NCLA's All-American Crew in Hawaii

Have you ever wondered why Norwegian Cruise Line America is the only line offering inter-island cruises in Hawaii? The answer lies deep in the heart of American politics. In order for any cruise line to offer inter-island itineraries in Hawaii, the line's ship must be flagged in the U.S. and manned by an all-American crew. Not an easy task. In fact, until the inception of NCLA (a subsidiary of NCL), there had been no such ships in nearly 50 years. Therefore, most Hawaiian cruises had to embark in Ensenada or Los Angeles or other port for intra-island passage.

Several years ago, President Bush cleared the way for NCLA's U.S.-flagged ships and 100 percent American crews with his approval of the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2003. The Act contained a cruise ship provision, championed by Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, that helped to create thousands of jobs for U.S. and Hawaii residents while providing a significant boost to the Hawaii economy. According to a PriceWaterhouse Coopers report that was issued at the time of the Act's passage, NCLA's inter-island cruises were slated to generate more than $800 million in economic benefits for Hawaii and the U.S., and 20,000 jobs.

NCLA's first U.S.-flagged and U.S.-manned ship was the Pride of Aloha (2004), followed by the Pride of America (2005), and the Pride of Hawaii (2006). (Note that the Pride of Hawaii is being re-flagged, renamed, and sent to the Mediterranean in early 2008).

Ever since NCLA's trio of vessels started sailing the Hawaiian islands, there's been much debate about the pros and cons of an all-American crew. The line admits there were customer service missteps at the beginning that stemmed from a shortage of trained staff. Now, however, NCLA insists those issues have been solved.

If you search the Internet for recent reviews of NCLA's ships, you'll find many positive remarks along with some constructive criticism of the line's all-American crew and "Freestyle" vibe. Part of the issue seems to be expectations. Most cruisers are used to Filipino or European crew. Their American counterparts sometimes bring a more casually friendly or laid-back attitude to a ship.

I look forward to sailing with Pride of America in order to get to know some of her all-American crew and will be paying close attention to just what quantifiable differences there are between PoAm and other foreign-crewed ships.

Logo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line America.