“Norwegian Sky has been in high demand since we brought her to Miami to sail three and four-day Bahamas cruises last year; and therefore we wanted to give her a beautiful new look for the summer season and beyond,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “The ship is the perfect getaway as it offers great value for money for families, friends and couples alike looking to relax and escape the everyday.”

Norwegian Sky’s total refurbishment includes:

• reupholstering all 1,000 seats in the Stardust Theater;

• major updates to 14 suites which received new wallpaper; new marble tiles in the showers and tubs; and refinishing all wood work including the teak around the whirlpools on the suite balconies;

• improvements to Dazzles Bar and Nightclub, including refinishing of the dance floor; reupholstering of the club’s chairs and bar stools and removal of banquette seating creating additional room on the dance floor;

• new upholstery to all of the seating in the Atrium;

• installation of new food stations in the Garden Café, Norwegian’s signature action station restaurant, along with refurbishment of Il Adagio, the ship’s Italian restaurant;

• the addition of three new staterooms; and

• repainting of the colorful murals surrounding the pool area.

Norwegian Sky’s three and four-day Bahamas sailings departing from Miami are from $199 per person. Norwegian Sky departs Miami on Mondays sailing four-day Bahamas cruises with full-day stops in Grand Bahama Island, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas. On Fridays, the ship sails a weekend getaway three-day Bahamas itinerary, departing Miami at 5 p.m. with all-day stops in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, returning to Miami at 7 a.m. on Monday mornings.

Norwegian Sky has more than 240 balcony staterooms, a choice of six different restaurants, 10 bars and lounges, multiple entertainment venues, a luxurious spa, two pools, extensive children’s facilities, a sports deck and a variety of spacious public rooms.

NCL Corp. has made an unspecified payment to Star for its interest in Pride of America’s assets. In January, assets related to Pride of Aloha are expected to be settled.

A circular from September 2007 detailed the agreement between Star and Apollo.  It also gave the parties until the end of this year to decide whether to continue the NCL America venture, and also outlined the financial terms of continuing or disbanding the US-flag brand.  It appears the agreement provides for a total distribution of approximately $500m to Star from NCL Corp.

The circular states that if the parties agreed to continue the NCL America operation after Star gave notice to withdraw, NCL would pay a cash consideration equal to $800m, based on the appraised value of Pride of Aloha ($340m) and Pride of America ($460m) less depreciation for both ships from April 2007 to the NCL America valuation date, and the $251m in debt on Pride of America.

Pride of America continues to operate in Hawaii under the US flag, a program recently extended through January 2012

For guests booked prior to November 10, 2008 for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010, the company has established the following guidelines for the refund of fuel supplements paid:

• The criteria for refund will be determined on a quarterly basis.  Should the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel be below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter (dates specified below), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.

For guests booked on sailings that depart in 2009 (on or after January 1, 2009 and that depart on or before December 31, 2009), regardless of booking date, the company has established the following guidelines for the refund of fuel supplements paid:

• The criteria for refund will be determined on a quarterly basis.  Should the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel be below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter (dates specified below), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.

The dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured and the quarters during which refunds could apply are:

Determination of what quarter a sailing is in will be based solely on the sailing date.  The entire cruise will be considered to be part of the quarter that the sailing date originates in.

These new fuel supplement policies apply to guests booked through all NCL offices around the world.

The company is implementing these changes in response to the recent decrease in global fuel prices.  NCL will continue to closely monitor global fuel prices to assess whether a reinstatement of the fuel supplement will be necessary.

Individual reservations The increased fuel supplement applies only to new individual reservations made on or after May 1, 2008.

Group reservations The increased fuel supplement applies to any group reservation booked on or after May 1, 2008. The increased fuel supplement will also apply to group space held prior to May 1, 2008 without specific names and full confirming deposit by April 30, 2008.

