allure returns in 2026 All Things Galveston

[Lone Star]

November 20th

[Bob Burd]

December 1st

 

[cruisellama]

Spring/Summer 2023 RCL Caribbean deployments aren't published yet, but it is anticipated Allure will be home ported in Galveston over the Spring/Summer 2023 period? 

[wordell1]

1 hour ago, cruisellama said:

Spring/Summer 2023 RCL Caribbean deployments aren't published yet, but it is anticipated Allure will be home ported in Galveston over the Spring/Summer 2023 period? 

I think it us a safe bet. They wouldn't have built the new terminal if they didn't intend to keep an Oasis class ship there.

I suppose they could still switch ships if they decide to finally amplify Allure.

[Scatmanjack]

 

Carnival announced new ship Jubilee will be based out Galveston... 

Competition is good for the customer and our future cruise options out of Galveston...

[Galveston Steve]

3 hours ago, Scatmanjack said:

 

Carnival announced new ship Jubilee will be based out Galveston... 

Competition is good for the customer and our future cruise options out of Galveston...

It will be Carnival’s newest ship and the first LNG powered ship to be based in Galveston.

[MuttMutt]

The only thing I really hope happens with the new terminal is more ports being added for sailings. Right now once Liberty leaves it seems like the only places to go to will be Mexico,  Belize, and Honduras. If that's the case I'm going to have to plan to drive to Florida for anything and that kills my budget which means I will be doing a lot less cruising. 

[melmar02]

10 minutes ago, MuttMutt said:

The only thing I really hope happens with the new terminal is more ports being added for sailings. Right now once Liberty leaves it seems like the only places to go to will be Mexico,  Belize, and Honduras. If that's the case I'm going to have to plan to drive to Florida for anything and that kills my budget which means I will be doing a lot less cruising. 

Agreed. It's time for some variety. I wouldn't say no to a longer itinerary. 

[Scatmanjack]

I cannot remember which line, but somebody had 7 night sailings from Galveston that went to Bahamas.  Looks to be about same distance to Roatan so it should be within fuel budget.

 

I'd book a 7 nighter to Coco Cay out of Galveston in a heartbeat...  I think the problem would be other stops same trip... Nassau?  Key West? Cozumel? Not sure what maximum overnight nautical mile capacity is...

 

[melmar02]

14 hours ago, Scatmanjack said:

I cannot remember which line, but somebody had 7 night sailings from Galveston that went to Bahamas.  Looks to be about same distance to Roatan so it should be within fuel budget.

 

I'd book a 7 nighter to Coco Cay out of Galveston in a heartbeat...  I think the problem would be other stops same trip... Nassau?  Key West? Cozumel? Not sure what maximum overnight nautical mile capacity is...

 

We had one that was Covid cancelled that was going to Coco Cay from Galveston. It was when Jewel was going to briefly sail from Texas. Here is what the itinerary was supposed to be.

 

[stevendom57]

Here is what the new terminal construction is looking like on Nov 12, 2021. Taken from Adventure of the Sea.

[Plumlee2028]

On 11/13/2021 at 7:55 PM, Scatmanjack said:

I cannot remember which line, but somebody had 7 night sailings from Galveston that went to Bahamas.  Looks to be about same distance to Roatan so it should be within fuel budget.

 

I'd book a 7 nighter to Coco Cay out of Galveston in a heartbeat...  I think the problem would be other stops same trip... Nassau?  Key West? Cozumel? Not sure what maximum overnight nautical mile capacity is...

 

One of Carnival's does 6 night in the west then 8 nighters to Bahamas.  I think Royal would have to get a third ship there like Carnival to make that worthwhile.  Might be a challenge to dedicate the capacity.

[Plumlee2028]

https://www.portofgalveston.com/80/Cruise-Lines-Schedules

The port posted their new schedules for 2022.  It looks like the first (planned) use of Terminal 3 will be Allure on Nov 13 and then Adventure on Nov 14.  

Terminal 2 will be then used by Disney for their winter season and Carnival on Saturdays (as they have already been doing).  

