Why Doesn't Disney Cruise from Houston Bayport?

Hello,

While I have never cruised Disney (due to price, but the first chance I get, I will jump at it), I do enjoy vacationing to WDW and following up on Disney Cruise Line. I noticed that Disney cruises depart from Galveston, Texas, during a small part of the 2015 season, as well as the 2016 season. But they depart on Fridays. Friday departures for 7 night cruises are not very convenient, as most would have to take off 6 days of work, compared to 5. Kids would miss 6 days of school. Recently, Norwegian and Princess pulled out of Houston Bayport to expand the Asian market. I also understand that there were high taxes in Bayport, but they were lowered to try and keep NCL and PCL. If the terminal is now vacant, why doesn't Disney take advantage of it? It is much easier and closer for those who are flying in for the cruise (which many won't do for Galveston cruises, due to the 1.5 hour distance from the airport), and is closer for most to drive to. Are the taxes really that bad?

Hope to spark some positive conversation, happy cruising! :D

Hello,

 

While I have never cruised Disney (due to price, but the first chance I get, I will jump at it), I do enjoy vacationing to WDW and following up on Disney Cruise Line. I noticed that Disney cruises depart from Galveston, Texas, during a small part of the 2015 season, as well as the 2016 season. But they depart on Fridays. Friday departures for 7 night cruises are not very convenient, as most would have to take off 6 days of work, compared to 5. Kids would miss 6 days of school. Recently, Norwegian and Princess pulled out of Houston Bayport to expand the Asian market. I also understand that there were high taxes in Bayport, but they were lowered to try and keep NCL and PCL. If the terminal is now vacant, why doesn't Disney take advantage of it? It is much easier and closer for those who are flying in for the cruise (which many won't do for Galveston cruises, due to the 1.5 hour distance from the airport), and is closer for most to drive to. Are the taxes really that bad?

 

Hope to spark some positive conversation, happy cruising! :D

When DCL had their initial Galveston season, it didn't sell well. So badly, in fact, that they were offering all sorts of last minute reduced fares, Military fares, Cast Member fares, anything to fill the ship.

DCL broke their contract with Galveston, and word is that part of the agreement to breaking the contract was that they would return for "limited" sailings. This next season is part of that agreement.

I think DCL feels that the Texas market just doesn't work for them. I doubt that that DCL feels home porting in Houston would be any different.

Hello,

 

While I have never cruised Disney (due to price, but the first chance I get, I will jump at it), I do enjoy vacationing to WDW and following up on Disney Cruise Line. I noticed that Disney cruises depart from Galveston, Texas, during a small part of the 2015 season, as well as the 2016 season. But they depart on Fridays. Friday departures for 7 night cruises are not very convenient, as most would have to take off 6 days of work, compared to 5. Kids would miss 6 days of school. Recently, Norwegian and Princess pulled out of Houston Bayport to expand the Asian market. I also understand that there were high taxes in Bayport, but they were lowered to try and keep NCL and PCL. If the terminal is now vacant, why doesn't Disney take advantage of it? It is much easier and closer for those who are flying in for the cruise (which many won't do for Galveston cruises, due to the 1.5 hour distance from the airport), and is closer for most to drive to. Are the taxes really that bad?

 

Hope to spark some positive conversation, happy cruising! :D

As Shmoo posted above the cruises did not sell well, even after some marketing attempts to try to lure Guest's to cruise out of Galveston a second time.

They've tried hanging a 10 gallon hat on the Mickey symbol on the funnel, having Characters dressed up, Cowboys on horse back with the Magic behind them sailing in.

But from what I've read, it was always marketed too late, and from Galveston which as you say if not the best port, and suffers from fog repeatedly during certain times of year.

However, the port in Houston also suffers from regular fog which causes delay's in docking or undocking from there and the trip down the 34 mile Houston ship channel to open seas.