In theory, Pride of America should be remaining in Hawai’i at least through 2010 and the stories at the beginning of the week seemed to indicate that – until USAToday and the Honolulu Star Bulletin report that NCL has been hinting to Hawai’i state leaders that if the CBP ruling doesn’t go their way then Pride of America could potentially leave the islands as well…

While we understand NCL’s concerns – the uncertainty that they are injecting into the issue doesn’t help anybody.  NCL’s casting doubt on their ability or desire to remain in Hawai’i for the long run makes it hard to make a confident decision about sailing on NCLAmerica.

There was some other news this week – like the lawsuit filed against various cruise lines accusing them of collusion when implementing their fuel surcharges late last year.  Oceania’s Regatta  was a good samaratan. Royal Caribbean will upgrade their Labadee pier to accommodate the Genesis ships, and Celebrity and Azamara will join Princess and offer weddings at sea…

Instead we got to talking about the new restaurants coming to Celebrity Solstice and the transfer of Pride of Hawai’i among other things and the next thing we knew we had a 50 some odd minute show… Go figure!

A simple show this week is fine – because next week we have something cool planned. You’ll just have to come back to find out about it!

The remaining year-round ship in Hawai‘i will be the larger and newer Pride of America, introduced in 2005, a vessel specifically designed and built for Hawai’i cruising. The company announced, and put on sale, Pride of America’s sailings through 2010 offering its popular inter-island cruises departing every Saturday from Honolulu.

“Pride of Aloha pioneered the new inter-island market but, as we move forward with Freestyle 2.0 to take our product to the next level across what is already the youngest fleet in the industry, we cannot justify further investment in this ship,” said Andy Stuart, NCL’s executive vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services. “Withdrawing Pride of Aloha was an extremely difficult but necessary commercial decision; however we see a strong future for the long-term flagship in Hawai‘i, Pride of America. In Pride of America, we have created a commercially successful modern U.S. Flag cruise ship home ported in Hawai‘i – the first time that has ever been achieved. With Pride of America, we are offering a high quality product, on a world class ship sailing one of the most exciting itineraries available in the industry.

“With today’s announcement of Pride of America’s itinerary through 2010, our guests and travel partners can choose a Freestyle Cruising vacation on a big, modern ship visiting all four main islands and featuring more time to explore ashore than any other cruise line sailing in Hawai‘i. In the longer term, as demand continues to grow for this premium experience, we hope to bring back our other modern purpose-built U.S.-flag ship, Pride of Hawai‘i.”

Guests booked on Pride of Aloha For guests booked on Pride of Aloha from May 11, 2008 and beyond, NCL is holding space and will offer the same cruise fare as they currently have paid on their Pride of Aloha cruise if they would like to transfer to the same week on Pride of America, departing one day earlier. In addition: -Guests will receive a $100 per person on-board credit (up to $200 per stateroom). -For guests who made their air and/or hotel arrangements through NCL, NCL will protect the rates they currently have paid and cover any air or hotel change fees. -For guests who purchased their own air, NCL will protect up to the first $100 per person of any increase in air costs and cover up to $75 per person in air change fees. -For guests who made independent hotel arrangements, NCL will cover any hotel change fees up to $25 per person.

Guests may book any other NCL cruise and receive a $100 per person on-board credit (up to $200 per stateroom) if they rebook by March 7, 2008. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. Guests may cancel their cruise and receive a full refund if NCL is notified by March 7, 2008. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. After March 7, 2008 cancellation fees will apply in accordance with NCL’s cancellation policy.

Pride of America’s deployment announced through 2010 Following a 14-day scheduled dry dock in Hawai’i from April 26, 2008 to May 10, 2008, Pride of America will sail its four main island itinerary with a change in order of ports including an overnight in Nawiliwili, Kaua’i; an afternoon cruise of the breathtaking Napali Coast; Hilo, Hawai’i; an evening sail by Mount Kilauea; Kona, Hawai’i; and an overnight in Kahului, Maui.

All of the Freestyle 2.0 enhancements will be rolled out on Pride of America during the ship’s dry-dock.

Launched in 2005, Pride of America has over 660 balcony staterooms, the broadest range of family-friendly interconnecting cabins available at sea, a choice of nine different restaurants and 12 dining options, multiple entertainment venues, three pools, extensive children’s facilities, an abundance of spacious public rooms, and the largest dedicated meeting facilities at sea. All inspired by the diverse regions of America.

