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COVER STORY


Heavenly Hawaii (The Norwegian Way)


Editor Simon Veness charts the unique


cruise-destination style of Norwegian Cruise Line in the Hawaiian islands


T 18 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2012-13


here is no single ‘Wow’ moment in Hawaii. Rather, it is a destination of deep and cumulative superlatives, intense visual and cultural experiences that combine for


an utterly compelling visit. And, at the heart of this panorama of long-lasting splendour in cruise terms is Norwegian Cruise Line and their one-off voyager, Pride of America. Dating back to 2001, Norwegian have blazed a distinct and creative trail in these waters, dedicating up to three ships for a complete Hawaii cruise immersion. At first, they had to sail out of Hawaiian waters to a small island in the South Pacific to conform to the Jones Act, which forbids foreign- flagged vessels from operating solely in US waters. Then, in 2004, they took over the construction of


a vessel in a US shipyard, the only one of its kind. The American yard had gone bust and couldn’t finish the job, but a special dispensation of the Jones Act allowed it to be completed in Bremerhaven and, with a primarily US crew, hey


presto, the first new all-American cruise ship in almost 50 years. The Pride of America was quickly followed by


two sisters in a US-flagged mini-fleet under the NCL banner, but the combination of economics and the 2008 worldwide financial meltdown made it a short-lived operation. Happily, Norwegian persisted with their original


trail-blazer and now this is the only year-round cruise operation based solely in and around Hawaii. And it is absolutely magnificent. With so little sailing time between the four main islands of Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, it allows for maximum time ashore, meaning this is no scratch-the-surface destination, as many cruises can be. Together with an onboard style also heavily based on the islands’ spirit of Aloha (the Hawaiians’ inimitable word for ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’ and almost everything in between), Norwegian have crafted a captivating week-long voyage.


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