[Zurc]

Noticed a strange thing on the fall 2023 Allure sailings listed on Royal’s website.  All the way through October 15, 2023, Allure has 7 night Sunday sailings out of Galveston, as expected.  

There is only 1 more Allure sailing listed after that - a 6 night cruise beginning Sunday, October 22 - arriving back Saturday .  

Could this indicate Allure may rotate out of Galveston after the 6 night cruise, leave the pier open for a replacement ship to arrive and begin Sunday 7 day itineraries from Galveston?. 

It’s a possibility.  Allure was to be amplified before CoVid struck.    NCL Prima and new Carnival Jubilee will be porting from Galveston in 2023.  Perhaps Royal will be replacing Allure in fall 2023 with an Oasis class with slides, to be competitive with NCL and Carnival?   

Just a thought.   Any other ideas, chime in

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

15 minutes ago, Zurc said:

Any other ideas, chime in

$20 it'll be Icon out of Galveston at that time.

[VoidoftheSeas]

16 minutes ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

$20 it'll be Icon out of Galveston at that time.

Icon doesn't sail until 2024, though. And I would be very surprised if Icon doesn't get summer itineraries from Florida.

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

28 minutes ago, VoidoftheSeas said:

Icon doesn't sail until 2024

I'm sure you have a source to back this claim, but Royal's site still says 2023 for debut.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/icon-of-the-seas

[Zurc]

7 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

I'm sure you have a source to back this claim, but Royal's site still says 2023 for debut.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/icon-of-the-seas

Yes, 2023, but I thought first  Icon was promised to Florida - maybe the ship she replaces will deploy to Galveston.   

[twangster]

It's mildly interesting (to me at least) that Wonder is open for bookings right up until Oct. 29, 2023 which is just like Harmony in 2022 when Wonder replaces her in Port Canaveral.

That could be a coincidence, or maybe some ship, doing a transatlantic in the fall of 2023, will arrive in Port Canaveral and replace Wonder just like Wonder is doing to Harmony.  

[Zurc]

31 minutes ago, twangster said:

It's mildly interesting (to me at least) that Wonder is open for bookings right up until Oct. 29, 2023 which is just like Harmony in 2022 when Wonder replaces her in Port Canaveral.

That could be a coincidence, or maybe some ship, doing a transatlantic in the fall of 2023, will arrive in Port Canaveral and replace Wonder just like Wonder is doing to Harmony.  

I’d guess Icon will be arriving in Port Canaveral then.

[melmar02]

I wouldn't be mad if that was the beginning of a rotating 6/8 schedule that headed east for a little variety. 

[Galveston Steve]

On 12/16/2021 at 9:37 PM, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

$20 it'll be Icon out of Galveston at that time.

 

15 hours ago, melmar02 said:

I wouldn't be mad if that was the beginning of a rotating 6/8 schedule that headed east for a little variety. 

Icon was my hope since the timing aligns with its debut. I also love the 6/8 option ever since Carnival began doing that. It would make a lot of sense because there are only a certain number of ports on the western route that an Oasis Class ship can get in to. One thing for sure, with the new Cruise Terminal 10 in Galveston we’re going to have much better ship options now. 

[Plumlee2028]

Wonder would be interesting, because I hear from my travel agent that the suites in Allure out of Galveston are always cheap relative to the other Oasis class.  Not sure if that's a market, or an un-revolutionized ship causing that.  If Royal feels they can't fill all the bigger suites, then maybe Wonder makes some sense despite it being bigger. 

Otherwise it could be Icon.  Carnival is bringing Jubilee into Galveston, so we know that the LNG process will be set up and ready at some point.  

Down the road if the market supports it, could see something like a Voyager class doing the classic 4-5 nights, another voyager or freedom doing the 6-8 nights (maybe just seasonally), and Icon or Oasis doing the 7 nights.  

Before the pandemic, carnival was planning 4 ships (Vista, Dream, Breeze, and Radiance).  Of course, those are all smaller than what Royal has there now (Breeze, dream, Vista are all similar to Adventure or Liberty in size), but Jubilee will be a big increase in size and I assume replaces Vista. 

