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Galveston Steve

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Everything posted by Galveston Steve

  1. Galveston Steve
    Great question @Oliver. I'm assuming that once the new terminal opens, RCG would maximize that investment by sailing all of their ships from that new terminal. Since they would already be paying rent on it I don't think they would want to also pay rent on the existing terminal. I'm definitely with you on having a Celebrity ship in Galveston! That would be great. They could easily have a 7-night ship on both Saturday and Sunday, plus 4 and 5-night ship/ships during the weekdays. Prior to the Covid craziness, Carnival had announced a 4th ship for Galveston. I assumed that 4th ship would force Carnival to use both of the existing terminals, which they have done sometimes in the past. The Port also has a fourth cruise terminal in their Master Plan. It would be located at the current Del Monte pier. Del Monte's lease expires in 2023 I believe, and that would allow the Port to move them to another part of the Port. Harborside Drive from 10th Street to 27th Street would become "cruise ship row".
  2. Galveston Steve
  3. Galveston Steve
    The Port decided today to discontinue negotiations with the Battleship Texas Foundation. They were considering locating the historic ship at Pier 20 near the cruise ship terminals. The concerns were related to the location at Pier 20 interfering with the views and access of other Port tenants. They think it would be better at another location like Seawolf Park on Pelican Island. The ship may still end up in Galveston but it looks like it won't be right downtown.
  4. Galveston Steve
    More good news: the US Army Corps of Engineers has approved the permit to enlarge the turning basin in Galveston from 1400' to 1500' to accommodate the longer Oasis Class ships.
  5. Galveston Steve
    The headline here should have been "Royal Caribbean Removes Cruise Terminal Contingency, Project Is A Go!" but I guess I'm just too optimistic ?. Royal is being prudent by giving themselves the potential to delay the project if the CDC continues to screw over the cruise industry. I'm thrilled that RCI didn't outright cancel the contract like they had the right to do because now they are committed to Galveston. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/04/27/royal-caribbean-asks-galveston-extra-time-complete-new-cruise-terminal-case-ships-cannot
  6. Galveston Steve
    Yes, Vista and Breeze arrive in Galveston on Sunday. They will be using the existing cruise terminals to vaccinate about 350 crew members across both ships starting next week.
  7. Galveston Steve
    Thanks for posting this @DanielB. I think/hope the headline in this article is a bit misleading. Since the agreement says RCI will use "commercially reasonable efforts" to reach substantial completion by 9/1/2022, I believe this request by RCI to extend the completion deadline and rent commencement dates by a few months into late 2023 is to give them a little breathing room in case financing becomes difficult or the CDC continues to make life difficult for cruise companies within US ports. I'll continue to monitor the situation and report back.
  8. Galveston Steve
    Thanks @Zurc. Yes, the proposed 2nd Amendment to the contract waives the due diligence period, which is great news. It still has a Target completion in September 2022 which is ahead of Allure's arrival in November 2022. However it provides for an extension of the completion Deadline and Rent Commencement Date to give RCI some additional time in the event of a delay in their ability to finance the project. RCI must begin paying rent on the lease when the first cruise ship docks at the new terminal, but if no ship docks by the Rent Commencement Date in 2023 they must begin paying rent then even if no ships have docked there yet. The information in the pre-read had several conflicting dates so I was planning to listen in on the meeting next week to sort out the dates and provide an update then.
  9. Galveston Steve
    RCI has completed installing the test piles at the new terminal site. I've attached a rather poor photo of the pile rig from the Port Director's monthly report. The pile load testing will begin next week to determine the actual pile capacity at the site. RCI has some Pier 10 wharf repairs in their scope and they are issuing a request for bids on that work this month. RCI and the Port of Galveston are continuing to hold bi-weekly project meetings. Things are progressing but it's typically a slow ramp-up in activity at first.
  10. Galveston Steve
    I will definitely keep you posted, and you will probably hear it here first. As my update last week noted, there are now regular project update meetings between RCI and the Port of Galveston, and RCI is getting ready to start test piles to confirm the foundation load bearing capacities. Things are moving forward, even if the final sign-off hasn't occurred.
  11. Galveston Steve
    You are exactly correct. Representatives from the Battleship Foundation said they got about 40,000 visitors a year (before they closed down for Covid). They expect 250,000 visitors a year if located in Galveston. The increased ticket and souvenir revenue would fund the development of the facilities in Galveston and would also help pay off the loan necessary for the refurbishment. ...and I totally agree with your recommendation for Katie's Seafood. The food is great and they will have a great view of the battleship!
  12. Galveston Steve
    She would be towed down to Galveston. Contracts and land leases still need to be worked out, but the hope is that she would go into dry dock at Galveston in August for a 1-year refurbishment, then be floated across the channel to her berth at Pier 20.
