New cruise ship terminal in Galveston could take city 'from fourth to third in U.S. in passengers, revenue'

Groundbreaking for a new cruise terminal in the Texas Port of Galveston took place on Aug. 14, and state officials said the expansion would make the city more of a major cruising destination.

A Houston Business Journal report said the cruise line Royal Caribbean originally planned to construct a 150,000-square-foot terminal, but has upped those plans to a 170,000-square-foot facility. The project will cost an estimated $110 million and appears on an artist rendering of the project to be a giant circular structure colored blue, fronting the water and directly behind where passengers will board or disembark from ships.

"This morning I had the honor of taking part in Port Galveston’s groundbreaking of the new cruise terminal,” U.S. Congressman Randy Weber (R-Friendswood) said in a post on Facebook. “With this new cruise terminal, we hope to take Galveston from fourth to third in the U.S. in passengers and revenue and make TX-14 one of the most advantageous congressional districts to invest in."

The new terminal will open on Sept. 1, 2022 at Galveston’s Pier 10.

A Cruise Industry News report said officials of the Port of Galveston had partnered with Royal Caribbean to study the feasibility of providing shore-and-dock power to the cruise line’s ships. The upgrades will allow the port to handle and service “Oasis Class” ships sailing from Texas, defined by Wikipedia as the world’s largest cruise ships, those able to handle 5,400 passengers with double occupancy.

A report on the Royal Caribbean website said the construction of the terminal was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and went forward on its 10-acre site in April of 2021. The report added the project will install state-of-the-art technology such as mobile check-in and facial recognition to speed guest arrivals, while also achieving upgraded environmental and energy standards.

Another cruise line that operates large passenger ships that is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean, Allure of the Seas, will also use the new terminal later in 2022, the report added.