The other complaint is the fact that the ship will have more cabins and more guests. One of the biggest complaints about the Dream is the crowded deck space on sea days.

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Originally posted by Atlcruiser:
I really thought that Carnival would place the Magic in either Miami or FLL.

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With the glut of ship from Florida, it makes sense for them to deploy her from Texas. She will increase capacity and awareness and (hopefully) command a higher yield than Conquest.

Of course, as mentioned, itineraries are limited by the ports within a reasonable range.

Out of curiousity, what ports ARE more attractive than the "same 'ol, same 'ol" that all the ships call on?

In the Caribbean, none of the big ships goes anyplace remotely exotic.

Personally I would not fly to Galveston for a cruise, even if I didn't live in Miami where ships are in my back yard. No offense to Texans, but I don't want to cruise with 95% Texans on the ship. Also, there is really no draw for me to fly to Galveston to take a cruise. The city is not exactly known for it's great beaches or sightseeing. Also, Galveston is not exactly a Winter retreat like Florida is, which is another reason the local market will be so important, especially during the Winter months.

The difference with Florida is that the state has a more universal appeal, so the market source for cruises out of Florida doesn't have to be so reliant on locals (even though many deals are offered to locals). People come to Florida from all over the World for the beaches, nightlife, resorts, and theme parks. Many don't just take a cruise but include a land portion as part of an overall trip. This is especially true of International visitors from Europe, which surprisingly are increasing in numbers on Florida Caribbean cruises. My sailing on OASIS was something like 45% or more of the passengers sourced from outside the US. Pretty astonishing for a 7-day Caribbean cruise. Galveston will not have that same appeal.

Anyway I wish Carnival luck. I think it's a little bit of a risk for them but I think initially they will do well. They rarely make a move without extensive market research, so I'm sure they have done their homework. Of course even Texans will eventually want more variety than what CARNIVAL MAGIC will offer.

On that particular cruise there were not many Texans onboard. So for those that dislike Texans because of their accents or for whatever other rediculous reason, good chances are there may not be a whole bunch of Texans onboard.

I have no doubt the Carnival Magic will be sucessful in Galveston, I say that because of the demand for cruises out of that area and the ability to charge higher prices.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:

I'm not sure if also during that timeframe (Fall 2003-Fall 2004) NCL had one of their ships out of Houston that would come all the way up the Houston Ship Channel, maybe the Norwegian Sea? 

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Ah yes, the famous "Texaribbean" Cruises, operated at times by WESTWARD and later SEAWARD / NORWEGIAN SEA. NCL really did a lot of groundbreaking in opening up the Texas market for local cruising.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
What would it take (time-wise) to get down to the Panama Canal and do a partial transit from Galveston?

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Originally posted by HomeLines:
Carnival makes a lot of money sailing from Galveston, the rates are often higher than sailing from Florida because there's less competition. I think they will do extremely well with the Magic there.

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Originally posted by eroller:
No doubt Carnival feels they can obtain higher yields out of Galveston. Lets face it there is not much competition in that market, but the challenge is they pretty much have to source passengers locally. Luckily Texas, along with NY, FL, and CA are the largest sources of North American cruise passengers.

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As I researched in my final for my Port Ops class, Galveston has access to several big markets, HOU and DFW metroplex. DFW is a 5 hour drive away. Texans dont mind driving long distances either(One thing that still hasn't grown on me). Galveston is a big Drive-to port. They also get the market from the central US as it's a shorter flight.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Personally I would not fly to Galveston for a cruise, even if I didn't live in Miami where ships are in my back yard. No offense to Texans, but I don't want to cruise with 95% Texans on the ship. Also, there is really no draw for me to fly to Galveston to take a cruise. The city is not exactly known for it's great beaches or sightseeing.

Ernie

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
I'm not sure if also during that timeframe (Fall 2003-Fall 2004) NCL had one of their ships out of Houston that would come all the way up the Houston Ship Channel, maybe the Norwegian Sea? 

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
I see too that Royal Caribbean is replacing Voyager of the Seas with the Mariner of the Seas in Galveston Fall 2011 so it would make sense for CCL to put something competitive there against that.

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Exactly!

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Originally posted by GregD:
Understandable, but there are some very historic areas that are well preserved (dispite Ike ) I mean its not amazing, but its great to see for a day before a cruise.

But the beaches are just aweful. Plus the first Tarballs were just found there.

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Very good points. I didn't realize that about the Texas economy. Lucky you!

Perhaps I should not be so harsh on Galveston? I just never had any desire to go there. It always sounded very industrial to me, but I'm sure there is more than what meets the eye. I've been to Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso many times. Being a flight attendant for many years means you don't escape Texas, it's just too big to avoid! LOL

Anyway, like I mentioned I think Carnival will be very successful there. They have done well with their "out-ports" and they are generating new markets. I also think they are the right product for the market which also helps.

