Cruise port in Corpus Christi, Texas????

I grew up in South Texas and return to visit relatives on a regular basis. On my last visit, I was told that Corpus is trying to get a cruise port there. Has anyone heard anything about this? I know it has been talked about before. I was just wondering if there was anyone who knows anything about this.:)

I grew up in South Texas and return to visit relatives on a regular basis. On my last visit, I was told that Corpus is trying to get a cruise port there. Has anyone heard anything about this? I know it has been talked about before. I was just wondering if there was anyone who knows anything about this.:)

Not Corpus but they were saying same about Brownsville 6 months ago.

And a new resort like Cancun at La Pesca at mouth of Soto La Marina in Mexico!

I doubt the crime scene it will come about though.

Not Corpus but they were saying same about Brownsville 6 months ago.

 

And a new resort like Cancun at La Pesca at mouth of Soto La Marina in Mexico!

I doubt the crime scene it will come about though.

I'd even be happy with one in Brownsville. I really think we need more cruise ports in Texas. Oh well........I can dream!:)

Houston built a state-of-the-art cruise terminal. How many ships are using it? Zip, zilch, nada!:D If the cruise lines don't think Houston (with 2 airports) is viable, why would they think Corpus or, god forbid, Brownsville would be viable??:eek:

Houston built a state-of-the-art cruise terminal. How many ships are using it? Zip, zilch, nada!:D If the cruise lines don't think Houston (with 2 airports) is viable, why would they think Corpus or, god forbid, Brownsville would be viable??:eek:

I bet the port authority in Houston curses that white elephant everyday when they are looking for places to stack containers. They'd probably bulldoze it in a heartbeat if they thought for a minute that they could get away with it.

The reason why the one in Houston hasn't gotten any bites is because they only have ONE terminal... and yes it is state-of-the-art. However, the gulf-coast hasn't been extremely attractive to all of the cruise lines... why? your guess is as good as mine. New Orleans is just now starting to pick up its post-katrina expectations with NCL and Carnival. To add to this mix, in order to get to the houston port, you pass RIGHT by Galveston's port.. and Galveston is already very established in the cruising world. So why would a cruiseline compete with itself that close to a port which it already uses and would have to travel further to get to? Just a few things to think about.

The advantage to using Houston is to the cruiser - shorter distance (less $$$) to get from either airport to the terminal - but the disadvantage is to the cruise lines - going past Galveston to get to Houston (more $$$). And who really looses - the taxpayers of Harris County who are backing the bonds that built the ultimate white elephant!:eek:

I've cruised out of the "White Elephand", and it is a really nice cruise terminal. It is really a shame that Houston can't find at least ONE cruiseline that will use it! :(

I've cruised out of the "White Elephand", and it is a really nice cruise terminal. It is really a shame that Houston can't find at least ONE cruiseline that will use it! :(

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Channel at port in Galveston

is presently being widen 300ft and deepen 5ft :D

Hasn't anyone who is planning to build another cruise terminal here in Texas learned from Bayport??? I seriously doubt any cruise line would go to Corpus Christi... unless a hurricane damaged both the Bayport and the Galveston terminals!

I grew up in South Texas and return to visit relatives on a regular basis. On my last visit, I was told that Corpus is trying to get a cruise port there. Has anyone heard anything about this? I know it has been talked about before. I was just wondering if there was anyone who knows anything about this.:)

I live just north of CC and there have been townhall meetings with Rep. Todd Hunter, who is the one that is trying to get the ball rolling on this...and the townhall meetings were very heavily attended and there are a lot of people on board to help see this happen...so keep your fingers crossed...this is absolutely the first time there has been this much interest in it and now the next step is the proposals and Rep. Hunter has a very positive outlook about it!!!!

Houston built a state-of-the-art cruise terminal. How many ships are using it? Zip, zilch, nada!:D If the cruise lines don't think Houston (with 2 airports) is viable, why would they think Corpus or, god forbid, Brownsville would be viable??:eek:

I am not sure why CC and Brownsville seem to be a bad thing to you but I can easily see where Corpus or Brownsville could be a better option...first of all the ships have an easier access to the Gulf than Houston...and both cities are on the coast and offer more of a pre-cruise or post-cruise vacation type options..Houston is just a over populated city with no real options for pre and post cruise vacations.

Hasn't anyone who is planning to build another cruise terminal here in Texas learned from Bayport??? I seriously doubt any cruise line would go to Corpus Christi... unless a hurricane damaged both the Bayport and the Galveston terminals!

Again...why all the negativity about Corpus christi having a cruise terminal? Corpus is a beautiful coastal city and already has a building at the port that now serves the public as a sort of pavillion/civic center and when it was built it was built so that it may be used as a cruise terminal in the future with a little bit of enlarging and design.....so we are not out of the realm of possibility for cruise lines to think about...especially if it comes down to trying to get more passengers from deep South Texas and even West Texas.....

