Princess and NCL Leaving Houston

It was probably just a matter of time, but the Bayport cruise terminal will once again become vacant. Both cruise lines will cease operations there after the upcoming Caribbean season. It took a bunch of incentives, including waiver of docking fees, and payment to Princess and NCL of about $80,000 per sailing, just to get them to give Houston a shot. But with so many obstacles (a long and winding route to the Gulf through the Ship Channel ... no casinos, no shopping, no bars), a terrible location (absolutely nothing to do in the area), capacity of one ship, the inconvenience of the trek from both airports ... it was doomed to failure, especially with Galveston being so close, and thriving with two cruise lines sailing year-round. Construction of the terminal was a political boondoggle from the beginning, and the taxpayers are once again stuck with the tab.

thanks for info, never liked sailing from there for the reasons you listed, wonder if they will move to Galveston, Princess used to sail from there. Just happy RCCL is there year round.

True that there isn't much to do in the area, and few close hotels. Getting there from the airports isn't difficult, just expensive. It's that way for Galveston too.

I'd love to hear from the cruise lines about the distance to the gulf. If the average week long cruise leaves and returns on time, the cruise is roughly 158 hours. Does the two and a half hours each way really impact their bottom line that much?

I can see the fog being an issue. This past year was worse than usual. It's easier to get in and out of Galveston in heavy fog than Bayport.

I think one of the problems might be that the cruise lines don't want to port in an area where there aren't a lot of hotels and restaurants, and these same businesses don't want to build in the area until they can be sure the cruise lines are staying. If there were half a dozen hotels within a mile of the port, all running shuttles to the Boardwalk, NASA, etc, things might be different.

thanks for info, never liked sailing from there for the reasons you listed, wonder if they will move to Galveston, Princess used to sail from there. Just happy RCCL is there year round.

Maybe once they get the third terminal built, Galveston may be able to attract a third cruise line to put a ship there.

It's all about following the money. Right now, the hot markets are in Asia and Australia. Princess is playing musical cruise ships, moving just about every ship to new home ports. The Carribean Princess will replace another in Fort Lauderdale. I'm not all that certain about NCL, but they've been active in foreign markets as well. Bottom line: if they can't make money paying absolutely nothing to dock, as well as collecting $80,000 per sailing, there's little hope for any cruise line returning.

At least Galveston sort of justifies the long transfer from the airport with plenty of hotels and activities. Hopefully as Galveston continues to improve the terminal they can attract a 3rd line.

With the clientele in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin I'd like to see Celebrity bring a ship for the winter, especially a S-Class, but there's no real motivation to move them cause they sail pretty full from where ever they are home ported.

I'd love to hear from the cruise lines about the distance to the gulf. If the average week long cruise leaves and returns on time, the cruise is roughly 158 hours. Does the two and a half hours each way really impact their bottom line that much?

Why would the 2 1/2 hour negatively affect the cruise lines, but the 6-8 hour trip down the Mississippi River out of NOLA not negatively affect them? Just curious...

Maybe once they get the third terminal built, Galveston may be able to attract a third cruise line to put a ship there.

Present lines and ships :

RCCL 1 - and bigger Liberty ship coming

Carnival 3 ships - and bigger ones coming

Coming line and ship:

Disney 1

Presently 2 terminals- #2 being improved

Coming - One more

Photo of probable location of terminal #3

Why would the 2 1/2 hour negatively affect the cruise lines, but the 6-8 hour trip down the Mississippi River out of NOLA not negatively affect them? Just curious...

I've heard that the casinos on ships out of NO can open right away because gambling is legal in Louisiana. Also, because of the weird liquor laws in Texas, people can't get the particular brand of booze that they like in their Lucky Bon Voyage drink to help ward off icebergs and other nasty things because, you know, waiting two and a half hours to get that glass of Wild Giraffe Banana Wine is the worst thing imaginable ;)

FYI - Below is a link to a post that I wrote in the "Princess" Board that tried to clarify several misconceptions about the two Houston area cruise terminals.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47382701&postcount=36

FYI - Below is a link to a post that I wrote in the "Princess" Board that tried to clarify several misconceptions about the two Houston area cruise terminals.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47382701&postcount=36

Good post. I went over there and read that thread. Like so many I've seen the past two days, here and on other sites, it's the same BS. The hardcore gamblers and drunks seem to think that because they didn't have a good time then no one should be allowed to sail out of Houston. Not only should the port be closed, but it should be burned to the ground and the ashes sanctified with Grey Goose and poker chips.

If that five hours coming and going up the ship channel bothers them because they can't start losing money or getting plastered on their favorite brand as soon as the ship sails, then they have bigger problems than just a cruise port.

Good post. I went over there and read that thread. Like so many I've seen the past two days, here and on other sites, it's the same BS. The hardcore gamblers and drunks seem to think that because they didn't have a good time then no one should be allowed to sail out of Houston. Not only should the port be closed, but it should be burned to the ground and the ashes sanctified with Grey Goose and poker chips.