Cabotage Issues Commenting on the Pride of Aloha withdrawal, NCL’s President and CEO Colin Veitch said: “Our Hawai’i business has been extraordinarily difficult, and although we have progressively established a stable operation, delivering a good product in a great destination, the overall price level in the market has been driven down, to a significant degree, by an unprecedented expansion of capacity from low-cost foreign flag ships based on the west coast operating domestic Hawai’i itineraries that the Customs Service has indicated are legally the preserve of U.S. flag ships.

“We have invested heavily in U.S. flag cruising in reliance on our nation’s cabotage laws providing a level playing field in Hawai’i. Our remaining ship, Pride of America, is generating an encouraging profit now, and we project a continued improvement in this one-ship operation as the unique nature of Hawai’i, from a cabotage standpoint, is clarified and restored. In due course, we would then expect, and hope, to be able to grow our U.S. flag business back to two profitable ships by reintroducing Pride of Hawai’i.“

The new investment, in the form of common stock alongside NCL’s existing sole shareholder, Star Cruises (“Star”), is designed to strengthen NCL’s balance sheet and its ability to continue to expand what is fast-becoming the youngest fleet in the industry, and to evolve further the company’s successful Freestyle Cruising concept first introduced in 2000.

Under the terms of the proposed investment, which includes an agreement for additional future distributions to be made directly by NCL to Star, Apollo will become 50 percent owner of NCL and will name a majority of the NCL board with certain consent rights retained by Star. Star will retain all of its existing stock in NCL and will, like Apollo, be 50 percent owner of the recapitalized company.Star Cruises Chairman and CEO Tan Sri KT Lim, welcomed the new partner and remarked on the opportunities that lie ahead: “Apollo’s significant financial commitment in NCL’s common stock means we have an equal partner who believes in the business as much as we do. This is a powerful validation of what we have achieved so far and of our vision for the future. It is also truly the start of the next – and most exciting – chapter for this great company.”

The proceeds of the Apollo investment will be used to repay existing NCL indebtedness, greatly increasing the liquidity available to fund a continuation of the dramatic new building program that has seen the introduction of eight purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships to the fleet in just six years. The NCL-owned fleet today (excluding four chartered ships) stands at 19,740 berths, with another 15,000 berths under construction and under option, including the new Norwegian Gem due for delivery at the start of October this year.

As part of Apollo’s investment in NCL, Apollo and Star have entered into a sub- agreement relating to NCL’s U.S. flagged Hawai`i operations under the NCL America brand (“NCLA”) providing for deferred consideration to be paid to Star by NCL in the future. The sub-agreement is designed to support the business of NCLA in the near term and permit NCLA time to realize the benefits of various measures recently implemented to raise revenue yields and to lower crew turnover and payroll costs. Taken together with the pre-money valuation implied by Apollo’s $1 billion payment for 50 percent of the expanded equity, this added element of the transaction implies a total enterprise valuation of NCL of approximately $4 billion.

Completion of the transaction is expected early in Q4 2007 and is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approval, Star Cruises shareholder approval, and Star and NCL lender consents.

The completion of the transaction will constitute a change of control under NCL’s outstanding 10 5/8% senior notes and NCL expects to make a change of control offer at 101% after completion as required under the indenture governing the notes.

NCL America is closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Flossie. The company has altered the current itineraries for Pride of Hawai’i and Pride of America to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests and crew. Pride of Hawai’i will be at sea today instead of calling in Hilo, Hawai’i. Pride of America will spend the day at sea tomorrow, Wednesday, August 15, instead of calling in Kona, Hawai’i. As of now, the company has not altered any other itineraries; however, NCL America continues to monitor the storm’s path and intensity. As always, the safety and security of our guests and crew is our number one priority.

Cigarette smoking is still permitted in staterooms, and balconies as well as in the cigar bar on ships that feature one.  NCL ships will continue to permit cigarette smoking in the onboard casino as well.  Pipes and cigar smoking is permitting in the cigar bar or designated smoking lounge.  Cigarette, pipe, and cigar smoking is also permitted outside on open decks.

