It’s big news: After April 2016, there are no scheduled cruises departing the Houston’s Bayport Cruise Terminal. It was revealed by the Houston Chronicle that Norwegian is not planning future service from the port, following in the footsteps of Princess Cruises. That will leave the terminal empty for the foreseeable future.

The Bayport Terminal was first completed in 2008, where it sat empty for years. After nearly $7 million in incentives, Princess and Norwegian began sailing from the port a few years ago.

For many cruise passengers, the option of the Houston-area terminal was welcomed. If you are flying into Houston for your cruise, the terminal is considerably closer than Galveston. That means it’s much easier and cheaper to get to your ship. In addition, since Norwegian and Princess don’t currently sail from Galveston, it gave passengers more options for cruise lines and itineraries.

Where Bayport falls short of Galveston, however, is that the island can offer so much more. Galveston is a Gulf Coast playground with restaurants, culture, history, and beaches. Bayport is is located far from most things. The closest area for food and fun is Kemah, which doesn’t match Galveston in the number of things to do and see.

We would be surprised, however, if this means cruising from Houston is dead. While there is certainly going to be a lull, Bayport has a several things going for it.

First, while Galveston is a popular cruise port, it is dominated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean. As cruising in the area grows in popularity, having a second terminal will be an interesting option for other cruise lines looking to meet scheduling needs. Saturdays and Sundays are particularly popular days to cruise, and Galveston has limited availability.

Second, the Bayport Terminal’s location protects it from major storms. Hurricanes are a fact of life for Galveston. We hope that another storm never hits the island, but when Hurricane Ike came ashore in 2008, Bayport was used as a replacement port while Galveston was in repair. Should another major storm (or string of storms) hit Galveston, Bayport’s more inland location could provide a stable port for area cruise ships.

For the time being, however, it looks like Bayport will be empty.

Photo: Texas.713

For the past 10+ years, Carnival has been the 800-pound gorilla in Galveston cruising. That presence in the port is getting a little stronger. The cruise line just announced that starting in 2016, it will reposition the Carnival Breeze and the Carnival Liberty to Galveston, replacing the Magic and Triumph.

You’ll remember that Carnival just positioned the Carnival Freedom to Galveston, making it the third ship from the cruise line to sail from the port. Bringing the Freedom was big news. Its capacity means roughly 3,000 more passengers can sail from the Port of Galveston at any one time.

But in cruising, it’s all about adding something new and fresh to get your most loyal cruisers back on the ship. The Freedom was a great move in that regard. Repositioning the Breeze and the Liberty is even better.

Carnival Magic and Carnival Triumph have sailed from Galveston for years. And while the Magic is one of the fleet’s newest ships (launched in 2011), the Triumph has been one of the most troubled cruise liners. In fact, after the problems it faced in being stranded a couple of years ago, many people refused to set foot on the ship.

The Breeze and Liberty should change some of that, while offering some new features for Galveston cruisers. As explained in a recent press release from Carnival:

“Carnival Breeze offers such innovations as a multi-dimensional cinema experience called Thrill Theater, Bonsai Sushi full-service Asian restaurant and WaterWorks highlighted by a 312-foot-long slide, while Carnival Liberty offers a classic American steakhouse, the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar and a 14,500-square-foot spa.”

When all three ships are in place in late 2016, they are expected to carry 600,000 passengers annually from Galveston — roughly the population of Las Vegas.

Cruisers can expect to see the Liberty in port starting March 2016. The Breeze will arrive December 2016.

Photo: James Willamor

President Obama made a surprise announcement when he revealed plans for the United States to normalize relations with Cuba.

The island nation just 90 miles from U.S. borders has long been romanticized in American culture. Known for delicious rum, fine cigars, beautiful women, and antique cars, many Americans have longed to travel to explore Cuba.

But since the 1960s, Cuba has been one of the few places on the planet where it was all but impossible for most Americans to visit. Now, with relations seemingly getting better, does that mean you could see Havana as a stop on Galveston cruise itineraries?

First things first is to understand that many laws and regulations put in place in the past 50-plus years will have to be changed. Just because the President makes a statement doesn’t automatically make something the law of the land.

According to law firm Holland & Knight, however, one of the restrictions that will likely be lifted concerns ships stopping to port in Cuba:

“The restriction on foreign flag vessels calling on the U.S. if they have called in Cuba in the last 180 days will be modified in the case of vessels that called on Cuba and engaged in certain “humanitarian” trade. It is not expected that this restriction will be lifted on cruise ships in the short term, however, it is possible if there is pressure from the cruise lines.”

