Savannah - why not?

[bobsfamily]

There's a place just up the coast called Port Royal, South Carolina. It is the deepest natural port in the region. The state is looking for a buyer, and is currently empty. Any cruiseline interested?????? Only a few miles from the coast, and would pass right by Hilton Head.

 

At one time Port Royal was going to be converted into shopping/condos/homes and a small area left for - yes - a cruise port. That was several years ago but alas the fake slowdown of the economy stopped that.

[Rev. Joe]

No I live in Greenville but it is only 3 hours instead of 11 to Miami. Charleston is a great touristic place too with shops, museum, beach, Rainbow Road, ect. Carnival is moving I think the Miricle to Baltimore and they do have 2 cruises a year from Charleston but they're at bad times. I would love even the Holiday to move up here for 6 months. I'd sail on her. A cruise is a Cruise!!!:):D

[beccadoby]

There is a big discussion about a snafu that HAL had with Savannah. You can do a search on the HAL board to see all the comments. The gist is that the Port of Savannah is a really busy industrial port so it would take a lot of work to set aside part of the port for cruise traffic. It could be done but the port does not need the money.

 

 

Here is one link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=10083092&postcount=34

 

Thanks for the link gagirl789. I read the whole article ( Savannah Morning News ) and that was a mess. A lot of miscomunication going on...

[bobsfamily]

No I live in Greenville but it is only 3 hours instead of 11 to Miami. Charleston is a great touristic place too with shops, museum, beach, Rainbow Road, ect. Carnival is moving I think the Miricle to Baltimore and they do have 2 cruises a year from Charleston but they're at bad times. I would love even the Holiday to move up here for 6 months. I'd sail on her. A cruise is a Cruise!!!:):D

 

Daughter goes to Winthrop in Rock Hill. We live 15 min. from downtown Charleston. Great tourist place.

[bguppies]

Savannah is too close to Jacksonville which already has full time sailings.

(what is it a 2 hour drive to Jacksonville?)

 

Plus you have Charleston 2 hours north which now has a few sailings a year.

Charleston is right on the ocean and has all the same visitor amenities and attractions that Savannah has. (basically southern historic buildings and plantations)

 

I would love to see Charleston build a real passenger terminal so they could draw year round sailings out of here. (other than that dilapidated hunk of steel that Norweigen sails year round out of Charleston)

 

The historic district in Charleston is about a mile from the current pier.

 

A day docked in Charleston could easily become just like a day docking in Key West.

 

Bill

[bguppies]

 

I would love for more ships to leave from here! That is my only concern with the NCL ship - heard bad reviews.

 

Most of the reputable TA's here in Charleston refuse to book that ship after the nightmares their clients have gone through the last couple of years. (No working AC for weeks at a time, etc.)

 

Bill

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

There's a place just up the coast called Port Royal, South Carolina. It is the deepest natural port in the region. The state is looking for a buyer, and is currently empty. Any cruiseline interested?????? Only a few miles from the coast, and would pass right by Hilton Head.

 

Charleston already has at least NCL cruising from there. I am not sure who else.

 

It is only 2 hours from Savannah and seems to be able to handle at least some cruise traffic.

 

Jacksonville isn't so far either.

 

As much as some of us would like to have a cruise terminal close to our home towns it just isn't always a good business decision to have so many close together.

[BULLOCH12]

Another problem would be commerical traffic in this narrow channel. A ship the size of the Holiday like 46,000 gross tons might have a chance.

 

 

Fred

the regency was there recently, about that size. my family and i went to riverstreet just to see her. i'm trying to find the pictures now

[BULLOCH12]

Have you been to Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale? The entire property is Petroleum tanks and a Power Plant for Florida Power and Light. I don't think that is much different than Savannah.

 

yes i have been to port everglades before and the facilities for cruiseships are quite different... don't get me wrong i have spent half my life in savannah and it would be much better than nola or jax

[Essiesmom]

Savannah April 2006, Regent Seven Seas Navigator:

[Luv4dacruise]

Most of the reputable TA's here in Charleston refuse to book that ship after the nightmares their clients have gone through the last couple of years. (No working AC for weeks at a time, etc.)

