rush hour and 610 if at all possible) In summer IH45 causeway into Galveston can get very busy.
If I was cruising out of Galveston, I'd get an early flight in the day (or 2!)before and hotel there, and enjoy the town, the seafood etc . There is really not much interesting around the Houston airports. A lot of the Galveston hotels cater to cruisers and have shuttles. Some let you leave your car there while you cruise.
 
We are Canadian also- Ontario, Canada to be exact. We have never sailed from this port and are trying to figure out/plan whether or not to stay near the hotel and taking Disney transfer to the port or take an Uber and stay at a hotel near the port. If you dont mind sharing, how much did it cost to take an Uber from the airport to the port (as Disney charges $45 per person each way and we are also trying to figure out calling an Uber or looking into a car service)
From your recent experience would you recommend staying at a hotel near the airport and taking Disney transfer to the port or staying near the port?
We flew in on Thursday the day before our Friday cruise . Got an Uber around 3:00 ( time matters) it cost $78 U.S plus tip. It was just 2 of us so we got a Corella it fit our luggage …2 large bags and 2 back packs.

It was easy to find area for pick up…door 114 believe same floor as luggage pickup. We don’t have a phone plan but used the $12 a day just for that One day. They took us to Harbor House But you could pick cheaper hotel in area. We were going to do that but Husband watched You tube videos and wanted to try here. Like I said we walked to the terminal it’s right there. Plus Historical down town is right there to walkable. Star bucks across the street.
 
We flew in on Thursday the day before our Friday cruise . Got an Uber around 3:00 ( time matters) it cost $78 U.S plus tip. It was just 2 of us so we got a Corella it fit our luggage …2 large bags and 2 back packs.

It was easy to find area for pick up…door 114 believe same floor as luggage pickup. We don’t have a phone plan but used the $12 a day just for that One day. They took us to Harbor House But you could pick cheaper hotel in area. We were going to do that but Husband watched You tube videos and wanted to try here. Like I said we walked to the terminal it’s right there. Plus Historical down town is right there to walkable. Star bucks across the street.
Do you remember if there was any place where you could purchase snacks and/or cases of water within walking distance of your hotel?
 
This will be our 9th cruise but we have never sailed Concierge before (we were lucky enough to get upgraded due to the room we selected being converted to a concierge room when they do renovations/dry dock this May) and I was wondering what things we can expect like cans of Pop in our room (does that cost extra?), I thought I had read somewhere on the discussion boards that Concierge get free popcorn at shows or the movies ?
How does tipping work? Can you pre pay tips?
Haven't done DCL since the restart, only a few Royal and one Holland, and a couple things you asked about have reports of changes.

Since the restart, tipping in concierge has reported to be a little different. Maybe someone could provide a better update. I would plan to bring some cash and tip the servers in the lounge separately for sure,. The concierge hosts can be tipped as a group. Personally, I would wait to see what you ask and what responses you get. With DCL and the other lines the hosts all work a little different and you can vary $ amounts based on your experience. We have nearly 30 cruises so don't ask a lot, and since you have 9, you may not need much assistance.

Drinks will be restocked in the fridge. I find that grabbing some in the lounge kept that restocking need pretty minimal. Getting popcorn was one of our son's favorite things. They used to give bags out from the lounge. Rumor has it that this is also different post restart. Someone might be able to provide more details.
 
Do you remember if there was any place where you could purchase snacks and/or cases of water within walking distance of your hotel?
I think there is convenience store a block the other way but we didn’t go there. So not sure what is there. Maybe someone else can ask. We never carry water on just use the drink station . Bring our own water bottles.

You could use another Uber and go to the Walmart but not sure how far away that is. We were actually going to stay at a hotel by it so it can’t be to far away.

We are from Ontario to and flew out of Pearson on Air Canada . It was the only flight we could find that was direct with now lay over.

I forgot your going Concierge…you won’t need to buy snacks or water they will be in your lounge. You even get free popcorn…lol
 
This will be our 9th cruise but we have never sailed Concierge before (we were lucky enough to get upgraded due to the room we selected being converted to a concierge room when they do renovations/dry dock this May) and I was wondering what things we can expect like cans of Pop in our room (does that cost extra?), I thought I had read somewhere on the discussion boards that Concierge get free popcorn at shows or the movies ?
How does tipping work? Can you pre pay tips?
We managed to get concierge on the Magic just over a week ago. There are some sodas in the room along with bottles of water, all of which you can get replenish or replaced. That said the lounge has a large fridge full of sodas, milk, chocolate milk, etc. all of which are unlimited. There is a selection of freshly prepared snacks throughout the day (think continental breakfast, afternoon tea, etc.) In the evening there are a selection of alcoholic beverages available (again unlimited). For the show, they take you through an entrance in O’Gills, where they have a table with fresh popcorn and a selection of sodas (again unlimited), but you have to take it at the start, when you go to get seated. Finally, tipping can be added to your stateroom bill, for which they give you a form to complete on the penultimate evening, but you could tip cash if you prefer.
 
We have not been back on the Magic since restart, so I can only speak of the other ships with regard to concierge. On the Fantasy, Dream, and Wish you can get popcorn at the usual counter by showing your keycard. Some people want you to sign others do not, but it is free to concierge. I find this much better than the bags they used to give. Those were nice to have in the room as a snack, but nothing beats the fresh, warm popcorn during a show or movie.

Tipping has become quite the issue since restart. I long for the days when we just simply debated how much to tip; they have now added a new wrinkle. Along with your usual tip cards/forms they place in the room will be a sheet with a spot and recommendation for concierge. The recommendation is $8/day per person in your stateroom. This amount is divided evenly between all the concierge staff (hosts, bartenders, etc). That varies between 8-10 people usually. This has caused a lot of complaining and bickering among the hosts, since it amounts to a huge pay cut for them. This is a debate for another day, but I can confirm some have received a substantial cut.

That all being said, it is nice that everyone is getting recognized under this policy. I have been adding an amount that I think is appropriate, although not overly generous to the form. Then I have been tipping the others a bit more based on how much they did for me. We require very little attention and are nondrinkers, so I try to recognize the great service while also making sure everyone receives something for what they do.

We're back on the Magic in August and can't wait.
 

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