2008 Princess ships out of Galveston?

[8mpg]

Well, we havent even been on our first cruise but possibly planning our 2nd...but this time it will be quite a few of us from my family and my other halfs family. Im trying to find a boat out of Galveston simply because we live in TX and 12 airplane tickets is expensive (I will probably be paying for everyone). Anyone know of any ships pulling out of Galveston for a Carribean run? Im hoping to find a really good deal.. I know NCL has one next hear and its like $450/pp for an inside room.

[spongerob]

Princess won't be sailing from Galveston over the winter next year as they have done for the last three years. Everything seems to hinge on a new cruise terminal in Houston, so until there is some news on that don't expect any Princess ships in Galveston for foreseeable future.

[8mpg]

Princess won't be sailing from Galveston over the winter next year as they have done for the last three years. Everything seems to hinge on a new cruise terminal in Houston, so until there is some news on that don't expect any Princess ships in Galveston for foreseeable future.

 

Houston would work for me to... Id rather cruise Princess over RCCL or Carnival but maybe we will have to cruise something else. I wish I would have known before about RCCL's repositioning cruise.. $449 for an inside for 13 nights in April..

[Don Haynes]

The main problem with Houston and Galveston is the long distance from the airports to the cruise terminals. The price for transfers and taxis are very much higher than other ports. Passengers flying into Houston are very loud in their complaints.

 

Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess have not committed for next year, Royal Caribbean is replacing two smaller ships with a mega shiip, and Carnival is keeping two ships as is.

 

Houston may have wasted $81 million on a new cruise ship terminal. But as other lines pass early in posting their itineraries for next year, another line may pick Houston or Galveston up later.

[8mpg]

The main problem with Houston and Galveston is the long distance from the airports to the cruise terminals. The price for transfers and taxis are very much higher than other ports. Passengers flying into Houston are very loud in their complaints.

 

Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess have not committed for next year, Royal Caribbean is replacing two smaller ships with a mega shiip, and Carnival is keeping two ships as is.

 

Houston may have wasted $81 million on a new cruise ship terminal. But as other lines pass early in posting their itineraries for next year, another line may pick Houston or Galveston up later.

 

Thanks for the input..I never really checked distances because I planned on driving :D Maybe we can find somethin

[senatorgirth]

Transfers in Houston ARE expensive; my family paid a quite a lot for van service last year. I think the distance is just too far (it's almost 70 miles from Houston Intercontinental Airport to the cruise ship terminal in Galveston).

 

It is increasingly clear that Houston/Galveston cruise choices are not as good as they once were, nor as good as some had hoped at this point. There were rumors on this board that passengers on the Galveston cruises didn't spend as much on board as other cruisers, and this impacted Princess' decision to pull out of Texas.

I think the Mexico-heavy, Western Caribbean itineraries are a bit tired, too (Cozumel? Been there, done that). The Houston/Galveston ships seem to have a lot of overlap on their itineraries. I guess geography is an issue to some extent.

 

Finally, though I know that many Texans might disagree, the gawdawful weather of Texas, coupled with a general lack of physical beauty in the area, don't make it the most inviting place for a cruise, either.

[Cruise Gopher]

8mpg, have you thought about cruising out of New Orleans? That is somewhat close as well. But again no Princess sailing out of there either.

[8mpg]

8mpg, have you thought about cruising out of New Orleans? That is somewhat close as well. But again no Princess sailing out of there either.

 

Havent thought of that... but again, if they are not sailing from there :( its just more affordable, especially with 12 of us that might be going. Id rather keep going with the same company to get some type of captains circle benefits

[lookingb]

My hubby and I went on our first cruise in March 05 on the Grand out of Galveston (we live in Texas). We put a deposit down to travel again while we were on board. We probably won't do that again. After a long year of trying to get him retired out of the Army and finally another year now trying to get settled into civilian life, we could not take a cruise again as quickly as we had hoped. We decided spring break next year would be good. My daughter will really need a break (in college) and we are going to take her along this time. We started researching and looked to us as though we probably will lose the money we put down due to our timing and Princess not going out of Texas. Ugh. Lesson learned?

 

Brenda

[montgomeryfamily]

If it doesn't appear that you will be able to book within the window of time permitted to use the deposit, then contact Princess and get the deposit back--it is called a Future Cruise Credit and is fully refundable if you find you won't use it before it will expire.

