Why Galveston?

[abbyar]

Next year's EBTA sails out of Galveston - anybody know why? Sailing out of Galveston is awful IMO. I don't get it.

 

[Gina]

So don't do it.

And, it's so not awful... no better or worse than any other place at the mercy of US Customs. Plus, Galveston itself is a beautiful, incredibly fascinating place with amazing history.

But certainly no one is forcing you to sail from there...

 

[peachygreen]

Its sailing out of Galveston because that is where she will be ported before teh EBTA takes place. Her winter home is Galveston for 2012/2013.

 

[juliebug1997]

So don't do it.

And, it's so not awful... no better or worse than any other place at the mercy of US Customs. Plus, Galveston itself is a beautiful, incredibly fascinating place with amazing history.

But certainly no one is forcing you to sail from there...

Let's not make this a state war. It can't be any worse than New Orleans or any of the other ports.

 

[abbyar]

I don't wish to start a war. To me, sailing out of PC/ Miami would be easier and cheaper for DCL - hence why Galveston (or even New Orleans) wouldn't make sense. Plus I didn't realize Galveston was the winter home - I thought Magic was sailing back to TX for the Repo. But if it's already there then I get it.

 

[youthfulwarriormom]

I don't personally know anything about Galveston as a port. But, I think it's great that Disney sails from various ports throughout the US. We were able to go on a Disney cruise in May because they sailed out of NYC. In the past when we looked at cruise prices and then added in travel to Florida it always just added up to too much money for us. So, it gives others the opportunity to sail from ports closer to home.

 

[KristiMc]

I don't personally know anything about Galveston as a port. But, I think it's great that Disney sails from various ports throughout the US. We were able to go on a Disney cruise in May because they sailed out of NYC. In the past when we looked at cruise prices and then added in travel to Florida it always just added up to too much money for us. So, it gives others the opportunity to sail from ports closer to home.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Galveston is a large cruise market that's been dominated by Carnival for years. Granted, most of the Galveston cruisers drive from Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana but Texas is a huge state with several very large metropolitan areas. And the port of Galveston has been expanding to accommodate more cruise ships so it makes sense for Disney to get in on the action.

 

[kcashner]

The reason for the Galveston departure was covered--because that's where the Magic will be for the winter.

As to WHY that's where she will be---because DCL has 2 big ships to fill for the "normal" Caribbean cruises and is experimenting with other ports in order to fill the classic ships and keep the money rolling in. Porting in LA, Galveston, NY, etc. opens a whole new market--there are large numbers of people who can choose to cruise from these areas without needing a plane ticket to get to the ship. If that convinces them to "try" a DCL cruise, Disney scores.

 

[ekatiel]

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

 

[jenandjuice]

The ONLY reason we are able to do a disney cruise for our honeymoon is BECAUSE it's cruising out of galveston, so we don't have the cost of airfare.

I am a little disappointed that we won't get to see castaway cay, but just another reason to book a trip on board to do it in the future out of florida

 

[r2d2jsh]

For me, personally, IF I was inclined to do an EBTA cruise, it would be out of Galveston...I'm guessing it would save me between $500 and $1000 to be able to drive to the port from DFW with my family of four and only have to pay for the flight back to Houston...in fact, I kind of hope I have the opportunity to do that at some point in the future ...

 

[MichelleVW]

What's an EBTA cruise?

I think it's awesome that they are sailing out of Galveston! Would save us a plane ticket.

 

[erionm]

What's an EBTA cruise?

I think it's awesome that they are sailing out of Galveston! Would save us a plane ticket.

East Bound Trans-Atlantic

One Way from Galveston to Barcelona, Spain. You would need to purchase air transportation to return home.

 

[MichelleVW]

East Bound Trans-Atlantic

One Way from Galveston to Barcelona, Spain. You would need to purchase air transportation to return home.

Gotcha....I would never take one of those anyway! So that would save me on a cruise ticket AND airfare!

 

[Seraphine]

I don't wish to start a war. To me, sailing out of PC/ Miami would be easier and cheaper for DCL - hence why Galveston (or even New Orleans) wouldn't make sense. Plus I didn't realize Galveston was the winter home - I thought Magic was sailing back to TX for the Repo. But if it's already there then I get it.

It's not starting a war, but talking like this can certainly hurt feelings.

I've read several posts, both here and on another cruise forum, where Florida residents were really complaining about the Magic not sailing out of Port Canaveral. There seems to be some real resentment about needing to fly to Galveston.

I don't mean to be harsh, but I'm not sympathetic in the least. PC (and nearby Miami) has hundreds of sailings a year. There are choices aplenty. We are in the UK, and so far every cruise we've taken has involved an overseas airfare (x 4 people). Even if we were to sail out of Southampton we would require four plane tickets.

We save for our holiday and make the trip because cruising makes us really happy and we love to do it as a family - it's worth it to us. But to hear people complaining about having to pay extra for short flights gets my knickers in a twist, if you'll forgive me. Cruising is expensive, but for some of us it's REALLY expensive! I'd love not to have to fly first!

 

[abbyar]

Well, we're in the NE, so it's a flight for us either way. But at least Orlando has a good sized airport - Galveston's is so flying to Houston and driving 90+ minutes on a 2 lane highway is a PITA, never mind that you're driving to a city with limited infrastructure due to hurricanes.

But really what I dislike is the stench - the waters on the coast of TX/LA SMELL - especially as it gets hot in early summer. You have to spend the first two days in your cabin. It's awful!

 

[peachygreen]

Well, we're in the NE, so it's a flight for us either way. But at least Orlando has a good sized airport - Galveston's is so flying to Houston and driving 90+ minutes on a 2 lane highway is a PITA, never mind that you're driving to a city with limited infrastructure due to hurricanes.

But really what I dislike is the stench - the waters on the coast of TX/LA SMELL - especially as it gets hot in early summer. You have to spend the first two days in your cabin. It's awful!

Houston's Hobby airport is closer to the Galveston Pier than the Orlando airport is to PC. And Hobby is not a small airport. Its smaller than Bush but honestly that makes it easier to get in and out of.

And it isn't a 2 lane highway from either airport to the port. Its a major interstate with 6+ lanes in each direction. Yes there can be a lot of traffic depending on the day and time, but you are on I-45 not some dinky 2 lane road.

There are also a lot of nice things to do within walking distance of the Galveston Pier.

 

[Gina]

Well, we're in the NE, so it's a flight for us either way. But at least Orlando has a good sized airport - Galveston's is so flying to Houston and driving 90+ minutes on a 2 lane highway is a PITA, never mind that you're driving to a city with limited infrastructure due to hurricanes.

There are 2 airports, and you must be talking about Intercontinental, which I would NEVER fly into unless I was coming in internationally and didn't have a choice. Hobby is only 30-ish minutes away. And the freeways from either airport are each a good 8 lanes across... sometimes more. Not sure which roads you're thinking of.

There are so many lanes on the major freeways in part *because* of the threat of hurricanes -- more total lanes = more space on the freeways for everyone to evacuate.

 

[kcashner]

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.