Hawai'i's next cruise ship unveiled
| • | State reconsiders Pier 2 improvement project |
By Alex Veiga
Associated Press
MIAMI — Norwegian Cruise Line showed off its newest ships yesterday, drawing hundreds of travel agents and customers paying discounted fares for a one-night sea jaunt.
The 2,240-passenger, 91,000-ton Norwegian Star, its newest vessel, is to be home-ported in Honolulu and anchor the cruise line's Hawai'i operation. The ship is to arrive in the Islands next month.
The Norwegian Star has 10 restaurants and offers 11 menus nightly. It also has what company officials say are the world's two largest luxury suites, each 5,350 square feet, costing $25,000 and accommodating eight people.
The 76,309-ton Sun, which holds 1,936 passengers and will sail out of Miami to destinations in the Caribbean, has nine restaurants and offers 10 menus.
The ships represent Norwegian's move toward more restaurant options, flexible meal times and the freedom to dress casually for meals, a concept it dubs "Freestyle Cruising."
Colin Veitch, president and chief executive, said the company has increased the number of employees on its older ships by about 10 percent as part of the move begun in May 2000 to expand dining service.
Like other large cruise lines, Norwegian ordered its new ships long before the Sept. 11 attacks. It is due to take delivery of a sister ship to the Star in December 2002.
The industry has seen bookings return to last year's levels, in some cases, after initial drops following the attacks. But most reservations are coming from discounted fares, and the industry has seen a decline in advance bookings.
Veitch said Norwegian's bookings are slightly ahead of 2000 levels for this time of year.
Its Hawai'i operation is of particular interest to industry analysts, as the market has been in flux since American Classic Voyages filed for bankruptcy protection last month.
The demise has left Norwegian the sole line offering cruises with stops in the Hawaiian islands.
Norwegian keeps two ships sailing out of Hawai'i for part of the year, and is committing the Star there year-round.
"The other lines are probably waiting to see whether that works or not," said Robin Farley, a leisure travel analyst with UBS Warburg in New York.
