Should Celebrity return to East Texas?

[kelmac]

In 2005 we did a wonderful 12 day cruise out of Galveston, TX on the Galaxy.

 

We recently cancelled a Reflection cruise out of Miami (March), as the air fares have really increased, hotel prices are up, and there are so many ships in port. Not unusual to have six ships in Miami and seven or eight ships in Ft Lauderdale.

 

People on the west coast, rocky mountains, and midwest can get to Houston much cheaper and quicker compared to Florida. Galveston is only 40 miles from Houston Hobby and a new cruise ship terminal called Bayport is only 20 miles from Hobby.

 

Question:

Should Celebrity move one of their five ships that are presently sailing out of Florida in the winter, to Bayport or Galveston?

 

Kel

[cruiser77]

Absolutely!!!:D

I would book a cruise from Galveston in a heart beat! Would safe me money, since I would not need to fly to port!:)

[Maligator]

Every time we start planning our next, we always look at Galveston/Bayport choices on RCCL and Princess. The convenience would be extraordinary for us. What kills it are the itineraries. Neither of us is interested in the Mayan Riviera. Were one of them to do either a partial or full transit of the Panama Canal, it would be a no-brainer. That being said, we'd probably still go on any Western Caribbean sailing just to get away (and accrue points!) for a few days.

[dkjretired]

In 2005 we did a wonderful 12 day cruise out of Galveston, TX on the Galaxy.

 

We recently cancelled a Reflection cruise out of Miami (March), as the air fares have really increased, hotel prices are up, and there are so many ships in port. Not unusual to have six ships in Miami and seven or eight ships in Ft Lauderdale.

 

People on the west coast, rocky mountains, and midwest can get to Houston much cheaper and quicker compared to Florida. Galveston is only 40 miles from Houston Hobby and a new cruise ship terminal called Bayport is only 20 miles from Hobby.

 

Question:

Should Celebrity move one of their five ships that are presently sailing out of Florida in the winter, to Bayport or Galveston?

 

Kel

Join the long list of locations that posters want a ship, NJ, Baltimore, Charleston,,port Canaveral, Tampa and the entire west coast. They effectively only have nine ships most of the other lines have double that. They put the ships where they will make money. Edited September 14, 2014 by dkjretired

[hulamoon]

After a certain number of cruises, the limited number of ships becomes restraining. I heard a peep a little while ago bit nothing definitive about new builds.

 

We looked at Texas as a half way location to San Juan. It pencilled out great but ultimately went for the shorter travel time.

[richstowe]

Join the long list of locations that posters want a ship, NJ, Baltimore, Charleston,,port Canaveral, Tampa and the entire west coast. They effectively only have nine ships most of the other lines have double that. They put the ships where they will make money.

Yes and with the Asian market becoming more and more important,

the odds of any American port becoming a "new" home-port is very small.

Therefore Florida may lose a ship and any part of Texas won't get it.

Edited September 14, 2014 by richstowe

[TLCOhio]

Yes and with the Asian market becoming more and more important, the odds of any American port becoming a "new" home-port is very small. Therefore Florida may lose a ship and any part of Texas won't get it.

 

Being from Ohio, I don't have a strong personal interest one way or the other. BUT, the above point about the growing Asian market makes solid business sense about why this change is less likely to be happening to benefit Texas. Or, that Celebrity would put one of their newer, better ships to be sailing out of one of the Texas ports.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 76,804 views for this fun posting.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I want one on the Great Lakes :D

[Sloop-JohnB]

Join the long list of locations that posters want a ship, NJ, Baltimore, Charleston,,port Canaveral, Tampa and the entire west coast. They effectively only have nine ships most of the other lines have double that. They put the ships where they will make money.

 

100% agree

 

Celebrity may be a major player in the mainstream cruise biz, but one of the smallest when it comes to the total number of ships.

 

Celebrity, like any cruise line is going to put their ships where there is the greatest chance of filling them / tourist demand

 

And when it comes to the worst of the winter months December thru March that is going to be in Florida

 

With the highest concentration of the US population on the Eastern Seaboard, and those looking to head south to escape bad weather (not to mention us Canadian Snowbirds) the best spot to do that is Florida

 

So it is no wonder, that Florida leads the way annually in Tourist visits in the Eastern USA... A record setting 94.7 Million in 2013 (and continually growing). Texas on the other hand comes in as the 5th most visited state... Behind not only Florida, but also California, New York and Nevada.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/02/14/florida-posts-record-2013-tourism.html

 

Add in the fact that Florida is a heck of a lot closer than Texas to the Caribean Sea and the many islands within (the destinations most Snowbirds fantasize about) and Florida will remain the jumping off point for most Cruise Lines

