Parent company Star Cruise is selling the Norwegian Crown to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in August. The ship will become Olsen’s fifth vessel in November 2007, after completing its current NCL schedule in Bermuda, this summer and next, and in South America this winter. The Norwegian Wind will be transferred to Star Cruises, becoming the SuperStar Aquarius, in April 2007 and will be replaced by the larger Norwegian Sun on its Hawaii route. The departure of the two ships coincide with the scheduled deliveries of two new NCL ships, the Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem.
May 2006 Archives
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES is adding four Boeing 767-300s to its fleet and is recalling 22 furloughed pilots to accommodate an expanded transpacific flight schedule. Effective September 6, Hawaiian will make its daily summer service between San Diego-Maui a year-round option, also adding seven nonstop flights per week to Maui from Seattle and Portland. Effective November 19, Hawaiian will add four weekly flights between Sacramento and Honolulu and three weekly flights to its Seattle-Honolulu schedule.
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NCL Hawaii's newest and largest U.S.-flagged cruise ship, the Pride of Hawaii, arrives in the islands this weekend. First stop: Kauai.
It is scheduled to arrive Sunday at Nawiliwili. Then it visits Hilo, Kahului and Kona, in that order, before sailing to Honolulu on Saturday, June 3. An overnight charity cruise is scheduled for the following night, and the ship enters regular revenue service Monday, June 5.
The 93,500-ton, 2,400-passenger vessel will more than triple NCL Hawaii capacity because it is bigger than the Pride of America, which is bigger than the Pride of Aloha.
D.T. Fleming Beach Park, a mile-long arc of white sand near the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, Maui, is the No. 1 beach in the world, according to Stephen Leatherman, a coastal scientist better known as "Dr. Beach." Two other Hawaii beaches, Hanalei Bay on Kauai and Hamoa Beach on Maui made the top ten.
BEST BEACHES
1. Fleming Beach Park, Maui
2. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, Fla.
3. Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, N.C.
4. Coopers Beach, Southampton, N.Y.
5. Hanalei Bay, Kauai
6. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
8. Coronado Beach, San Diego
9. Hamoa Beach, Maui
10. Barefoot Beach Park, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Source: Stephen Leatherman
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NCL America is less than a week shy of its goal to sail three U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed ships in Hawaii as it christened its third vessel, the Pride of Hawaii, during a ceremony in Los Angeles on May 20.
The ship departed Los Angeles on May 22 and is en route to Hawaii, where it will begin seven-day interisland cruising from Honolulu on June 5.
At 93,500 tons and room for 2,466 passengers, the Pride of Hawaii will be the largest ship in the NCL America fleet.
STARWOOD will no longer manage the 50-room W Honolulu-Diamond Head Hotel, effective May 31. The property, at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, tentatively will be renamed the Resort Hawaii Diamond Head. The hotel was Starwood’s only W in Hawaii.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES is on schedule for the June debut of its third and largest ship for Hawaii cruises, the Pride of Hawaii. The ship will start interisland cruises following an inaugural cruise from Los Angeles. It is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on May 28.
Local 5 of the Unite Here union, representing workers at the major hotels of Waikiki, opens its first 2006 contract talks Tuesday for Sheraton employees.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. brands and manages four hotels in Waikiki owned by Kyo-ya Ltd. -- the Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani. Local 5 executives decided to negotiate with Starwood first.
The talks were scheduled to begin Tuesday at 4 p.m. with a second round set for Wednesday at 1 p.m.
There are temporary walls and construction workers in the lobby, but the new owners of the Ala Moana Hotel say they will be ready to reposition the property as an upscale hotel next month.
The 1,154-room hotel on Atkinson Road, next to Ala Moana Center, is one of the six largest hotels in the state and the nearest to the Hawaii Convention Center. Since fall 2004 the 30-year-old property has been the object of a multimillion-dollar renovation by Miami-based Crescent Heights.
The Sheraton Kauai Resort is in the first phase of a $24 million upgrade. The renovation of the 412-room hotel is scheduled for completion by September and will be done in phases to limit inconvenience to guests. The upgrade includes room and bath remodeling and the addition of Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds, LCD televisions and rattan lanai furnishings.
The 3rd annual International Women's Leadership Conference has been scheduled for Aug, 29 and will be held at the Sheraton Waikiki, organizers said this week.
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona's wife Vivian, and Hawaiian Electric Industries CEO Connie Lau are scheduled speakers or moderators, but the conference mainly features an eclectic collection of speakers from around the world.
The conference is sponsored by the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women. for more information, visit www.hawaii.gov/gov/gov/IWLC, call (808) 586-0081 or e-mail Lois.Hamaguchi@hawaii.gov.
• Hilton Inns will be the new franchise affiliation for the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort, which, effective this summer, will be rebranded as Hilton Kauai Beach Resort.
• The independent Kahala Hotel & Resort, formerly the Kahala Mandarin, has named Sharon Klaschka as director of sales. Klaschka was director of leisure sales at the Fairmont Kea Lani.
THE MAUNA LANI BAY HOTEL & BUNGALOWS is hosting a spa retreat from June 8 to 12. The program, titled “Ke Kumu o Mauna Lani” (“The Teachers of Mauna Lani”), includes daily workshops led by specialists in various aspects of traditional Hawaiian culture.
The Hyatt Regency Maui will host former football stars Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith (all played for the Buffalo Bills) in a six-day charity golf event at the Kaanapali and Kapalua courses.
The Segway HT human transporter, the stand-up device invented in 2002 that has since become a hot booking option with visitors at destinations around the world, is now available in Waikiki through Segway of Hawaii.
Operating out of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Segway of Hawaii enters the market with a variety of tour and “glide ride” options.
Safe to use and environmentally friendly, the Segway provides easy-to-navigate mobility, even in such crowded environments as Waikiki’s Kalakaua Avenue. Capable of traveling at 8 mph and covering up to 24 miles on a single battery charge, the large-wheeled Segways, made in New Hampshire, are self-balancing, quiet, convenient and pollution-free. Segways are legally permitted for sidewalk travel.
THE OUTRIGGER REEF ON THE BEACH has introduced a free cultural activity for guests. The two-hour-long Na Alii (The Royalty) walking tour, led by Hawaii storyteller Woody Fern, offers insights on Waikiki history and links to the royal past. Tours depart the hotel on Saturdays at 9 a.m.
HARD ROCK INTERNATIONAL is seeking a Waikiki property to fit its plans for expansion into Hawaii. The company is on the lookout to buy property or sign a hotel management agreement. The Yacht Harbor tower of the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel is one possibility, but no deal has been completed.
One of Honolulu's most active jazz venues will host the 13th Annual Hawaii International Jazz festival - Springtime, on April 1. The Halekulani Hotel event will feature a free morning jazz clinic and followed with an 8 p.m. concert showcasing top musicians, including the Hawaii International Jazz Festival All Star Band, directed by Abe Weinstien, who founded and is executive director of the festival. Everything ends with a free form jam session featuring all of the evenings peformers. Tickets are $75 and $60. Parking is complimentary. More information at 808 941-9974 or at aewjazz@aol.com.
THE SHERATON KAUAI RESORT will embark upon a $24 million renovation project that will include upgrades to rooms and public areas. The project, which begins in May, is set for completion by September.
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