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Galveston Steve
Galveston Steve

UPDATED 13 February 2024 (Added Allure's return in 2026. Removed  Liquor Taxation Section - Have not seen them in the terminals since 2022.) Galveston is home to Royal Caribbean's newest Cruise T

Galveston Steve
Galveston Steve

It’s been a long time coming, but this is happening! (Actual photograph, not an artist’s rendering) 🤣

twangster
twangster

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. 

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Galveston Steve Diamond Plus

Galveston Steve

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Here's a Cruise Terminal 10 update from yesterday's Port of Galveston Wharves Board meeting:

  • Steel erection is going well and the next big step will be to lift the concrete tilt-up walls into place
  • Royal Caribbean's portion of the project is on schedule and the new terminal is planned to be complete in early October (Allure arrives Nov 13)
  • Parking lot construction will support the timing of the new terminal completion, but final completion of all aspects of parking and landscaping will be in early 2023
  • Road improvements are underway to support new traffic patterns and better traffic flow which will take some of the traffic off of Harborside Drive
  • This is a complex project that involves coordination with Port of Galveston, Royal Caribbean, City of Galveston, University of Texas Medical Branch, various utility companies, US Army Corps of Engineers, other port tenants and many others. This coordination and cooperation seems to be going very well.

Here is an aerial view of the new Cruise Terminal 10 construction site showing new building steel being erected (center-right), concrete tilt walls being formed flat on the ground (far right and other areas around the building), new piles being installed at Pier 10 to increase longevity and increase pier strength for larger ships.

image.thumb.png.41b98046cd2c08f14b41c09776d4a3b4.png

 

Below is a drawing of the new parking lot adjacent to the new Cruise Terminal 10.  This is the "North Lot". There will also be a "South Lot" plus another lot at the Pier 14 area.  The Port is also working to secure additional parking in the vicinity.

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This drone shot shows the activity to repair some of the deterioration on Pier 10 where Allure of the Seas will dock starting in November 2022.  New piles are also being driven to support the larger ships and to replace deteriorated piles.

image.thumb.png.2288d3a70a782db4b22b95f3816e4271.png

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Scatmanjack Diamond Plus

Scatmanjack

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Hoping that this terminal upgrade results in better ship assignments and varied itineraries for G.

 

Seems like Galveston is the dumping ground for ships that didn't get Amplified...

 

Liberty- last of Freedom Class to get full scheduled Amplification... not yet complete...

Allure- Oasis Class but missing items found on others in same class... not yet complete...

 

Yeah COVID and all that, but it would be nice to get nice things out of Galveston...

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AlmondFarmer Pinnacle

AlmondFarmer

Posted
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On 1/14/2022 at 5:30 AM, steverk said:

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.

My upcoming cruises still shows the 4 night deadhead Ft Lauderdale to Galveston. I don’t think this can have passengers due to PVSA. I anticipate it being removed at some point. I think that this sailing will be used as an opportunity to complete projects on Allure that can’t be done with guests onboard. 

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Plumlee2028 Diamond Plus

Plumlee2028

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1 hour ago, Scatmanjack said:

Hoping that this terminal upgrade results in better ship assignments and varied itineraries for G.

 

Seems like Galveston is the dumping ground for ships that didn't get Amplified...

 

Liberty- last of Freedom Class to get full scheduled Amplification... not yet complete...

Allure- Oasis Class but missing items found on others in same class... not yet complete...

 

Yeah COVID and all that, but it would be nice to get nice things out of Galveston...

With Liberty, it got some significant upgrades just before the amplification program. Similar to how Adventure got upgrades just a year or so before.


Committing one of your biggest ships and investing heavily in a custom terminal is a huge program.  The original intent was that Allure would be amplified before starting service in Galveston.  Im sure it will be one of the first ships to get amplified once that program resumes. It may lead to Harmony or similar coming over at some point, or perhaps Icon some day. 
 

otherwise, Carnival is putting the brand new Jubilee in Galveston and Norwegian is bringing Prima, which will be their most upscale ship. 
 

Royal may commit further to Galveston than they already have, they have not yet replaced Majesty in New Orleans, and they may not any time soon. 

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steverk Pinnacle

steverk

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1 hour ago, AlmondFarmer said:

My upcoming cruises still shows the 4 night deadhead Ft Lauderdale to Galveston. I don’t think this can have passengers due to PVSA. I anticipate it being removed at some point. I think that this sailing will be used as an opportunity to complete projects on Allure that can’t be done with guests onboard. 

