您应该了解挪威邮轮公司在2022年的美国骄傲
经过布列塔尼·克鲁斯切尔(Brittany Chrusciel)/
Launched in 2005, Norwegian’s Pride of America has carried the mantle of the only large U.S.-flagged cruise ship for nearly two decades. It carries it well, perpetually sailing round trip from Honolulu and maintaining status as Norwegian Cruise Line’s most profitable ship (based on revenue per bed).
Pride of America’s reentry into service following the disruption of the pandemic was originally slated for January 2022. However, the surge of the omicron variant pushed that date to April. That hasn’t slowed demand, as Hawaii continues to attract would-be vacationers with ideal weather year-round and domestic travel status.
Despite the immense challenges of the past two years, Norwegian Cruise Line officially returned its seventeenth and final cruise ship to service on May 9, which reinstates its entire fleet.
那么,当顾问再次呼吁流行的阿罗哈州,顾问们对美国唯一呼吁的船只知道什么,因为它再次巡游了太平洋?我们为期一周的航行后,我们提供以下观察结果。
The ship is sold through the fall but sailing at less than half capacity.
“Our issue with Hawaii isn’t one of demand,” Harry Sommer, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, told media during a discussion onboard. “There is so much desire to come here — and as you know, we have the only product that does one-week, inter-Hawaii cruises…with over 100 hours in port and no sea days.” Demand is so high that at current capacity levels, Pride of America is sold through October and was at a stop-sell during our time onboard.
“Our issue is with crew,” Sommer admitted. “Similar to land-based properties within the United States, we have problems securing enough staff to get this ship up to full.” In order not to sacrifice guest service standards, occupancy levels have been reduced commensurate with the number of crew onboard. On our sailing in mid-May, just under 550 crew were onboard as compared with a typical staff of 920 to 940 crew members. In turn, Pride of America is sailing at about 40 percent capacity.
“The demand is a good problem to have, and the crewing is an unfortunate issue,” Sommer said. He expects guest capacity to remain at about 1,100 passengers (of a 2,500-person maximum) through the summer and hopes the ship will be running at full capacity by the winter holidays.
Giving a broader view, Norwegian has increased its overall capacity from 0 to 85 percent over a five-month span (from the height of omicron to now). With the addition of Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, booking levels are higher than they were at this time in 2019. Additionally, Norwegian Cruise Line has “no plans to sell any ships over the next three to five years,” according to Sommer, despite ramping up capacity 40 percent over the next six years. For now, this means that the beloved Pride of America is here to stay as is.
阳台客舱。照片:布列塔尼·克鲁斯切尔(Brittany Chrusciel)
This is the time to land a suite upgrade.
由于需求,对美国骄傲的票价逐渐上涨,这导致来宾人口统计学的平均收入略高。但是,当前降低容量在板载的副作用是有效的。挪威人允许客人在预订机舱后竞标升级,我们建议鼓励客户借此机会。忽略建议的投标,并输入仍在客户预算范围内的金额。在我们的航行中,一对夫妇在预订阳台舱(每人接近3,000美元)后,登陆了一套顶层公寓套房(每人$ 5,000),每人只需几百美元就可以在升级时出价。这是为夏威夷航行的客户达成协议的方式。
A quick note that on Pride of America — as on many ships — cabin location does matter. We were somewhat surprised to find that nearly all the Hawaiian port facilities were quite industrial, meaning the views from our portside balcony were less ideal than imagined (relatively speaking, this is still paradise). However, if your client is in a balcony stateroom or suite, portside is an excellent place to be as they depart Kauai on the very last evening for a scenic sail of the Na Pali coast.
Clients should manage expectations about the current onboard experience.
Pride of America remains an excellent way to see five ports and four islands in eight days, but with the convenience comes a few pandemic-related tradeoffs. Staffing shortages have hit nearly every industry, and a cruise ship operated by American crew is well among them. Because of the trickledown effect of less staff, many venues on the ship are currently closed. This includes specialty restaurants East Meets West, Moderno Churrascaria, La Cucina, and Teppanyaki or Sushi; the Dolce Gelato stand; main dining room Liberty Restaurant and Skyline, the main dining room, for breakfast or lunch; and bars including Key West Bar & Grill, Waikiki Bar, Aloha Lanai, and Gold Rush Saloon on most evenings.
As such, the bars that are open are busy and bartenders were a bit overwhelmed. Still, we always had friendly and prompt service in the Cadillac Diner, which remained an all-day venue serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner items plus milkshakes. Room service was also correct and on time; ships can sometimes struggle with both, even when fully operational, so we appreciated the option for complimentary Continental breakfast on early excursion days. We even saw fresh coffee being delivered to a guest on disembarkation day, which is usually not offered on the final morning.
