Galveston cruises with bigger ship, more stops

GALVESTON – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has agreed to bring more cruises and a bigger ship to Galveston in exchange for the port investing millions to expand.

As part of the five-year agreement between the Port of Galveston and Royal Caribbean, the port will invest about $10 million to expand its Cruise Terminal No. 2. Plans include adding about 60,000 sf to the terminal, bringing it to 150,000 sf with a seating capacity of about 1,000.

Royal Caribbean already operates Navigator of the Seas year-round from the Port of Galveston, but the agreement adds an additional 30 calls in both 2014 and 2015, with a year-round vessel in both years. The expanded agreement is expected to generate an additional $1.86 million in annual operating revenues for the port.

The Port of Galveston — the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S. — has 181 cruises scheduled this year, up from 178 in 2013. Local cruise competition has heated up in the past couple of years, as Houston’s Bayport Cruise terminal recently opened for business.