 

Especially Celebrity... With her limited fleet of 11 Ships (actually more like 9 when you take into account that Century has been sold, and Xpedition is permanently located in the Galapolis Islands)

 

They clearly know the cash benefits of the Caribbean... With 5 Ships stationed in Southern Florida (Fort Lauderdale & Miami) in 2014-15 = Constellation - Eclipse - Equinox - Reflection - and Silhouette... Not to forget Summit which is based in San Juan

 

This represents an outstanding 15,960 beds a week to fill, or about 68.75% of this fleet (10 Ships = 23,216 beds)

 

And by all accounts these ships full that ply the Caribbean week in week out...*

 

Which is WHY in the NA Cruise Industry, the Caribbean is still considered the bread & butter that keeps their business afloat.

 

Oh ya, and the other ships in fleet they spend those months sailing the Southern Hemisphere where it is summertime, and business is also good.... Infinity (South America) - Millennium (Southeast Asia) - and Solstice (Australia / Oceania).

 

So I truly doubt that Celebrity will be moving any of her ships anytime soon to other ports in the Winter Season

 

Bigger players tho... Royal Caribbean (21 Ships + 5 on order) and Carnival (24 Ships + 1 on order). Well they would definitely be in a better position to move ships around to other ports to attract primarily "locals" to cruise with them.

 

Cheers!

Edited September 14, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[TLCOhio]

I want one on the Great Lakes :D

 

Great idea, maybe, for the Great Lakes. BUT, not sure about two minor issues. How many want to sail these areas when you can travel around there by car with decent ease. We've done lots in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Niagra-on-the-Lake, etc.

 

PLUS, the Celebrity Solstice-class ships are big, BIG, BIG!! Not sure that they can make it through the various locks with the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence River. It is listed that 78' is the maximum width for these locks. But the "beam" for these newer Celebrity ships is 120.73 feet.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 183,711 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Great idea, maybe, for the Great Lakes. BUT, not sure about two minor issues. How many want to sail these areas when you can travel around there by car with decent ease. We've done lots in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Niagra-on-the-Lake, etc.

 

PLUS, the Celebrity Solstice-class ships are big, BIG, BIG!! Not sure that they can make it through the various locks with the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence River. It is listed that 78' is the maximum width for these locks. But the "beam" for these newer Celebrity ships is 120.73 feet.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 183,711 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Just grease the sides of the ship , they will slide though :p

[Sloop-JohnB]

I want one on the Great Lakes :D

 

Great idea, maybe, for the Great Lakes. BUT, not sure about two minor issues. How many want to sail these areas when you can travel around there by car with decent ease. We've done lots in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Niagra-on-the-Lake, etc.

 

PLUS, the Celebrity Solstice-class ships are big, BIG, BIG!! Not sure that they can make it through the various locks with the Welland Canal and St. Lawrence River. It is listed that 78' is the maximum width for these locks. But the "beam" for these newer Celebrity ships is 120.73 feet.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio[/Quote]

 

Lol, I would also love to see a decent cruise company on the Great Lakes... A huge untapped part of NA for the cruise market.

 

Guessing it would attract some... Most notably Europeans & Asians... And people like me who would love to see all of this very familiar & dominant NA feature from the water vs the shore.

 

But, TLCOHIO makes some great points. Us NA's are in love with our cars, and getting around the Great Lakes for the most part by car is not that difficult.

 

And the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway presents several issues... Be it the length of the locks throughout, or the width & depth restrictions of the St Lawrence River west of Montreal thru the 1000 Islands (draft here is less than 30 feet... And even the Lakers that use this route with Seaway Pilots occasionally run aground).

 

I am not even sure if there is a style of modern cruise ship that could effectively do the whole route... From the Atlantic / Gulf of St Lawrence thru to Chicago (Lake Michigan) or up to the Lakehead / Thunder Bay or Duluth (Lake Superior)

 

But it truly would be awesome if someone did

 

Cheers!

 

Ps... For the record there are some "cruise lines" on parts of this route... The ferries with berths on the Lower St Lawrence of Quebec, the mainstream lines that come as far as Quebec City or Montreal, the "tourist boats" that travel Montreal to Charlevoix with accommodations ashore. The "steamer / paddle boat" that passes thru thru the 1000 islands annually, and there was a small cruiser that was operating in the Great Lakes... But I think they went bankrupt (poorly managed). It would be nice if there was one Co that had their act together and did the whole route.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[JanineM]

I voted NO based on the exact wording of the question.

