Trouble Down South

 Carnival and Royal Caribbean both use Galveston, Texas

as a homeport for their Caribbean cruises.

Here, Carnival Fantasy and Independence of the Seas are seen

docked at Cozumel, Mexico.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

A few years ago. the Port of Houston, Texas set an ambitious plan into motion: the construction of a brand-new, $81-million dollar cruise terminal designed to draw cruise lines away from nearby Galveston.  Two years ago, that dream was realized as the last of the terminal was finalized.

Not a single passenger has passed through its doors to date.

When Norwegian Cruise Line pulled Norwegian Dream from its successful line of "Texaribbean" runs at the end of 2008, it effectively marked the end of Houston-based cruises.  Despite the fact that the new facility was nearly completed, cruise lines were hesitant about home-porting in Houston due to its distance from the ocean: ships entering and leaving the harbor face a little over an hour's worth of sailing before entering open ocean, impacting arrival and departure times, as well as fees for fuel and local pilots.

Galveston, on the other hand, is booming.  Carnival and Royal Caribbean call the area home, and despite its tendency to heavily fog in during certain months - something that's delayed more than a handful of ships this year alone - the port still remains one of the busiest outside of Florida.

While more attractive to the cruise lines, Galveston has one major drawback: it's a good hour's drive from the nearest airport: George Bush Intercontinental, located in - yep - Houston.  Which has the port of Houston absolutely pulling out their hair; shouldn't they be the ideal choice given their close proximity to air transportation?

Technically, yes.  Operationally, no.  Houston may indeed be the better choice; except for the increased sailing times, there really are no major drawbacks to the area.  NCL's withdrawal was related in part to the removal of the 1992-built Norwegian Dream and the line's increased focus on European destinations, and an increased Miami and Port Canaveral presence.  The main problem facing Houston at this point is that cruise lines have been with Galveston long enough now to have worked out the kinks and bottlenecks.  Houston is an unknown.  

However, that doesn't mean Houston's fate is sealed.

In 1999, the first cruise lines started toying with the idea of sailing from Seattle, Washington instead of Vancouver, Canada, on voyages to Alaska.  In order to satisfy the Jones Act, ships would call in Victoria, BC on the return leg of the trip so as not to be in violation of the provision which stipulates ships leaving from US homeports must call in a 'distant foreign port' before they can return.  Norwegian Cruise Line - again - enlisted their intimate Norwegian Dynasty on the run.

Many scoffed at NCL's decision - but in doing so, they launched the Port of Seattle into the stratosphere, proving that close proximity to affordable air transportation was eagerly sought after by many cruisers.  Today, the Port of Seattle plays host to every major cruise line during the summer months, much to the regret of the Port of Metro Vancouver.

All Houston needs is one ship.  Given the ease of getting to the port over Galveston, it's hopeful that day is soon.