Galveston Terminal # 3

[ssb]

26 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

@ssb Thanks to the recommendation you gave me last year, this New Yorker was able to utilize the "locals" shortcut and bypass the what-seemed-like a 25-mile long line of cars making the left into the terminal.  But I agree with you, being local streets thru town, it's not meant for high volume traffic.  So thank you for that!!

 

The only "issue" I had was after dropping off the luggage and family, I had to leave the terminal to park the car at Park-N-Cruise which technically is across the street. But as the exit from the terminal is actually several blocks away, I had to double-back. I managed to bypass most of the traffic but it still took me close to an hour to get back to the terminal after initial drop-off. For comparison, Cape Liberty from luggage drop-off to parking lot and walk back to terminal is about 15 minutes.  Granted, the extra 45 minutes isn't a deal breaker but still.....Should I do it again, I'll probably go straight to the parking lot and haul my luggage to the terminal.  But that might not be a viable option for some.

 

As others suggested, a ramp directly from highway to the terminal would go a long way to alleviate that traffic jam. Also, more pedestrian bridges going across the street would be helpful.  Kudo's to traffic enforcement officers that kept things moving along smoothly.

 

All in all, sailing from Galveston was nowhere near as bad as some make it out to be.  Every port has its pros and cons.

 

Egress from terminals have steady changed and additional improvements in that area are being made now . 

[Wordell1]

 

There are plenty of parking places that will shuttle you and your luggage to the cruise terminal.  We use EZ Cruise Parking.

[AshleyDillo]

2 hours ago, Omax4 said:

I don’t think Allure will be officiallly announced as coming to Galveston until next week when Royal Caribbean announces Phase II of their Caribbean deployment. Maybe then we will get itineraries released 

 

http://m.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1422/galveston-wharves-signs-long-term-agreement-with-royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd-to-develop-new-state-of-the-art-terminal/

 

I think it's officially announced now..

[Omax4]

16 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

http://m.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1422/galveston-wharves-signs-long-term-agreement-with-royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd-to-develop-new-state-of-the-art-terminal/

 

I think it's officially announced now..

They didn’t announce that Allure of the Seas is the ship coming to Galveston or release the itineraries yet. That is what I mean will be announced next week with the Caribbean Phase II deployment. 

 

[AshleyDillo]

1 minute ago, Omax4 said:

They didn’t announce that Allure of the Seas is the ship coming to Galveston or release the itineraries yet. That is what I mean will be announced next week with the Caribbean Phase II deployment. 

 

 

"We are excited to partner with the Port of Galveston to develop a world-class facility which will allow us to sail our newest, largest and most innovative ships from Texas starting with Allure of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the world,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The new terminal will allow us to increase our guests to the region by 50% generating a $100 million economic impact within the first year of operation.”

[Omax4]

2 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

"We are excited to partner with the Port of Galveston to develop a world-class facility which will allow us to sail our newest, largest and most innovative ships from Texas starting with Allure of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the world,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The new terminal will allow us to increase our guests to the region by 50% generating a $100 million economic impact within the first year of operation.”

My apologies. The ship has been announced. But we are still waiting for the itineraries.

My guess is that will be next week. 

[Tulsacoker]

14 hours ago, Omax4 said:

My apologies. The ship has been announced. But we are still waiting for the itineraries.

My guess is that will be next week. 

Bet Cozumel is on there 😞

[Katy_Tbird]

1 hour ago, Tulsacoker said:

Bet Cozumel is on there 😞

 

The Allure won't tender so unless the port has a pier large enough to handle her, you may find some previous Galveston departure destination ports missing, i.e. Grand Cayman. But, yeah, Cozumel will be there.

[not-enough-cruising]

6 hours ago, Katy_Tbird said:

 

The Allure won't tender so unless the port has a pier large enough to handle her, you may find some previous Galveston departure destination ports missing, i.e. Grand Cayman. But, yeah, Cozumel will be there.

And Perfect Day will certainly be frequented!

[time4u2go]

On 12/12/2019 at 6:01 PM, ssb said:

Egress from terminals have steady changed and additional improvements in that area are being made now . 

Like what?

[Ourusualbeach]

43 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

And Perfect Day will certainly be frequented!

Are you sure.  The itineraries that Enchantment is doing go to Key West, Nassau and CocoCay.  

 

Allure definitely can’t do Key West and I don’t think that there is any other port they could substitute because if distances.  Liberty does not have any visits to CocoCay for this very reason and I can’t see them trying to sell a 7 day cruise with 2 port stops.

[ssb]

Royal Destination ports with expansion plans 
 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) and the ITM Group are cementing their relationship by forming a new destination company that will be called Holistica. The redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan resort complex and the transformation of Grand Bahama’s cruise port into an adventure park will be the company’s first project.