[steverk]

I'm on Liberty and passed the terminal 3 construction site. I was pleasantly surprised to see some vertical construction! 

[Scatmanjack]

So will the adjacent parking included in this project be enough to handle all passengers from Allure plus other RCL ship at same time? Booked our first Allure sailing for 2023 and started thinking about parking... Our current favorite lot, EZ Cruise, would be too far from new pier for our liking...

Could parking be potentially sold at same time as booking if operated by Royal?

[MuttMutt]

2 hours ago, Scatmanjack said:

So will the adjacent parking included in this project be enough to handle all passengers from Allure plus other RCL ship at same time? Booked our first Allure sailing for 2023 and started thinking about parking... Our current favorite lot, EZ Cruise, would be too far from new pier for our liking...

Could parking be potentially sold at same time as booking if operated by Royal?

Not sure, but honestly I doubt it will be enough for all the people.  Also I think the parking will be controlled by the port authority like the other terminals and the adjacent parking lots.  My best guess is that the parking there will be a premium lot compared to the other ones and will cost a little more but have some of the same amenities like the port police acting as security in the lot.  Could Royal have it as an addon, sure.  But I kinda doubt it.

I parked at EZ Cruise on my last run over Halloween and enjoyed it.  Already booked a space for February when I take my girlfriends son on Adventure for 5 days.  And I am dreading parking for our Vision of the Seas run on Black Friday next year but getting 10 nights for 2 people in a Oceanview room for less than 1500 is pretty amazing to me.  And I will get the parking figured out in good time.

 

My issue with the Galveston Expansion at this point is there are basically only Mexico Cruises with Roatan.  So the other route which was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth are gone.  It's a real bummer since I was hoping that they would add more routes in instead of removing them.  We lost New Orleans as a port as well in the last year not that I really wanted to sail from there but now my only option is to head to Florida and since I like to dive and carry a lot of gear flying isn't the greatest option for me.  Not to mention they have been packing the planes and it's cheaper for me to drive with 2 people by a TON.  Plus I can take my weights and not worry that I have a suitcase that weighs 70 pounds.

[steverk]

8 hours ago, Scatmanjack said:

So will the adjacent parking included in this project be enough to handle all passengers from Allure plus other RCL ship at same time? Booked our first Allure sailing for 2023 and started thinking about parking... Our current favorite lot, EZ Cruise, would be too far from new pier for our liking...

Could parking be potentially sold at same time as booking if operated by Royal?

Unfortunately, I have no idea. We'll just have to wait and see.

[CrznTxn]

The parking to be built adjacent to the new Royal terminal will be built and operated by the City of Galveston. From the planning overview published:

Under the public-private partnership, Royal Caribbean will build the 161,300ft² terminal and then lease it from the port for the initial period of 20 years with four ten-year options.

The new terminal will extend up to ten acres at Pier 10 in the easternmost region of the port on Galveston Island.

As agreed, the port will build and run a 1,800-space cruise parking lot at the terminal.

[stevendom57]

I am a big fan of Port Parking in Galveston. The last time we were there we parked in their new Lot C. This lot is east of the current terminal and it looks like it was purchased to have parking near terminal 10. That's where I'm going

[billdauterive]

Jan 2nd terminal 3 construction progress.

[Flowrider]

On 12/27/2021 at 12:40 AM, MuttMutt said:

My issue with the Galveston Expansion at this point is there are basically only Mexico Cruises with Roatan.  So the other route which was Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth are gone.  It's a real bummer since I was hoping that they would add more routes in instead of removing them.  We lost New Orleans as a port as well in the last year not that I really wanted to sail from there but now my only option is to head to Florida and since I like to dive and carry a lot of gear flying isn't the greatest option for me.  Not to mention they have been packing the planes and it's cheaper for me to drive with 2 people by a TON.  Plus I can take my weights and not worry that I have a suitcase that weighs 70 pounds.

Really hoping that we can get back to Jamaica and Falmouth again.  It’s great to be cruising again, but I’m with you.  Cozumel, Costs Maya, and Roatan need a little diversity.

