Cruise Talk: NCL Amarica

Cruise Talk

Cruise News

Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.

>>> Reader Reviews
>>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery
>>> Join Our Cruise Club.

Latest News...Holland America Line will expand its presence in Europe with year-round operations for the first time, introducing a winter and early-spring program for the 2027–2028 season. The move positions the line to offer a broader range of itineraries beyond the traditional summer months, with Nieuw Statendam remaining in Europe throughout the winter and Zuiderdam adding two additional seasonal voyages...

Latest News...Princess Cruises has outlined its most extensive Europe program to date, announcing 291 departures across 150 itineraries for the 2028 season. Six ships will operate throughout Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and on transatlantic routes, marking the line’s largest-ever deployment in the region. The 2028 program, now open for booking, spans voyages from seven to 53 days and includes...

Latest News...Carnival Cruise Line has completed a major expansion of RelaxAway, its exclusive destination on Half Moon Cay, adding new beachfront space, upgraded amenities and improved access for guests. The enhancements were formally marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony as the line prepares to bring more ships to the private island. The project includes an extended stretch of white-sand beach, additional complimentary...

More Cruise News...

my profile | register | search | faq | forum home

»	Cruise Talk » Cruise Lines » NCL Amarica (Page 1)

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

This topic is comprised of pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: NCL Amarica

Jamaica Jeff
First Class Passenger
Member # 2487

posted 10-22-2007 03:58 PM

With all the talk of its demise, why does NCLA not mix up its cruises and base a ship out of L.A. or San Diego and do longer cruises like the ones Princess offers? And could they not send the ships to Alaska in the summer?

[ 10-22-2007: Message edited by: Jamaica Jeff ]

Posts: 287 | From: south jersey | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 10-22-2007 04:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jamaica Jeff:
With all the talk of its demise, why does NCLA not mix up its cruises and base a ship out of L.A. or San Diego and do longer cruises like the ones Princess offers? And could they not send the ships to Alaska in the summer?

Maybe they should squeeze in some other itineraries from time to time. Nevertheless, the whole point of having an U.S. registered ship is of course to be able to offer cruises in Hawaii without having to go to a foreign port in e.g. Mexico or Canada.

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-22-2007 06:38 PM

They could also offer a service similar to the old Matson Line w/a crossing from L.A. or S.F. combined w/a Hawaiian Island cruise. NCLA could sell it as a round trip crossing w/a week island layover or a complete round-trip cruise/crossing. This would be great for people who don't care to fly.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Tim in Fort Lauderdale
First Class Passenger
Member # 953

posted 10-22-2007 08:01 PM

The contractual obligations of these ships and the exemptions granted them dictate that they spend virtually year 'round in the Hawaiian Island trades.

Alaska, the Caribbean and any U.S. Coastwise trade are expressly prohibited.

Unfortunately, that means that NCLA is pretty much locked into the Hawaiian Island trades and this is the reason they wanted the SS US as she COULD undertake any of the other routes.

Tim

Posts: 1468 | From: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Registered: Dec 1999 | IP: Logged

Jamaica Jeff
First Class Passenger
Member # 2487

posted 10-22-2007 09:53 PM

OK so Alaska is out, but can,t they do Hawaii from Southern Cal, or S.F.? Still Hawaii and still U.S. ports.

Posts: 287 | From: south jersey | Registered: Oct 2001 | IP: Logged

dougnewman
First Class Passenger
Member # 11349

posted 10-22-2007 10:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jamaica Jeff:
OK so Alaska is out, but can,t they do Hawaii from Southern Cal, or S.F.? Still Hawaii and still U.S. ports.

I'm sure Tim knows better but I don't think the ships are allowed to call at any ports outside Hawaii, and certainly not to start and end cruises there.

Anyhow, why would someone choose one of these for, say, an LA-Hawaii cruise? Just to avoid the short "technical stop" in Ensenada? I imagine most people would rather take a "regular" ship.

