Her name is Pride of America, but she was built in Germany. So,
that’s where TravelAge West previewed what is surely one
of the most anticipated (and costly) cruise ships in modern
history. Norwegian Cruise Line hosted a select group of media, plus
100 or so top-producing agents from its President’s Club, on a
whirlwind trip to two German shipyards June 2-7. Not only were we
destined to be the first passengers aboard the Pride of America,
but the first to get a glimpse of the Norwegian Jewel to be
delivered in August 2005 and see the early stages of the Pride of
Hawaii, set for a Spring 2006 delivery.
Our trip began in Berlin, where a day of sightseeing was capped
off with an exclusive dinner at the German Parliament building. The
next day, we boarded a charter flight to Bremen, followed by a
two-hour bus ride to Papenburg and a visit to the Meyer Werft
shipyard. There, we were treated to an up-close look at the
shipbuilding process where we saw immense plates of steel welded
together by a specially designed laser. A walk into one of the
shipyard’s enormous covered docks brought a collective gasp from
the group. Off in the corner, covered by scaffolds, cranes and
other equipment, was the Norwegian Jewel, her hull painted in
vibrant jewel colors and sparkles. Donning hard hats, we boarded a
rickety construction elevator, and braved fumes, debris and the
screech of table saws during our tour of the nearly completed
vessel. She boasts some unique features, such as a cluster of new
“Courtyard Villas,” surrounding a private pool and garden-like
relaxation area. A group of bars, called “Bar City,” looks like a
fun concept, as well.
We also caught a glimpse of the Pride of Hawaii, the third NCL
America ship, although there’s not much to her at this point, other
than a small forward section.
After an overnight at the quaint Hotel Alte Werft (a former
shipyard building), it was off on another three-hour bus ride
through the German countryside. When we reached Bremerhaven, on the
North Sea, all eyes turned in the direction of the Lloyd Werft
shipyard.
The Pride of America was hard to miss.
Her red, white and blue “streamers” and large blue stars painted
on her hull were visible as soon as we pulled off the highway into
the city proper. The 2,138-passenger, 81,000-ton vessel is the
first U.S.-flagged ship to be built in 50 years and the largest
U.S.-flagged ship ever. Her story, of course, will go down in
maritime history, so chock full of twists and turns many wondered
if she’d ever come to fruition.
Starting life as a project of American Classic Voyages
(operators of American Hawaii Cruises), her hull was built in a
Mississippi shipyard. When ACV filed bankruptcy after Sept.11, NCL
shrewdly purchased the hull and transported it to Lloyd Werft to be
modified and completed. The story of how the line launched NCL
America, a division operating American-flagged vessels with
American crews, is nothing short of audacious. Had everything gone
according to plan, the Pride of America would have commenced
year-round all-Hawaiian-island service in July 2004. But, the ship
sank in its berth in January 2004, causing NCL to launch its
interisland program with the hastily converted Pride of Aloha,
instead.
Even now, the Pride of America wasn’t fully completed on time, a
fact that caused NCL to change its original itinerary for the
shipyard preview. Our group was first scheduled to board the ship,
attend the hand-over ceremony, and then sail overnight to Dover,
where she’d be shown off to an additional slew of agents. But, the
Lloyd Werft crew was still busy performing finishing touches and
punch list items as we boarded for our now truncated stay of 18
hours.
If any travel agents were disappointed in not getting their
promised suites, they didn’t show it. On the contrary, most seemed
blown away by the ship.
“It’s beautiful, really a showpiece,” said Danny Ching,
president of Non-Stop Travel in Honolulu.
Billed as a “celebration of America,” the Pride of America
certainly lives up to that promise. The public rooms highlight
American treasures, from the Capital Building to California's Napa
Valley. Standouts include the Capital Atrium, with its white
columns, grand staircase, backlit glass domed ceiling and huge
United States seal on the floor. It could double as the set for
“The West Wing.”
The elegant Jefferson’s Bistro is NCL’s signature venue, but
modeled after the library at Monticello and decorated in a tres
chic pale blue. The ship’s two main dining rooms are separated
by a flight of stairs, and have two different themes. The Skyline
Restaurant pays tribute to the great skyscrapers of America, with
art deco lines on pillars, windows and even chair backs that evoke
the Chrysler building and other monoliths. The Liberty Restaurant,
in red, white and blue, features Colonial-style furnishings, busts
of our founding fathers, paintings of historic scenes and sweeping
draperies. It seems a tad stuffy for a Hawaii itinerary, where most
guests will be clad in flip-flops and shorts, but, that doesn’t
matter, considering the number of other dining venues onboard.
