The Pride of Hawaii officially was handed over to NCL America in a ceremony last month in Eemshaven, Holland. As the American flag was raised aboard the SIU-crewed vessel, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Star Cruises (which owns NCL Corp.), was joined by NCL President and CEO Colin Veitch, and Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft, the shipyard that constructed the vessel at a cost of more than $500 million.“We are proud to take delivery of this beautiful new ship not only because she is our newest and largest U.S.-flagged vessel, but because she features the innovative design and tremendous consumer appeal,” said Thay.
Although the delivery of the ship was initially slowed by an adjustment to its propulsion system, Veitch was pleased to welcome the company’s new addition.
“We are thrilled to complete our ambitious plan of bringing three U.S.-flagged ships to Hawaii by 2006,” he said. “The Pride of Hawaii, along with Pride of America and Pride of Aloha and our one international ship, will bring around half a million passengers a year to the Hawaii islands.”
Seafarers already are working aboard the Pride of Hawaii, which began its Atlantic crossing after the handover ceremony in Eemshaven. When it reaches Baltimore—its first port in the United States—it will undergo U.S. Coast Guard inspections and increase the number of crew members on board from 400 to 1,000. It then will travel to San Francisco and Los Angeles for a series of inaugural events before setting sail for Hawaii to join its sister ships, the SIU-crewed Pride of America (christened last summer) and the Pride of Aloha (2004) in offering seven-day inter-island cruises.
The vessel will leave Honolulu every Monday and will spend a day each in Hilo and Kona and two days each in Kahului and Nawiliwili before heading back to Honolulu.
While not the largest ship on the seas, at 93,500 tons and with a passenger capacity of 2,400, the Pride of Hawaii comes close and will enter the history books as the largest U.S.-flagged passenger ship ever built.
The new cruise ship offers many of the same amenities and “freestyle” options as the Pride of Aloha and ride of America in its choice of restaurants and other shipboard and excursion activities.
One of the differences, however, is the expansive suites aboard the newest vessel, each of which includes a private courtyard with pool and whirlpool, concierge service, and much more.
Another innovation on the Pride of Hawaii is the library, which is named in honor of the United States. The United States, which entered service in 1952 and is owned by NCL, won the title as the fastest ocean liner when it smashed transatlantic speed records on its first two crossings. With assistance from the SS United States Conservancy, the library features original photographs, vintage advertisements and original lithographs from renowned marine artists, as well as wall-hanging annotations from Conservancy experts to help educate passengers about the vessel’s significance. “As one of the country’s most venerable ships from the glory days of transatlantic sea travel, the SS United States was revolutionary, faster and more technologically advanced than anything else afloat at the time,” said Veitch.
The three SIU-crewed ships in the NCL fleet are creating thousands of American jobs and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits to Hawaii and to the United States in general. Additionally, more than 3,000 students have successfully completed the Paul Hall Center’s three-week course given to prospective NCL America shipboard employees who fill hundreds of non-marine positions.
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