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? BREAKING NEWS ?

The following information was disclosed during today’s Wharves Board of Trustees meeting for the Port of Galveston:

Royal Caribbean will announce tomorrow that Allure of the Seas will sail from Galveston beginning November 2022.

Royal Caribbean plans to partner with Ceres Terminals Management to manage the new terminal and provide stevedore services at the pier. Ceres would have 50% ownership in the terminal and Royal Caribbean would have the other 50%. Ceres is already approved to provide stevedore services at Galveston and provides similar services for Royal Caribbean at Port Canaveral, Port Everglades (Silversea), Tampa, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

Site preparation work by the Port of Galveston has continued during the pandemic.  This ongoing work includes roads, utilities, parking, and wharf repairs, which are on track to support the new terminal timeline.

Royal Caribbean is ordering two new gangways for the new terminal with a 2-year delivery time. They did not discuss whether the gangways would be available for the November 2022 terminal opening but some alternate method of embarkation would possibly be needed during the first few months of operation.

There is a lot of focus on the April 9th expiration of the due diligence period for the new cruise terminal. All indications are that Royal Caribbean will begin construction in April but they have not officially signed off to proceed and have the ability to back out of the contract at any time up to April 9th. UPDATE: Royal Caribbean's March 4th press release on the Allure deployment to Galveston confirmed that they DO plan to begin construction of the new cruise terminal in April 2022!

When cruises were suspended in 2020, Royal owed the Port $1.5 million in passenger service fees. Royal has paid off most of that balance and should be fully paid by mid-April.

Edited by Galveston Steve
Added update confirming construction will start in April.
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That's exciting, but I wish it wasn't Allure ? We've been looking forward to the new terminal in Galveston, but we've been on Allure twice already and a third planned (cruise changed to Allure because COVID).  Maybe over time other ships will visit and we love Allure, just like to try new things!

We now have nonstop flights to Houston, so Galveston will be an "easy" port to get to for us.

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18 minutes ago, JasonOasis said:

Get ready Texas, Allure is coming we finally know when she will set sail out of Galveston November 2022.  Fingers crossed Allure will be amplified during the Spring of 2023 and returns to Galveston in the fall of 2023 amped up ready to go!!!

I think the plan is for Allure to stay in Galveston year-round, like Liberty. 

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12 hours ago, JasonOasis said:

Get ready Texas, Allure is coming we finally know when she will set sail out of Galveston November 2022.  Fingers crossed Allure will be amplified during the Spring of 2023 and returns to Galveston in the fall of 2023 amped up ready to go!!!

I take it as a good sign that possible considerations for amping Allure is again, on the table, for its planned debut in Galveston, Nov 22'

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9 minutes ago, Galveston Steve said:

The 7-night itineraries landed late last night, and Allure arrives from Barcelona 13 Nov 2022. The first 7-night is 27 Nov 2022. Now the question is: what is she doing for the 2 weeks in between?  Maybe we find out next week when they release “long Caribbean”?

I thought I saw a flash of the same 7 night cruises commencing on the 13th but when I looked again I could find them.  Seems odd they wouldn't capitalize on Thanksgiving and the higher rates normally associated with holiday cruises.

Maybe some media cruises first?  

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16 minutes ago, twangster said:

I thought I saw a flash of the same 7 night cruises commencing on the 13th but when I looked again I could find them.  Seems odd they wouldn't capitalize on Thanksgiving and the higher rates normally associated with holiday cruises.

Maybe some media cruises first?  

Yes, I am hoping they release those dates soon as revenue cruises - not media cruises 

 

 

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I called RC to ask about the 2 weeks not yet showing for Allure.  Revenue is still working on them, and they should be up and bookable by week's end.

But I have more exciting news!  I asked about the Grandeur to Galveston voyage.  

He was able to book it for me.  10 days, April 24-May 4, 2022.   