[Colo Cruiser]

My hubby and I went on our first cruise in March 05 on the Grand out of Galveston (we live in Texas). We put a deposit down to travel again while we were on board. We probably won't do that again. After a long year of trying to get him retired out of the Army and finally another year now trying to get settled into civilian life, we could not take a cruise again as quickly as we had hoped. We decided spring break next year would be good. My daughter will really need a break (in college) and we are going to take her along this time. We started researching and looked to us as though we probably will lose the money we put down due to our timing and Princess not going out of Texas. Ugh. Lesson learned?

 

Brenda

 

It is good for 4 years and if you want a refund call Princess and request it.

No reason why you should loose it???? :confused:

[QueenofEverything]

Transfers in Houston ARE expensive; my family paid a quite a lot for van service last year. I think the distance is just too far (it's almost 70 miles from Houston Intercontinental Airport to the cruise ship terminal in Galveston).

 

It is increasingly clear that Houston/Galveston cruise choices are not as good as they once were, nor as good as some had hoped at this point. There were rumors on this board that passengers on the Galveston cruises didn't spend as much on board as other cruisers, and this impacted Princess' decision to pull out of Texas.

I think the Mexico-heavy, Western Caribbean itineraries are a bit tired, too (Cozumel? Been there, done that). The Houston/Galveston ships seem to have a lot of overlap on their itineraries. I guess geography is an issue to some extent.

 

Finally, though I know that many Texans might disagree, the gawdawful weather of Texas, coupled with a general lack of physical beauty in the area, don't make it the most inviting place for a cruise, either.

 

Don't want to make a federal case here, but next time you are digging out of a couple of feet of snow, check the "gawdawful weather" in Texas. Chances are it will be 70 degrees and sunny

[Shoalwater]

Finally, though I know that many Texans might disagree, the gawdawful weather of Texas, coupled with a general lack of physical beauty in the area, don't make it the most inviting place for a cruise, either.

 

Having moved to Texas 14 years ago from New England (NH) let me say 1) You don't have to shovel rain, 2) It hurts more to be cold. In Texas we don't bring a coat to the 4th of July picnic in case it turns cold. We take turns at a 4-way stopsign (Try that at the Chelmsford, MA can of worms). People here talk to each other, and are open. I once stopped on to help a lady broken down on I-95 between providence and Boston. She nsaid in 40 mins of waiting, only 2 cars stopped to help, and both had Texas plates! As for physical beauty, have you driven the Cental Artery into Boston from points south??? Rode through the abandoned mill buildings at the foot of College Hill in Worcester??? Schlepped through the slush in Keane??? Don't cherry pick on a region's beauty. Next time you are in Texas try driving the Bluebonnet Trail in April when the fields wave azure blue with wildflowers, watch the orange glory of a Hill Country sunset beneath a clear Texas sky, wait for the sun to come up over the horizon while wadefishing one of our bays and the shore and wading birds stir into flight (we do this in January even!).

 

Your comments about Texas are too broadly brushed.

[lookingb]

It is good for 4 years and if you want a refund call Princess and request it.

No reason why you should loose it???? :confused:

 

Well, ugh again. I guess I should have pulled out all the paperwork to remind myself it was refundable. Silly me. :rolleyes: Thanks for reminding me. That will really help out towards our cruise next year. Since we don't want to dish out the money to fly anywhere, we opted to go Carnival so that we can leave out of Galveston. I sure hope we are not dissapointed. We really like the Grand!! :D

 

Thanks again!

Brenda

[spongerob]

Houston may have wasted $81 million on a new cruise ship terminal. But as other lines pass early in posting their itineraries for next year, another line may pick Houston or Galveston up later.

What is the status of the LaPorte terminal, Don? Can it handle more than two big ships at a time or will it need further work? One major problem with Galveston, as far as Princess was concerned, was that if both RC and Carnival ships were in port, they pretty much were left without a terminal to do check-in. I remember reports of a very frustrating check-in that had to be done at the Galvez hotel.

[Stevesan]

Having moved to Texas 14 years ago from New England (NH) let me say 1) You don't have to shovel rain, 2) It hurts more to be cold. In Texas we don't bring a coat to the 4th of July picnic in case it turns cold. We take turns at a 4-way stopsign (Try that at the Chelmsford, MA can of worms). People here talk to each other, and are open. I once stopped on to help a lady broken down on I-95 between providence and Boston. She nsaid in 40 mins of waiting, only 2 cars stopped to help, and both had Texas plates! As for physical beauty, have you driven the Cental Artery into Boston from points south??? Rode through the abandoned mill buildings at the foot of College Hill in Worcester??? Schlepped through the slush in Keane??? Don't cherry pick on a region's beauty. Next time you are in Texas try driving the Bluebonnet Trail in April when the fields wave azure blue with wildflowers, watch the orange glory of a Hill Country sunset beneath a clear Texas sky, wait for the sun to come up over the horizon while wadefishing one of our bays and the shore and wading birds stir into flight (we do this in January even!).