The Holistica partnership will be a 50-50 deal between RCL and ITM and will also include destinations in Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Kumamoto, Japan, according to a press release.

“Holistica will create an inclusive model for destination development that works holistically – thus the name – to meet the needs of coastal communities, local governments and land, sea, and air travelers,” the release noted.

RCL President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Bayley said in the release that the rise in the popularity of cruise vacations gave rise to the need to continue the development of coastal destinations and the creation of one-of-a-kind cruise experiences.

“The continuing growth and rising popularity of cruise vacations make it clear that the sustainable development of coastal destinations, including the thoughtful evolution of existing ones, is in the travel industry’s best interest,” said Bayley.

“We have spent five decades learning what works and what doesn’t, and we know the potential of strategic development to deliver extraordinary guest experiences and meet the needs of local communities.”

ITM Group CEO Mauricio Hamui said well-designed destinations benefit communities and offer cultural enrichment to those visiting these communities.

“There is a way to do these projects inclusively, collaboratively, and sustainably – and those are the characteristics this new partnership is meant to embody,” he said.

“The timing is right for a venture of this type. A collaborative development approach, paired with meaningful private financial resources, gives local destinations the opportunity to grow the right way.”

Holistica’s Freeport is still under review by the government, the release stated. It added that the development is centered on the redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan resort, “and includes ambitious plans for local ownership, employment, job training, community investment and sustainable construction practices”.

Bayley said the development of more destinations increases the quality of vacations and expands the options in an ever growing tourism industry

[ssb]

-

Edited December 14, 2019 by ssb

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Are you sure.  The itineraries that Enchantment is doing go to Key West, Nassau and CocoCay.  

 

Allure definitely can’t do Key West and I don’t think that there is any other port they could substitute because if distances.  Liberty does not have any visits to CocoCay for this very reason and I can’t see them trying to sell a 7 day cruise with 2 port stops.

 

Is Labadee to far off the beaten path as well?  That could be a possible replacement for Grand Cayman.

 

The only other alternative would be Belize assuming that Cozumel/Jamaica remain as one of the Western Itineraries.

[Ourusualbeach]

10 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Is Labadee to far off the beaten path as well?  That could be a possible replacement for Grand Cayman.

 

The only other alternative would be Belize assuming that Cozumel/Jamaica remain as one of the Western Itineraries.

I’m pretty sure that Labadee is too far out.  If they could have gone there I’m sure they would have. 

 

Belize is a tender port so that’s out.  

 

 

[whitshel]

Maybe Falmouth, Costa Maya and Cozumel?

[HBE4]

36 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I’m pretty sure that Labadee is too far out.  If they could have gone there I’m sure they would have. 

 

Belize is a tender port so that’s out. 

 

 

Totally forgot that Belize is a tender port.

 

4 minutes ago, whitshel said:

Maybe Falmouth, Costa Maya and Cozumel?

 

 

Makes sense.

[Ourusualbeach]

18 minutes ago, whitshel said:

Maybe Falmouth, Costa Maya and Cozumel?

Don’t forget Roatan

[Clarea]

8 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Is Labadee to far off the beaten path as well?  That could be a possible replacement for Grand Cayman....

 

Labadee is not that much farther than Falmouth.  It's possible, though I'm not sure they could (or would want to use the fuel to) still have 3 stops in a 7-night cruise.

[John&LaLa]

Will Allure Azipods be at 100%

[FlowBroTy]

13 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Allure definitely can’t do Key West and I don’t think that there is any other port they could substitute because if distances.

She Could Do Freeport. Hopefully By 2022 Some Of Royal Caribbean's "Theme Park" Is Done. 

[ssb]

Cruise Lines Chipping in for Cruise Pier on Grand Cayman

 

Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, and Disney will now help finance a project to build a state-of-the art pier at the port.

[Ourusualbeach]

41 minutes ago, FlowBroTy said:

She Could Do Freeport. Hopefully By 2022 Some Of Royal Caribbean's "Theme Park" Is Done. 

The issue is that Nassau which is the next closest port is appx 240 nautical mile from Key West which had ships arriving between 10am and 12pm from Galveston on day 3.  That’s about 12 hours later if they would try to do Nassau, Freeport and CocoCay.  You still can’t do 3 stops on a 7 day cruise. 

[HBE4]

5 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Labadee is not that much farther than Falmouth.  It's possible, though I'm not sure they could (or would want to use the fuel to) still have 3 stops in a 7-night cruise.

 

I hope so. I was thinking that they would try to keep the 2 Western itineraries somewhat different from each other.

[Clarea]

26 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I hope so. I was thinking that they would try to keep the 2 Western itineraries somewhat different from each other.

 

That would be nice, as an Oasis class ship out of Galveston would have even fewer options than the current 7-night itineraries due to the lack of tendering.  Adding a pier at Grand Cayman would certainly help.