You all know about the boom in Galveston cruising over the past decade. But what about that other cruise terminal — Bayport?

Most people have never heard of the Bayport Terminal. It’s located on Galveston Bay, just north of Kemah.

The cruise terminal was built in 2007/08. Despite being closer to Houston, it hasn’t been used for cruises except during a brief period after Hurricane Ike hit Galveston.

Slowly but surely, that will be changing.

So far two cruise lines have contracted to start regular trips out of the Bayport terminal. Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess will begin sailing 7-day trips to Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize beginning in November 2013. Those cruises will run weekly through April 2014.

That will be the only ship sailing from the terminal for the 2013-14 season. But beginning in late 2014, Norwegian Cruise Lines will begin sailing the Norwegian Jewel on 7-day trips. Those weekly sailings will hit Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize as well.

In other words, it will still be awhile before the terminal is seeing a full schedule. And those sailings don’t offer much choice of itineraries. However, as more cruise lines look to profit from the booming Texas cruise market, I expect options to increase. Carnival already sails year-round from Galveston. I think it’s just a matter of time before other lines take that lead given that the Ports of Galveston and Houston offer plenty of space.

Hey cruise fans, I have a special treat for you today. I’ve been in touch with Danielle from the popular cruising blog CruiseMiss.com.

Danielle recently returned from a trip of a lifetime — a 35-day cruise from the United Kingdom to the Caribbean. She’s been gracious enough to write up a review of her stop in Cozumel. Since this is a port of call for nearly every Galveston cruise, I know you’ll enjoy her firsthand look.

And in the meantime, don’t forget to follow Danielle on her site or on Twitter… Continue Reading »

That’s right. If you’re taking a cruise from Galveston this month, you’re a part of history. This will end up being to busiest February ever for Galveston cruises.

Thanks to the recent addition of Disney Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises to the schedule, there will be a staggering 22 cruises sailing this month.

What does all that traffic look like? The map above gives a good idea. It shows the routes of all the Carnival cruises that will sail during February. Keep in mind that since Carnival sails the same routes regularly, each of those routes represents between 1-4 trips during the month.

What’s more, this is just the routes for one line. Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Princess offer even more itineraries this month. We just couldn’t fit them all on the map.

Congrats to the Port of Galveston on this continued success. And remember, if you live in the area, you have a world-class cruise port right in your backyard. Take advantage!

P.S. — If you’re looking to buy a cruise for this record-breaking month, be sure to check out our new Buying Guide first to make sure you find the lowest price possible.