 

Your comments about Texas are too broadly brushed.

 

WELL SAID!!!

[senatorgirth]

Having moved to Texas 14 years ago from New England (NH) let me say 1) You don't have to shovel rain, 2) It hurts more to be cold. In Texas we don't bring a coat to the 4th of July picnic in case it turns cold....Your comments about Texas are too broadly brushed.

 

I agree that there are indeed scenic places in Texas. If you re-read my post you'll note that I said that the area (Galveston-Houston) is not especially scenic. I stand by that--Houston/Galveston/Pasadena/LaPorte etc. are not especially attractive places in comparison to many tourist places in the U.S. The consequence is that the area is not an especially attractive one for tourists

 

The preference for seasons is, like beauty, highly subjective. But is is factually accurate that Houston's weather is hotter and much more humid compared to most of the rest of the U.S. This makes it very uncomfortable for many people--most parts of the U.S. do not experience intense 90+ degree heat w/ 80% humidity for months at a time. And as you allude, Houston frequently experiences very heavy, intense rain storms that are also unusual compared to other places in the U.S. This again makes for a challenging weather environment.

 

As for the tired "Texans-are-friendlier-than-you" cliche, you'll note in my posting that I said nothing about that disputable contention. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with bad weather or unattractive scenery that may impact the cruise industry's ability to develop and sustain Galveston as a major cruise ship port.

[TexasMom2]

I agree that there are indeed scenic places in Texas. If you re-read my post you'll note that I said that the area (Galveston-Houston) is not especially scenic. I stand by that--Houston/Galveston/Pasadena/LaPorte etc. are not especially attractive places in comparison to many tourist places in the U.S. The consequence is that the area is not an especially attractive one for tourists

 

The preference for seasons is, like beauty, highly subjective. But is is factually accurate that Houston's weather is hotter and much more humid compared to most of the rest of the U.S. This makes it very uncomfortable for many people--most parts of the U.S. do not experience intense 90+ degree heat w/ 80% humidity for months at a time. And as you allude, Houston frequently experiences very heavy, intense rain storms that are also unusual compared to other places in the U.S. This again makes for a challenging weather environment.

 

As for the tired "Texans-are-friendlier-than-you" cliche, you'll note in my posting that I said nothing about that disputable contention. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with bad weather or unattractive scenery that may impact the cruise industry's ability to develop and sustain Galveston as a major cruise ship port.

 

Princess doesn't sail from Galveston in the summer. It would be great if they did, though, when the new schedules come out, or as new ships are deployed and they rearrange their fleet's homeports.

 

I live on Lake Houston and it is beautiful. Our views over the lake face east and the sunrises are incredible, especially when there are clouds. Sunsets are behind us but the light reflections in the evening are beautiful as well. This is the edge of the Piney Woods so it is very wooded. We are 10 minutes from George Bush Airport. Maybe you should venture off the freeway next time you visit. :)

[BeachLover]

I'll be on the Grand in April. What kind of weather can I expect in Galveston in April? Is it "gawdawful"? I was hoping for warm weather. What about the first and last day at sea?

[8mpg]

I'll be on the Grand in April. What kind of weather can I expect in Galveston in April? Is it "gawdawful"? I was hoping for warm weather. What about the first and last day at sea?

 

April is Texas's rainy month, but if its anything like last year, we didnt get much rain. I would expect high 80s... tshirt and shorts weather.

[DannyMac]

The Port of Houston Authority would not invest 80 million of out tax dolars in a state of the art cruise terminal without having some deals pending or at least being discussed.

 

Galveston cannot handle the large numbers of passengers when two or more ships are in port, it seems there are some problems with customs, and the long distance from Hobby and IAH is a problem.

 

Something else to be considered is with the POH cruise facility coming online in the near future, maybe the contacts with Galveston were up and the cruiselines are looking to see what kind of deal they will get with POH.

 

Two weeks ago Harry Shattuck, travel editor for the Houston Chronicle stated the Caribbean market along the Gulf Coast has gone soft and with interest building in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia the cruise lines may have just run out of ships.

 

Only time will tell.