Princess has announced their 2008/2009 slate of Caribbean Escapes offering itineraries on 7 ships. Further south, Royal Caribbean will be offering sailings from Colon, Panama on Enchantment of The Seas.

Majestic America has announced that Delta Queen will be retired next year.

Carnival Valor managed to hit a parking structure while mooring in New York, and somebody got a little too close to Queen Mary 2 as she moored in New York.

NCL is taking part in a unique program recycling used cooking oil and other oily wastes.

Port Everglades is negotiating with Royal Caribbean to have at least one of the two new Genesis class ships homeported in Fort Lauderdale.

This week we talk about being healthy while on your cruise, and staying healthy starts before you even leave.

In Hawaii, all NCL and NCL America ships have been offloading their used cooking oil for recycling to bio-diesel. The company recycled approximately 40,000 gallons of used cooking oil last year in Hawaii.

In addition, NCL continues its oily residual recycling program in Alaska, Hawai`i, British Columbia, New York, Miami and Charleston where its residual oil is offloaded and often recycled. The program entails taking a waste product and converting it into a marketable product. This is done with enhanced management of the various types of oily residuals generated onboard and partnering with waste oil treatment facilities on land.

Waste oil on board is generated from several sources: fuel oil separation which removes contaminants and water from the fuel prior to combustion in the main engines; lube oil separation which removes impurities from the engine lubricants; the treatment of oily bilge water; spent lube oil from the main engines; and spent cooking oil.

In the past, the marine industry has commingled these waste streams in a “sludge’ tank onboard the ship. This “sludge” or oily waste is pumped ashore as a waste product for treatment and eventually recycled or it is burned aboard as a waste material. Instead of a waste product, NCL provides a marketable oil product directly to the secondary oil market via company partners like Peninsula Waste Water Services in Victoria, BC and Cliff Berry, Inc. in south Florida. This is accomplished by designating tanks on board, separating the various types of oils and installing new equipment to better filter/dewater these oily residuals. NCL’s partners on land provide oil transportation services and, most importantly, the criteria or specification for oily residues to be considered a marketable product in that region.

The used oil market has recognized high quality oily residuals generated by the marine industry as a viable product. These oils typically require no treatment and are sent as direct shipments into the marketplace; mainly as fuel for industrial processes.

Last night, NCL Corporation announced the temporary withdrawal of Pride of Hawaii from the Hawaii market effective February 2008. The ship will be reflagged into the Bahamas registry, renamed and deployed to Europe for the summer of 2008.

The ship will be withdrawn from the Hawaii cruise market after her last cruise, which starts January 28 and ends February 4, 2008. From the February to April 2008 period of Pride of Hawai'i's previously announced itinerary, Pride of America offers the same itinerary as Pride of Hawaii every week departing on a Saturday versus a Monday which was Pride of Hawai’i's departure day, therefore, booked guests can enjoy a seven-day cruise in Hawai`i the same week they are currently booked.

Below are details:

You can rebook on Pride of America by May 1, 2007 and receive a $50 onboard credit (per stateroom);

Or you can rebook on any NCL or NCL America cruise by May 1, 2007 and receive a $50 onboard credit (per stateroom) as well;

Or guests can cancel their cruise and receive a full refund

NCL will cover the cost of any reasonable airline change fees (up to $75 per person or $150 per cabin) or hotel cancellation fees (up to $25 per person or $50 per cabin).  Pricing in Hawai`i has never been better; therefore, prevailing rates will apply to rebooked guests;

We will extend a $25 rebooking fee (per booking) if you book your clients on another NCL cruise by May 1, 2007.

Talk about great timing. Just 24 hours after we post our interview with Lily Mendoza from Disney Cruise Line we got a BIG announcement!

The good news of the week for Cunard: Queen Victoria has been floated out of her drydock. The bad news: A norovirus outbreak onboard Queen Elizabeth 2. There’s just a rash of norovirus reports, it seems that there has been a wave of norovirus ourbreaks throughout Western Europe, the US, Russia, China, and Japan and not just onboard cruise ships.

