Out of Galveston in 2017?

[sandydk]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to find a great cruise out of Galveston for 2017. This is our first DCL cruise. Online, I can see January 2017 dates to the Bahamas, but I'm looking for February or March. I heard a rumor that the Wonder is leaving Galveston in January not to return again until fall 2017. Anyone know? Should I go ahead and grab a January 2017 date and hope we're able to go? Any ideas when the rest of 2017 will be released?

Thank you!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to find a great cruise out of Galveston for 2017. This is our first DCL cruise. Online, I can see January 2017 dates to the Bahamas, but I'm looking for February or March. I heard a rumor that the Wonder is leaving Galveston in January not to return again until fall 2017. Anyone know? Should I go ahead and grab a January 2017 date and hope we're able to go? Any ideas when the rest of 2017 will be released?

Thank you!!!

Current speculation for summer itinerary release is March, with the end of 2017 in May.

 

[cruisecrasher]

Historically, the Galveston DCL schedule is all over the place.
2012-2013 Disney Magic from September through May Fall
2013-2014 Disney Wonder from September through early January
2014-2015 Nothing
2015-2016 Disney Wonder November through January
2016-2017 Disney Wonder November through January
2017-2018 To Be Determined...Hopefully we'll find out with the released of the fall schedule in May!

I keep having friends ask if the 8 night that featured the day in WDW from spring 2013 will be coming back anytime.

 

[pennmw]

Disney only sails out of Galveston during some fall and winter months... mainly during Thanksgiving and Xmas holidays. If you want an amazing cruise, look for an Xmas cruise, pricey, but well worth every penny! Took one 3 months ago... would do it again in a heartbeat! Like others said, it's really a crap shoot as to when it will be released, but my guess is that it will be mid-late this year when they release Holidays 2017-January 2018.

I will say, cruising out of Galveston is rough late in the year, but well worth it for us Texan's/others near Galveston that need our Disney fix, without having to travel to Cali or Florida!

 

[bcwife76]

Disney only sails out of Galveston during some fall and winter months... mainly during Thanksgiving and Xmas holidays. If you want an amazing cruise, look for an Xmas cruise, pricey, but well worth every penny! Took one 3 months ago... would do it again in a heartbeat! Like others said, it's really a crap shoot as to when it will be released, but my guess is that it will be mid-late this year when they release Holidays 2017-January 2018.

I will say, cruising out of Galveston is rough late in the year, but well worth it for us Texan's/others near Galveston that need our Disney fix, without having to travel to Cali or Florida!

What do you mean by 'cruising out of Galveston is rough'? We're on the January 13th 2017, should I be bringing more than my seabands? lol

 

[pennmw]

Seabands would be helpful... lol
Not like OMG... RCCL rough... no where near that!
but, at night, depending on where your stateroom is located, you might feel a bit of the rocking motion, mainly near the coastline. Is wasn't stormy, but the winter seas near the Gulf coast aren't always the nicest. It also will be determined by the weather leading up to the cruise. Leaving Galveston on December 24, 2015... it was almost near 70 degrees. Seas were surprisingly high at the beach, practically up to the seawall.

Dramamine and seabands... anything that helps you with motion sickness. It was through dinner... I would say about midnight it quieted down and was pretty calm.

For someone who does not get sea sick... i was surprised how crappy i felt that first night... lol
I would not let a little rocking get to you... the cruise is still amazing, regardless!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Historically, the Galveston DCL schedule is all over the place.
2012-2013 Disney Magic from September through May Fall
2013-2014 Disney Wonder from September through early January
2014-2015 Nothing
2015-2016 Disney Wonder November through January
2016-2017 Disney Wonder November through January
2017-2018 To Be Determined...Hopefully we'll find out with the released of the fall schedule in May!

I keep having friends ask if the 8 night that featured the day in WDW from spring 2013 will be coming back anytime.

It would be awesome if they brought the 8 day back. That was our favorite cruise!

 

[wdrl]

What do you mean by 'cruising out of Galveston is rough'? We're on the January 13th 2017, should I be bringing more than my seabands? lol

Its not that the seas are that rough around Galveston. Rather, from late November to March the Ports of Galveston and Houston are prone to fog or high winds that delay ships trying to get into or out of the ports in a timely fashion. Every season there seems to be a handful of times that the cruise ships are anywhere from 2 to 6 hours late in getting back into port. When a ship is late getting into port, then it means that the ship is late leaving that day. That pushes back the schedule for everyone: Passengers disembarking run the risk of missing their flights; embarking passengers may have to kill several extra hours waiting to get on the ship. Worst case scenario has a ship delayed an entire day getting back into port. Fortunately, that doesn't happen that often.

