When it comes to arriving at the port, timing — as they say — is everything.

In a single day, a ship is unloading 3,000 passengers, cleaning the entire boat, re-supplying for an entire week, and loading another 3,000 passengers. That’s a lot to get done in less than a day.

Needless to say, the port on embarkation day will be busy. And with 3,000 people trying to board at the same time, if you schedule your arrival at the Galveston port at the wrong time, you could be looking at a wait of an hour or more to get on board the ship.

So what time should you get there? We’ll tell you… Continue Reading »

If you’re on this site, you obviously know that Galveston offers a ton of options for cruising. But did you know that there’s another cruise port that’s even closer to Houston?

Most people don’t realize it, but back in 2008 the Bayport Cruise Terminal was constructed. This $108 million port built on the northern end of Galveston Bay is just about five miles north of Kemah. That means the commute for passengers from Houston is much shorter.

For years, however, the terminal has barely been used. Ships simply didn’t want to go that much further up the bay when the Galveston port was just fine. But now the congestion at the Port of Galveston has caused some lines to take a second look at the Bayport terminal.

In November, the Port of Houston announced agreements with Princess and Norwegian Cruise Lines. The agreements call for Princess to start cruising from the Bayport terminal in late 2013. Norwegian Cruise Lines will start service in 2014. In total, there will be about 100 departures from the terminal in the next three years.

Now, it’s unlikely the Bayport terminal is going to eclipse Galveston as the preferred point of departure. But we will be adding more information about cruising out of Houston to make sure you have everything you need to know, no matter where you embark.

(Hat tip to the Houston Business Journal for the story.)

Photo: Fifth World Art

We just added it to our Cruises page, but it might get lost down at the bottom. Below you’ll find our latest feature — a full calendar of the 2013 Galveston sailings. Whether you’re looking to see if the cruise you want happens on a certain day or simply want to go visit the ships at the Galveston port, this schedule should come in handy. Continue Reading »