Another feel good moment, Pride of Hawai’i assisted with the release of young sea turtles off the coast of Hawai’i. Patricia is excited, John Cleese will be hosting a film festival onboard Silver Shadow.

Meanwhile, Emerald Princess successfully completed sea trials.

Don’t forget to check out the Deal of The Week. This week we have great price onboard the Wind Surf.

As always you can find the show in iTunes, Digg, or by clicking on one of the links below to play it right in your browser window or to download it to your computer.

The turtles released were in seawater rearing tanks being held at the NOAA secure research facility at Kewalo Basin on O’ahu awaiting their departure Monday. The turtles were reared at Sea Life Park over the past five months as part of a collaborative research project on temperature dependent sex determination in the Hawaiian green turtle. Dr. Thane Wibbels, a world authority on sex determination in turtles with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, served as the lead scientist for this project. The study has now been successfully completed for the 2006 nesting season, hence the turtles are ready to be released into their natural environment to begin their journey in life.

The turtles are the product of Sea Life Park’s highly successful captive breeding program conducted annually since the late 1970′s. The turtles are all of known Hawaiian genetic stock composition. They are vigorous, healthy, and suitable for release into off shore pelagic waters where they would normally live at this small size (from one ounce hatchlings to 15 lb juveniles). The 45 turtles have each been tagged by NOAA with tiny Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT tags) for long term individual identification. A special hand-held scanner is needed at close range to detect the tags, such as when they may be found nesting ashore 20 or more years from now. Electronic tags that transmit to earth-orbiting satellites are not being put on these turtles because the turtles are too small for this technology. Satellite tags were put on four larger captive-bred turtles released by NOAA and Sea Life Park from the Pride of Hawai’i in October 2006. Results of that on-going research project can be viewed at www.hpa.edu/turtle.html.

The 45 turtles were taken aboard Pride of Hawai’i in Honolulu on Monday afternoon January 15, 2007. The ship departed at 8pm and docked in Hilo the next day. The turtles remained on the ship in Hilo. From time to time they were “exercised” and fed in a special portable sea water pool taken aboard the ship for this purpose. The ship departed from Hilo that same day in the late afternoon and proceeded to an area off the east coast of the Big Island for passengers to view the volcano’s lava flow. Along that leg of the trip the ship will stopped 3-5 miles from shore and the turtles will be carefully lowered over the side in baskets and safely released into the sea.

This week’s Deal of The Week can better be described as a Deal for The Year because it’s good throughout 2007. Check out the details here.

As always you can find the show up on iTunes, on Digg or click on one of the links below to play the show right in your browser window or to download it to your computer.

The first show will be celebrated on the Pride of Hawai’i on Monday, January 8th. The halau will then perform on all three NCL America ships while in port in Honolulu starting with Pride of America on Saturdays, Pride of Aloha on Sundays and Pride of Hawai’i on Mondays.

“Hula is the art of expression through movement; the heart and soul of Hawai’i. It is the kuleana (responsibility) of halau hula (Hawaiian dance schools) and their kumu hula (master teachers) to preserve, protect and promote this treasured tradition,” said Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine. “We are pleased to participate in the Ho’okipa Aloha program by sharing our cultural heritage with NCL America passengers. We hope that through this program, visitors to our islands will be better educated about our people and our islands.”

The shows will feature both traditional and contemporary styles of hula and will be performed on the pool deck by performers from Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima, Halau Mohala ‘Ilima and Ka Pa Hula O Kauanoa O Wa’ahila. The halau will greet passengers with music, dance, and the spirit of aloha. It will recreate what passengers once experienced during Aloha Boat Days in the 1920′s, 30′s, and 40′s when ocean liners arrived to Honolulu Harbor packed with eager visitors.

“We are working toward putting together programs aboard our ships that honor Hawaii’s people and culture,” said NCL America Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hawaii Operations Robert Kritzman. “Working with local hula groups and creating Ho’okipa Aloha are part of our efforts to develop an enjoyable and educational program for our passengers.”

