Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas was warmly welcomed to Galveston this week as the ship set sail on the first in a series of cruises to the western Caribbean. The vessel is now the largest cruise ship operating from the port, together with Liberty of the Seas.
It’s a huge boost for Galveston, which has seen more than 168,000 people cruising out of the port between July and the end of September.
Western Caribbean Cruises From Galveston
Adventure of the Seas will be sailing on a series of 4- and 5-day cruises to the Western Caribbean this winter. Ports of call include those of Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico. Adventure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship operating from the Port of Galveston, which is becoming increasingly popular as a homeport.
“We welcome Adventure of the Seas to her new home, the fourth most popular cruise port in the U.S. and only cruise port in Texas,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston port director, and CEO. “Giving cruise passengers additional sailing options is one of the reasons why our port continues to draw more than a million passengers a year from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and beyond.”
The four-day cruises will call in Cozumel only, with a day at sea on either end to allow guests to enjoy everything the Voyager-class ship has to offer. The five-day cruises will initially call in Cozumel and Costa Maya, although Costa Maya will be replaced by Progreso from December onwards.
Guests can now choose between 4-5- and 7-day cruises. Liberty of the Seas is also sailing from Galveston, with cruises that call in Cozumel, Roatan, and Costa Maya.
New Homeport For Adventure of the Seas
As many will recall, Adventure of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to commence sailings in the Caribbean, and the Western Hemisphere, from Nassau earlier this year. At the time, just 1000 guests embarked on that cruise on June 13, 2021.
Since her hugely successful season of sailings from the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean’s return to operations has been a complete success, with most of the cruise line’s ships now sailing.
The cruise line has also been steadily building up its capacity onboard its ships, with Adventure of the Seas expected to reach 3,100 guests per voyage on its Galveston-based itineraries.
With two ships now operating from Galveston, the relationship between Royal Caribbean International and Galveston Wharves is being strengthened, with even more ships on the way.
$125 Million Cruise Terminal Opening Next Year
In 2022 Galveston will welcome the former largest cruise ship in the world when Royal Caribbean opens its new cruise terminal in the city. Allure of the Seas will homeport at the $125 million new cruise terminal. The 161,300 square-foot terminal will cover 10 acres at Pier 10 in the easternmost area of the port.
Also Read: Construction Begins on Royal Caribbean’s $125 Million Cruise Terminal at Port of Galveston
Construction is still ongoing, and works are expected to be completed by the fall of 2022, a culmination of a partnership that began with the inaugural cruise of Rhapsody of the Seas in 2002.
