After 20 years of Princess Cruises sailing from one top U.S. cruise port, a new era is on its way.
A fleet redeployment plan is sending Princess Cruises in a new direction beginning in 2026, leaving a home-port void that another cruise line could be quick to fill.
Related: Princess Cruises cancels sailings, drops popular home port
Just days after Princess Cruises canceled its winter 2026 – 2027 season from the in-demand cruise port, reports from the port say another cruise line is already in talks to take its place.
Although cruisers already have several cruise line options to consider from this convenient port, it appears that Princess Cruises’ departure may make way for a cruise line that doesn’t currently sail from the city to further expand cruise travelers’ choices.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
Carnival Cruise Line’s newest Excel-class ship, Carnival Jubilee, sails year-round from this popular port.
Image source: Carnival Cruise Line
New cruise line may be headed to Galveston
Princess Cruises is set to end a 20-year run in Galveston, Texas after the winter 2025 – 2026 season after scrapping its winter 2026 – 2027 Galveston sailings scheduled on Majestic Princess as part of a “broader global fleet deployment strategy.”
Although the Port of Galveston would welcome Princess Cruises to return in the future, its CEO Rodger Rees told Chron that the port is already in talks with an additional cruise line interested in sending a ship to Galveston to fill the open spot.
“Major cruise lines are bullish on Galveston,” Rees told Chron. “Cruise lines homeported here full-time and lines sailing seasonally from here have expressed strong interest in adding more sailings.”
Related: Royal Caribbean passenger shares vital warning for all cruisers
Port officials won’t reveal which cruise line may take the spot left by Princess Cruises until an agreement is signed, but Rees indicated that it’s a potential new cruise line partner — an additional line that doesn’t currently have sailings scheduled from the port.
With Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney Cruise Line all offering western Caribbean cruises from Galveston, and MSC Cruises opening a new cruise terminal there in November, there are only a couple of major cruise lines not represented.
Could Celebrity Cruises sail from Galveston?
The most likely replacement for Princess Cruises in Galveston may be Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean Group, which invested in a new Galveston cruise terminal for Royal Caribbean ships in 2022.
Royal Caribbean is developing a new Royal Beach Club Cozumel experience and a Perfect Day Mexico private cruise destination in Costa Maya that support the growth of short western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston. Celebrity Cruises could potentially take passengers to those exclusive destinations as well.
Celebrity Cruises currently sails to both Cozumel and Costa Maya from Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. The Port of Galveston follows PortMiami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades as the fourth most popular cruise home port in the U.S.
Related: Royal Caribbean cruisers share what it’s like to try Celebrity
The growing Port of Galveston welcomed about 1.6 million cruise passengers on more than 380 cruise sailings in 2024. More than 400 cruise sailings are scheduled for 2025, with 1.75 million passengers expected. The opening of MSC Cruises’ new $156 million cruise terminal in late 2025 will support the port, eventually handling more than 2 million passengers annually.
As for Princess Cruises, the cruise line has not yet announced where Majestic Princess will sail instead of Galveston during the winter 2026 – 2027 season. Loyal Princess cruisers still have a last chance to sail from Galveston to the western Caribbean on Regal Princess cruises departing between November 2025 and March 2026.
Port of Galveston officials have also made it clear that they don’t want to count out Princess Cruises returning in the future.
“We would welcome them back in the future,” Rees told Chron. “Their ships are sailing from Galveston at capacity, which is good for Princess and the port.”
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me’s Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at [email protected] or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