 

If the question had asked if I would support Celebrity moving a ship to Texas IF ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, I would have voted Yes.

[Sloop-JohnB]

I voted NO based on the exact wording of the question.

 

If the question had asked if I would support Celebrity moving a ship to Texas IF ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, I would have voted Yes.

 

Lol, with such attention to detail... guessing you might be a shareholder ?

 

Cheers!

[JanineM]

Lol, with such attention to detail... guessing you might be a shareholder ?

 

Cheers!

 

Guilty!

 

But even if I wasn't, it's simple economics. No company can stay in business if they operate at a deficit. It's not like Celebrity is the government and can just print money whenever they have a shortfall (only PARTIALLY said in jest). ;)

[Sloop-JohnB]

Guilty!

 

But even if I wasn't, it's simple economics. No company can stay in business if they operate at a deficit. It's not like Celebrity is the government and can just print money whenever they have a shortfall (only PARTIALLY said in jest). ;)

 

Ya we agree 100% on that fact (see my Reply # 9)

 

And I am not a shareholder...

 

Still kicking my butt on not buying after my first Celebrity Cruise in 2012, when Stock was a mere $ 27.18 vs today at $ 67.20, a $ 40 growth (about 250%) in under 3 years.

 

People can say what they want... But RCCL / Celebrity is doing something right.

 

Cheers!

[TLCOhio]

Just grease the sides of the ship , they will slide though :p

 

Not enough "grease" in all of the world to make it work that way. BUT, great thought, hope and idea!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 157,485 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[A Sixth?]

Wish the poll included other ports that "X" may consider... not just Texas

[TLCOhio]

Most notably Europeans & Asians... And people like me who would love to see all of this very familiar & dominant NA feature from the water vs the shore. But, TLCOHIO makes some great points. Us NA's are in love with our cars, and getting around the Great Lakes for the most part by car is not that difficult.

 

Appreciate the great, additional details, comments and thoughts from super smart Sloop-JohnB.

 

This includes: "Celebrity may be a major player in the mainstream cruise biz, but one of the smallest when it comes to the total number of ships." Every time I read one of your posts, it is wonderful learning experience that pushes the brain to think more and be better.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 76,804 views for this fun posting.

[richstowe]

Wish the poll included other ports that "X" may consider... not just Texas

Yes and I think we can agree where although I'd also consider Quebec city .;)

[A Sixth?]

Yes and I think we can agree where although I'd also consider Quebec city .;)

 

But only when Quebec gets paved roads and electricity. :p:rolleyes:

[Algebralovr]

I'm curious, would it make sense for some of the Panama Canal cruises to go from Galveston to San Diego rather than Miami to San Diego? If course, that wouldn't offer the OP and others from Texas what they really want.

 

For me, it is a really long drive to get to Galveston, long enough I might as well fly. If I'm flying in the winter, I want to get as far south as I can to the warm weather. Would South Texas be as warm as Miami?

[cruise kitty]

Unless they somehow dug a canal from Austin to the gulf, I would have no desire to cruise out of Texas. :)

 

Wish the poll had other options, I would love to see Celebrity keep a ship in Europe year round & offer us West Coasters some more options.

Edited September 14, 2014 by cruise kitty

[Sloop-JohnB]

For me, it is a really long drive to get to Galveston, long enough I might as well fly. If I'm flying in the winter, I want to get as far south as I can to the warm weather. Would South Texas be as warm as Miami?

 

Me too !!

 

As for weather...

 

Florida is warmer.

 

Comparing Cruise Ports:

 

Galveston is at Latitude 29.16.52 (similar to St Augustine at 29.53.41) and both cities have seen very cold temps and even snow. The annual average high and low temps for January in Galveston are 62 F and 49 F respectively.

 

Fort Lauderdale & Miami on the other hand is at Latitude 26.8 and 25.47.16 respectively. And freezing cold is extremely rare here, and snow almost unheard of (last snow happen in 1977). The annual average high and low temps for January in Miami are 76 F and 60 F respectively.

 

Currently there is no Cruise Port in Corpus Christi (Latitude 27.44.34) but there has been talk. Weather is a bit better than points further north in Texas at 67 F and 47 F as the average highs & lows for January... But still no where as great as Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

 

Makes sense... Then WHY Florida continues to be Snowbird State of choice.

 

* Weather Stats from The Weather Channel Historical Data

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

[cruisead]

There used to be a big cruise ship that sailed the Great Lakes every summer. It was the Columbus, marketed to Germans. We were in Milwaukee for their Summerfest, and the ship was docked on the lake. So, big cruise ships can handle the Great Lakes.