It’s been a bumper year for cruising and the view from the bridge shows smooth sailing ahead. The Cruise Lines International Association expects the number of passengers taking cruises will set a record 28 million in 2018 and grow again in 2019. Shipyards are at full capacity turning out innovative and often much larger ships.
All that activity at sea means there’s a need for more facilities ashore to handle the throngs of cruisers. And the past few weeks have seen a flurry of plans for new cruise terminals to smooth boarding and disembarking.
Here’s a look at what’s coming soon:
Galveston joining the Big Leagues
Less than 20 years since it began offering cruise services in 2000, the Port of Galveston announced in December it welcomed the 10 millionth passenger to embark from the port’s cruise terminal. The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves used the opportunity to announce a deal with Royal Caribbean to develop a new Pier 10 Terminal that will cover approximately 200,000 square feet on 10 acres of land.
Improvements include new loading areas, bus and taxi staging areas and substantial additional parking will be constructed. The new facility is anticipated to open in 2021.
Royal Caribbean currently has two ships that sail out of Galveston, Liberty of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to sail from Texas, and Vision of the Seas. The Port expects the new cruise terminal that will open in 2021 will generate an additional million passengers within 10 years.
Getting hotter at Icy Strait Point
Norwegian Cruise Line has entered a partnership with Alaska Native-owned Huna Totem Corp. to develop a second cruise pier in Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska.
The pier is scheduled to be completed for the summer 2020 Alaska cruise season and will be large enough to accommodate Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Plus-class ships. The partnership will provide Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ brands with preferential berthing rights. The original floating pier at Icy Strait Point opened in 2016.
In addition, the new pier will provide more cruise passengers with access to newly upgraded retail, restaurant and shore excursion amenities, including the world’s largest ZipRider line. Oceania Cruises’ Regatta, Seven Seas Mariner, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Joy are scheduled to call on Icy Strait Point in the 2019 season.
Countdown at Canaveral Port
A $117-million Terminal 3 will be a joint project between the Canaveral Port Authority and Carnival Cruise Line and will be designed to handle Carnival’s newest and largest cruise ship, the 6,500 passenger Mardi Gras, coming in 2020.
The new 185,000 square foot terminal will feature an adjacent elevated parking facility to accommodate nearly 1,800 vehicles. Related wharf, road and access improvements that will total $150-million makes this the largest single project in the history of the Port Canaveral.
Miami aims to set new records
PortMiami kicked off the winter cruise season by welcoming a record 52,000 cruise passengers on a single day, Dec. 9. But it’s likely that even higher daily numbers will become common in the coming years. That’s because three new terminals and upgrades to others to accommodate ever larger ships are transforming the world’s busiest passenger port.
The latest addition to the port plans is Sir Richard Branson’s new cruise venture, Virgin Voyages, whose new terminal is inspired by the form of the royal palm tree, and it was created by Miami-based architecture firm Arquitectonica.
There’s much more about the Miami port expansion here.
