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2023 expected to top record 2019 at Port of Galveston

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Royal Caribbean's new Oasis-class terminal at Pier 10 is set to open in November for Allure of the Seas
Port of Galveston expects 362 cruise calls carrying more than 1m passengers in 2023, both figures new records.

Galveston estimates 330 cruise calls this year, which would be a record, and the more than 1m cruisers projected next year would top the port's 2019 peak.

The 2023 prospects are due to additional sailings and larger and fuller ships, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO Rodger Rees said.

World first LEED-certified zero-energy facility

A host of infrastructure upgrades will accommodate them, including the opening of a third cruise terminal next month. It will be a world-first LEED-certified zero-energy facility

The Galveston Wharves will host a port open house on Oct. 26 to share information about traffic planning, port improvements and long-range plans with the public, business partners and elected officials.

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Rodger Rees

'Opening a third cruise terminal, building an internal road network and expanding our West Port Cargo Complex are just a few of the things we’ll be discussing,' Rees said.

2023 cruise schedule

Royal Caribbean International will deploy five ships, Carnival Cruise Line four and Princess Cruises, two. Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line will each field one ship.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class Allure of the Seas, which becomes Galveston's largest cruise vessel this November, sailing from the new terminal at Pier 10, is scheduled for service through October 2023, Adventure of the Seas will operate January to May and in December, Radiance of the Seas January to April, Voyager of the Seas May to December and Harmony of the Seas November-December.

Carnival

Carnival will regularly sail Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista, with the new Excel-class Carnival Jubilee replacing Vista in November.  Carnival Jubilee will be the port’s first LNG-fueled cruise ship, and upgrades to Cruise Terminal 25 (currently called Terminal 1) will be made to accommodate it.

Disney and Princess

Disney and Princess will operate seasonally, with Disney Magic and Ruby Princess sailing January to April, and Regal Princess November-December.

NCL's first regular sailings

The new Norwegian Prima is scheduled for two 10-night cruises from Galveston this year, in late October and November. In 2023, the ship will begin homeporting, marking the first time NCL has sailed regularly from Galveston.

Cruise terminal renovations, renumbering

Royal Caribbean's new terminal is set to open this November. The 161,000-square-foot facility will have 1,900 on-site parking spaces.

With this, Rees said Galveston is renaming its existing cruise terminals to correspond with their pier locations.

Cruise Terminal 25 (formerly 1), will be home to Carnival Jubilee following renovations to include two new passenger boarding bridges with enhanced boarding areas and the expansion of check-in areas and screening, as well as an updated and expanded US Customs and Border Protection area.

Parking and traffic management

Approximately 500 off-site employee parking spaces will be added to serve all terminals. In 2023, Galveston will expand its express parking at Cruise Terminal 28 (formerly Cruise Terminal 2) by approximately 450 customer spaces.

As previously reported, the Port of Galveston is making major investments in traffic management infrastructure and technologies to reduce the impact cruise-related traffic has on the community and to make it easier and faster for cruisers to park and embark.