Posts: 2072 | From: Long Island, NY, USA | Registered: Sep 2007 | IP: Logged

PamM
First Class Passenger
Member # 2127

posted 10-23-2007 02:10 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dougnewman:
Anyhow, why would someone choose one of these for, say, an LA-Hawaii cruise? Just to avoid the short "technical stop" in Ensenada? I imagine most people would rather take a "regular" ship.

They would be able to do a one-way rather than the required round trip. Useful for those living in Hawaii for vacations to the US and for those wishing to maybe spend time on the islands without having to fly.

Pam

Posts: 12176 | From: Cambridge, UK | Registered: Jun 2001 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-23-2007 05:01 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:
Unfortunately, that means that NCLA is pretty much locked into the Hawaiian Island trades and this is the reason they wanted the SS US as she COULD undertake any of the other routes.

You have confused me now Tim. Can't regular NCL ships cruise from LA to Hawaii as Princess etc. do? What coulkd the SS United States do they NCLA ships could not?

So is the NCLA 'dream' nearly over?

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Tim in Fort Lauderdale
First Class Passenger
Member # 953

posted 10-23-2007 08:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dougnewman:

I'm sure Tim knows better but I don't think the ships are allowed to call at any ports outside Hawaii, and certainly not to start and end cruises there.
Anyhow, why would someone choose one of these for, say, an LA-Hawaii cruise? Just to avoid the short "technical stop" in Ensenada? I imagine most people would rather take a "regular" ship.

Doug,

IIRC, I did the math once and each ship could do @ one round-trip Hawaii-Cali sailing each quarter without violating the exemptions.

Tim

Posts: 1468 | From: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Registered: Dec 1999 | IP: Logged

Tim in Fort Lauderdale
First Class Passenger
Member # 953

posted 10-23-2007 08:27 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
You have confused me now Tim. Can't regular NCL ships cruise from LA to Hawaii as Princess etc. do? What coulkd the SS United States do they NCLA ships could not?
So is the NCLA 'dream' nearly over?

Malcolm,

yes they can, but those Hawaii voyages from the west coast are expensive to operate because of the vast amount of fuel required as the ships spend 10 out of 15 days cruising at close to maximum speed.

With the cost of fuel approaching $500/metric ton, I think you'll see the offering of those voyages by the likes of Princess, HAL and Celebrity being scaled back.

Tim

Posts: 1468 | From: Fort Lauderdale, FL | Registered: Dec 1999 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-23-2007 08:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:
With the cost of fuel approaching $500/metric ton, I think you'll see the offering of those voyages by the likes of Princess, HAL and Celebrity being scaled back.

..which reduces NCLA's competition, would it not.

Tim, I'm still not clear what the SS United States role might have been.

For a Brit, taking a long haul to LA, then another expensive flight to Hawaii for an NCLA cruise, would cost more than the cruise itself. I like the idea of cruing from the US mainland.

So is NCLA on it's last legs?

[ 10-23-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

timb
First Class Passenger
Member # 5901

posted 10-23-2007 02:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
..which reduces NCLA's competition, would it not.
Tim, I'm still not clear what the SS United States role might have been.
For a Brit, taking a long haul to LA, then another expensive flight to Hawaii for an NCLA cruise, would cost more than the cruise itself. I like the idea of cruing from the US mainland.
So is NCLA on it's last legs?
[ 10-23-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Malcom,

As I understand it the current NCLA ships in Hawaii are required to stay there however the SSUS and Indy are not bound by that in the exemption they recieved. Here is a link if you want to read the exemption

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04421.pdf

The bit that covers restrictions is on page 13-14

Posts: 437 | From: S FL | Registered: Sep 2005 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-23-2007 04:04 PM

IMO the feds allowed for these ships to cruise Hawaii and they would also allow them to cross between L.A. or S.F.. It's not like there are other cruise operators lining up for expensive U.S. registry.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

dougnewman
First Class Passenger
Member # 11349

posted 10-23-2007 04:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by PamM:
They would be able to do a one-way rather than the required round trip. Useful for those living in Hawaii for vacations to the US and for those wishing to maybe spend time on the islands without having to fly.

True, but now we are really talking about a transpacific liner service. If there is a market for such a thing, I doubt there is enough to fill a big ship like these. After all, the Atlantic has only managed to sustain one liner for the past 20 years and I imagine demand would be far higher there than for a California-Hawaii service.

