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There are rumors of a new, additional cruise terminal.   Some sources claim Royal plans to bring a larger ship to Galveston in the fall of 2020 and that would require a bigger terminal.  Liberty is pretty big and is the 3rd largest class of Royal ships at the moment, so "larger" probably means one thing (if it happens at all):

https://www.connect.media/port-galveston-mulling-third-passenger-terminal-for-oasis/

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11 hours ago, twangster said:

There are rumors of a new, additional cruise terminal.   Some sources claim Royal plans to bring a larger ship to Galveston in the fall of 2020 and that would require a bigger terminal.  Liberty is pretty big and is the 3rd largest class of Royal ships at the moment, so "larger" probably means one thing (if it happens at all):

https://www.connect.media/port-galveston-mulling-third-passenger-terminal-for-oasis/

I can see the marketing now.  "Even the ships are bigger in Texas"

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yeah i read an article that was posted over on that other forum that had mentioned them wanting to build a second terminal for Oasis class ships, potentially by 2020 or 2021 if i remember correctly.    i think it's all speculation still at this point as the logistics behind it all are huge.

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The Daily News in Galveston is reporting that Royal Caribbean wants to bring an Oasis class cruise ship to Galveston in the fall of 2020.

So far, the Oasis class ships have been based in popular cruise ports in South Florida (Port Everglades and Port Canaveral).  That could change in two years if the Port of Galveston has their way.

However, in order for the port to be able to handle one of the cruise line’s 225,000+ gross ton cruise ships, a third terminal would have to be built that can support 6,000+ passengers. Port officials stated that a third terminal would cost over $100 million and there are questions about who will pay for it.

Currently, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line have multiple ships that sail year-round out of the two terminals at the Port of Galveston. Carnival will be sending their largest cruise ship, Carnival Vista, to the port in September.  Disney Cruise Line also sails seasonally out of Galveston.

Building a third terminal would pose a few challengers for the Port of Galveston.  The first would be where to put it.  A second challenge would be re-accommodating current tenants, such as Del Monte Fresh Produce, to new terminals at the port.

When the Daily News reached out to Royal Caribbean about the matter, they refused to comment on it.

Port Director Rodger Rees told the Daily News that in order for the port to be ready for an Oasis class ship by the fall of 2020, the project will need to be planned and designed by November 2018.

There are currently four Oasis class ships in service with a fifth and unnamed vessel planned for 2021. Two of the cruise ships, Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are based in Port Everglades.  A third, Oasis of the Seas, currently sails out of Port Canaveral.  Symphony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, is sailing a season in the Mediterranean before heading to her new homeport in PortMiami.

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3 hours ago, Todd W said:

 Daily News in Galveston is reporting that Royal Caribbean wants to bring an Oasis class cruise ship to Galveston in the fall of 2020.

 

3 hours ago, Todd W said:

When the Daily News reached out to Royal Caribbean about the matter, they refused to comment on it.

Hmm, those two statements seem to contradict each other.  

But it's like @Todd W said, it's wishful thinking at this point and not any kind of verified fact.

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The last time I checked, Enchantment arrives in Galveston May 6, 2019 for year-round 4-5 day sailings.  Vision will return to Galveston on March 11, 2019, also doing 4-5 night cruises.

Galveston's aging port director retired last year.  The new port director, Rodger Rees, came on board this year and was previously the Deputy Executive Director and CFO at Port Canaveral.  He was interviewed this month and here are a few highlights:

  • “We’re in talks with a cruise line right now about facilitating a larger class of cruise ship in Galveston,” he explains. “The largest cruise ships can carry more than 6,000 passengers, with about 2,000 crew members. We’re looking into the possibility of building a terminal that will allow the Port of Galveston to accomodate that size of ship.”
  • Assuming those negotiations have a positive outcome, Rees expects a new facility to be in place that can service the largest cruise ships by 2021.
  • “There are infrastructure needs here, but during my time at Port Canaveral we did a lot of new construction. I’m confident that I’ll be able to use this experience positively at the Port of Galveston.”
  • “I think we could possibly introduce two new cruise terminals in the next decade or so."
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27 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So Galveston will have 3 ships year-round ?

The port claims they are the 4th busiest cruise port in the US.  I haven't validated that claim myself but it's a busy little port and Carnival is (at least temporarily) moving a new(er) ship there, the Vista.  Royal's gotta keep up, or think about it anyways.  The concept of an OA class sailing from the US but not from FL is interesting indeed.  A new cruise terminal built for OA class will make sailing Liberty all the better assuming they cycle those two ships through the new terminal and leave the Vision class in the existing terminal. 

All speculation at this point.  Other than the changes we do know about the rest is gossip.

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3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So Galveston will have 3 ships year-round ?

Galveston will have 3 RCCL ships as of May 2019.  Liberty and Enchantment will be in Galveston through 2019, while Vision is booking Galveston through the Summer months so far.  No word yet on whether those 3 ships will all remain in Galveston "year round".  Vision just left Galveston last month and is in Barcelona for the Summer, will go to New Orleans for the Winter, and be back in Galveston next Spring, so you could call Vision "seasonal" in Galveston.

3 hours ago, twangster said:

The port claims they are the 4th busiest cruise port in the US.  I haven't validated that claim myself but it's a busy little port and Carnival is (at least temporarily) moving a new(er) ship there, the Vista.  Royal's gotta keep up, or think about it anyways.  The concept of an OA class sailing from the US but not from FL is interesting indeed.  A new cruise terminal built for OA class will make sailing Liberty all the better assuming they cycle those two ships through the new terminal and leave the Vision class in the existing terminal. 

All speculation at this point.  Other than the changes we do know about the rest is gossip.

It's pretty easy to verify the busiest cruise ports... nobody is even close to Galveston for 4th busiest in the USA.

Let's recap... year-round ships home-ported in Galveston are:

  • Liberty of the Seas
  • Carnival Breeze (To be replaced by Carnival Vista 23 Sep 2018)
  • Carnival Freedom
  • Carnival Valor
  • Enchantment of the Seas (Arrives 6 May 2019)

Seasonal ships in Galveston are:

  • Vision of the Seas (Returning 16 Apr 2019)
  • Disney Wonder (Annual Winter Holidays Nov-Jan)
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