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I am not sure why CC and Brownsville seem to be a bad thing to you but I can easily see where Corpus or Brownsville could be a better option...first of all the ships have an easier access to the Gulf than Houston...and both cities are on the coast and offer more of a pre-cruise or post-cruise vacation type options..Houston is just a over populated city with no real options for pre and post cruise vacations.

My point is the ships aren't coming to Houston as is - just the 2 ships all year and 1 ship for 4 months of each year to Galveston. How many flights are there into Corpus and Brownsville per day???? Just about all those come from Houston. If there's nothing for tourists to do in Houston - major league sports, the arts (opera, symphony, museums, etc.), shopping (Galleria, etc.), restaurants - pray tell, what the heck is there to do in Corpus and Brownsville but the beach - and, let's face it, Texas beaches aren't much to brag about. It's not economically viable and that's all the cruise lines care about.

Well we have several flights in and out of CC International Airport everyday..on 3 major carriers...southwest...Continental, and American....and we definitely have more to do here than just the beach....The Texas State Aquarium, the Lex, the Art Museum and natural History Museum, Hooks baseball games are a big time favorite around here (ya know the Astros minor league venue)and a lot of visitors really just enjoy being on the seawall because of the beauty ...all with in the area of the port..so most people would have the convenience of being close by to experience everything without too much driving and DEFINITLE no HEAVY traffic to contend with...so we do have a lot of viable reasons to have a cruise ship brought to CC and from what I can tell a LOT of people out there are wanting it...reason most say is...they don't want to deal with Houston traffic to get to Bayport or Galveston...so the possibility is there!!!!!

Well we have several flights in and out of CC International Airport everyday..on 3 major carriers...southwest...Continental, and American....and we definitely have more to do here than just the beach....The Texas State Aquarium, the Lex, the Art Museum and natural History Museum, Hooks baseball games are a big time favorite around here (ya know the Astros minor league venue)and a lot of visitors really just enjoy being on the seawall because of the beauty ...all with in the area of the port..so most people would have the convenience of being close by to experience everything without too much driving and DEFINITLE no HEAVY traffic to contend with...so we do have a lot of viable reasons to have a cruise ship brought to CC and from what I can tell a LOT of people out there are wanting it...reason most say is...they don't want to deal with Houston traffic to get to Bayport or Galveston...so the possibility is there!!!!!

So, you think a cruiseline can convince 130,000 people/year - year after year - (that's 2500 times 52 weeks in a year) that Corpus Christi is the bee's knees? (And most of those flights that do go there have stopped in Houston on the way down and the way back.) I'll say it again, it's not a viable business model for a modern cruiseline. Corpus is too small and too out of the way.

How did I miss this one?

Corpus would be a real jewel of a cruise port. It end runs the major problem with Houston and Galveston. It is at over an hour run from the major airport that carries most of the passengers. God for bid there is a problem on the freeway an that can stretch into 3 hours.

Corpus has a good airport, easy access to anywhere in town and the run from town to the sea is not all that far. I told a captain about it years ago. He was interested and asked if they would want to port a ship. I told him that they really had not thought much about it at this point.

I wish the good people of Corpus luck, but right now Carnivore is about the only line interested in servicing the Gulf Coast year round. I would easily go to Corpus over Galveston.

Again...why all the negativity about Corpus christi having a cruise terminal? Corpus is a beautiful coastal city and already has a building at the port that now serves the public as a sort of pavillion/civic center and when it was built it was built so that it may be used as a cruise terminal in the future with a little bit of enlarging and design.....so we are not out of the realm of possibility for cruise lines to think about...especially if it comes down to trying to get more passengers from deep South Texas and even West Texas.....

There is no doubt that Corpus Christi is a great destination and certainly high on my list of favorite places in Texas. You state, however, that it would attract south and west Texas customers. I would argue that the population of potential customers is on the low side and insufficient to attract a quality cruise line. Princess did not stick around Galveston even though it was an easy drive from Dallas/Fort Worth/Waco/Austin/etc....

As a DFW area resident, I see the 4 hour drive to Galveston as a positive influence to choose Carnival or RCL. The drive to CC, however, adds 2-3 hours and involves a trip down that mess of a freeway we call I-35.

There is no doubt that Corpus Christi is a great destination and certainly high on my list of favorite places in Texas. You state, however, that it would attract south and west Texas customers. I would argue that the population of potential customers is on the low side and insufficient to attract a quality cruise line. Princess did not stick around Galveston even though it was an easy drive from Dallas/Fort Worth/Waco/Austin/etc....

 

As a DFW area resident, I see the 4 hour drive to Galveston as a positive influence to choose Carnival or RCL. The drive to CC, however, adds 2-3 hours and involves a trip down that mess of a freeway we call I-35.