That, and the fact that on a 7 day cruise from TX there are a limited number of accessible ports to visit. Cozumel, Costa Maya, Falmouth, Grand Cayman to name the regulars.

I don't think the Magic or Wonder have visited Castaway Cay on any of their 7 day voyages from Galveston. (Happy to be corrected)!

And as DCL are all about spending money with them of late, a port day at their island means all of their operated port adventures sales, CC exclusive merchandise sales and bar sales go to them, and not ashore to another island. Plus the cabana sales too.

The CM's on the island are already there, the food is on the ship regardless of whether it is a CC day or sea day, so the only real extra cost is the diesel to run the additional generators that power the Guest areas and desalinate the water. And the clean up afterwards. Plus the porting charge to have the Bahamian official clear the ship to dock.

As for departure and return day's, that depends on port docking availability. Regulars get first dibs, then any other cruise line that is looking and not wanting to contract for a long term. A Saturday to Saturday cruise would no doubt sell better.

These are just off the top of my head reasons why they wouldn't.

ex techie

edit to add a couple of past marketing attempts.

(thedisneyblog.com)

(disneycruiselineblog.com)

(adventuresbydaddy.com)

(transamericaviajes.co)

Well, we'll never know for sure....

But as above, the cruises from Galveston didn't sell well at all. There were lots of discounts available and even then the ships weren't full. I suspect that DCL looks at this as "Texas" didn't sell well, rather than "Galveston." And as above, they were able to negotiate their way out of the Galveston contract with the provision that they do some sailings from this port.

Yes, the transportation from Houston to Galveston is a pain, but I'm sure a 30+ mile channel is also a pain. I have no idea what the port charge difference might be between Houston and Galveston or whether that is negotiable, but my guess is that this might violate the agreement made with Galveston.

Prior to that initial season of sailings, DCL had only an emergency stop at Galveston. My understanding is that they were treated very well when they couldn't return to PC due to a hurricane and a 7 night cruise became 10 nights. Obviously, any port will assist in such a situation, but feedback was that this port went above the expected. Passengers who wished to do so could disembark and find their own way back home (but would likely get there sooner than cruising back to PC), and the ship got the fuel and supplies she requested with no problems or grumbling. That might have influenced the decision to make Galveston a port for a season.

Again, no inside information, just some guesses.

Shorter answer -

Same as NYC - Money.

If the computers don't think they can maximize revenue by sailing from there, they don't...

I swore that I would never sail out of Houston again. We were on a Princess cruise that was delayed by fog. We didn't board the ship until after 7:00 pm the night we were supposed to leave. A lot of people were driving in but with the one parking lot full there was no place for us to park. They sent us into town to wait for a 5:00 pm (think it was that) return time. Well guess what happens when the majority of your people are driving to the port, there is ONE parking lot and a single line going into said parking lot - never again. There is nothing dockside to hang out at - in Galveston you have the town and all if there is a delay. Houston has more problems with fog but the other problem is the channel is so narrow that it is one in and one out for the ships and you have to time all of that with the tide. (double whammy). Houston had/has set aside money to fix the channel issue but you can't fix the fog.

The facility itself was very nice - just not fun nor easy to get there if there is a delay.

We sail on the Wonder out of Galveston to Castaway Cay (one stop of several) in November on a 7 night cruise. That (Castaway Cay) was the one and only reason we signed on!

trying to remember if we stopped at Castaway Cay. We went out of Galveston twice. The inaugural and the original final - until they added another season :)

The one year I cruised the Wonder out of Galveston, they were alternating routes, one week was Western Caribbean which stopped at Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. The other itinerary was I believe Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral?

We sail on the Wonder out of Galveston to Castaway Cay (one stop of several) in November on a 7 night cruise. That (Castaway Cay) was the one and only reason we signed on!

Is that one of the Key West, Nassau and CC cruises? If so, not the most desirable itinerary, but it seems your main goal is visiting CC.