That's an interesting take. I hope it's correct!

I'm on the same sailing and have been thinking about it ever since they announced it as a dead head.  I find it interesting that they haven't announced a 4 night cruise out of Galveston immediately after its scheduled arrival.

My theory is that they have a 4 night charter of Allure and getting to Galveston in time means going with the dead head instead of paying passengers.

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  • 4 weeks later...
MuttMutt Diamond Plus

MuttMutt

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Lots of changes on the construction site now. Most of the building is up as of yesterday when I got on Adventure of the Seas for my 5 night cruise. It was a cool dreary day and lots of people were looking at me odd while I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt taking these but I think it was worth it. 

Screenshot_20220224-085545_Photos.thumb.jpg.f9b5b21a2b826840adab825f02e3478b.jpg

 

But things are looking good so far. I just hope that we don't just swap Liberty for something else and end up with less routes to enjoy the new terminal with. 

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CrznTxn Pinnacle

CrznTxn

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Much more construction than when we were there in early January. Will see it all in a week and cannot wait. Will be great when they finish to go out of a new facility whatever the ship. The current one is not bad compared to some I have gone out of but new amenities such as facial recognition on Embarkation day, newer jetways, etc. would be great. I will not fuss about which ship as any day on a ship out on the water is better than land. I'll still be parking at the indoor parking, but that is just me.

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MuttMutt Diamond Plus

MuttMutt

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On 2/25/2022 at 9:10 PM, smokeybandit said:

704 Holiday Dr, Galveston, TX 77550

Ok drove past this morning and I will be honest it looks closed up to me.  There is some stuff inside that looks like it was just dropped and left.  Took a picture so you can decide for yourself though.

20220228_084638.thumb.jpg.119b46049b97da27855ca72025bc40a5.jpg

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smokeybandit Pinnacle

smokeybandit

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6 minutes ago, MuttMutt said:

 

Ok drove past this morning and I will be honest it looks closed up to me.  There is some stuff inside that looks like it was just dropped and left.  Took a picture so you can decide for yourself though.

 

20220228_084638.thumb.jpg.119b46049b97da27855ca72025bc40a5.jpg

 

Yeah that looks dead to me. Thanks a lot for checking.

 

We're staying at the Best Western a bit east of there and were scouting out walkable dinner options (got a food allergy in the family)  for Cruise Eve

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Zurc Diamond Plus

Zurc

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Adventure short cruises into April 2024 are added.

There's a 6-night, April 25-May 1, 2024 where the Junior Suites are currently priced less than balconies, with an extra $550 off for C&A members.  There are some hump JS still available. 

 

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The Fox Diamond Plus

The Fox

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14 minutes ago, Zurc said:

Adventure short cruises into April 2024 are added.

There's a 6-night, April 25-May 1, 2024 where the Junior Suites are currently priced less than balconies, with an extra $550 off for C&A members.  There are some hump JS still available. 

 

Having trouble finding this price. I am a Platinum.

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Zurc Diamond Plus

Zurc

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28 minutes ago, The Fox said:

Having trouble finding this price. I am a Platinum.

Make sure you enter your C&A number after you select the number of guests, to see the extra flash sale.    There’s an option in small print about promo codes or discounts - choose that.    Once C& A is in it will say up top something about you will get the best deal.    After that, then you can choose category and cabin

 

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F77AB494-E19A-4080-93A6-606267C99541.jpeg

F22274FF-6814-475E-ABB0-A994A492E596.jpeg

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Zurc Diamond Plus

Zurc

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18 hours ago, Zurc said:

For the April 25, 2024 sailing?  I’m curious now. 
 

How many passengers did you select? 

@The Fox, I quoted myself instead of you -  This is after I selected 2 passengers - and added only my C&A number for discounts.    (What prices did you get that JS was higher than balcony ?)
 

$534 pp balcony, 

$483 pp JS.  

78659644-7848-4474-AB90-89AE8421561C.png

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Done Diamond Plus

Done

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On 3/1/2022 at 6:02 AM, melmar02 said:

Not happy with the one itinerary though. Maybe the April 7 day Caribbean deployment will bring a little variety. 🤔 

In fact all current itineraries available for booking for all the ships out of Galveston, May, 2023 - December, 2023 are exactly the same.  Let's hope mid April additions offer something else. 

