Port Galveston (Texas USA), North America's 4th largest (by annual passenger capacity) cruise homeport, celebrated the 1-millionth passenger of 2022 on December 22nd.
Port officials welcomed Kathy Wade's family at the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship terminal with gifts before they embarked on a 4-night Adventure of the Seas voyage. The Dallas resident was sailing with her family on a Christmas cruise.
Staff from the Port of Galveston, Ceres Terminals, and Adventure OTS greeted the family in the terminal.
Rodger Rees (Galveston Wharves port director and CEO) said they were very happy for the Wade family.
"We’re also happy to mark this milestone for the port and our cruise partners. It shows that cruising from Galveston is back and moving full steam ahead! This is great news for avid cruise travelers like the Wades, for all the local people who work in cruise-related jobs and for the entities that benefit economically. The port’s cruise industry is a major economic engine for our region, benefitting suppliers, maritime services, hotels, restaurants, and shops, to name a few.”
Rees recognized the onshore services, such as the International Longshoremen’s Association, security, parking, and terminal staff who managed 2M passenger movements safely in 2022.
The port expects to break the 2022 passenger record in 2023 with a total of 362 sailings, a new record in its 22-year history as a cruise homeport.
Rees said passengers had chosen Galveston, the only homeport in Texas, for its convenience/great sailing experience to Western Caribbean destinations. 30+ million people live within a 300-mi radius, thus making Galveston the prime drive-to cruise market for the central USA.