[Galveston Steve]

On 12/26/2021 at 10:31 PM, Scatmanjack said:

So will the adjacent parking included in this project be enough to handle all passengers from Allure plus other RCL ship at same time? Booked our first Allure sailing for 2023 and started thinking about parking... Our current favorite lot, EZ Cruise, would be too far from new pier for our liking...

Could parking be potentially sold at same time as booking if operated by Royal?

The parking lot adjacent to the terminal will be owned and operated by the Port of Galveston. It is currently designed for 1,148 spaces. You have a good question with Allure at 5,484 passengers (double occupancy) plus at least one other ship doing 4-5 night cruises. It seems to me that the private parking companies will have to play a role with parking shuttles between their lots and the terminal.  The Port of Galveston is also considering other options to add parking, such as acquiring other property along Harborside Drive.

[smokeybandit]

On 1/31/2015 at 9:39 PM, Galveston Steve said:

Galveston Limo - provides very affordable shared rides from the two Houston airports with either their scheduled service (8 trips per day) or you can arrange a private car. Currently the pricing for the scheduled service from Hobby Airport to Galveston is $25/person one way if you book online. Owned by a local family of good folks.

FYI, in booking some transportation for a March cruise, I noticed they're now $30 from HOU and $35 from IAH

[Galveston Steve]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

FYI, in booking some transportation for a March cruise, I noticed they're now $30 from HOU and $35 from IAH

Thanks for that update. I've deleted the pricing in my original post because its hard to keep that information updated.

[Zurc]

On 1/9/2022 at 6:51 PM, Galveston Steve said:

The parking lot adjacent to the terminal will be owned and operated by the Port of Galveston. It is currently designed for 1,148 spaces. You have a good question with Allure at 5,484 passengers (double occupancy) plus at least one other ship doing 4-5 night cruises. It seems to me that the private parking companies will have to play a role with parking shuttles between their lots and the terminal.  The Port of Galveston is also considering other options to add parking, such as acquiring other property along Harborside Drive.

Agree, does not seem like enough parking for 2 ships.  
I drive in via the ferry, and would hate to have to pass up Royal terminal parking because the lot was already full.  
    If they let us book and reserve a parking space online for that lot, it would make a difference. 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by Zurc
Added

[Galveston Steve]

1 hour ago, Zurc said:

Agree, does not seem like enough parking for 2 ships.  
I drive in via the ferry, and would hate to have to pass up Royal terminal parking because the lot was already full.  
    If they let us book and reserve a parking space online for that lot, it would make a difference. 

 

Oh, I think you will be able to book and reserve online since that lot will be owned and operated by Port of Galveston. They allow booking online for all of their other lots at https://www.portofgalveston.com/91/Cruise-Parking--General-Information

[CruiseGus]

 Not only the above, but these cruise lines know the statistics.  so they can reasonably tell you how many will drive, how many will fly. how many take their transport.  that's how come they can serve so many meals in the MDR in such a short time span with 6 different entries to chose from and never say we are out of that.

[wordell1]

There are several pay lots in Galveston that I am sure could service the new terminal as easily as the old one (although it may be a little further away).  Ultimately, they are adding parking with the new terminal.

[steverk]

There's another thread started about the Allure repositioning cruise. 

It changed from an 8 night Ft. Lauderdale, ABC (minus the B) islands, Galveston itinerary to a 4 night "Deadhead" cruise.  I'm not sure why or what it might mean.

I was on that cruise, so hopefully, I'll hear more today.

[Plumlee2028]

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/26539-galveston-sets-expansion-course.html

Interesting Article about Galveston expanding with some port director quotes.

As discussed before, but just recapping: 
This year in October, Norwegian Prima sails for 2 short sailings on their port hopping season this year.  In 2023-2024 winter season they will homeport for 7 night sailings.

Allure of the Seas starts in November, replacing Liberty of the Seas. 

Carnival Jubilee starts in 2023.  I suspect that will replace their Carnival Vista program, although probably without the route going to Jamaica and Grand Cayman (tendering in Grand Cayman is not ideal with that many passengers).