Cruising from the Gulf???

[MizzouMary]

We have cruised from Florida and New Orleans quite a few times. It seems that the Gulf cruises that we've been on are always pretty full.

 

Why are there not more ships cruising from Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile? I mean there are a lot of potential customers and an untapped market here, especially since air prices are so high. I just read an article in the Cruise Travel magazine on the Port of Galveston. Texas is a huge state and there are lots of people in the mid-west willing to drive to any of the three ports in the Gulf. Did cruise ships once depart from the Port of Houston? Why is this not a viable port to cruise out of?

 

Also, why are there no cruises longer than seven days from any of these ports? I would love to see a 10-day or longer cruise to Aruba, Bonaire or some other ports offered.

 

Just wondering. What are your thoughts on this?

[ssb]

We have cruised from Florida and New Orleans quite a few times. It seems that the Gulf cruises that we've been on are always pretty full.

 

Why are there not more ships cruising from Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile? I mean there are a lot of potential customers and an untapped market here, especially since air prices are so high. I just read an article in the Cruise Travel magazine on the Port of Galveston. Texas is a huge state and there are lots of people in the mid-west willing to drive to any of the three ports in the Gulf. Did cruise ships once depart from the Port of Houston? Why is this not a viable port to cruise out of?

 

Also, why are there no cruises longer than seven days from any of these ports? I would love to see a 10-day or longer cruise to Aruba, Bonaire or some other ports offered.

 

Just wondering. What are your thoughts on this?

 

In November 2011

All will be cruising out of Galveston

 

Rccl Mariner of Seas - a newer Voyager Class ship than Voyager Ship

Carnival Magic - newest and largest

Carnival Triumph - believe similar and newer than Conquest

 

Reasons:

 

With on going improvements to terminals and surrounding intrastrucure constantly being made

 

the deepening and widening of Galveston channel for larger ships

and major terminal improvements to terminals required by new contracts with Carnival and assume RCCL also

 

Galveston port being right on Gulf vs Houston (not deep and big enough for large ships) and Houston and New Orleans terminals

that are hours away to Gulf

 

Contract disputes settled with Galveston pilots

 

Major Improved shuttles to/from airports

 

New airline Jet Blue into Hobby

Southwest Expansion of routes

AND resulting Southwest More Available To Hobby

 

Airports according to

galveston.com / interact and discover / maps and directions

31 miles to galveston from Hobby Airport

54 miles to galveston from Bush Airport

 

 

Now if Galveston will get commerical airlines back into local airport

IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL

 

The runways ARE up to date FOR MOST AIRPLANES

the terminal is having major improvements presently

 

see

threads on Cruise Critic for more discussions

 

Cruise Critic Message Boards > North American Homeports > Gulf Coast Departures All Things Galveston Island, Texas!

 

 

Cruise Critic Message Boards > North American Homeports > Gulf Coast Departures Houston building a "state of the art" cruise terminal?? (Merged threads)

 

 

Expanded cruise destination ports and routes from Galveston

are under consideration by the cruise lines

for future years.

[MrSnarkyPants]

Why are there not more ships cruising from Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile? I mean there are a lot of potential customers and an untapped market here, especially since air prices are so high. I just read an article in the Cruise Travel magazine on the Port of Galveston. Texas is a huge state and there are lots of people in the mid-west willing to drive to any of the three ports in the Gulf. Did cruise ships once depart from the Port of Houston? Why is this not a viable port to cruise out of?

 

Cruise ships did use the Port of Houston when Galveston was down after Ike. Houston has rebuilt its cruise terminal, but it's in an industrial area with absolutely nothing close by for a tourist to do.

 

Galveston is a great place to visit and a great place to cruise out of. With newer ships coming to port in the coming months they must be doing something right...

[cruiselover5461]

same old ports.

We need new ports to visit.

[MizzouMary]

same old ports.

We need new ports to visit.

 

I agree 100%! We've been to just about every port in Mexico, Central America, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, so it would be really nice to have some new ports to choose from.

[firefly333]

Ships out of Galveston can get to less ports, so they are more limited to what ports they can visit.

 

New Orleans is a little closer, but it takes about 8 hours to go down the Mississippi before you hit the ocean.

[LindaKE]

Mobile has been waiting for a second ship since we got the first one. We'd love to have 2 ships sailing from here. Carnival's contract says they get first right of refusal before we can get another. All cruises are sailing at over 100%. Personally, I'd like to see itineraries with different ports as others have mentioned and longer cruises than the 4/5 day ones currently offered from here.

[MizzouMary]

Mobile has been waiting for a second ship since we got the first one. We'd love to have 2 ships sailing from here. Carnival's contract says they get first right of refusal before we can get another. All cruises are sailing at over 100%. Personally, I'd like to see itineraries with different ports as others have mentioned and longer cruises than the 4/5 day ones currently offered from here.

 

We are planning on cruising out of Mobile within the next few months and are looking forward to it since it's a port we've never been to.

 

I've heard comments about how there has been low demand in the past resulting in companies pulling their ships out. The ironic thing is I've cruised out of Florida six times and seen ships at much less than capacity. The market there is flooded.

 

There really is an untapped market here. There are a HUGE number of mid-westerners who have never cruised! Just in my circle of friends and family, only a handful have. They just don't know enough about it. There is so much marketing potential to those of us who live in the mid-west, in addition to those who live in Canada and the western U.S. who are tired of going on cruises in the Pacific and Alaska.

 

Based on other posts I've read, it sounds like the cruise companies are giving the Gulf region another chance. There's no better way to get the economy in those areas invigorated than tourism dollars. I know we will be cruising more from the Gulf if there are additional ships to sail on, and especially if there are new ports to explore! Thanks for replying!