NCL Corporation (“NCL”) today announced that beginning in September 2007 it will move Pride of Aloha to 10- and 11-day cruises from Honolulu sailing both inter-island itineraries mixed with Hawai’i cruises calling into Fanning Island in Kiribati, NCL’s Pacific Island hideaway just north of the Equator.

Norwegian Sun will be redeployed to Miami to sail seven-day Western Caribbean cruises beginning in October 2007 through mid-April 2008. Norwegian Sun’s seven-day Western Caribbean itinerary features calls into Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Costa Maya, Mexico; and a call into Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island.

The ship will join Norwegian Pearl sailing nine- and five-day Southern and Western Caribbean cruises and Norwegian Jewel sailing seven-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries, offering a full complement of cruises to the most popular Caribbean destinations.

You’ll find more information about these new deployments by clicking on “more” and the full details will be on the Cruise Planners site once bookings open on December 27.

Pride of Aloha begins her new deployment in September 2007. The 10-day Hawai`i only cruise features an overnight in Honolulu ensuring guests can enjoy all the wonderful sights in Oah’u; an overnight in Kaua’i; three days in Maui including a overnight in Kahului with a call into Lahaina; and calls into Hilo and Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Highlights also include a night time sail by the K?lauea Volcano and a day at sea cruising by the N? Pali coast line and cruising the north coast of Moloka’i.The 11-day Hawai’i only cruises feature the same port of calls as the 10-day but include two days at sea with guests enjoying a sail by the N? Pali coast line, a night time sail by the K?lauea Volcano and sailing the north coast of Moloka’i and the north coast of Oah’u.

The 11-day Hawai’i/Fanning Island itineraries include an overnight in Kaua`i featuring a sail by the N? Pali coast line at sunset; calls into Hilo and Kona on the Big Island of Hawai’i; a call into Kahului, Maui and a call into Fanning Island.

Located 1,000 miles south of Hawai’i, Fanning Island, or Tabuaeran as it is know by the locals (from the Kiribati word meaning ‘heavenly footprint’) is an exotic South Pacific paradise.

Guests enjoy a unique adventure, rarely available to modern travelers. Sea birds are plentiful, sea life is hugely diverse and snorkelers and divers marvel at the stunning coral reefs. Most notably though, the island is inhabited, and guests are welcomed by the 1,300 friendly Micronesian islanders, which is a highlight of the trip for many passengers. The Hawai`i/Fanning Island cruises are scheduled for every fourth Pride of Aloha cruise.

Pride of America and Pride of Hawai’i continue their popular seven-day inter-island cruises calling on all four main islands featuring 100 hours in port with overnights in Kaua’i and Maui.

Pride of America features Saturday departures from Honolulu with calls into Hilo, Hawaii; an overnight in Kahului; Maui; Kona, Hawaii; and an overnight in N?wiliwili, Kaua’i.

The newest addition to the NCL America fleet, Pride of Hawaii</em>, began her seven-day inter-island cruises from Honolulu on June 5, 2006. She offers Monday departures calling on Hilo, Hawaii; an overnight in Kahului; Maui; Kona; Hawai`i; and an overnight in N?wiliwili, Kaua’i.

Pride of Aloha and Norwegian Sun’s new cruises go on sale December 27. Detailed itineraries will also be available on ncl.com on December 27.

Engaged couple Bessie Kovoloff and Pablo Markelis have planned their dream wedding on Pride of Hawai`i. As they set sail with their family, Finola, two accomplices and one professional stylist join the party, to give the bride and groom a makeover of a lifetime just before heading down the aisle together.

The “How Do I Look?” Wedding Special airs tonight, Monday, December 11, at 6:00 p.m. ET and will also be shown on the following dates and times:

Thursday, December 14 at 6 p.m. ET Friday, December 15 at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, December 16 at 12 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET

Norwegian Gem’s artwork sparkles along both sides of the hull featuring an eye-catching array of colorful gems tumbling from the bow to almost the middle of the ship. To create the look and feel of forward motion, the gems at the front are clustered together and start to disperse toward the end of the graphic. The gem colors run through a spectrum of ruby, amber, gold, emerald, sapphire, indigo and violet in a variety of different sizes.

