By: Marcella Zimmerman, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
Royal Caribbean opened their newest cruise terminal located in Galveston, Texas in November 2022. This new terminal is an exciting addition to Galveston and has been years in the making. Royal Caribbean designed the first zero energy cruise terminal with 100% solar power in Texas. Not only is the new terminal a significant upgrade from the prior terminal, but it's also spacious and immaculate! With the new cruise terminal comes the ability for the Oasis class cruise ships to depart from Galveston bringing new options to Texans and surrounding states.
Driving into the terminal, there is a vast amount of parking to choose from. Not only is there a Premium lot with covered parking, but also 3 uncovered lots to choose from with shuttle service provided. I was able to park in the North Lot prior to boarding the Allure of the Seas. From my vehicle to the Luggage Drop-off was less than a 5 minute walk.
As you approach the terminal itself, you'll notice the beautiful blue tones on the outside of the terminal. The front of the building has clear, visible signage to point you to the correct location. To the right of the building is the Luggage Drop-Off area which was my first stop. I simply left my luggage with a porter and made my way into the main terminal building.
The entryway to the new Galveston cruise terminal was amazing! I was immediately excited for my cruise to begin. My eyes were first drawn to the large set of bronze propellers hanging from the ceiling. As my eyes scanned the room, I viewed 2 enormous screens that played footage of not only the cruise ports but also footage of the cruise ship I was about to board. The anticipation grew as I saw the escalators with a sign labeled "Check-in" to the left of the area.
Agents greeted us at the top of the escalator to inquire if we had done mobile check in. Since we had, this process only took a few minutes. Our SetSail passes were scanned and we did need to provide required documentation prior to moving ahead through security. *Pro-tip: Ahead of your cruise, it's best to do your online check as this will speed up the process and get you you onboard much quicker.
Once completed with our security check, we were led through the waiting area in case your ship is not ready to board. The area includes a vast amount of seating with comfortable colorful couches in the enormous room. There were restrooms as well as vending machines located in the waiting area.
The Allure of the Seas was ready to board, and we made our way to the gangway. We scanned our SetSail passes once again and then walked down a hallway where we had a clear view of our ship. To the right were photo opportunities to take a photo prior to boarding with the ship. At last we came to our "Welcome Aboard!" sign where we were able to board our ship.
Overall, the new Galveston cruise terminal is a great beginning to your next Royal Caribbean Cruise vacation.
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