Coca Cay Galveston

[ssb]

Royal Caribbean Adds Bahamas Sailings from Galveston, TX

 

With the release of their latest itineraries, Royal Caribbean announced the addition of new ports of call from Galveston.  Enchantment of the Seas will sail 7-night itineraries from Galveston, TX, including stops in Key West, FL, Nassau, Bahamas, and CoCo Cay, Bahamas.

Perfect Day at CoCo Cay, New Water Park

CoCo Cay, Bahamas is Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, which is currently under construction to be upgraded to the new “Perfect Day at CoCo Cay” experience.  The upgrades include new cabanas, a massive water park, a zip-line, a balloon ride, a new beach club, and upgraded beach facilities.  The private island will be able to accommodate Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, the largest cruise ships at sea.

The addition of this itinerary to Royal Caribbean’s Galveston offerings represents a major change to the company’s gulf coast strategy.  Previous itineraries were limited in the variety of ports of call.

Royal Caribbean recently announced the development of a new cruise terminal in Galveston, TX.  

 

This will enable the cruise line to sail their Oasis-class ships from the Texas port, which currently serves as homeport to Liberty of the Seas and smaller vessels.  

[longhorn2004]

If I may quote Etta James," AT LASSSSSSSSSSSSSSST"

 

In essence they are copying Carnival, but I was hoping they could mix in Coco Bay with Jamaica and Grand Cayman and skip Cozumel. But hey I take it.

[ssb]

2 hours ago, longhorn2004 said:

If I may quote Etta James," AT LASSSSSSSSSSSSSSST"

 

In essence they are copying Carnival, but I was hoping they could mix in Coco Bay with Jamaica and Grand Cayman and skip Cozumel. But hey I take it.

New details have emerged about the new Royal Caribbean Terminal 3 coming to Galveston, TX in 2021.  Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley confirmed interest in relocating not only an Oasis-class ship to Galveston, but also a new Icon-class ship.

This is huge news for the Texas cruise market.  Most new ships sail from the East Coast, so for Royal Caribbean to be planning a new terminal with an Oasis-class ship and a new Icon-class ship represents a major investment in the Gulf Coast cruise market, which is currently dominated by Carnival Cruise Line.

Icon-class ships are expected to launch in 2022, the year after the new Galveston Royal Caribbean Terminal 3 opens.   At 200,000 gross tons, the new ships will be smaller than the Oasis-class, but larger than the Quantum-class.  Icon-class ships will be powered by LNG, a clean-burning fuel that can help Royal Caribbean meet emissions reduction targets.  Texas is a major producer of LNG, so availability of the fuel is plentiful.  Keel laying for the first Icon-class ship is set for October 2019.

The Port of Galveston is a popular embarkation port for people throughout the South, Southwest and Midwest.  Most cruisers drive to Galveston for their trip, which keeps vacation costs down.  More than 20 million people live within a few hours drive from the port.  Royal Caribbean’s $100 million investment in Galveston represents a major commitment to the Texas cruise market.

Additionally, new details also emerged about Royal Caribbean’s current Galveston terminal, which is currently shared by Disney Cruise Line and Carnival.  Royal Caribbean will continue to have the option for shared access to Terminal 2, plus exclusive use of Terminal 3.  Carnival has exclusive use rights to Terminal 1 and shared access to Terminal 2.  This implies the overall number of Royal Caribbean ships home-porting in Galveston is expected to increase and Royal Caribbean won’t simply swap out their current Galveston ships for larger ones.

Port of Galveston officials are also floating the idea of a Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.  They hope to grow the Galveston cruise market, which is currently number 4 in the nation.

Will Royal Caribbean add its Celebrity cruise brand to the Galveston market?  Right now it’s only speculation.

[George C]

Thanks for info, like key west and looking forward to coco cay doing both on celebrity in March. Needed new ports