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

[Snoozeman]

Hi Ray! I've been reading your blog. I see you and your wife did a transatlantic. Wasn't it great!!! Bill and I have done four now, and we love going to Europe! Maybe we'll see you two on one one of these days.:)

 

Mary from Bastrop

 

Thanks!--We just booked the Mariner of the Seas TA from Rome to Galveston. (Tired of waiting for the Magic to get it theirs posted.)

[browneyes7]

Thanks!--We just booked the Mariner of the Seas TA from Rome to Galveston. (Tired of waiting for the Magic to get it theirs posted.)

 

We might be booking that one, too. We are thinking about doing a Middle East cruise on the Norwegian Jade (Rome to Rome) and then boarding the Mariner for the transatlantic home (Oct. 26, 2011). I'll let you know if we book it. :)

[txskier]

Snoozeman, our best bet for another ship sailing out of Houston will have to be BCL (Bubba Cruise Line).

[ssb]

http://www.galvnews.com/story/158978

[waiting4acruise]

It looks like the Bayport terminal missed out with Princess.

[Snoozeman]

Princess was always going to be a Galveston deal because of the Carnival connection.

 

There are still DCL rumors out there for Bayport.

[crazy4themouse]

There are still DCL rumors out there for Bayport.

 

 

Every time I read about that rumor, my heart stops a little bit... Maybe one day it will become reality!! :D

[cruisin'tex]

We recently heard that Houston is spending millions on constructing a new "state of the art" cruiship terminal.

 

I was wondering if anyone knows if they have entered into discussions with any of the major cruise lines to locate ships there, and what date they hope to have the new terminal open by?

 

I guess they are hoping to lure some cruise dollars away from sister city Galveston...which seems to have a pretty old cruise ship terminal?

 

Cruise terminal is there, just not being utilized by cruise ships.

[jewopaho]

It seems as if ever since the Princess announcement about coming back to Galveston, the false hope of a Bayport-homeported ship emerges daily. Sorry ... it's not goj g to happen. Here's the latest thread ...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1337817

 

With everything pretty well set through 2013, it just ain't gonna happen. The reasons are enumerated in the thread. I do a bit of networking, and come across POH employees pretty regularly. They're now exploring "alternative" uses for the building. The consensus is that it was added as an incentive for taxpayers to pass a huge bond issue several years ago. Nobody had any realistic expectations about a cruise ship. Who builds a brand-new facility with a capacity of one ship??? Did they watch Field of Dreams while under the influence????

[Snoozeman]

Looks like Galveston won again--

 

Beginning Sept. 22, 2012, the "Disney Magic" cruise ship will offer 12 seven-night cruises from the Port of Galveston to the Western Caribbean. Ports of call include: Grand Cayman, Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel.

[jewopaho]

If the Bayport terminal's coffin wasn't nailed shut before, it is now! That's four (count 'em, four!) cruise lines sailing out of Galveston during the 2012-2013 season. It makes absolutely no sense to take a shot at berthing a ship in a port wth so many issues (real, imagined or potential) when there's an active (and proven) terminal in the same vicinity.

[Capt. Mike]

I know the POH would like to have a cruise ship but they have been using the dock as a lay berth for vessels needing repairs. I would guess the berth rentals are helping the bottom line.

[jewopaho]

I know the POH would like to have a cruise ship but they have been using the dock as a lay berth for vessels needing repairs. I would guess the berth rentals are helping the bottom line.

I run into POH employees now and then at networking functions. Candidly and unofficialy, they all tell me that they gave up on landing a cruise ship quite some time ago, and have been researching "alternative" uses for the venue. It would appear that some sort of repair facility makes sense ... a cruise ship terminal certainly does not.

[yst347]

The local ABC TV affiliate in Houston is running a series on Bayport. The first part aired last night.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/13_undercover&id=8110233

[CGBCruiser]

I saw the report last night on Channel 13 in Houston. Sounds like they have totally given up trying to get a ship there. When they aired the pictures of the surrounding area, it looked terrible. I think that the taxpayers really did get a raw deal on this.

[jewopaho]

I saw the report last night on Channel 13 in Houston. Sounds like they have totally given up trying to get a ship there. When they aired the pictures of the surrounding area, it looked terrible. I think that the taxpayers really did get a raw deal on this.

Yes .... and yes! With five ships representing four cruise lines in place down the road, there isn't a chance in the world that any line would consider sailing out of Bayport.

 

There's no question in my mind that the terminal was a throw-in to placate taxpayers when considering approval of that huge bond issue for the Port of Houston. As bad as the area looks, consider the fact that it's a two-hour navigation to (and from) the Gulf of Mexico ... two hours each way with casinos and shops closed, not to mention the traffic through the Ship Channel. It makes absolutely no sense!