(Rather a pity, though, that nobody does a passenger-cargo service to Hawaii, don't you think? What with all the container traffic that goes between the US and Hawaii, it's too bad the ships don't carry passengers. At least as far as I know none do, anyway.)

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Can't regular NCL ships cruise from LA to Hawaii as Princess etc. do?

Yes, as long as it is a round-trip and stops in a foreign port (e.g. Ensenada).

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
What coulkd the SS United States do they NCLA ships could not?

Since SSUS is a US-built ship, she could operate on an unlimited range of itineraries between US ports, not just in Hawaii but elsewhere.

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
So is the NCLA 'dream' nearly over?

Possibly. Star will be paying for NCLA's losses for a certain amount of time. If by the time that period is up, NCLA is not profitable, I imagine it will be axed.

quote:
Originally posted by Tim in 'Lauderdale:
IIRC, I did the math once and each ship could do @ one round-trip Hawaii-Cali sailing each quarter without violating the exemptions.

Thanks... I didn't realize there was even that much leeway but anyhow I doubt it would do a whole lot to improve the bottom line.

Posts: 2072 | From: Long Island, NY, USA | Registered: Sep 2007 | IP: Logged

Ernst
First Class Passenger
Member # 5369

posted 10-23-2007 04:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dougnewman:
(Rather a pity, though, that nobody does a passenger-cargo service to Hawaii, don't you think? What with all the container traffic that goes between the US and Hawaii, it's too bad the ships don't carry passengers. At least as far as I know none do, anyway.)

I am not sure whether you could embark/disembark in Hawaii - but I know someone who had a stop in Hawaii during a cargo ship trip. (as passenger)

Posts: 9746 | From: Eindhoven | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-23-2007 05:43 PM

Matson has some good size container ships operating between the Mainland and the Hawaiian Islands. I assume it is just not worth the expense (or trouble) of having a few passengers onboard.

Since they are of US registry if they did have a few passenger cabins onboard I assume they could transport passengers between point A and B.

America-Hawaii Cruises sold crossings (they had themes such as a 'Big Band' crossing) on the Independence and Constitution when these ships returned to S.F. for repairs.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Elizabeth
First Class Passenger
Member # 142

posted 10-23-2007 06:30 PM

Hi Folks

I am only a novice, but why doesn't NCL just position a ship at Hawaii year round and do their 10 night/11 night Hawaiian island cruises which include Kiribati? We have done this cruise twice and it is a great cruise. Not only do you see all the islands but you also have 4 days at sea and don't forget Kiribati - a beautiful unspoilt island that will probably disappear because of global warming.

The Norwegian Wind was to be replaced by the Norwegian Sun on this route so bring back the Norwegian Sun and see how it goes. The 7 night cruise is too "busy" as you are in a port every day.

Posts: 177 | From: New England Region N.S.W. Australia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-23-2007 07:01 PM

Non-US flagged Cruise ships often called at Fanning Island for a service call during their Hawaii cruises. I believe the entire point of US registry was of course to have a monopoly on the inter island cruise business as well as avoiding the expensive dash over to Fanning. On the downside was the need to hire higher paid (and maybe less motivated) U.S. crews for the US registerred ships.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

PamM
First Class Passenger
Member # 2127

posted 10-23-2007 07:13 PM

Some people moaned and groaned endlessly about the required side trip to Fanning Island, with the 'boring' sea days, 'nothing to do' and the 'poverty stricken' island in the middle of 'no-where'. Seems one can't win. Some loved it though and said how beautiful it was

Pam

[ 10-23-2007: Message edited by: PamM ]

Posts: 12176 | From: Cambridge, UK | Registered: Jun 2001 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-23-2007 07:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by PamM:
Some people moaned and groaned endlessly about the required side trip to Fanning Island, with the 'boring' sea days
Pam
[ 10-23-2007: Message edited by: PamM ]

I understand it is approx. a 2000 mile (round trip) side trip to Fanning from Hawaii. That burns quite a bit of fuel for a 'service call'.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-23-2007 07:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by timb:
[QB]Here is a link if you want to read the exemption

Thanks Timb, not exactly light reading, but what a facinating document.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

mike sa
First Class Passenger
Member # 5957

posted 10-24-2007 01:30 AM

I recall that PO America will continue to do the 7 day round trip next year after PO Hawaii is moved to Europe, PO Aloha will then do 10 and 11 day sialings including the trip out to Kirimbati.

