Newsletter Dated May 16, 2005
Dear Vacations To Go Customer,
Next month, Norwegian's Pride of America will finally make its debut. Here's a recap of what has happened so far.
Construction on the yet-to-be-named ship began in 1999, for American Classic Voyages (ACV). She was to be the first large cruise ship built in an American shipyard in nearly 50 years, but after massive cost overruns and delays, ACV filed bankruptcy in 2001 and construction stopped. The unfinished hull sat in a Mississippi shipyard for many months.
In 2002, Norwegian came to the rescue. The company bought the hull and floated it from Mississippi to Germany to complete construction, at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven.
The ship was scheduled for delivery to NCL in April of 2004, but as she neared completion, a powerful storm roared across the region. Gale force winds caused the Pride to list to one side in its shipyard berth, and seawater rushed into an open section of the hull, flooding the bottom three decks. The ship sank to the floor of the harbor, which fortunately was not very deep, leaving all the passenger decks still above water.
After several weeks of preparation, the seawater was pumped from the ship, and she was re-floated. Meanwhile the shipyard declared itself insolvent, further complicating repairs and completion. Ultimately, the mishap added more than a year to the construction process.
Finally, the ship built in two decades, in two shipyards, on two continents, for two owners, is ready for her sea trials. The Pride of America will be delivered to NCL on June 6.
After a series of inaugural events and repositioning cruises, the Pride of America will arrive in Honolulu, where she will sail 7-day cruises of the Hawaiian Islands beginning July 23. I've been wishing for a new ship in that market for many years, and I don't believe there is a more beautiful itinerary anywhere.
One of the more notable inaugural events will be a week's worth of broadcasts of the "Live with Regis and Kelly" morning show during the repositioning cruise from New York to Miami. The entire ship has been chartered for this special event--Regis and Kelly will be giving away spots on this cruise during their show, and each winner will receive 20 berths to share with their family and friends.
As the first ship ever to cross the Atlantic--and sink--before it was launched, the Pride of America has already accumulated a fascinating history. I'll keep you posted.
Please e-mail me your comments, suggestions and questions at
alanfox@vacationstogo.com
and I will respond the same day.
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Sincerely,
R. Alan Fox
Chairman & CEO
Vacations To Go