[DebJ14]

At one time we did have ships doing 10 and 11 night itineraries out of Galveston. A few years ago we had the Rhapsody of the Seas doing 7 nights all year long and the Splendour doing the longer cruises. We did a partial Panama Canal transit on the Splendour. Also Celebrity was here for a couple of years doing the longer cruises and the Grand Princess was in Galveston for a couple of seasons. Out of Houston we had NCL and Royal Olympic and Premier (Premier and Royal Olympic both went bankrupt). We had some great cruises on the other lines stopping at places like Puerto Cortes Honduras, Calica and Veracruz. The Port of Houston new cruise terminal was developed when we had so many cruise lines here, but alas it sits empty unless Galveston is out of commission. The new terminal is a little closer to the Gulf along the Houston Ship Channel (below the old terminal at Barbour's cut) Sure wish Holland America would come back to the Gulf Coast. We did a cruise out of New Orleans on HAL Christmas 1995 on the Maasdam.

 

Galveston is actually the closest cruise port for Milwaukee and Chicago. We do get lots of midwest cruisers and also lots from the West Coast who don't want to fly all the way to Florida for a Western Caribbean Cruise.

[ssb]

We have cruised from Florida and New Orleans quite a few times. It seems that the Gulf cruises that we've been on are always pretty full.

 

Why are there not more ships cruising from Galveston, New Orleans and Mobile? I mean there are a lot of potential customers and an untapped market here, especially since air prices are so high. I just read an article in the Cruise Travel magazine on the Port of Galveston. Texas is a huge state and there are lots of people in the mid-west willing to drive to any of the three ports in the Gulf. Did cruise ships once depart from the Port of Houston? Why is this not a viable port to cruise out of?

 

Also, why are there no cruises longer than seven days from any of these ports? I would love to see a 10-day or longer cruise to Aruba, Bonaire or some other ports offered.

 

Just wondering. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Additional information about HOBBY AIRPORT

SAW on another thread

 

"As of today, Frontier Airlines will be flying three non-stops into Houston's Hobby Airport, and discontinuing service to Intercontinental (Bush). You now have an alternative to Southwest. Hobby is about 20 minutes from the Galveston cruise terminal (as opposed to 90 from Bush ... not to mention a cost of almost $100 each way) and shuttles are readily available."

 

And Jet Blue into Hobby

[Texas Tillie]

Additional information about HOBBY AIRPORT

SAW on another thread

 

"As of today, Frontier Airlines will be flying three non-stops into Houston's Hobby Airport, and discontinuing service to Intercontinental (Bush). You now have an alternative to Southwest. Hobby is about 20 minutes from the Galveston cruise terminal (as opposed to 90 from Bush ... not to mention a cost of almost $100 each way) and shuttles are readily available."

 

And Jet Blue into Hobby

 

Some bad information there - the Galveston cruise terminal is way more than 20 minutes from Hobby airport - at least 45 minutes and I'd count on an hour to be safe.

[ssb]

Some bad information there - the Galveston cruise terminal is way more than 20 minutes from Hobby airport - at least 45 minutes and I'd count on an hour to be safe.

 

YES you are correct.

I agree! :)

 

Although airports according to

galveston.com/interact and discover/maps and directions

reflect distances are

31 miles to galveston from Hobby Airport

54 miles to galveston from Bush Airport

 

Quess it depends on how fast the person was driving

that wrote that on the thread.

I know I could not get to Hobby airport in 20 minutes from Galveston without speeding way over the limit.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Contrary to what SSB says (DH), I can get to Hobby in 27 minutes:D

But then he does slink down in the seat and I believe his hands are folded in prayer:eek:

[MelTed]

Ships out of Galveston can get to less ports, so they are more limited to what ports they can visit.

 

New Orleans is a little closer, but it takes about 8 hours to go down the Mississippi before you hit the ocean.

 

 

Just a geographical technical point - the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, not the ocean.

[futaba951]

Just a geographical technical point - the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, not the ocean.

 

When you're out in the middle of the Guff and all you can see in any direction is water, with no land in sight, it all looks the same. Just a non technical nautical point. :)

[dbcrac]

We moved to the Dallas area three years ago and have noticed that there are not many cruises out of Galveston. As we like to cruise twice a year for 14 days at a time we would like to see more longer cruises leaving from the Gulf area by Royal Caribbean please not Carnival.

 

We moved here from a southern east coast state and notice that there are a lot more sailing from northern states. I tell my husband that is because people from up north asked for them. I think it is time for southerners and westerners to let cruise lines know where we would like sailings from.

 

Happy sailing.

[ssb]

We moved to the Dallas area three years ago and have noticed that there are not many cruises out of Galveston. As we like to cruise twice a year for 14 days at a time we would like to see more longer cruises leaving from the Gulf area by Royal Caribbean please not Carnival.

 

We moved here from a southern east coast state and notice that there are a lot more sailing from northern states. I tell my husband that is because people from up north asked for them. I think it is time for southerners and westerners to let cruise lines know where we would like sailings from.

 

Happy sailing.

 

I agree

and have advised them of my wishes

Be glad we have the Mariner and Magic in 11/11

 

 

 

TRY THESE 14 DAY SAILINGS

 

[/url]Mariner Transatlantic Roma--Galveston Oct 26 2011

 

Voyager Transatlantic - May 1, 2011 Galveston-Barcelona

 

Voyager Transatlantic Oct 30, 2011 Barcelona to New Orleans

 

Happy Sailing To You