  Great Itinerary, just 3 sea days - (sorry about the spacing below)

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS

ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA KRALENDIJK,

BONAIRE WILLEMSTAD,

CURACAO CRUISING

COLON, PANAMA
PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA CRUISING
COZUMEL, MEXICO CRUISING
GALVESTON, TEXAS

 

(I had to cancel the May 1, 2022  Liberty sailing that I found at such a great price, but much prefer the Grandeur repositioning itinerary above.)

 

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16 hours ago, Zurc said:

I think the plan is for Allure to stay in Galveston year-round, like Liberty. 

I understand that but Royal has to Amp it up at some point, Texas would feel slighted if Allure was the only Oasis class to remain as is no water slides, no Ultimate Abyss, or any of the other new venues that are now on Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.  

I'm a person who is alway full of hope and until Royal says no Allure will not be Amped, I will continue to hold on to hope. I can close my eyes and see it Allure goes to dry dock at some point in 2023, the brand new terminal is complete with jet bridges (or whatever they are called) and hopefully by the fall of 2023 Allure comes home Amplified!!!! LOL   

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1 hour ago, JasonOasis said:

I understand that but Royal has to Amp it up at some point, Texas would feel slighted if Allure was the only Oasis class to remain as is no water slides, no Ultimate Abyss, or any of the other new venues that are now on Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.  

I'm a person who is alway full of hope and until Royal says no Allure will not be Amped, I will continue to hold on to hope. I can close my eyes and see it Allure goes to dry dock at some point in 2023, the brand new terminal is complete with jet bridges (or whatever they are called) and hopefully by the fall of 2023 Allure comes home Amplified!!!! LOL   

Global pandemic nearly wipes out the entire cruise industry.  Royal prioritizes the Galveston terminal project above everything else including other Perfect Day and private destination projects. 

I'll count myself lucky when I sail on Allure from Texas in whatever state of amplification or not she is in and I'm flying in to do so.  Bring. It. On. 

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I didn't want to mix this in with the Allure news earlier in the week, but will be of interest to our Galveston fans:

The Port will likely (not set in stone yet) re-number terminals 1, 2, and 3 with new numbers corresponding to the pier numbers that they serve. The pier numbers also align with the adjacent street names.  The new Royal Caribbean terminal will be located at Pier 10, which lines up with 10th Street, and would become Terminal 10. Similarly, the Carnival terminal would be Terminal 25, and the current Royal Caribbean terminal would be Terminal 27.

I think this really makes sense and now is a good time to make the change since there are no cruise ships currently sailing. They will need to coordinate this with the cruise lines so the numbering change can be made on cruise company websites and directions to the terminals can be communicated to passengers.

Remember you heard it here first!

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32 minutes ago, Galveston Steve said:

I didn't want to mix this in with the Allure news earlier in the week, but will be of interest to our Galveston fans:

The Port will likely (not set in stone yet) re-number terminals 1, 2, and 3 with new numbers corresponding to the pier numbers that they serve. The pier numbers also align with the adjacent street names.  The new Royal Caribbean terminal will be located at Pier 10, which lines up with 10th Street, and would become Terminal 10. Similarly, the Carnival terminal would be Terminal 25, and the current Royal Caribbean terminal would be Terminal 27.

I think this really makes sense and now is a good time to make the change since there are no cruise ships currently sailing. They will need to coordinate this with the cruise lines so the numbering change can be made on cruise company websites and directions to the terminals can be communicated to passengers.

Remember you heard it here first!

Always wanted to sail with a perfect 10. 

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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!

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On 3/4/2021 at 5:13 PM, Galveston Steve said:

I didn't want to mix this in with the Allure news earlier in the week, but will be of interest to our Galveston fans:

The Port will likely (not set in stone yet) re-number terminals 1, 2, and 3 with new numbers corresponding to the pier numbers that they serve. The pier numbers also align with the adjacent street names.  The new Royal Caribbean terminal will be located at Pier 10, which lines up with 10th Street, and would become Terminal 10. Similarly, the Carnival terminal would be Terminal 25, and the current Royal Caribbean terminal would be Terminal 27.

