GALVESTON – It’s a big weekend on Galveston as the first Carnival Cruise Line ship prepares to set sail from the island since the pandemic brought cruises to a halt in March of 2020.
“We’ve had four previous cancellations. So, this actually goes up back to April 2020. So, we’re finally going 14 or 15 months later,” said cruiser Kelly Levy.
For Levy and her mom, who booked their trip several weeks ago, they couldn’t wait to hit the high seas again.
”I think being that it’s the first Carnival Cruise ship going out from the U.S. port, it’s just going to be over the top exciting. I think the crew is gonna be excited and the passengers are gonna be really excited,” explained Levy.
Also, just as excited about the return of cruises, the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“I tell you we’re really excited to welcome cruises back. It’s been a long time since we’ve had them here,” said Michael Woody, the Chief Tourism Officer with Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.
They say the return of cruises to the island will mean a jolt in the economy, including everything from restaurants and bars to hotels and small businesses.
”Really for us, it represents a good part of our visitation. So we have over 7 million visitors a year to come to Galveston Island, and 1 million of those are representative of the cruise industry,” said Woody.