Galveston plans third cruise terminal, with Royal Caribbean as operator

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Port of Galveston is moving ahead on its plans to develop a third cruise terminal.

The Port and Royal Caribbean Cruises on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding to outline the development and operation of the new terminal.

The new terminal will cover approximately 200,000 square feet on 10 acres of land in the area of Pier 10.

A staging and loading area, bus and taxi staging areas and substantial parking will be constructed. The new state of the art facility is anticipated to open in fall 2021.

"This new cruise terminal to be built by Royal Caribbean allows the port to continue investing in our infrastructure while growing our cruise business exponentially. This partnership will bring both larger class ships as well as more visitors to the city of Galveston and the region," said Port Director and CEO Rodger Rees.

Royal Caribbean currently has two ships that sail out of Galveston: Liberty of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to sail from the State of Texas, and Vision of the Seas.

The port expects the new cruise terminal to generate an additional million passengers halfway through the term of the contract.

"This long term lease agreement represents Royal Caribbean's confidence in the port of Galveston's efficient cruise operations and the ability to attract passengers on its current and future sailings. Galveston is on course for being a global destination for cruising and we are thankful for partners like Royal Caribbean," said Rees.