 

Bill

With all do respect, a "reputable" TA should know there business, and the AC issue on the Majesty was a 1 time thing a couple years back. It's not a reoccuring thing. Thats like me saying that im not gonna sail on Carnival because i have heard horror stories from some of my close friends. Majesty was my first cruise back in 1995, will always be my favorite ship. Alright, im off my soapbox.

[lulubell]

We love hiton Head and would love to combine a land/cruise visit in the future:cool:

[thepeach]

Also, one problem might be that there are not a ton of flights from anywhere other than ATL/DFW/NY Area. Check it here

You're right, the Savannah airport is very small, and it's quite expensive to fly into Savannah. The rates from Atlanta are rather high unless you get a deal. It isn't worth driving to Savannah from Atlanta. By the time you hassle with the airport, you can drive to Savannah. It's about a 3 1/2-4 hour drive. Savannah is busy increasing container traffic in the port. Heck, they are having trouble with truck traffic coming from the port area. The Savannah residents are not happy about it at all. I would love it if Savannah was a cruise port, but they have other problems to solve before they would commit to a cruise port.

[flowerchild]

As much as I love Savannah, it will just not work for many reasons, such as the placement and amount of commercial traffic, the proximity to two other ports, and the lack of flights.

 

Charleston, another favorite city, has much more potential as a larger cruise dock.

 

One of my favorite vacations ever was to fly into Jax, drive to St. Augustine for a couple of days, move on to Savannah for a few more, cruise through Hilton Head and end up in Charleston to cap it off. And don't forget the barrier islands, like St. Simon and Tybee, beautiful! But of all these, Savannah is my all time favorite, I love it Charleston, runs a tight second, though!

[DocF]

The big problem with Savannah is the total lack of facilities for a cruise ship. There is an ideal site, though. That would be the tug boat slip just upstream from the Weston hotel on Hutchinson Island (on the other side of the river from the historic district). There is an adequate size to this slip, the river is wide enough to allow the ship to be turned into the slip and there is adequate space nearby for parking. Now the question is who would pay for the facilities?

 

Doc:p

[beccadoby]

Becca, long time-no talk. Send me an e-mail when you get a chance :) (Sorry, I lost your e-mail)

 

Hi,

 

We have been so busy that I had to take a break from my hobby (CC;) )

I no longer have your email either. :(

This is kinda hard since I cant put my email address on here...LOL

I think you can fill in the blank here:

becki@doby******online.com PS- its not cruise

[GoinCruisin]

My opinion will obviously not win points with this crowd, and I don't live there so I don't have a real right to an opinion... but 2 of my favorite places to visit are Savannah and Charleston. I truly think making them large cruise ports would ruin the charm that both cities have. Charleston already has so much tourist traffic that it's almost uncomfortable to visit at certain times of the year. Think of your cruise port cities. Think of what happens when you have thousands of additional people through there quickly... I don't know, I just don't see it being a good thing for such a beautiful, historic, charming place. Cruise ports take that charm away, in my opinion. Once you start bringing ships in regularly, with volume, you have to grow pretty significantly to handle the traffic... Sure it brings in revenue, more visitors, jobs, etc. but at what cost? I know, no raining on the parade... just my opinion :)

[beccadoby]

My opinion will obviously not win points with this crowd, and I don't live there so I don't have a real right to an opinion... but 2 of my favorite places to visit are Savannah and Charleston. I truly think making them large cruise ports would ruin the charm that both cities have. Charleston already has so much tourist traffic that it's almost uncomfortable to visit at certain times of the year. Think of your cruise port cities. Think of what happens when you have thousands of additional people through there quickly... I don't know, I just don't see it being a good thing for such a beautiful, historic, charming place. Cruise ports take that charm away, in my opinion. Once you start bringing ships in regularly, with volume, you have to grow pretty significantly to handle the traffic... Sure it brings in revenue, more visitors, jobs, etc. but at what cost? I know, no raining on the parade... just my opinion :)

 

LOL, make sure you dont visit Savannah around or on Saint Patricks Day.

