Two Royal Caribbean Ships Now Sailing From Texas Port

MIAMI, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Royal Caribbean International's 1,800-passenger Splendour of the Seas will begin sailing from the Port of Galveston this Monday.

Splendour of the Seas will be the second Royal Caribbean ship currently sailing from the Port of Galveston. The company's Rhapsody of the Seas has been sailing regularly from Galveston since April 14, 2002.

Splendour of the Seas will dock at the Port of Galveston's Terminal 2 at Pier 27 at approximately 6 a.m. Monday. The ship will make 17 sailings from Galveston between November 11, 2002 and April 28, 2003. The ship's sailings will alternate between 10-night Caribbean cruises and 11-night Panama Canal cruises.

"We couldn't be happier to have a second ship sailing from Galveston," said Dan Hanrahan, senior vice president of Marketing and Sales for Royal Caribbean International. "We have the newest and most beautiful large ships sailing from Texas and we hope everyone from Texas, and beyond, is able to take advantage of that fact."

Splendour of the Seas will make eight 10-night Caribbean sailings, departing Fridays (November 22; December 13; January 3, 24; February 14; March 7, 28; and April 18), with port calls in Montego Bay, Jamaica; George Town, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Key West, Florida.

The ship will make nine 11-night Panama Canal sailings, departing Mondays (November 11; December 2, 23; January 13; February 3, 24; March 17; April 7, 28), with port calls in Cozumel, Mexico; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Panama Canal (cruising); Cristobal Pier, Panama; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and George Town, Cayman Islands.

Panama - from Art.com

The Panama Canal sailings are unique in that Splendour of the Seas will sail into the Panama Canal and turn around in Gatun Lake. This provides guests as complete a Panama Canal experience as possible without actually exiting it on the Pacific side.

Splendour of the Seas arrives in Galveston at the completion of a 15-night transatlantic sailing that departed Barcelona, Spain on October 27, with port calls in Malaga, Spain; Tenerife, Canary Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; George Town, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico.

The ship departs Galveston on May 9, 2003, on a 15-night transatlantic sailing to Barcelona, Spain, with port calls in Key West, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands, Portugal; Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal; and Malaga, Spain.

Bookings for the 10-night Caribbean sailings are available from $799, per- person, double occupancy. Bookings for the 11-night Panama Canal sailings are available from $1,199, per-person, double occupancy.

Splendour of the Seas' sister ship Rhapsody of the Seas was Royal Caribbean's first ship to sail regularly from Galveston, between October and December 2001. Based on the success of those sailings, in April the company brought the ship back to Galveston for year-round sailings.

Rhapsody of the Seas departs Galveston on Sundays for seven-night Western Caribbean sailings, with port calls in Key West, Florida; George Town, Cayman Islands; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. The Key West port calls include late-night departures that allow guests extra time to enjoy the Key West nightlife. Bookings onboard Rhapsody of the Seas are available from $399 per person, double occupancy.

Splendour of the Seas made her maiden voyage in 1996. The ship is 867 feet long and 105 feet wide. It has 11 decks and 900 staterooms, 575 with ocean views, 231 of those with balconies. The ship has two pools, one outdoors and one indoor/outdoor in the ship's Solarium, which is equipped with a sliding glass roof. The ship also features complete conference facilities, a ShipShape Fitness Center, the Casino Royale, as well as Adventure Ocean youth facilities, the 802-seat 42nd Street Theater, and an 18-hole miniature golf course.

Fodor's Caribbean 2008