Galveston Wharves, the fourth-busiest North American cruise port that has consistently broken arrivals records in recent years, is moving ahead with several infrastructure projects detailed in its 20-Year Strategic Master Plan — all designed to make transiting the port smooth sailing for cruise passengers.
The port, on the Texas Gulf Coast, welcomed 1.6 million cruise guests in 2024 and is poised to receive 1.75 million in 2025.
Roughly two-thirds of passengers sailing from Galveston are drive-to cruisers, making traffic flow and parking a major part of the port’s master plan.
The port has recently completed $53 million in upgrades to Carnival Cruise Line’s Cruise Terminal 25 and construction is under way on the $156 million Cruise Terminal 16, which will open in late 2025 and accommodate MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
The port also operates Cruise Terminal 28, which is used by multiple lines, and Cruise Terminal 10, which is operated in partnership with Royal Caribbean.
With growth expected to continue, the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees on February 6, 2025 approved financing an updated master plan for the port, which will handle more than 400 cruise ship embarkations and debarkations in 2025.
Guests entering and exiting the area use Harborside Drive, a busy, five-mile stretch of road that connects the port to Interstate 45.
Galveston Wharves already is working to reopen a pedestrian skywalk — Harborside Walkover, at Harborside and 25th Street, which will provide easier access to cruise terminals 25 and 28.
However, port officials say more planning is needed to ease traffic, and staff plans to use Waze for Cities, a traffic data program, to review and analyze traffic patterns.
Read Also: Cruises from Galveston: The Pros and Cons
Port consultants will then use the data to help create traffic management plans aimed at easing congestion along the Harborside corridor.
“A big focus in the master plan update will be how we can continue to efficiently manage traffic on and around Harborside Drive as our cruise, cargo and commercial businesses grow. Our current master plan includes a 2.25-mile-long internal roadway, cueing lanes at cruise terminals and on-site parking garages,” Rodger Rees, port director and CEO of Galveston Wharves wrote in a port update.
“Those recommendations are already having a positive impact. We’re looking forward to seeing what recommendations the consultants make in the updated plan to accommodate future port growth,” Rees wrote.
Updated Plan Will Highlight Pedestrian Safety at the Port
The updated plan also will address pedestrian safety issues. For example, when Terminal 10 was built for Royal Caribbean, it included on-site parking for guests, allowing them to drop off luggage at the terminal and park nearby.
That is not the case at other terminals, where guests must use Harborside Drive to drop off luggage, then drive to a parking area where, after parking their vehicle, they take a shuttle bus back to the terminal.
Galveston Cruise Port (Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov)
Among the safety highlights in the updated plan will be an expansion of a park-and-walk Express lot next to Terminals 25 and 28. The under-construction Terminal 16 will have two on-site parking lots.
Galveston Wharves is a homeport for ships from all of the major cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Princess Cruises.
The port is home to Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Jubilee, which entered service in 2023. Ships sailing from the Gulf Coast port operate Western Caribbean cruises.
Galveston Wharves in 2025 is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Created in 1825, the port will host a birthday party on May 22, 2025, which coincides with National Maritime Day. Other celebratory events are slated for October 2025.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