We moved here last March a couple of days before staint patricks day and were in shock. We thought it would be nice to take the kids to the umm 7 hour long ;) parade. Never again..I will tell you we avoided it all and stayed at home this year.

 

I dont think being a cruise port would ruin the city. I do think the airport situation is a big problem. Hitlon Head/Savannah airport well, there is not much to it. Hey with the crazy airline fees, who wants to fly anyway? :rolleyes: I will pick a good $4 gallon road trip over flying anytime. Anyway, thats a new thread.

 

I do agree about Charleston, I also wonder about that situation. Why dont they "beef up" what is already there and take advantage of it? I have people request to sail out from there all the time. They dont understand that Carnival only sails from there like maybe 8 weeks out of the whole year. What a waste. Maybe they think the itenary would get old and there would be no demand?

[PNFAM]

My opinion will obviously not win points with this crowd, and I don't live there so I don't have a real right to an opinion... but 2 of my favorite places to visit are Savannah and Charleston. I truly think making them large cruise ports would ruin the charm that both cities have. Charleston already has so much tourist traffic that it's almost uncomfortable to visit at certain times of the year. Think of your cruise port cities. Think of what happens when you have thousands of additional people through there quickly... I don't know, I just don't see it being a good thing for such a beautiful, historic, charming place. Cruise ports take that charm away, in my opinion. Once you start bringing ships in regularly, with volume, you have to grow pretty significantly to handle the traffic... Sure it brings in revenue, more visitors, jobs, etc. but at what cost? I know, no raining on the parade... just my opinion :)[/quo

I CAN SEE YOUR POINT I'VE NEVER BEEN TO CHARLESTON, YET. BUT I'VE BEEN TO SAVANNAH. AND IF A CRUISE TERMINAL EVER WAS CONSIDERED FOR SAVANNAH, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT BEING BUILT DIRECTLY IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. BUT LIKE GALVESTON WHERE THER'S ONLY TWO SOMETIMES THREE SHIPS A WEEK AND NOT ALWAYS ON THE SAME DAY. THE VOLUME OF PEOPLE IS NOT THAT BAD.

[GoinCruisin]

LOL, make sure you dont visit Savannah around or on Saint Patricks Day.

We moved here last March a couple of days before staint patricks day and were in shock. We thought it would be nice to take the kids to the umm 7 hour long ;) parade. Never again..I will tell you we avoided it all and stayed at home this year.

 

I dont think being a cruise port would ruin the city. I do think the airport situation is a big problem. Hitlon Head/Savannah airport well, there is not much to it. Hey with the crazy airline fees, who wants to fly anyway? :rolleyes: I will pick a good $4 gallon road trip over flying anytime. Anyway, thats a new thread.

 

I do agree about Charleston, I also wonder about that situation. Why dont they "beef up" what is already there and take advantage of it? I have people request to sail out from there all the time. They dont understand that Carnival only sails from there like maybe 8 weeks out of the whole year. What a waste. Maybe they think the itenary would get old and there would be no demand?

 

LOL, I've been there on St Paddy's day... but it's not like that year round... it would be with a large cruise port there. I guess that is why I feel that way... I look at the areas surrounding cruise ports in most cities, and most aren't necessarily charming. I've been to Charleston when they have a ship in port, and it's a MESS. Traffic is horrible, people are everywhere, and you can't enjoy everything that is Charleston. We have friends that live there and they along with many others don't want any more ships, and don't want the ones they have now due to traffic and pollution issues. There are just to me, so many wonderful waterfront communities that should stay that way... yes, they go through tourist high spots, but adding a large amount of cruise ship traffic to that several times a week, just makes it a mess. The face of the towns would definitely change, I just don't think it would be in a positive way. Just my opinion, but I'm old school I guess... I think we should preserve as much as we possibly can in these beautiful places, they are so few and far between these days because everyone's priority is growth, and money... we'll soon run out of beautiful, historical places and that will be sad.

