Despite the cruise industry’s worst two years ever, cruise lines continue to push ahead with planned projects and growth. That includes Royal Caribbean’s new $125 million cruise terminal, which broke ground over the weekend at Port of Galveston in Texas.
New Galveston Cruise Terminal Breaks Ground
Construction has officially started on Royal Caribbean’s new state-of-the-art cruise terminal at the Port of Galveston, Texas. A groundbreaking ceremony took place over the weekend to mark the major milestone and was attended by local, port, and cruise line officials.
Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, said: “This new cruise terminal is a game-changer. This much-anticipated project will bring 800 new jobs, $1.4 billion in local business services revenue, $5.6 million in state and local taxes, and incredible business development opportunities.”
The new terminal is scheduled to be completed in fall 2022 and will become the third cruise terminal at the port. The state-of-the-art terminal is costing $125 million and will bring 800 new jobs.
The terminal will be 161,300 square feet and will cover 10 acres at Pier 10, the eastern part of the Port of Galveston. There will be a cruise parking lot that can hold 1,800 vehicles. There will be mobile check-in and facial recognition to provide a smoother experience for guests.
The terminal will be operated by Cares Terminals Holdings that will include stevedoring, guest luggage services, and provisioning. The company handled 1,240 vessel calls and almost 6.4 million passengers in 2019.
“We are excited to celebrate this special milestone for our new state-of-the-art terminal, which will have a stunning, bold architectural design and technological advancements that will significantly enhance the experience for our guests,” said Joshua Carroll, vice president, Destination Development, Royal Caribbean. “We appreciate our strong relationship with the Port of Galveston and the local community, and look forward to the growth of cruise tourism in the region.”
Also Read: Galveston Cruise Terminal – 9 Things You Need to Know
The facility will cater to the large Oasis-class cruise ships, including Allure of the Seas which will be based from the new terminal from November 2022. The ship will offer seven-day voyages to the Western Caribbean and will be the largest cruise ship to ever homeport in Galveston.
Despite the new Royal Caribbean terminal being delayed since the port and cruise line signed the contract in December 2019, work should now quickly move ahead. Port of Galveston has been working with Royal Caribbean since 2002 when Rhapsody of the Seas sailed inaugural sailings. Currently, Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas are based from the port, with the latter just restarting operations on August 15.
