Royal Caribbean delayed construction of their proposed Terminal 3 cruise pier in Galveston. Today, Port of Galveston officials announced a new construction timeline.
This feels like a strange sentence to write, but here goes. I have good news for Galveston cruise fans. That was a lot of fun to write, so I think I will do it again. After months of no cruises at all, I have good news for Galveston cruise fans. I talked about it a little more on the YouTube channel, but it looks like Royal Caribbean still plans to build the new Galveston Terminal 3. As we discussed last year, that at least opens up the possibility of an Oasis Class ship in Galveston.
The new terminal was originally scheduled to start construction this Spring. However, Royal Caribbean delayed those plans. With zero revenue coming in, they had to conserve cash. In a meeting yesterday, however, the Port of Galveston Trustees announced that they are in contact with Royal Caribbean (RCL) officials. RCL said that they plan to start construction of the new Galveston Terminal 3 on April 1, 2021. Port officials announced that they are continuing with related infrastructural work.
Royal Caribbean has not announced specific plans for the new pier. However, one can make some educated guesses. If they use the same timeline, the new pier should be ready late Fall 2022. Starting one year later most likely means finishing one year later, and November 2022 would be one year later. It is impossible to predict what ships RCL would bring to Galveston. However, I cannot imagine that they are investing in a new pier to continue sailing the same ships on the same itineraries. The new space would also open up the possibility of additional lines departing from Galveston.
Bottom Line on Galveston Terminal 3
Does this announcement tell us everything we would like to know? Of course not. It is also possible that the timeline will be delayed again. However, none of us have been on a cruise in months. For Galveston cruise fans, the announcement that Royal intends to continue their construction plans is good news. The announcement of a semi-solid timeline is even better news. We will continue to watch this story and keep you posted.