[Rev. Joe]

Ive been in Charleston with the NCL Majesty and it was a little crouded but nothing like traffic in Atlanta. I think if they put in a Fantasy class or one of those RCCL smaller ships it would be fine expecially if they build a small cruise terminal. That would prevent a lot of the traffic. Yet I can see Carnival in there a lot better that RCCL since CCL has more ships of a better size even though I'd take any one. And Carnival only offers 2 Charleston sailings a year and they were sold out of all but interior rooms 6th months in advance. There is def. a market there. It could go from 5 day Bermuda to 5 day Bahamas. HOW COOL. Also, with gas prices being the way they are, it would be a wize move on there part and to drive instead of fly. They have even already planned a ship to Baltimore too. This is very exciting. I so hope they do this

[bobsfamily]

The ships that come here now are Sat. to Sat. NCL and the Carnival comes twice a year. I think we have 3 other ships that stop on the way to NY and on the way back to FL. I would love to see CCL put a ship here year round.

[ChrisRobinson]

I lived in the Hysterical Section (Historical District) for five years in the early 90's.

 

Beautiful, yes. Safe for 'looky-loos' sometimes not, I'm afraid.

 

The only way to do it is get passengers onto busses, get them out of the industrial port, drop them off at City Market or River Street, and get them back on the bus before sundown.

[bguppies]

My opinion will obviously not win points with this crowd, and I don't live there so I don't have a real right to an opinion... but 2 of my favorite places to visit are Savannah and Charleston. I truly think making them large cruise ports would ruin the charm that both cities have. Charleston already has so much tourist traffic that it's almost uncomfortable to visit at certain times of the year. Think of your cruise port cities. Think of what happens when you have thousands of additional people through there quickly... I don't know, I just don't see it being a good thing for such a beautiful, historic, charming place. Cruise ports take that charm away, in my opinion. Once you start bringing ships in regularly, with volume, you have to grow pretty significantly to handle the traffic... Sure it brings in revenue, more visitors, jobs, etc. but at what cost? I know, no raining on the parade... just my opinion :)

I think Charleston could handle a Fantasy class ship , without overloading the already burgeoning tourist business in the area.

(maybe a nice 7 day Bahamas/Key West jaunt?!?!?)

 

My Wife was in the hotel business when we got married almost a decade ago and back then I couldn't believe how many hotels there were in the area. (Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and West Ashley)

And they were always running at almost full occupancy year round.

 

Since then they have done nothing but keep adding at least 2 hotels a month in the area and they still stay well occupied.

 

The arena/convention center area right next to the airport has exploded with new hotels and the outlet mall.(it would be an easy 15 minute drive to the port from any of these hotels, straight in on I-26.)

 

Charleston suffers from the same airport woes that Savannah does.

 

But I would imagine that if the lines start using the ports up the coast a bit, it would be to bring the product closer so people could more easily DRIVE to their cruise.

 

Bill

[RockNCntry]

I have lived in Savannah, all my life! A great tourist type town, great history! Beutiful place to visit! Great place to live! Along with the port being small and the airport, not handling a large amount of flights! I personaly can not see a cruise ship, Docking in Savannah! In an earlier post it was Compared to Key West! Maybe to some of you it doesnt matter that the water in the river and at the beach, "Tybee" is "Brown" I love the ocean, and the fresh air there, but The water does not beg anyone for water fun, if they have been anywhere else! so if you are not into the history, or the southern charm, or the party on St. Patricks Day you may find yourself wanting more! We do have a lot of great things to see, and folks come here year round for the beach! Savannah, is a great tourist town, great history and southern charm, and gosh there are some really great southern cooks here! Paula Deans, "Lady's & Sons" just an example! So come on down and visit, a great place to come feel that down home southern charm! Ya'll Come On Down! I would love to be able to plan a cruise from here but, I dont think it will ever happen! :o(