The rumor mill says the Port of Galveston is looking to build another cruise terminal, and Royal Caribbean is eyeing it.
According to a report by the Galveston Daily News, Royal Caribbean is "interested" in the project.
Galveston is a rapidly growing cruise market for Royal Caribbean, and they recently opened a new terminal that can handle the biggest cruise ships in the world.
Port of Galveston Director Rodger Rees confirmed Royal Caribbean has shown interest if a proposed fifth cruise terminal gets added.
Nothing confirmed, but a possibility
Royal Caribbean has not made any announcement regarding interest or plans to build a new cruise terminal in Galveston. Everything we know so far has come from this report by the port's director.
Mr. Rees described the interest as being "word on the street", but was quick to note the location of the new terminal would be adjacent to Royal Caribbean's current building.
Royal Caribbean operates Terminal 10, and there is a proposal to construct Terminal 14. If approved, it would be Galveston's third new cruise terminal since Royal Caribbean opened Terminal 10 in 2022.
Before you start dreaming which ships could be homeported there, the new terminal plans are still far from a reality.
It's still in the planning stage, but Mr. Rees indicated a study showed it wouldn't have a detrimental impact on surrounding roads.
A major project with challenges
According to Mr. Rees, if approved, Royal Caribbean would partner with the port to build it. Both sides would contribute to the overall cost.
One thing that would be needed is a new parking garage that could cost between $120 and $130 million. That garage would double the current parking capacity.
Another issue would be fitting Terminal 14 between Terminal 10 and 16, as it would require changes to the port's current layout.
Specifically, the spot where ships docked in Terminal 16 (the berth) would need to be extended to make room for a ship coming into Terminal 14.
Galveston is a hot market for Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean's recent "chess moves" of cruise ship deployments indicate how lucrative Galveston has become to the company.
Next summer one of the crown jewels in their fleet, Icon of the Seas, will be redeployed to Galveston to be homeported there.
Royal Caribbean doesn't put one of its most successful and recognizable cruise ships anywhere. These ships are major revenue generators and incredibly well-received by consumers, so the cruise line wants them in the best position to succeed.
Icon of the Seas has 20 decks, seven pools, and an entire water park on the back of the ship.
It's divided up into 8 neighborhoods to make it easier to navigate the ship and know where you are. Each neighborhood has a distinct look and feel, including a giant outdoor park in the middle of the ship.
Icon is home to over 40 places to eat and drink onboard, including hibachi, a supper club, a food hall, and giant buffet.
It is 1,198 feet long and 213 feet wide.
Icon will offer alternating 6- and 8-night cruises to the Western Caribbean.
Prior to Icon's announced shift, Royal Caribbean had already been prioritizing Galveston more and more.
It started with adding bigger ships there, and then the opening of a new $125 million cruise terminal in 2022 really set the stage.
Terminal 10 was designed for ships as large as Oasis Class and Icon Class, which was no coincidence. The company immediately moved Allure of the Seas into the new port, and megaships have been sailing from there ever since.