 

If that five hours coming and going up the ship channel bothers them because they can't start losing money or getting plastered on their favorite brand as soon as the ship sails, then they have bigger problems than just a cruise port.

Good post also!!

If that's the case , there is certainly more to cruising and real life experiences. :)

Good post. I went over there and read that thread. Like so many I've seen the past two days, here and on other sites, it's the same BS. The hardcore gamblers and drunks seem to think that because they didn't have a good time then no one should be allowed to sail out of Houston. Not only should the port be closed, but it should be burned to the ground and the ashes sanctified with Grey Goose and poker chips.

 

If that five hours coming and going up the ship channel bothers them because they can't start losing money or getting plastered on their favorite brand as soon as the ship sails, then they have bigger problems than just a cruise port.

"Like!" :D

good post. I went over there and read that thread. Like so many i've seen the past two days, here and on other sites, it's the same bs. The hardcore gamblers and drunks seem to think that because they didn't have a good time then no one should be allowed to sail out of houston. Not only should the port be closed, but it should be burned to the ground and the ashes sanctified with grey goose and poker chips.

 

If that five hours coming and going up the ship channel bothers them because they can't start losing money or getting plastered on their favorite brand as soon as the ship sails, then they have bigger problems than just a cruise port.

So true!

FWIW with as much as there is to do in Houston, I don't see why the argument of "not really anything close to the port" matters as Houston is a great city with a myriad of things to do/stay.

The amount of loot that both NCL and PCL rec'd to move ships there and then per sailing is staggering! Now that they're leaving the port, the $ given should be considered grand theft w warrants issued for the arrest of everyone on their board!

The greatest threat to the world is no some terrorist in a cave, it is a bunch of rich guys in suits scheming ways to get even richer at the expense of everyone else.

The greatest threat to the world is no some terrorist in a cave, it is a bunch of rich guys in suits scheming ways to get even richer at the expense of everyone else.

The victims of 9/11 will be glad to hear it...

FWIW with as much as there is to do in Houston, I don't see why the argument of "not really anything close to the port" matters as Houston is a great city with a myriad of things to do/stay.

 

The amount of loot that both NCL and PCL rec'd to move ships there and then per sailing is staggering! Now that they're leaving the port, the $ given should be considered grand theft w warrants issued for the arrest of everyone on their board!

 

The greatest threat to the world is no some terrorist in a cave, it is a bunch of rich guys in suits scheming ways to get even richer at the expense of everyone else.

You're right, Houston has many great and interesting things to do. I split my time between Spring and Galveston myself. But when I cruise out of Galveston, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Seattle I can stay the night before at a nice hotel within 10-15 minutes of the port and there is usually attractions within walking distance. Houston does not offer this and a car is really a requirement for seeing anything. Sailing out of Bayport is like sailing out of Whittier Alaska, but unlike Whittier I have many choices for a Caribbean cruise.

FWIW with as much as there is to do in Houston, I don't see why the argument of "not really anything close to the port" matters as Houston is a great city with a myriad of things to do/stay.

 

The amount of loot that both NCL and PCL rec'd to move ships there and then per sailing is staggering! Now that they're leaving the port, the $ given should be considered grand theft w warrants issued for the arrest of everyone on their board!

 

The greatest threat to the world is no some terrorist in a cave, it is a bunch of rich guys in suits scheming ways to get even richer at the expense of everyone else.

Yeah, except: Houston built a port several years ago that no one wanted. When Katrina shut down NO some moved there until NO was fixed. The cruise terminal then sat empty for several years. Because it was a boondoggle, Houston started recruiting cruise lines to come use the port hoping to build a large client base. No one was interested until Houston offered to subsidize the cruises on a two year trial basis with the cruise lines having the option to extend if business warranted it. The business never came to the degree that the cruise lines needed and with Asia becoming hot, that signaled the end for the Bayport cruise terminal. The cruise lines owe Houston nothing, they fulfilled their obligations. If customers had supported the port, it would continue to operate. And I sure hope you don't really believe that the wealthy are worse than the 9/11 terrorists!!! That is very, very sad!!

Yeah, except: Houston built a port several years ago that no one wanted. When Katrina shut down NO some moved there until NO was fixed. The cruise terminal then sat empty for several years. Because it was a boondoggle, Houston started recruiting cruise lines to come use the port hoping to build a large client base. No one was interested until Houston offered to subsidize the cruises on a two year trial basis with the cruise lines having the option to extend if business warranted it. The business never came to the degree that the cruise lines needed and with Asia becoming hot, that signaled the end for the Bayport cruise terminal. The cruise lines owe Houston nothing, they fulfilled their obligations. If customers had supported the port, it would continue to operate.