Posts: 2272 | From: Durban, South Africa | Registered: Sep 2005 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 10-24-2007 12:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mike sa:
I recall that PO America will continue to do the 7 day round trip next year after PO Hawaii is moved to Europe, PO Aloha will then do 10 and 11 day sialings including the trip out to Kirimbati.

Makes sense to remove one ship and place another on a slightly different itinerary. I wonder if NCLA will be down to one ship as America-Hawaii was after the retirement of Constitution back in 1995?

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

dougnewman
First Class Passenger
Member # 11349

posted 10-24-2007 12:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
I wonder if NCLA will be down to one ship as America-Hawaii was after the retirement of Constitution back in 1995?

My understanding is that if it is not profitable with two ships, then the plug will be pulled. Star will get one ship, NCL will get the other.

Posts: 2072 | From: Long Island, NY, USA | Registered: Sep 2007 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-24-2007 01:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
I wonder if NCLA will be down to one ship as America-Hawaii was after the retirement of Constitution back in 1995?

I recall that many of us cruise-talkers were surprised that NCLA could fill three reasonably large ships week in week out. Obviously they can't now.

It's all rather unfortunate for NCL/A. They engineered what they though was a monopoly, yet have still struggled to make it pay.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)
This topic is comprised of pages: 1 2

Ultimate Bulletin Board^TM 6.1.0.3

VACATION & CRUISE SPECIALS

Check out these great deals from CruisePage.com

Royal Caribbean - Bahamas Getaway from $129 per person

Description: Experience the beautiful ports of Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island - CocoCay on a 3-night Weekend Getaway to the Bahamas. Absorb everything island life has to offer as you snorkel with the stingrays, parasail above the serene blue waters and walk the endless white sand beaches. From Miami.

Carnival - 4-Day Bahamas from $229 per person

Description: Enjoy a wonderful 3 Day cruise to the fun-loving playground of Nassau, Bahamas. Discover Nassau, the capital city as well as the cultural, commercial and financial heart of the Bahamas. Meet the Atlantic Southern Stingrays, the guardians of Blackbeard's treasure.

NCL - Bermuda - 7 Day from $499 per person

Description: What a charming little chain of islands. Walk on pink sand beaches. Swim and snorkel in turquoise seas. Take in the historical sights. They're stoically British and very quaint. Or explore the coral reefs. You can get to them by boat or propelled by fins. You pick. Freestyle Cruising doesn't tell you where to go or what to do. Sure, you can plan ahead, or decide once onboard. After all, it's your vacation. There are no deadlines or must do's.

Holland America - Eastern Caribbean from From $599 per person

Description: White sand, black sand, talcum soft or shell strewn, the beaches of the Eastern Caribbean invite you to swim, snorkel or simply relax. For shoppers, there's duty-free St. Thomas, the Straw Market in Nassau, French perfume and Dutch chocolates on St. Maarten. For history buffs, the fascinating fusion of Caribbean, Latin and European cultures. For everyone, a day spent on HAL's award winning private island Half Moon Cay.

Celebrity - 7-Night Western Mediterranean from $549 per person

Description: For centuries people have traveled to Europe to see magnificent ruins, art treasures and natural wonders. And the best way to do so is by cruise ship. Think of it - you pack and unpack only once. No wasted time searching for hotels and negotiating train stations. Instead, you arrive at romantic ports of call relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on the world.

Holland America - Alaska from From $499 per person

Description: Sail between Vancouver and Seward, departing Sundays on the ms Statendam or ms Volendam and enjoy towering mountains, actively calving glaciers and pristine wildlife habitat. Glacier Bay and College Fjord offer two completely different glacier-viewing experiences.

More Vacation & Cruise Specials...