We’re told that venues will gradually reopen as crew numbers increase. But with that in mind, new crew members joining the ship, numbering in the hundreds, means that a significant percentage of staff will be training through the end of the year and into the coming seasons.
在我们的航行过程中,只有少数孩子在船上看到,一些家庭游泳池和惠而浦等设施被关闭。根据索默(Sommer)的说法,儿童俱乐部将于6月1日在夏季休息时及时到6月1日。
The ship's guest services desk. Photo: Brittany Chrusciel
这艘船经过精心维护,但装饰已经过时了。
Pride of America is 17 years old and given how long it’s been operating the same Hawaiian loop, it looks great. It was recently refurbished and boasts new carpeting, upholstery, and shining surfaces; the furniture isn’t chipped, cracked, or worn down; everything seemed to be in working order. Despite how clean and presentable it is, we’re still scratching our heads as to why the hit-you-over-the-head Americana theme has endured when its only itinerary is purely Hawaiian.
主题一艘挪威不是一个新概念,who has modeled Breakaway as its “New York ship,” Getaway as its “Miami ship,” and Bliss as its “Alaska ship,” even though these vessels have been deployed as far as Europe. We strongly believe that the indisputable “Hawaii ship” is worthy of a more pronounced Hawaiian theme.
Obviously, an update that would overhaul structural elements would be costly, and we’re not saying that fresh from two years of suspended operation is the time to enact a rebrand of the ship. But a bust of Ben Franklin peering down upon a front desk replica of the Oval Office (complete with eagles overhead and a state seal) is not what I would have pictured cruising with the Aloha spirit in mind. Perhaps an authentic interpretation of a tiki bar? The Cadillac Diner already offers a take on the local dish the “Loco Moco,” so why not model the space after a local diner like Ken’s in Hilo? Elvis (the current diner theme) is about as Hawaiian as my left foot. In my own opinion, renaming fleetwide French favorite Le Bistro to “Jefferson’s Bistro” is akin to calling French fries “freedom fries.”
To be fair, I agree with Sommer’s point that the bells and whistles of newer ships — like virtual reality, racetracks, or Broadway-style shows — don’t resonate as much with guests who aren’t spending much time onboard the ship. From our own experience, the full days exploring in port combined with our jet lag meant we were always looking to crash after dinner.
We found shore excursions worth the splurge.
陆上,夏威夷及其旅游经营者已准备好您的业务。当然,您可以租车并做自己的事情。但是,与任何新目的地一样,您没有任何知情评论就缺乏背景,而夏威夷的自然,文化和政治历史非常深刻。像阿拉斯加一样,几乎您在夏威夷的任何地方都会令人惊叹,但是游览可以充分利用您在港口的时间,并通过精简的交通运输,并且如果客户确定要DIY,则可以进入可能难以到达的位置。
我们在毛伊岛到莫洛基尼火山口的浮潜之旅是一个在水面上的可爱,阳光明媚的下午,真正的船员真是太棒了。除了提供早餐,热午餐和开放式酒吧,带有当地啤酒和烈酒在骑行中(远远超过我们飞往檀香山的10个小时的服务),旅行社给我们留下了深刻的印象。这些浮潜之旅由太平洋鲸鱼基金会经营,有助于资助夏威夷和其他地方的重要海洋研究,工作人员对海洋及其居民知识和热情。在前往两个浮潜地点的第一个路上,我们停下来挖出一个箔气球,当每个人都在船上欢呼时,它漂浮在海洋中。它为有趣的消遣方式提供了游览的目的,我们为挪威邮轮公司选择以道德实践的方式选择运营商表示赞赏。
POA's library. Photo: Brittany Chrusciel
请记住:饮料税,没有赌场是美国巡航的怪癖。
这些不是美国骄傲的新功能,但是由于许多乘客是行程的初学者,因此值得提醒客户,尤其是那些忠于NCL的客户 - POA具有仅凭这艘船独有的品质。也就是说,即使有了饮料包,您也在为每种饮料缴税,当这里和那里的50美分时,这可能会加起来。即使我们觉得这些商店的选择和友好的员工,请记住,他们没有责任。同样,由于该船从未进入国际水域,因此也没有赌场。另一方面,该船的确设有一个很大的图书馆 - 一个似乎从邮轮中消失的场所 - 遍布有关S.S. America历史的迷人展示。