Why Galveston?

[tajz90]

I live in Friendswood, which is about thirty minutes north of Galveston. I admit it's not the prettiest place in the world, but DCL recognizes that there are A LOT of people who live within the driving distance of the port, and that's why they've put the Magic in Galveston for a season. Not having to pay airfare really cuts down on the cost of an already expensive cruise. There really are some nice things about Galveston. Moody Gardens is a really neat place to visit with an aquarium, a rain forest pyramid, IMAX, and a small water park/play area called Palm Beach. It also has a really nice hotel on property. Schlitterbahn, a real waterpark, is also right across the street. Near the port, you have the strand, which is a great place to walk around and shop. They've also just built a new pleasure pier on the beach along the sea wall. So, you're right, part of Galveston is industrial and not pleasant to look at, and because the way the Mississippi drains, the water is not really clear, but there are a lot of fun/neat things to do in Galveston pre-cruise. I think you might be pleasantly surprised. --Katie

Actually, the Fantasy Christmas Cruise was a lot cheaper than the Magic Cmas Cruise. So much so that we could get airfare for 4 and transfers and still save money. I called and asked why and if course was told that the Magic was 8 nights vs 7 on the Fantasy. Well, one extra night wasn't worth it for me. .

 

[WenInTexas]

As others have said, it is closer and easier to get from Houston Hobby to the port than from MCO to Port Canaveral. OK, so outside of PC, Disney doesn't have its pretty, dedicated terminal...but we've cruised out of LA, Fort Lauderdale, Dover, and Barcelona on DCL. Yes, both the Magic and the Wonder cruised out of Fort Lauderdale due to Hurricane Jeane.

In each case, DCL did a reasonable job of making the port function in a manner similar to PC, so we didn't feel out of place. And they placed CMs to be sure that guests could tell where to go or get immediate help. None of these places was a pretty as PC, and most resembled a large converted warehouse...but they did the job efficiently.

DCL can't FILL 4 ships out of Port Canaveral. At this point, they aren't filling 2 ships from PC. So, while it is hard to move a theme park, it's not too difficult to move a ship.

If we are taking votes, I vote for a theme park, too!