Royal Caribbean International’s new $125 million cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas, opened its doors and welcomed the state's largest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas. The cruise line held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Port of Galveston with local and state officials joining Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley to mark the state-of-the-art facility’s opening and the Texas debut of an Oasis Class ship.
With the introduction of the Oasis Class, the world’s largest cruise ships, to Texas, it’s estimated the new terminal will welcome as many as 630,000 vacationers each year.
“We are thrilled to take family vacations to a whole new level in Texas. Our new, 161,334-square-foot terminal opens up a world of vacation possibilities for families in the Southwest,” said Bayley.
Sustainable Design
Royal Caribbean’s Galveston facility features bold sustainable design. The terminal will be the first LEED Zero Energy facility in the world, generating 100% of the energy it needs through onsite solar panels. From the start, the design strategies used to develop the terminal were aligned with parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s wholistic environmental goals, its focus to advance the development of sustainable infrastructure as well as its decarbonization strategy – Destination Net Zero.
Guests' Royal Caribbean Experience Begins Before Boarding
Welcoming vacationers in the terminal as they make their way to Allure is a new, dynamic art sculpture named the Galveston Beach Trio by Texas-based artists Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin of Brad Oldham Sculpture. The cruise line selected the husband-and-wife team for their one-of-a-kind concept that’s inspired by Galveston’s rich musical heritage, which includes the likes of Galveston-native and Grammy Award-winning, bass-baritone singer and songwriter Barry White. As the embodiment of the city’s island time spirit, the stainless steel and lost-wax bronze sculpture is the perfect backdrop for the start of vacationers’ getaways.
New Homeport For Allure of the Seas
Allure will set sail from the new homeport on its first cruise on Sunday, 13NOV, 2022. The Oasis Class ship has in store for guests restaurants, nightlife, entertainment and more across seven signature neighborhoods, including the open-air Central Park with thousands of real plants and the Boardwalk neighborhood filled with ways to play and the one-of-a-kind AquaTheater entertainment venue that comes alive with high divers, acrobats, aerialists and more. From a nine-story-high zip line and two FlowRider surf simulators to rock climbing, ice skating, and original productions that span four stages – air, ice, water and theater – there’s adventure throughout the ship.
Allure's 30-plus restaurants, bars and lounges on board serve up a range of flavors like family-style Italian classics at Giovanni’s Table, American steakhouse favorites at Chops Grille and fresh sushi and sizzling hibachi at Izumi. New concepts and dishes are coming to Allure as well, including Wipeout Cafe featuring El Loco Fresh. Fitting for the ship’s new home in Texas, the venue will serve up El Loco Fresh’s popular, grab-and-go Mexican delights like made-to-order quesadillas, tacos, nachos and more. Plus, joining the staples guests know and love at Giovanni’s Table will be menu items such as crispy calamari, eggplant parmigiana and caprese salad.
Cruise travellers can book new 7-night Western Caribbean cruises from Galveston and visit destinations such as Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Roatan, Honduras, for the winter 2022-2023 season.
