Houston building a "state of the art" cruise terminal?? (Merged threads)

[yst347]

8 Hours from New Orleans?!?! Yikes! That's a looong time!

 

Cruising down a river is a unique experience, one well worth doing.

 

 

 

Can't the ship speed up, or go faster to get into a port on time?

 

Ship schedules account for time required to make the next port. Adding extra time from Bayport only increases the geographical challenges cruise lines face from the upper Gulf coast. The Barbour's cut facility NCL used to use is an hour farther up Galveston Bay. They were still able to offer a seven day itinerary which included stops in Cancun, Roatan and Belize. How refreshing that itinerary would be after years of MoBay, GC and Coz. :)

[Texas Teen]

Ship schedules account for time required to make the next port. Adding extra time from Bayport only increases the geographical challenges cruise lines face from the upper Gulf coast. The Barbour's cut facility NCL used to use is an hour farther up Galveston Bay. They were still able to offer a seven day itinerary which included stops in Cancun, Roatan and Belize. How refreshing that itinerary would be after years of MoBay, GC and Coz. :)

 

A seven night western Caribbean cruise from Texas that dosn't stop at Cozumel?!?! What year was this done? I've never heard of a cruise like that, until the Carnival Conquest started doing a few Bahamas cruises!

[*Mach*]

Question for Host Mach!

 

We live in Galveston and don't hear alot about it directly.

Are you hearing what I do hear about continuing improvements in docks here,

and in transportation Houston to Galveston and then Galveston back to Houston.

 

Or not?????

 

You should are closer to that than me.

 

 

Ummm... I 'hear' a lot of stuff... most I discount, some I fell is pretty accurate.

I KNOW that Carnival has spent quite a bit of money on the facility in Galveston since Ike and I also know that they intend to spend about another three million dollars improving the facility.

I KNOW that they are encouraging folks to develop transportation alternatives from both airports to Galveston.

I also KNOW that Carnival is absolutely committed to Galveston. I've talked with a few people at Carnival who repeatedly hint at a third ship.

Bottom line... everything I know to be the case is good news for Galveston.

:)

[Galveston Cruiser]

Bottom line... everything I know to be the case is good news for Galveston.

Host Mach

 

Thanks!

 

That sounds great for the area and Galveston!

 

Hope a third ship will do more Carribean Eastern and Southern Cruises.

 

Also longer cruises.

 

Now, if transportation will continue to improve.

[frankief]

The multimillion $ bayport terminal collects cobwebs and awaits the next hurricane to topple the Galveston terminal like it did with hurricane Ike. (One day, MAYBE, there will be enough cruises out of this area to necessitate two terminals. Cmon, Princess, HAL, NCL, and others!!!)

[Galveston Cruiser]

(One day, MAYBE, there will be enough cruises out of this area to necessitate two terminals. Cmon, Princess, HAL, NCL, and others!!!)

 

Even MSC !!!!

 

 

Cmom.......Yes Yes Yes !!! :D

[DannyMac]

Maybe you folks are communicating on the wrong venue, how about someone going to County Commissioner's Court and calling them out on the subject. Maybe Wayne Delchafino on CH. 13 should be given a call about this boondoggle. Just my 2 cents.

 

There are lots of maybe's, but unless the voters put pressure on the politicians nothing will happen.

[Snoozeman]

With half the population of California moving here I bet CCL & RCI wish they hadn't been to quick to move those big ships to the west coast.:rolleyes:

[Debe7ing]

I just don't understand it....really I do not.

 

Heck,even when you look at the "last minute sailings" of those due to sail within 90 days or less the sailings out of Galveston for 7 days are selling for more $$$ than FL and CA and other ports.

 

I sure wish someone could explain WHY they would not move more ships to a location that sales full and they have to discount the sailings LESS than other locations to do so and they still refuse to port there...

[karenh1127]

I just don't understand it....really I do not.

 

Heck,even when you look at the "last minute sailings" of those due to sail within 90 days or less the sailings out of Galveston for 7 days are selling for more $$$ than FL and CA and other ports.

 

I sure wish someone could explain WHY they would not move more ships to a location that sales full and they have to discount the sailings LESS than other locations to do so and they still refuse to port there...

 

 

Ditto! I want to know that too! I see alot of cheap cruises ($199-299) all out of miami, san diego. I know too that the 2 ships sailing out of Galveston continues to sail full not matter what time of the year. I would be willing to pay for a 3 day cruise to nowhere. Why is Galveston not as popular a port as miami, tampa, or California???

[Texas Teen]

I just don't understand it....really I do not.

 

Heck,even when you look at the "last minute sailings" of those due to sail within 90 days or less the sailings out of Galveston for 7 days are selling for more $$$ than FL and CA and other ports.

 

I sure wish someone could explain WHY they would not move more ships to a location that sales full and they have to discount the sailings LESS than other locations to do so and they still refuse to port there...

 

I understand exactly how you feel!!! Texas has a larger population than Florida, yet, Florida gets A LOT more ships!