I think this really makes sense and now is a good time to make the change since there are no cruise ships currently sailing. They will need to coordinate this with the cruise lines so the numbering change can be made on cruise company websites and directions to the terminals can be communicated to passengers.

Remember you heard it here first!

You are on to something.   Even this Galveston news article refers to Pier 10 Terminal, where they used to report on “new Terminal 3”:

 

https://www.galvnews.com/news/free/article_7b1cc702-66af-5528-8bfb-a3f685183e54.html

 

 

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11 hours ago, DanielB said:

I'm booked on Allure from Galveston December 11, 2022.  Never sailed from before, seems kinda like Port Canaveral with distance from Houston Hobby.  

It's a very similar fly in experience.  Ride share such as Uber/Lyft was consistently a little lower for me for Galveston vs. Canaveral.  Both have shuttle companies that offer reasonable shuttle bus service.  Florida may have the edge for rental cars.  It's certainly not something that should deter anyone from booking either port.

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Totally agree with @twangsterregarding Florida having the edge on rental cars.  None of the car rental companies (at least, none of the ones I have ever used) have a one-way penalty in Florida.  So if you rent a car at one location and drop it elsewhere, there is no extra charge.  NOT so in TX.  There was a huge charge for me to rent a car in Houston and drop it in Galveston.  We had no choice really as we had business to conduct that required us to have independent transportation but it was costly.  I also agree that the ride share costs in TX are a bit lower.

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My family and another from Houston area sailed out of Galveston in early 2020. I rented a 15 passenger van at Hobby airport. On cruise day the Texas family asked their neighbor (18) to ride Galveston with us. After we got all our stuff out, the neighbor returned the van to Hobby for us. We paid him for his time.

I’m aware this arrangement isn’t possible for all and likely violates one or more rental car policies. It worked for us and was easy and convenient. 

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On 7/22/2015 at 6:55 AM, Michael Vitale said:

My 2 cents on sailing out of Galveston, as I am an expert. (I sailed out of there last year lol). I sail during Labor Day week. That means my sailing day is during the holiday weekend. That being the case, when I researched places to stay the night before, I got quite the sticker shock. Prices in the $250-500 range were not unusual. For those locals driving down, there is a beautiful new Holiday Inn Express on I-45 in the town of Texas City. Countless restaurants nearby and less than 1/2 hour to the ship for Sunday morning. The room was $105.

 

As far as the embarkation issues,, I suppose for those flying in and getting to the ship within a couple hours of sailing, it may be (probably is) a nightmare. But I got there at 8:30. Ok, ok, I was a little anxious. The porter looked at me like I had 2 heads and said "sir, give us until 10:00 ok ?" There's a really convenient Starbucks just across the street, so after a coffee break we went back and were on board within a very short time. So I guess the bottom line for me regarding ease of embarkation is to get there as early as possible. Oftentimes we create our own chaos that can easily be avoided. Can't wait til September !!!

Hotel rates are high if you stay close - we drive and stay about an hour away from the port.  Gives us a more leisurely drive embarkation day.  Looking forward to the new terminal - booked on Allure ( our first Galveston Allure booking was cancelled when the terminal upgrade paused.)

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My wife and I are seriously considering driving down to Galveston in September.  We have the extra time since it was supposed to be a back to back celebrating our oldest son's wedding, but they rescheduled to 2022 and we already have the pto approved.  We're only doing one cruise now.

I think part of this is because we are sooooo ready to go on a real vacation.   Vacations during 2020 turned into "remodel the house" weeks.

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7 hours ago, cruisellama said:

Hotel rates are high if you stay close - we drive and stay about an hour away from the port.  Gives us a more leisurely drive embarkation day.  Looking forward to the new terminal - booked on Allure ( our first Galveston Allure booking was cancelled when the terminal upgrade paused.)

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.