Correct and well-stated.

Yet all this aside, the Texas Gulf Coast is a minor (albeit highly profitable) venue, offering rather mundane itineraries, with two cruise lines sailing year-round. Passengers have their choice of four-, five- and seven-night cruises, and parking is both abundant and reasonable. The vast majority of folks drive to the port, as flying to Florida is generally less expensive and convenient to the airports, as well as affording cruisers far more itinerary options. With a significantly smaller passenger base, all that Princess and NCL accomplished was to over-saturate the market. There was no way that the Galveston-Houston area could support so many ships sailing to the same places for any length of time. As I noted in a previous post, Bayport was doomed from the outset.

This is a big disappointment for us. We have two Bayport cruises with Princess (and more reserved). Both affected by fog and the mean north wind the makes it difficult to maneuver to and from the dock. On our last cruise one of the tugboats almost ran aground pulling the Emerald Princess from the dock! I don't know how PrincessAir does change fees, but it must cost Princess a fortune to re ticket large numbers of people.

Well, Princess is not only leaving Houston, but they are also leaving Texas. Their last season will be Spring 2016. They will probably be back in five or so.

I consider myself on of the lucky ones. I have sailed 4 times out of Galveston/Houston area. Twice in March, once in April, and once in May. We have never experienced any issues with fog. The one in May we did have a severe storm driving to Houston. We had to slow down to 25 mph on I-10 and eventually pull of the highway and park it due to poor visibility.

Our cruise this March, the port of Houston had fog on Saturday but it was clear by the time we sailed in on Sunday. Will our luck still stand for next year's cruise? :eek:

Well, Princess is not only leaving Houston, but they are also leaving Texas. Their last season will be Spring 2016. They will probably be back in five or so.

 

I consider myself on of the lucky ones. I have sailed 4 times out of Galveston/Houston area. Twice in March, once in April, and once in May. We have never experienced any issues with fog. The one in May we did have a severe storm driving to Houston. We had to slow down to 25 mph on I-10 and eventually pull of the highway and park it due to poor visibility.

 

Our cruise this March, the port of Houston had fog on Saturday but it was clear by the time we sailed in on Sunday. Will our luck still stand for next year's cruise? :eek:

REALLY sorry to hear the port at Houston will no longer be served. Yes, because we live in San Antonio, it is closer and easier for us driving to port, GREAT parking never a problem there, HUGE facility that helped us board the ship every time in a VERY timely manner, BUT most importantly, as a Hurricane Ike cruiser survivor, it was something we always thought a great fall back. We were onboard the Conquest out of Galveston when Ike hit....we were stuck out at sea (and I know that is hard to imagine, getting extra sailing days for "free" but trust me, NO one was enjoying the time due to concerns/loss of property/unknown) because the port at Galveston was destroyed. There were rumors abounding onboard...wanted to take us into Mobile, but the ship was too big. Wanted to take us into some port in FL, but ship was taller than the "rainbow bridge", looked like Ft Lauderdale or Miami was our only option, but finally the storm surge lowered enough they could take us into New Orleans.

After that I felt a LOT of comfort knowing that IF there was a storm that too out Galveston again (and lets face it folks, living on the coast means that is a CONSTANT threat!) we could recover in Houston port vs somewhere on the eastern seaboard.

Will it stop us from cruising, NO!!!!! But I prefer Houston over Galveston for LOTS of reasons and am truly sorry to see them leave.....

REALLY sorry to hear the port at Houston will no longer be served. Yes, because we live in San Antonio, it is closer and easier for us driving to port, GREAT parking never a problem there, HUGE facility that helped us board the ship every time in a VERY timely manner, BUT most importantly, as a Hurricane Ike cruiser survivor, it was something we always thought a great fall back. We were onboard the Conquest out of Galveston when Ike hit....we were stuck out at sea (and I know that is hard to imagine, getting extra sailing days for "free" but trust me, NO one was enjoying the time due to concerns/loss of property/unknown) because the port at Galveston was destroyed. There were rumors abounding onboard...wanted to take us into Mobile, but the ship was too big. Wanted to take us into some port in FL, but ship was taller than the "rainbow bridge", looked like Ft Lauderdale or Miami was our only option, but finally the storm surge lowered enough they could take us into New Orleans.

 

After that I felt a LOT of comfort knowing that IF there was a storm that too out Galveston again (and lets face it folks, living on the coast means that is a CONSTANT threat!) we could recover in Houston port vs somewhere on the eastern seaboard.

 

Will it stop us from cruising, NO!!!!! But I prefer Houston over Galveston for LOTS of reasons and am truly sorry to see them leave.....

Agreed. I was initially hesitant about the parking at Bayport with two cruise ships operating there. We had no problem at all. Also, the complaint that it is very difficult to get to the port. Well, the area may not be as pretty as Galveston, but it is pretty easy to get there.