 

Ditto! I want to know that too! I see alot of cheap cruises ($199-299) all out of miami, san diego. I know too that the 2 ships sailing out of Galveston continues to sail full not matter what time of the year. I would be willing to pay for a 3 day cruise to nowhere. Why is Galveston not as popular a port as miami, tampa, or California???

 

I don't get why Carnival is the only cruiseline from Texas year-round. And is any cruise line ever going to use Bayport?!?!

[texreno]

When you find out why, can you explain it to us?

[Galveston Cruiser]

More ships mean more available cabins,

and there must not be the demand for them.

Supply versus demand!

 

 

Economy

[yst347]

With half the population of California moving here I bet CCL & RCI wish they hadn't been to quick to move those big ships to the west coast.:rolleyes:

 

How can you include CCL in this? The most berths CCL has offered from Galveston is the current configuration of Conquest and Ecstasy. I agree with you on RCI, they have reduced berths since sending Rhapsody to Asia. But the seasonal ship servicing Galveston now is the largest ship ever to sail from Texas. :confused:

[Snoozeman]

How can you include CCL in this? The most berths CCL has offered from Galveston is the current configuration of Conquest and Ecstasy. I agree with you on RCI, they have reduced berths since sending Rhapsody to Asia. But the seasonal ship servicing Galveston now is the largest ship ever to sail from Texas. :confused:

 

The point is: There's too many berths in California and not enough in Galveston. And people in Texas are cruising, People in CA, not so much. They should have sent the newer ships to Galveston and not LA.

 

I am going to LA next week to sail the Mariner, cheap.

[lovetexas]

Hey- have a great cruise... and please make note of what activities are around the harbor that we are missing!! he-he

 

I agree - Texas is not a far drive from several states!! We would keep the ships full!!

 

Maybe we need to start writing letters to our congresspeople and try to get them motivated to help.

 

Maybe Texas is not offering the right incentives??:cool:

[Galveston Cruiser]

There is a rumor on another message board about Tillman Fetitta

wanting to buy the Texas City Dyke.

Anybody know anything????

[karenh1127]

I saw on the news that Tillman also owns the Flagship Hotel in Galveston and was said to want to turn it into a boardwalk type attraction. That was several years ago and it still sits torn up from Ike...:confused:

[Host Kat]

I saw on the news that Tillman also owns the Flagship Hotel in Galveston and was said to want to turn it into a boardwalk type attraction. That was several years ago and it still sits torn up from Ike...:confused:

If you are interested, click here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=775632 for a previous thread titled Flagship Hotel in Galveston (MERGED THREADS). You will find lots of info there about the sad state of affairs concerning the Flagship.

Kat

[Galveston Cruiser]

If you are interested' date=' click here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=775632 for a previous thread titled Flagship Hotel in Galveston (MERGED THREADS). You will find lots of info there about the sad state of affairs concerning the Flagship.

Kat

 

 

I understand!

It will sit vacant and run down untill the lease expires

or leasor and leasee resolve lease issue.

 

I believe Tillman will go forward with some kind of plans on Flagship

and properties he also owns accross the street.

He will sell, tear down or do development when he gets

100% control of Flagship property and old leasee goes away.

[DannyMac]

It was reported in the Houston Chronicle 6/27/09 the Flagship Hotel will be torn down. The process will start near the end of summer.

 

 

During our Alaskan cruise 6/7/09 on the Star Princess, I spoke with the "future cruise" director about Princess returning to the Houston area, he commented that based on conversations concerning future cruise planning, Princess will not return to this area any time soon. He did not elaborate on a reason why.

[Galveston Cruiser]

It was reported in the Houston Chronicle 6/27/09 the Flagship Hotel will be torn down. The process will start near the end of summer.

 

 

During our Alaskan cruise 6/7/09 on the Star Princess, I spoke with the "future cruise" director about Princess returning to the Houston area, he commented that based on conversations concerning future cruise planning, Princess will not return to this area any time soon. He did not elaborate on a reason why.

 

:D

 

Many Galveston landmarks to be rebuilt

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6500746.html

 

and

The piers and their plan

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6500121.html

[Snoozeman]

Thanks.

 

Too bad about the Balinese.

 

I think Landry's will do something much better with that location than the Flagship anyway.

[Jim Duffer]

Frankly, I have grown tired of sailing to the same old ports out of Galveston for the past several years. What more can you see in Cozumel,Grand Cayman, Jamaica,Honduras,etc. Just returned from an Alaskan trip out of Seattle to get away from this oppressive heat. Doesn't appear that the CEOs of the cruise lines consider Galveston or Houston Texas to be a prime ports of departure. I plan on alternate vacations after over 40 cruises.

[bobcatcruiser1331]

I was just on the Freedom of the Seas last month and when we were booking another cruise we asked the lady why there was not a Royal Caribbean ship year round and she said that they could not fill it up in the summer months but had no problem in the winter, that is why they switched to only seasonal cruises from Galveston. I think now that the economy is the way it is and people dont want to spend a ton of money on airfare flying to Europe or from Cali to Florida or something like that, they would have no problem filling a ship the size of Rhapsody in the summer now.