I also noticed they are doing a 6 night cruise to Key West and CC only. I'm surprised CC counts as a foreign port under the Jones Act, but maybe they are taking the opportunity to do so before it is really enforced next year?

ex techie

So I probably got to Castaway Cay from Galveston because I did the Pt Canaveral stop. After driving to Galveston this weekend for another event I realized I can probably fly to Florida more quickly :)

I swore that I would never sail out of Houston again. We were on a Princess cruise that was delayed by fog. We didn't board the ship until after 7:00 pm the night we were supposed to leave. A lot of people were driving in but with the one parking lot full there was no place for us to park. They sent us into town to wait for a 5:00 pm (think it was that) return time. Well guess what happens when the majority of your people are driving to the port, there is ONE parking lot and a single line going into said parking lot - never again. There is nothing dockside to hang out at - in Galveston you have the town and all if there is a delay. Houston has more problems with fog but the other problem is the channel is so narrow that it is one in and one out for the ships and you have to time all of that with the tide. (double whammy). Houston had/has set aside money to fix the channel issue but you can't fix the fog.

 

The facility itself was very nice - just not fun nor easy to get there if there is a delay.

That could very well be the reason. Imagine 4700 Guest's of mixed ages waiting all day until the fog clears with no real place to be accommodated. That and the onward travel disruptions. If Princess and Norwegian have stopped porting there, it doesn't bode well for the port to attract more lines. I know Carnival have had issues with the fog delaying cruises quite regularly during the foggy seasons.

ex techie

So I probably got to Castaway Cay from Galveston because I did the Pt Canaveral stop. After driving to Galveston this weekend for another event I realized I can probably fly to Florida more quickly :)

LOL! That is telling and not great!

ex techie

Is that one of the Key West, Nassau and CC cruises? If so, not the most desirable itinerary, but it seems your main goal is visiting CC.

 

I also noticed they are doing a 6 night cruise to Key West and CC only. I'm surprised CC counts as a foreign port under the Jones Act, but maybe they are taking the opportunity to do so before it is really enforced next year?

 

ex techie

Castaway Cay is an island in the Bahamas. DCL has to pay a port charge to the Bahamas for docking there even though they have a long term lease on the island. I expect that it would (and should) be considered a foreign port based on ownership and taxation, regardless of who leases it.

If Houston has fog issues, that alone might explain why DCL uses Galveston.

No one seems to be 100% sure what the problem it is with Bayport. It's not due entirely to the fog as Galveston is affected by it as well. Also, for each sailing that is affected by fog, there are numerous sailings that aren't, but we seldom hear about those. Other ports are affected by fog but for some reason it's become an Olympic event to bash only Houston/Galveston for it. It must not be that huge of a factor (at least out of Galveston) or we wouldn't have four ships sailing from there year round.

As for Disney and Galveston, Disney really dropped the ball before they even got here. They did very little advertising and a lot of regular RCCL and Carnival cruisers I knew never even knew that Disney was coming and already had cruises booked for that season. Remember, a lot of people cruise without reading these or other boards. Even though Disney coming to Galveston was big news to some of us, it was a complete surprise to others. I didn't hear any radio advertising until a couple of days before Magic arrived. There were only two billboards, one in Houston and one just outside of Galveston, advertising that Disney was coming. The Houston billboard was in an area where you take your life in your hands if you don't keep your eyes on the road and was easy to miss. I only noticed it the first time because I passed it before dawn one day when there wasn't much traffic. The first TV news story I saw was the night before Magic arrived. There were a lot of us went down to Galveston to welcome her.

I intended to take my first DCL cruise the second Spring that they were supposed to be sailing from here. Disney took their ball and went home before that second Spring got here. I wish cruise lines would be more forthcoming about why they pull out of, or don't renew contracts with, certain ports.

DCL had the same "lack of advertising" issues for their first 2 seasons in Europe. Travel agents were telling Europeans that DCL was "just for kids" and Disney did essentially nothing on their own. The cruises were mostly booked by Americans who wanted to cruise Europe.