  13. Galveston Steve
    Here's an update from this month's Port of Galveston Trustees meeting... CLIA held a conference call with the Mayor of Galveston, Galveston's U.S. Congressional Representative, the head of the Longshoremen's Union, and the Port. CLIA is meeting with all of the cruise ports in this manner to ask them to put pressure on the CDC to allow cruising to restart. Project representatives from Royal Caribbean have been holding bi-weekly project update meetings with the Port to coordinate the new cruise terminal construction. Next thing to happen for the new terminal: Royal Caribbean will have test piles installed to confirm the load bearing capacity to be used for the new terminal foundations. Representatives from the Battleship USS Texas, currently moored as a museum near the ship channel in Houston, are working to get agreement on moving the ship to Pier 20 in Galveston (adjacent to the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Museum). If everything falls in line, this would be excellent news for Galveston and for the USS Texas and would be another centerpiece of history near the cruise terminals. The USS Texas fought at Normandy, North Africa, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. She has a fascinating history, including a visit to the Port of Galveston in 1914, and in 1915 joined 3 other battleships to rescue 230 passengers off the damaged Holland America Ryndam.
  14. Galveston Steve
    Agree... this was very improperly teased. This is great news, but it definitely isn't "the news we've all been waiting for".
  15. Galveston Steve
    Royal has announced the Icon Class of ships and say they will use LNG fuel and fuel cells. Very few details have been revealed about Icon Class but the first ship is now scheduled for delivery 3rd quarter 2023.
  16. Galveston Steve
    As a brand new Quantum Ultra Class ship I’d say you can’t go wrong with Odyssey. I’ve sailed on Ovation, another Quantum Class ship, and it is probably my favorite ship! Odyssey is sure to be amazing.
  17. Galveston Steve
    My excellent travel agent spoke to her contact at Royal about these missing cruises immediately following Allure’s arrival in Galveston. She reports there are two 7-night sailings in the system but they are blocked and can not be booked. Royal told her that usually means they are still working out some details or perhaps negotiating a charter. I think a charter of Allure that soon out of Galveston is unlikely but we will just have to wait and see what they finally release.
  18. Galveston Steve
    Interesting... we were able to Lift and Shift our A2 from Allure to Symphony, but we did it before they moved us to Liberty. Things were pretty dynamic at the time with the Lift and Shift rules.
  19. Galveston Steve
    I have to disagree with @Matt on this one ?. I also like to be on the side of the ship that faces the dock for the same reasons you cite. I enjoy watching the activity and the docking and undocking process. For Quantum Class ships like Anthem, they can dock with either side of the ship toward the dock. On our Ovation sailing to Alaska we were docked on the port side at the home port of Seattle, but we used both sides at the various ports of call. Looking at photos of Anthem docked in Southampton, she tends to dock on the starboard side but that is not guaranteed. Ships may dock the other direction in order to perform painting and maintenance more easily from the dock, to make docking or sailing easier due to anticipated wind and tide conditions, or other reasons. Oasis Class ships almost always dock on the Starboard side because the boarding area and traffic flow is set up on that side of the ships.
  20. Galveston Steve
    I'm really getting tired of tracking refunds and FCC's. I hope May was my last cancellation.
  21. Galveston Steve
    Same here. Somebody (either A2S or AA) assigned our seats a few days after we booked through A2S. We can't change seats online but we can see the booking on AA.com and it shows "Ticket pending".
  22. Galveston Steve
    Unfortunately Liberty will be going to Fort Lauderdale for 4/5 night cruises and will be replaced with Allure for winter 2022/2023 in Galveston. So Galveston will have a large 7-night ship and a smaller 4/5 night ship. I agree it would be great to have some expanded offerings though, and get more usage out of the new terminal.
  23. Galveston Steve
    This is a good strategy if the hotel prices on the island are too expensive. I would choose the League City or Webster areas as being nice and also an easy drive to the port. Texas City is also an inexpensive option but stay near the I-45 area. Price depends on the season and the weekend. My original post mentions some special event weekends that will have high prices and often 2-night minimums.
  24. Galveston Steve
    Interesting... in yesterday's press release about the Allure deployment they categorize Allure as a "seasonal" deployment in Galveston for Winter of 2022-2023, while Harmony and Symphony are listed as "year round" in Florida. This raises the question of which ship they would put at the new Galveston terminal for Summer 2023? They don't spend $100 million on a new cruise terminal for a seasonal Oasis Class ship. They must have something in store for Summer 2023. Icon #1 is slated for 3Q2023, which would be a little too late. This just fuels more speculation about what is in store for Galveston!
  25. Galveston Steve
    My thoughts exactly!
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