As well, U.S. citizens are still prohibited from most purchases in Cuba, which will have to be adjusted before American cruise passengers could reasonably expect to visit the island:

“U.S. citizens, permanent residents, companies organized under the laws of the U.S. (and their foreign subsidiaries), and persons or entities located in the U.S. are still largely prohibited from engaging directly or indirectly in any transactions with Cuba, unless such transactions fall within a general or special License.”

In short, don’t expect to lounge on Cuban beaches this summer. But we wouldn’t be surprised if in the next 5-10 years there are some cruises that begin traveling to the country as the rules are changed.

And frankly, Galveston would be an ideal port for trips to Havana/Cuba. Havana is just about 900 miles from the Texas coast — only 100 more miles than Cozumel. It is easily within sailing distance for a 7-day cruise.

Add to that the fact that competition for cruising dollars is heating up in Texas. Between Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, and Norwegian, cruisers have a wide choice of which line to sail. That means the cruise lines will look for any way possible to differentiate themselves — including being the first to add exotic Cuban ports to their itineraries.

We’re excited about the possibility of opening up Cuba to American vacationers. We know it won’t happen overnight, but it’s likely that Galveston will be one of the first ports to service the area.

Update: Following statewide legislation passed by the Texas government, Uber and Lyft have returned to Galveston and Houston after a hiatus. Given their convenience and the fact that they pick up at both Houston airports, the rideshare companies are our recommended way of getting to the Galveston cruise port.

Good news if you fly into Houston for your cruise. On August 6th, the city of Houston approved new regulations that will allow ride services Uber & Lyft to operate legally in the city.

If you haven’t heard of these companies, you soon will. Uber & Lyft are two different rideshare programs. Drivers sign up on the site and are vetted to offer rides, usually using their personal vehicle. Once approved, passengers can hire out these drivers — just like using a taxi — but usually at much lower rates. Passengers request a ride from their smartphone and several different types of cars are available.

So how much money could you potentially save?

A quick search of Uber shows a ride from Houston Intercontinental Airport to the Port of Galveston would cost $73 – $96 one way. You can expect to pay about $125 – $150 for the same trip via cab.

From Houston Hobby to the port, Uber is estimated to cost $42 – $56 each way. You’d be charged an estimated $75 – $110 for the same trip via taxi.

Note: If you are a first-time Lyft rider, use our sign-up here to download the app and get FREE ride credits for your first rides. Please note that we receive a small commission for new sign-ups from links on this website.

Now before you jump at the chance to save some money off the taxi fare with Uber or Lyft, there are some things to consider. First, while the services are approved in Houston, we haven’t seen any word on these services in Galveston.

If not approved by the city, the drivers could be ticketed for operating an unlicensed taxi cab. As a passenger, that’s not likely to impact you, but it is something you should be aware of. So far we haven’t heard any reports of this happening.

(Following statewide regulation, these are no longer issues.)

As well, we aren’t sure how prevalent the services are outside of major cities. It could be that while it’s easy to find a ride using the apps in Houston, getting a ride back from Galveston might be tougher. Of course, you might be able to arrange something with your driver on the way from the airport for when you return from the cruise.

No matter what, we view having more options getting to and from the cruise port as a good thing — especially when they show promise of being less expensive than other alternatives.

Many people go on cruises because it’s an affordable way to vacation. Depending on the deal, you can travel the Caribbean for a week for as little as a few hundred dollars.

Of course, that’s just the base cost. While there are plenty of “freebies” included in your fare, there are charges for drinks… shore excursions… photos… and more. In fact, many people report that their total cruise cost can be double (or more) the base fare by the time they are done.

On the other side of the equation, cruise lines have to pay for port fees, millions of gallons of fuel, tons of food, and of course, those massive ships.

So it begs the question — how much profit do cruise lines actually make from a passenger? Well, Royal Caribbean just gave us an answer. The company just announced its second-quarter earnings to the public, and there are some interesting tidbits.

During the first six months of the year, Royal Caribbean earned a staggering $3.9 billion in revenue, from 2.56 million passengers. That means each passenger generated an average of $1,510 in revenue. About 72% of revenue comes from cruise fares. The rest from other sources, including onboard activities.

So how much does that mean in profit? Royal Caribbean earned a profit of roughly $164 million during the first six months of the year. That sounds pretty big, but it actually isn’t?

Divide that profit figure by the number of passengers, and you see that the line earned only $64 per person in profit. That’s about 4% of every dollar it earns in revenue.

To see all the numbers for yourself, visit Royal Caribbean’s investor relations here.