However, after a while they got their act together--added 4 night cruises for Europeans who wanted to "try it out," and greatly increased media exposure. And surprise, now the European sailings have a very multi-national group of guests.

I'd heard about the lack of promotion in Galveston. Not sure if that would have made a difference, but it certainly didn't help things. We often wonder what DCL is thinking in some of their decisions.

As Ex Techie pointed out one reason the cruise lines may not like Bayport, it that is 35 miles, 3 hours each way and it s very crowded with small and large craft. If I remember correctly it also has some travel restrictions with large vessels passing each other.

Another other possible issues is what does Bayport charge for berthing and port costs? Are they considerably more the Galveston?

Most of the fog in on the southern part of the Galveston/Houston ship channels/ complex. I can remember waiting 2 or 3 days to get clear visibility just to get past Galveston. Now on a Tanker that is expensive delay, but disturbing a Cruise ship rotation of cruises for 2 or 3 days, that is a really big problem!

AKK

On our May sailing out of Galveston, it was 8 nights and we went to Walt Disneyworld, Castaway Cay and Key West. Was a blast!

Agree it's hard for Disney to compete with Royal Caribbean and Carnival for the Cozumel, Jamaica, Grand Cayman itinerary with Disney >>>> $$$. Also agree there was little to no advertisement in the area.

As Ex Techie pointed out one reason the cruise lines may not like Bayport' date=' it that is 35 miles, 3 hours each way and it s very crowded with small and large craft. If I remember correctly it also has some travel restrictions with large vessels passing each other.

 

Another other possible issues is what does Bayport charge for berthing and port costs? Are they considerably more the Galveston?

 

Most of the fog in on the southern part of the Galveston/Houston ship channels/ complex. I can remember waiting 2 or 3 days to get clear visibility just to get past Galveston. Now on a Tanker that is expensive delay, but disturbing a Cruise ship rotation of cruises for 2 or 3 days, that is a really big problem!

 

 

AKK[/quote']

 

Another issue with Bayport is that it takes a lot longer to get into international waters. The casino and the shops can't open until they are in international waters. There is also a limited amount of alcohol that can be served while in Texas waters. If it is even a little windy they have to get a tugboat to help the ship.

Another issue with Bayport is that it takes a lot longer to get into international waters. The casino and the shops can't open until they are in international waters. There is also a limited amount of alcohol that can be served while in Texas waters. If it is even a little windy they have to get a tugboat to help the ship.

Very good and valid points cruiser fanatic! Time and lost revenue!

ex techie

When DCL had their initial Galveston season, it didn't sell well. So badly, in fact, that they were offering all sorts of last minute reduced fares, Military fares, Cast Member fares, anything to fill the ship.

 

DCL broke their contract with Galveston, and word is that part of the agreement to breaking the contract was that they would return for "limited" sailings. This next season is part of that agreement.

 

I think DCL feels that the Texas market just doesn't work for them. I doubt that that DCL feels home porting in Houston would be any different.

Too bad. I would also like to see them sail out of Texas.

Too bad. I would also like to see them sail out of Texas.

They still have sailings.

Nov/Dec 2015, Jan 2016 Nov/Dec 2016?

ex techie

We are planning a Disney cruise for Nov. 2016.

I thought it was the Disney Dream that sailed out of Galveston. It is a 4 day cruise with one stop.

We are planning a Disney cruise for Nov. 2016.

I thought it was the Disney Dream that sailed out of Galveston. It is a 4 day cruise with one stop.

No, currently it's the Disney Wonder. And those cruises are limited. The one stop is Cozumel.

They couldn't fill up the Wonder the last time there were in Galveston. DCL wouldn't send the Dream there.

If they struggle to fill the ship, wouldn't it make sense to lower the price of cabins. It's better to have the cabins full, then you make money off of alcohol and other luxury items.