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Braveheart Pre-Gold

Braveheart

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Hello Galveston experts! Long-time lurker here but first-time poster...

I’ve taken a few RC cruises before but all in Europe (I’m from UK), so hoping for some advice about Caribbean sailings. I’m looking at a few options, one being Oasis-class W Caribbean from Galveston. What’s the weather like typically for this itinerary in April? I’m hoping to minimise any chances of choppy seas😀. 
 

Thanks!

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wordell1 Pinnacle

wordell1

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54 minutes ago, Braveheart said:

Hello Galveston experts! Long-time lurker here but first-time poster...

I’ve taken a few RC cruises before but all in Europe (I’m from UK), so hoping for some advice about Caribbean sailings. I’m looking at a few options, one being Oasis-class W Caribbean from Galveston. What’s the weather like typically for this itinerary in April? I’m hoping to minimise any chances of choppy seas😀. 
 

Thanks!

Weather should be great in April and the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico will generally be smoother than what you have in Europe.

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Bill S Platinum

Bill S

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2 hours ago, Braveheart said:

Hello Galveston experts! Long-time lurker here but first-time poster...

I’ve taken a few RC cruises before but all in Europe (I’m from UK), so hoping for some advice about Caribbean sailings. I’m looking at a few options, one being Oasis-class W Caribbean from Galveston. What’s the weather like typically for this itinerary in April? I’m hoping to minimise any chances of choppy seas😀. 
 

Thanks!

April is generally pretty good.  Most of the northers are gone by then.  One should understand that the Gulf of Mexico is the nastiest piece of temperate water on the planet.  Shallow water = short wave periods.  So, what you wouldn't even care about in the Atlantic or Pacific, with much longer wave periods, in the Gulf it gets downright unpleasant.  2-3 meter waves at 5 seconds sucks. We are sailors in South Texas - we have our 47 foot (15 meter) sailboat near Corpus Christi.   All of that being said: These ships are huge.  Unless there's a storm, you should barely feel even 3m waves.

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The Fox Diamond Plus

The Fox

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20 hours ago, Zurc said:

This is after I selected 2 passengers - and added only my C&A number for discounts.

Did you make any other selections such as state you live in, Senior Discount, Military Discount? I always select those (state is Arkansas). Maybe you have a higher C & A status, as stated before, I am Platinum.

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Zurc Diamond Plus

Zurc

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2 hours ago, The Fox said:

Selected 2 passengers.

image.png.86745f55c363f3a75c213a399b5edd53.png

Wow, that is really strange!.  For my example a few posts above, I only entered crown and anchor status - also 2 passengers.  I left the other fields blank for the comparison.  You may want to try to call Royal or a TA, and see if they quote you a different price. 
  also, it was only lower for me for JS for the April 25, 2024 cruise

Oh - I believe the sale with extra off ended yesterday.  Not sure if your example above was done before today?  sorry! 

.  

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DonR Diamond

DonR

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Even though Galveston may not end up as the final home of the Battleship Texas she will be in Galveston this summer. 

Gulf Copper across the channel from the current cruise pier is going to be doing the hull repairs on her. The large dry dock should be coming up from Grand Bahama in April and USS Texas arriving in June. Hope I get to see her lifted and the work starting when I go on Grandeur the first week of June.

 

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MuttMutt Diamond Plus

MuttMutt

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1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

How reliable/affordable is Uber/Lyft from IAH to Galveston?

 

Frontier pulled the rug out from under me and changed my 10:15am arriving flight on Saturday to arriving at 7pm (fly in the day before folks, because that buffer is saving me right now!) and never notified me.

The airport shuttles don't have trips that late.

Not sure but you should be able to do a mock booking to see what costs are running.  

https://www.lyft.com/rider/fare-estimate

https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate/

Lyft seems to be in the 180 to 200 range looking right now and Uber seems to be around the 90 to 100 range right now.  Houston Hobby airport is a lot cheaper like around 50 bucks to get to Galveston.  https://houstontogalveston.com/ seems to be a shuttle service and it will run around 120 for up to 3 people and 140 for 4 to 7 people so it may be cheaper depending on how many people you travel with.  8 to 12 people is 20 bucks per person for the trip.  I am sure there are other places that are similar.

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