Following the celebration of its 200th anniversary last October and the November start-up of year-round service by MSC Cruises, the Port of Galveston is looking forward to another banner year.
With 10 ships homeported in Galveston this winter, Carnival Cruise Line announced recently that it will maintain its four-ship program in the port; Royal Caribbean plans to expand its deployment with the Icon of the Seas coming to Texas in August 2027; and both Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line are set to go from seasonal to year-round cruises in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
Honing in on four million passengers last year, Rodger Rees, port director and CEO, told Cruise Industry News that 2026 should be another banner year in terms of revenue and passengers.
Rees said that with more ships port assets have a higher utilization rate with cruises now sailing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in addition to the traditional weekend departures.
With the opening of the new $156 million terminal for MSC, Galveston now has four modern terminals up and running, and the future, according to Rees, could include another new terminal that would handle three ships at once.
Galveston opened its first cruise terminal for the Carnival Celebration in 2000, and Carnival has since carried more than 10 million guests from the Texas port.
That terminal underwent a $53 million renovation in 2023.
Royal Caribbean, which opened its $125 million terminal in Galveston in November 2022, was recently recognized with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Net Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon certifications for its operations in the port.
Joining the port in 2018, Rees said the master plan that they set up then has been exceeded from a cruise standpoint and further updates are in the works.
Located at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, the port of Galveston has been a thriving maritime commercial center since 1825.
Galveston’s historic downtown is also a tourist attraction in its own right attracting more than 9 million visitors a year.
Rees added that more than a third of the cruise passengers stay in local lodging before or after their cruise to enjoy the island’s Victorian vibe, history museums, restaurants and more.
Excerpted from the 2025-2026 Winter Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine.
