Hello there Jessica!
Thanks for sailing back to planDisney for some guidance as you plan your upcoming
Disney Cruise Line vacation. I’m excited to hear you’ll be sailing out of the lovely departure port of
Galveston, Texas – hopefully a convenient location for you and a great launch to exciting ports of call in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
Disney recommends you
plan a departure flight no earlier than 12:30 P.M. (local time, so CDT) from George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport. Once the ship pulls into the home port that morning, there are a variety of processes in place before the ship is cleared for passengers to disembark. As you know from previous cruises, there is then a process to get your luggage, clear United States Customs, and then navigate safely to the airport. Arranging a departure flight after 12:30 P.M. will enable you to manage these logistics and mitigate the risks of missing your flight home.
For additional peace of mind, you can add
Disney Ground Transportation to your cruise reservation. This is available both to and from the airport, currently at $45.00 per person (prices subject to change). You can add this within
your reservation on the Disney Cruise Line website or within your
Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. Please note that if you only need one-way transportation, you need to
call Disney as the default reservation online is round-trip. My family loves adding this service to our cruises, knowing we can slip into “vacation mode” quickly with Disney taking care of those final transportation details for us.
Sailings from Galveston often visit the beautiful tropical ports of Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico. My family had a wonderful time at these ports of call earlier this year on the Disney Magic. In Cozumel, we had a blast with the
Dune Buggy and Beach Snorkel Combo (CZ23) Port Adventure – gorgeous sights, a fun drive in a funky buggy, amazing beachfront lunch, and lots of laughs together. On a past cruise, we enjoyed the
Fury Catamaran Sail Snorkel and Beach Party (CZ12) for a relaxing sail coupled with adventurous open water snorkeling and a festive beach party. This spring was our first time seeing Progreso, which boasts the world’s longest pier! We made magical memories together on the
Holy Guacamole Holy Guacamole, Salsa and Margaritas Beach Cooking (PGO24) Port Adventure. My son is a picky eater, but making his own Mexican snack really opened his eyes to new flavors and it was a wonderful afternoon together on the beach.
I hope this information helps you finalize your flights for this special vacation, Jessica. Please let us know what other questions you have as you continue to plan the details for your sailing.
Wishing you a magical cruise,
Amy