Point taken for DFW area and Houstonites, but try asking someone from San Antonio (a major city with a lrge population) if it closer to Galveston or to CC and of course the answer is definite CC....and the fact that the 2 cities have already partnered over the years to promote CC/SA vacation packages for visitors...we would more than likely see a lot of cruisers from the San Antonio , Hillcountry, Austin areas also...and take into consideration I am positive we would have one of the smaller ships here because of the area...and a lot can be said for Princess cruise lines out pricing themselves in Texas.....I know we couldn't have afforded the prices they were asking.....so it is all relative, but all of us down here are waiting and attending town hall meetings and with Rep. Hunter really going to bat for us (finally someone to listen to residents and businesses) who knows it may be sometime in the near future we see a ship calling CC a homeport...

While Carnivore is NOT my favorite line, sure would be easier to go out of Corpus than Houston. Fingers crossed for you guys. Just picture a cruise ship going by the Lex. :D

While Carnivore is NOT my favorite line, sure would be easier to go out of Corpus than Houston. Fingers crossed for you guys. Just picture a cruise ship going by the Lex. :D

Now that will be an awesome sight as you sail out...:D

I live just north of CC and there have been townhall meetings with Rep. Todd Hunter, who is the one that is trying to get the ball rolling on this...and the townhall meetings were very heavily attended and there are a lot of people on board to help see this happen...so keep your fingers crossed...this is absolutely the first time there has been this much interest in it and now the next step is the proposals and Rep. Hunter has a very positive outlook about it!!!!

Great!!! I really hope it happens! Thanks for the info! :)

How did I miss this one?

 

Corpus would be a real jewel of a cruise port. It end runs the major problem with Houston and Galveston. It is at over an hour run from the major airport that carries most of the passengers. God for bid there is a problem on the freeway an that can stretch into 3 hours.

 

Corpus has a good airport, easy access to anywhere in town and the run from town to the sea is not all that far. I told a captain about it years ago. He was interested and asked if they would want to port a ship. I told him that they really had not thought much about it at this point.

 

I wish the good people of Corpus luck, but right now Carnivore is about the only line interested in servicing the Gulf Coast year round. I would easily go to Corpus over Galveston.

I, too, would go to Corpus if they had a Cruise port. I hate driving through Houston traffic! I really think South Texas would be a great place to put a ship!!:)

I lived in Corpus for 20 years over 30 years ago (ugg, shows my age!) and I can't imagine a cruise port among all the oil ships that come in the port. However, Ingleside seems to be becoming available. The problem with that is it is across the bridge and will cost mucho $$$ to get to any hotel or the airport from there. Corpus has a beautiful bayfront but most of the rest of the town reflects the high shall we say, poor and not necessarily legal, immigrant population there. Would be best to rent a car and stay in Port Aransas. I loved the beaches in Port A, Mustang Island and North Padre. Won't find the clear blue sea of the carribean but wild open beaches you (at least used to) be able to drive on, play volleyball, check out the sand dunes, etc. As for Houston, it takes more fuel for the ship to get there and back, and Carnival probably makes more money providing transfers from there to Galveston than they do from the cruise fares. They definitely don't want to lose that. We were one of "shiftees" to use that new Houston port after Ike. Not bad at all. A few bugs to work out that could be expected during those circumstances, but a nice large building easy to get around. Parking would also need to be expanded before anyone would commit to it. They had people parking in the grass when we were there. It was also higher than Galveston due to the lack of competition. Handicapped parking is as close to the door as I could imagine anywhere, another plus.

I lived in Corpus for 20 years over 30 years ago (ugg, shows my age!) and I can't imagine a cruise port among all the oil ships that come in the port. However, Ingleside seems to be becoming available. The problem with that is it is across the bridge and will cost mucho $$$ to get to any hotel or the airport from there. Corpus has a beautiful bayfront but most of the rest of the town reflects the high shall we say, poor and not necessarily legal, immigrant population there. Would be best to rent a car and stay in Port Aransas. I loved the beaches in Port A, Mustang Island and North Padre. Won't find the clear blue sea of the carribean but wild open beaches you (at least used to) be able to drive on, play volleyball, check out the sand dunes, etc. As for Houston, it takes more fuel for the ship to get there and back, and Carnival probably makes more money providing transfers from there to Galveston than they do from the cruise fares. They definitely don't want to lose that. We were one of "shiftees" to use that new Houston port after Ike. Not bad at all. A few bugs to work out that could be expected during those circumstances, but a nice large building easy to get around. Parking would also need to be expanded before anyone would commit to it. They had people parking in the grass when we were there. It was also higher than Galveston due to the lack of competition. Handicapped parking is as close to the door as I could imagine anywhere, another plus.

I agree with what you said about Port Aransas and the beaches there. I spent many days at those beaches when I was in high school. I only lived about 40 miles from them. I really think a cruise ship would do well in Ingleside. It isn't that far from Corpus! People could even go a few days early and spend time in Port Aransas!!:)