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I am staying about 45 mins away just north of Kemah and driving down from there on the morning of embarkation as well.  I looked at staying somewhere right on Galveston Island that has parking for free available but so far it has worked out cheaper to pay for a place to park not to mention that it is supposed to be more secure on the lots vs just leaving my vehicle in some open area for 2 weeks.  Right now it looks like I will be making a heck of a drive though.  Have to leave OKC for Pittsburgh to drop off my dog and pick up my travel partner and then her and I will drive from there down to Houston and hang out a couple days.  Be on the ship 2 weeks and then drive back to Pittsburgh.  Stay a few days and then head back to OKC before the end of the month.  

 

I am sure they are going to end up with an Oasis or Quantum class ship being home ported with the new terminal though.  I am hoping that they keep Liberty there though as well and expand their offerings out.  Right now it almost seems as if Allure is going to replace Liberty though with the routes I have seen.  They could always shift Liberty to a couple different routes and have a larger ship run the routes Liberty currently does.  I think the best thing they could do is have a different ship come in every day or so.  Kinda like how Adventure and Explorer each do a 5 night and then a 4 night while in Galveston.  I think the new terminal will be ripe for running 3 ships I just hope they expand their itinerary to pick up some southern or eastern Caribbean routes.  Maybe even use Liberty to do some 8 to 9 night runs with something larger taking over it's current 7 night schedule and using Adventure and Explorer for 4 and 5 night runs. I would KILL to have Liberty on the water 3 nights heading down to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao and then turn around and have 3 nights on the way back. 

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1 hour ago, MuttMutt said:

I am sure they are going to end up with an Oasis or Quantum class ship being home ported with the new terminal though.  I am hoping that they keep Liberty there though as well and expand their offerings out. 

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. 

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On 3/3/2021 at 8:34 AM, Galveston Steve said:

The 7-night itineraries landed late last night, and Allure arrives from Barcelona 13 Nov 2022. The first 7-night is 27 Nov 2022. Now the question is: what is she doing for the 2 weeks in between?  Maybe we find out next week when they release “long Caribbean”?

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. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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.
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16 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:

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

Does that mean there will be an opportunity to see a WW2 ship sail again (in order to move to new location)?

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16 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:
  • 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.

Great news about the Battleship. She's currently a "stone's throw" from my house (maybe 8 miles as the crow flies), but I'm glad they are moving her to a location that will see more traffic. They need the funds to repair her and more visitors will help with that. 

If you choose to visit the Battleship once she's there or the offshore museum, I highly recommend Katie's Seafood House at Pier 19. The location used to be Hill's at Pier 19 for OG Galveston people. Katie's is super fresh, delicious seafood (like caught within hours of being on your plate.) They are attached to Katie's Seafood Market and they supply many of the non-chain restaurants in Galveston. http://www.katiesseafoodhouse.com/

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19 minutes ago, Matt said:

Does that mean there will be an opportunity to see a WW2 ship sail again (in order to move to new location)?

More than likely she would be towed. Her hull has definitely seen better days and multiple repairs over the years have been made. She actually pre-dates WWII. She was commissioned just before WWI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_(BB-35)#Museum_ship

She has been turned over to the Battleship Texas Foundation for repairs, so we will see if they can get her going again to actually sail. https://battleshiptexas.org/ 

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48 minutes ago, Matt said:

Does that mean there will be an opportunity to see a WW2 ship sail again (in order to move to new location)?

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. 

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11 hours ago, kadmgs said:

Great news about the Battleship. She's currently a "stone's throw" from my house (maybe 8 miles as the crow flies), but I'm glad they are moving her to a location that will see more traffic. They need the funds to repair her and more visitors will help with that. 

If you choose to visit the Battleship once she's there or the offshore museum, I highly recommend Katie's Seafood House at Pier 19. The location used to be Hill's at Pier 19 for OG Galveston people. Katie's is super fresh, delicious seafood (like caught within hours of being on your plate.) They are attached to Katie's Seafood Market and they supply many of the non-chain restaurants in Galveston. http://www.katiesseafoodhouse.com/

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!

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