 

[sandydk]

Thank you! Looks like I may need to go ahead and start researching cruises out of FL too. Really wanted Texas for convenience, but I don't think timing and price will work in my favor.

 

[bcwife76]

Its not that the seas are that rough around Galveston. Rather, from late November to March the Ports of Galveston and Houston are prone to fog or high winds that delay ships trying to get into or out of the ports in a timely fashion. Every season there seems to be a handful of times that the cruise ships are anywhere from 2 to 6 hours late in getting back into port. When a ship is late getting into port, then it means that the ship is late leaving that day. That pushes back the schedule for everyone: Passengers disembarking run the risk of missing their flights; embarking passengers may have to kill several extra hours waiting to get on the ship. Worst case scenario has a ship delayed an entire day getting back into port. Fortunately, that doesn't happen that often.

Ah ok, gotcha. I'd heard about the fog issue before, but this just solidifies the fact that besides flying in the day before we should also fly out the day AFTER the cruise!

 

[angielane]

We were on back to back cruises over Xmas this past year - on the wonder out of Galveston - and we could really feel the ship move when we were in the gulf. Lots of sea sick people on both cruises. Several people told me that rough seas are common that time of year.

We were mostly fine with Dramamine. But again saw quite a few sick cruisers.

 

[truck1]

I was looking last night at the Galveston cruise schedule and ironically enough, it mirrors DCLs available cruises. 2017 stops in Feb I think. From March on was blank.

 

[angielane]

Historically, the Galveston DCL schedule is all over the place.
2012-2013 Disney Magic from September through May Fall
2013-2014 Disney Wonder from September through early January
2014-2015 Nothing
2015-2016 Disney Wonder November through January
2016-2017 Disney Wonder November through January
2017-2018 To Be Determined...Hopefully we'll find out with the released of the fall schedule in May!

I keep having friends ask if the 8 night that featured the day in WDW from spring 2013 will be coming back anytime.

I thought I read that DCL agreed to sail for three years out of Galveston to fulfill their contract?? Does that sound right? I wish they would commit to g-ton though.

 

[pennmw]

https://www.facebook.com/theportofgalveston/posts/10153758925624301

TL;DR version:
They have a two year contract (2015 season and 2016 season) with an option to sail for a third season.

... Which is what I/we are looking for... lol

 

[Jennifer777]

The CM at the on board booking desk on Wonder this past week said they are expecting the remaining 2017 dates to be released by the end of March. Not sure if that was just speculation on her part or if she received that info from DCL but I hope she's right. I have a placeholder I'm dying to turn into a reservation I can actually count down to.

 

[pennmw]

I hope that is right!
However...
If history repeats itself...
March release is through summer/fall
May release through winter/spring...

 

[KalamityJane]

I'm still waiting for the Wonder PC cruise to be released! They released Dream/Fantasy through May (mostly) but stopped with Magic last cruise on May 1 and Wonder last cruise on April 23... But hey, I'd totally take them releasing through the end of 2017 as that would help me out a LOT in figuring which PC cruise to take!

 

[KristiMc]

I was looking last night at the Galveston cruise schedule and ironically enough, it mirrors DCLs available cruises. 2017 stops in Feb I think. From March on was blank.

Magic/Wonder are currently available through the end of April 2017 and Dream/Fantasy end of May 2017.

 

[Hundredacre]

What do you mean by 'cruising out of Galveston is rough'? We're on the January 13th 2017, should I be bringing more than my seabands? lol

It is rough. We had like 20 foot waves. We thought it was a freak thing but our server said it was always rough coming from Galveston. She said she wasn't supposed to say it but that it really scared her! We do not get seasick so we thought it was kind of exciting... until one of our kids threw up walking on deck 5 without warning. Just as he did it a cast member came running to clean it up. I tried to help him, but he was like don't worry i'm just running from one sick pile to another. He literally had it cleaned up in less than a minute. Weird experience. We have never experienced seas like we did out of Galveston.

 

[krisinparis]

We've taken 3 cruises out of Galveston in December- this past one over NYE we did have rough seas on our last night at sea-- like the closet doors were banging back and forth all night long; however, that's the first time we've had seas that rough and I wouldn't hesitate to sail out of Galveston again! Worst seas we've been in were in Alaska right outside of Anchorage- that's the only time I've felt like I might be sick.