Cruise line stays course with ship switch

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Lloyd Werft's shipyard in Germany is working to refloat the Pride of America. The ship being built for Hawai'i service took on water during a storm last week and listed. Associated Press

The company said it remains on track in hiring workers for the cruises.

The Pride of America was damaged by a storm while under construction in Germany. It is one of two ships Norwegian plans to operate in Hawai'i by year's end in a major expansion of the state's cruise industry.

Passengers who had been booked to sail on the damaged Pride of America are being transferred to the Pride of Aloha, which will begin interisland cruises in July.

Norwegian has hired about 1,100 U.S. employees for its Hawai'i cruises and plans to hire another 900 employees this year, unless it learns of worse-than-expected problems with the Pride of America. About 60 percent of the employees hired so far, or about 660 people, are from Hawai'i.

Norwegian said it hopes to have the Pride of America repaired and completed by October when the Pride of Aloha was originally scheduled to start three- and four-day interisland cruises.

"We're still assuming that a second ship will be here in October, which we really can't say for sure," said Robert Kritzman, senior vice president for NCL America.

The Pride of America took on water at the Lloyd Werft's shipyard and listed 15 degrees last week. The ship is being refloated, and Norwegian doesn't yet know how long it will take to repair.

The U.S.-flag Pride of Aloha is a reflagged foreign ship now sailing as the Norwegian Sky and is being diverted from planned Alaska cruises. Norwegian announced yesterday it is taking the vessel SuperStar Leo from its parent company, Hong Kong-based Star Cruises, to cover the Alaska cruises.

So far, the ship substitution for Hawai'i has gone relatively smoothly, Kritzman said.

Of the 2,000 cabins reserved for the first two sailings of the Pride of America, only six were cancelled after passengers were notified they would be transferred to the Pride of Aloha, he said.

"The early indications are good," Kritzman said. "New bookings still continue to come in at a very positive rate."

The Pride of Aloha will have a crew of U.S. employees and a Hawai'i-themed design. Local artist Linda Umstead won a contest for her design that will appear on the Pride of Aloha's hull.

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.