The Lazy J Texas Steakhouse, with its wagon-wheel theme, looks
like a Western movie set, and features certified Angus beef. The
Cadillac Diner pays homage to Elvis and 1950s-era diners (with a
menu to match). The Gold Rush Saloon, with a rustic decor that
includes wood floors, historic artifacts and animal parts mounted
on the walls, could pass for a watering hole along the Klondike
trail. And the Napa Wine Bar, with its stone and wood
Craftsman-like accents, will make the most sophisticated wine lover
feel at home.
As a ship that will sail year-round in Hawaii, the Pride of
America appropriately has some Hawaiian touches. The most stunning
of these is Pink’s Champagne & Cigar Bar, on deck 6 above the
Capital Atrium. The lounge’s design, with its anthurium pattern on
the carpet, pink walls and ceiling, lovely plantation-style
furnishings and crystal chandeliers is a tribute to the (pink)
Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki. It’s one of the prettiest rooms on
the ship.
The Aloha Cafe the ship's indoor-outdoor buffet is also
imaginative. Instead of the traditional long buffet line, it
features a series of food stations, or “progressive food action
islands,” as NCL has dubbed them. Whatever the name, the idea of
separate locales for carved meats, salads made to order and
desserts is fabulous.
The Pride of America features some other noteworthy elements, as
well. There’s wireless Internet access in 80 percent of the public
areas, as well as in all staterooms. The ship has a tennis court, a
new category of inter-connected Family Suites and an art gallery.
She’ll also feature a new dining reservation system. Television
monitors all around the ship will inform passengers of wait times
at all the restaurants, so they can make their plans
accordingly.
Perhaps the ship’s most valuable feature is its “meetings and
incentive travel friendliness.” As a U.S.-flagged vessel,
conferences aboard the Pride of America will carry the same tax
benefits as a conference at a land-based hotel. NCL has wisely
chosen to capitalize on this, by offering an outstanding complex of
meeting rooms onboard. The Diamond Head Auditorium is designed for
“meetings in the round,” with seating for 250 people encircling a
central stage and huge television monitors. Marketed aggressively,
it should rightfully become one of the most sought-after venues for
meetings at sea.
Will everything on Pride of America garner rave reviews?
Probably not. Of course, it's not fair to criticize a ship that
isn't even entirely finished yet, but some potential trouble areas
do stand out. The Santa Fe Spa, which could have been Zen-like,
with soft turquoise and desert rose colors, is instead a hodgepodge
of cactus paintings, tin cutouts that look suspiciously like the
ubiquitous Mexican souvenirs and framed embroidered prints that
convey a Central American not New Mexican ambience. And a certain
film Academy might take interest in the golden statues lining the
ship’s Hollywood Theater. They bear a striking resemblance to
you-know-who.
Some agents on the shipyard tour did express disappointment with
the size of the cabins. A few of the ocean-view with balcony rooms
were so tight that only about 12 inches separated the edge of the
bed from the corner (curved thankfully) of a built-in storage unit.
A larger-sized American couple will have some problems maneuvering
around.
Service, which was the bane of NCL in the first couple months of
the Pride of Aloha sailings, will certainly be carefully watched on
this ship, but the line feels it has taken painstaking steps to
ensure smooth sailing in that regard. The staff has, among other
things, gone through a special three-week training course, and
their ranks have been beefed up to handle attrition, a huge
headache for Pride of Aloha. Based on what we observed during the
shipyard preview, the staff is clearly enthusiastic and eager to
work with passengers. But NCL probably won’t get much slack if
things go wrong in the service department.
President and CEO Colin Veitch insisted the line has learned
from its mistakes, and it’s hard not to root for him. The ship is
presently crossing the Atlantic, with workers no doubt continuing
to work on last-minute touches. Plans call for a splashy inaugural
in New York City on June 17, followed by a week of taping “Live
With Regis and Kelly” onboard. The aerobics room will become a
production studio, and the Sport Deck will be converted to a stage
for the show’s hosts. Audience members will sail with 20 of their
closest friends, courtesy of a NCL giveaway.
Audacious? Bold? Yes. But, that’s typical NCL.
