Galveston port

[sdjen]

Hoping those with experience can chime in.

We have sailed out of Port Canaveral several times but have our next cruise out of Galveston.

Can anyone compare the two boarding processes? Anything we should know to make it smoother? I am pretty sure we will be flying into Houston Hobby airport so any tips on how to get to Galveston from there would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

I have not sailed from Port Canaveral, only Galveston, but I can share a bit about the process.

We thought the Galveston boarding process was very quick and smooth. For two adults and a five year old who have never cruised before, we made it from shuttle pulling into the parking lot to enjoying the ship in about 40 minutes. (That included our own luggage confusion at first, a lengthy bathroom stop for all involved, and actually standing in line for the picture.) From what I understand, it's a very typical boarding process: security, inspection of the alcohol you are carrying onboard, going back to check in (we encountered no line and no waiting), and then going up the escalators to board (again, only a line for pictures.) The cruise terminal employees and Disney CMs were all incredibly polite and helpful.

We also flew into Houston Hobby. I wanted to test different transportation options, so we did Uber XL out to Galveston (totally fine) and Galveston Express on the way back (really liked a lot.) If you like to have scheduled transportation, I highly recommend Galveston Express. If you prefer something like Uber, be aware that there is often surge pricing when the cruise ships debark - especially if there are two ships in port.

We did a pre-cruise stay at Hilton Galveston Island, and that was great. Their pool was nice (although we didn't use it because it was cold in December) and you could walk to restaurants for dinner (we at at Rainforest Cafe, which was a dream of DD5 after seeing the one at Disneyland.) Also, my husband walked to Wal-Mart on our embarkation morning to grab a couple essentials and forgotten items. So, the location was great. I am a Gold HHonors member, so we also received complimentary buffet breakfast with our room - this is a nice perk for HHonors members. We used the Hilton/Hotel Galvez shuttle for transportation to the port, which you need to sign up for at the valet stand the evening before. Our PAT was 12:30 but I wanted to get there at 12:00, so we took the 11:30 shuttle. It was perfect.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

If you do a search you will find soooo many threads with guests asking the same questions.

The terminals are different because PC is very Disney-fied but Galveston is not. We rented a car at Hobby and ended up parking it at the port terminal all week because it was cheaper than arranging other transport. We literally used the car two hours in the 8 night rental.

Except for the crazy car issue, we LOVED sailing out of Galveston. We walked into our room and immediately saw dolphins jumping and spinning right outside our window and all through our muster drill. Talk about magical!

 

[apathetic]

The process is pretty similar. In Galveston, there are hotels, restuarants, shops, etc. near the port. Many hotels are walking distance. Many also have free shuttles, but if you have to take a cab, it isn't far to the terminal if you are staying on Galveston island.

Checking in is a little different. You get a port arrival time, but people just kind of show up when the terminal opens. They let you in the terminal in the order you get in the line (gets long fast), but boarding groups are still based on PAT. The first part, getting in the terminal, can be slow. They only allow so many at a time. You line up to go through the xray machine and I feel this part is pretty slow compared to PC. After that though, it is smooth. You go to the check in then to the waiting area. The terminal is smaller and fills up fast. Best advice, if you have a later arrival time, just find something else to do. Lucky for us we usually have an early group and don't wait long in the terminal.

I've only driven there, so can't give specifics on getting from airport. There are many parking areas near the port and they have shuttles. It is very smooth to park. There is only 1 car rental place on Galveston, Enterprise, and they charge a premium to drop a car there. Flying in you will need some type of shuttle. Hobby is closer to the island. There are several options to get from either airport, but I can't give recommendations. If you aren't in a hurry to board, you could stay in Houston and just get a shuttle/Uber on cruise day. Houston is a great city to visit.

 

[dcassetta]

Disney does offer transfers, but only to/from Houston Bush.

 

[undertheradar]

The Hilton/The San Luis Resort/Holiday Inn all share the same shuttle and are all owned by Landry's. Landry's owns the pier, the dining complex including the Rainforest Café. There is a Kroger within walking distance and then the Walmart is a little further west.

The port is very industrial, so not too much to see.

 

[MUN]

We have done 3 sailings out of PC and 2 out of Galveston. Once you get to the port the process is similar, except you put your luggage in the luggage area at Galveston whereas at PC you hand them to someone who you are expected to tip. No tipping of baggage handlers at Galveston! Win for Galveston!!!! Getting from MCO to PC is cheaper than Hobby to Galveston as you can easily do a one-way rental at PC. Not a good option at Galveston as the one rental car agency on the island charges a $100 or $150 re-positioning for one-way rentals. Ouch! We have have taken taxis between the port and Hobby. IMHO, taxis are the best option (even better than Uber), especially when you have a group of 4-6 people.

Galveston is a magical island with a tremendous amount of history! Cocoa Beach which is where we have stayed for our cruises out of PC is a beautiful area with lots of fun restaurants and a big long beach. I like them both!

 

[lucky1]

We have done 3 sailings out of PC and 2 out of Galveston. Once you get to the port the process is similar, except you put your luggage in the luggage area at Galveston whereas at PC you hand them to someone who you are expected to tip. No tipping of baggage handlers at Galveston! Win for Galveston!!!

Good to know.
Our first cruise out of Galveston in 2013, we saw a porter and gave them our luggage and a tip. His supervisor was pissed he took the tip and then we saw he only pushed our luggage through a door into a pile of luggage. Our 2nd Galveston cruise Dec 2017, when we exited the shuttle, we could not find a porter, so we rolled our bags over to the luggage area and deposited with the help of the person sorting them into are for our deck. No one to tip there, we did all the work.

To the OP:

IF you take a DCL bus from the Airport (George Bus only) or the San Luiz hotel (DCL hotel for the cruise), you are responsible for your bags, getting them on and off the bus and to baggage or a porter. Though it is very easy to do.
If you fly into Hobby, you will need to find your own transportation, it is about a 45 minute trip into Galveston. There are different limo services, Uber or shuttle services. We didn't want to be stuck to a time of a shuttle, so we picked a limo service (ladybird Limo) Ok and a pretty boring ride down to Galveston. We stayed at San Luis Hotel pre cruise and used their free shuttle over to the port.

In the past we had stayed at the IAH Airport hotel (Marriot) and took Disney Transportation the day of the cruise, much nicer ride than Limo service (which was an SUV).

Once inside the terminal, everything moves just like in Port Canaveral.