SPURNED BY NORWEGIAN, PRINCESS, BAYPORT CRUISE TERMINAL TURNS TO CHILLIN’ FRUIT, FIXING UP CARS 
Bereft of tourist companionship after little more than a pair of brief affairs with Norwegian and Princess cruise lines (both of which ended abruptly in mid-2015), the $108-million Bayport Cruise Terminal is picking up and moving on next month, when the first shipment of automobiles for Auto Warehousing Inc. is scheduled to make landing. Andrea Rumbaugh writes that the company has a 3-year lease to use the former cruise facility to make after-market mods before sending cars on their way to dealerships; port commission chairwoman Janiece Longoria also tells Rumbaugh that port-owned areas near the terminal are being outfitted with more chilled storage space, possibly paving the way for the failed Ship Channel vacation destination to make a comeback as a fruit-and-veggie hub. [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Port of Houston
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Inasmuch as the facility is a sunk cost, might as well generate some kind of income. I didn’t see where the new revenues compare with what were being projected for the cruise ship plan.
So who’s going to jail for wasting public taxes on a project obvious to fail from the beginning?
It’s a shame. Its a nice cruise facility and the Galveston terminal is completely full (not to mention a dump). PHA should lobby the legislature to remove the state and local alcohol tax from cruises, which was the biggest reason this facility isn’t competitive as a cruise terminal. The cruise lines have to pay local alcohol taxes on what they serve aboard up until they are a few miles offshore, and when you start 20 miles up the ship channel it costs them a lot.
Another opportunity to privatize this facility. There is no reason on earth why this operation is in the hands of the politicians. Privatize it and let the market determine its highest use and value.
I loved cruising out of Galveston. Why? Because it was 45 min from my house. I could drive down, park, get on my ship, and start my cruise.
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I don’t need the dock to be nice. I need it to be close. I don’t plan on hanging out there.