The Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves formally announced on Wednesday, December 5 that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. setting out the general terms for a new long-term business agreement for the development and operation of a new cruise terminal.
While specific designs and costs have not yet been announced, some details have been revealed.
The new terminal will cover approximately 200,000 square feet on ten acres of land in the southeast section of the Port known as Pier 10. Improvements to the pier bulkhead and apron will be made to safely accommodate the cruise line’s largest vessels.
“ 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/CEO Rodger Rees .
“ Over the last 15 years, Royal Caribbean has brought over 2.4 million guests to Galveston driving an economic impact of $65 million each year. The development of a new terminal is crucial to our continued growth and expansion of the brand in the region ,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International .
In addition, 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.