Now if we in CA get some relief from the recession. We seemed to be the 1st in and will be the last out!

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
I read last year that the economy in TX had been doing well. That is certainly one reason for Carnival to place a ship there to catch some of that.

Now if we in CA get some relief from the recession. We seemed to be the 1st in and will be the last out!

If it's a double dipper we are in deep trouble.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Very good points. I didn't realize that about the Texas economy. Lucky you!

Perhaps I should not be so harsh on Galveston? I just never had any desire to go there. It always sounded very industrial to me, but I'm sure there is more than what meets the eye. I've been to Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso many times. Being a flight attendant for many years means you don't escape Texas, it's just too big to avoid! LOL

Anyway, like I mentioned I think Carnival will be very successful there. They have done well with their "out-ports" and they are generating new markets. I also think they are the right product for the market which also helps.

Ernie

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This past New Year's we took our first ex-Galveston cruise on Voyager. The port facilities combined with the (dis)embarkation experiences left us with a very bad taste in our mouth. There were long lines and disorganization at just about every step (security, check-in, and customs/immigration). Moreover, and as was alluded to, the port area of Galveston is not exactly the most scenic of starting points for a Caribbean vacation.

The Galveston Daily News 25 June 2010

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As part of the deal to land Magic, the port of Galveston will make $8 million to $10 million in improvements to accommodate the bigger ship at the cruise ship terminal at Pier 25. The ship can carry 3,690 passengers.

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Additionally, the first and last days of the voyage, depending on the time of year, can be a bit on the cool side, which diminishes the value for those looking for a warm-weather trip (empty pools and upper decks). That's not to say Southern Florida is immune to cold snaps, as we've sailed from Fort Lauderdale chilled by 40-degree temps, but certainly the region is not affected as much as Texas.

All those negatives aside, I am very happy to hear that Galveston has snagged Magic, and that Mariner will be replacing Voyager. Mariner may not be represent a capacity increase, but her comparative youth, combined with Magic, only bolsters the notion that Texas is once again on cruise lines' radar as a market worth growing.

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The fact that the business is going to Galveston, rather than to the $81 million facility at the Port of Houston Authority’s Bayport Terminal, is also widely seen as the death knell for that facility. Although people in the cruise business are carefully not saying that on the record, they are saying it.

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In full: http://galvestondailynews.com/story/158978

While the Pasadena Bayport Terminal is significantly closer to Hobby and Intercontinental airports, it is even less of a gem in terms of port aesthetics compared to Galveston. The facility may be great, but it looks like, rather unfortunately, a waste of taxpayers' money. I recall reading in the past that the reason for Royal Caribbean's lack of interest in the Houston/Pasadena port was twofold: higher pilot fees and greater fuel expenses to cover the added distance from the currently-used Galveston facility.

Houston Chronicle 23 June 2010

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[Carnival spokeswoman] De la Cruz said Carnival chose Galveston over Houston because of the cruise line's long-standing relationship with the port and its closer access to the Gulf.

The Port of Houston Authority's Pasadena cruise terminal has yet to have a regular cruise service. The facility was built in 2008 and is next to the Port's Bayport Container Terminal.

The only time cruise ships called on it was when Hurricane Ike damaged the Port of Galveston. Two Carnival Cruise Lines ships relocated to Houston for more than a month.

"It's a beautiful facility with state-of-the-art everything," said Chris Matthews, a principal in the Dallas office of A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. "The Houston cruise terminal is an example of some mis-estimating. The demand has not materialized for many reasons."

Part of the problem is that the 96,000-square-foot facility is located near industrial plants and about a 45-minute drive from downtown Houston, he said.

"Travelers are looking for an attractive destination on both ends of the cruise," Matthews said. "Galveston and New Orleans have much more to offer right there than the Houston cruise terminal."

Ricky Kunz, vice president for origination at the Port of Houston, said the port is continuing to talk to cruise companies about home-porting vessels at the facility.

"Because of required cruise marketing and vessel redeployment, it can take a cruise line up to two, three years before moving into a new port or market," Kunz said.

The chairman of the Galveston Wharves Board, which oversees the Port Authority, said the revenue source of the two port districts may help explain why Houston's terminal remains vacant. Chairman John Eckel said the Galveston port is supported by its own earnings and the Houston port by tax dollars.

"That's why they did engage in a 'build it and they will come' Field of Dreams arrangement," Eckel said.

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Next year Galveston will be seeing a fairly decent bump in passenger numbers with the return of Princess and Carnival Magic and Carnival Triumph replacing respectively smaller vessels already sailing from Texas.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/03/princess-cruises-galveston-texas-cruise-caribbean-crown-/145935/1

Princess Cruises today announced it would resume sailings out of Texas in 2012, something it hasn't offered since 2007.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/02/carnival-ecstasy-delayed-fog-second-week-galveston/144749/1