“Our distinctive hull art makes our ships instantly recognizable, conveying their distinctive personality and the fun and freedom found onboard,” said Colin Veitch, NCL Corporation’s president and CEO. “Our guests love the hull art, so we are giving them the opportunity to take home a piece of the artwork with our new signature souvenir glasses.”

The signature glasses are available onboard all NCL and NCL America ships and can be purchased individually or in sets. For example, a martini glass starts at $4.95 for the glass only and $39.95 for a set of eight.

As one of NCL’s Jewel-class ships, Norwegian Gem is designed to provide guests the most customizable experience at sea. She features multiple restaurants, vibrant public rooms, versatile, family-friendly accommodations; and NCL’s popular style of accommodations, Courtyard Villas, which along with each ship’s two Garden Villas make up the biggest, most luxurious, most innovative suite complexes at sea. Additionally, Norwegian Gem will feature the industry’s second onboard bowling alley – another NCL industry first, which will debut later this year on her sister ship, Norwegian Pearl.

Norwegian Cruise Line and NCL America (“NCL”) continue to monitor the situation in Hawai`i after the earthquake on Sunday, October 15th. We are very pleased to report that all ports in Hawai`i are open except for Kona, which will open tomorrow. In addition, the vast majority of shore excursions on the islands will operate as scheduled. Please visit the Hawai`i Visitor and Convention Bureau at www.gohawaii.com for additional information. Yesterday, NCL made the decision to keep Pride of Aloha in Honolulu overnight to accommodate as many guests as possible from the just ended cruise who were unable to depart as planned and to hold the ship for passengers who may have been delayed until today. The airlines have informed NCL that flights are running as scheduled today although some flights may be subject to minor delays. NCL is working directly with the airlines to put a priority on our guests to enable arrival in time for Pride of Aloha’s and Pride of Hawai`i’s planned departure times and to assist passengers in getting home. Pride of Aloha will now depart Honolulu at 8 pm tonight per its new departure schedule. The ship’s call into Kona, Hawa`i today had to be cancelled. The remainder of Pride of Aloha’s itinerary will operate as scheduled. We recommend if passengers cannot make it to the ship by 8 pm (latest arrival in Honolulu by 6 pm); they should join the ship in Nawiliwili, Kaua`i on Tuesday or Wednesday. NCL has made the decision to delay the departure of Pride of Hawai`i until 9 pm to accommodate passengers who are arriving late into Honolulu because of two flight delays from Los Angeles and Houston impacting over 100 guests. NCL will continue to monitor flights. We recommend that if Pride of Hawai`i guests cannot make it to the ship by 9 pm (latest arrival in Honolulu by 7 pm); they should join the ship in Hilo, Hawai`i on Tuesday. Itineraries for Norwegian Wind, Pride of America and Pride of Hawai`i will not be altered.

Norwegian Cruise Line and NCL America (together “NCL”) are closely monitoring the situation in Hawaii after the earthquake on Sunday, October 15th. <em>Norwegian Wind, Pride of America, Pride of Aloha</em> and <em>Pride of Hawaii are all safe and secure. No passenger or crew injuries have been reported.Flight information is changing rapidly; however, we are aware of several cancellations and many flight delays.  The company asks that passengers check with their airline before traveling.

NCL has made the decision to keep Pride of Aloha in Honolulu overnight to accommodate as many guests as possible, from the just-ended cruise, whose flights out of Honolulu today have been cancelled, and to wait until tomorrow for those guests, due to embark the just-starting cruise, whose flights into Honolulu today have been cancelled. For those guests who cannot be accommodated because of lack of cabin space on Pride of Aloha tonight, NCL is working to secure hotel rooms in Honolulu. Priority is being given to guests who booked their air travel through NCL, but, as always, the company is working to try to assist everyone affected.

Pride of Aloha will depart Honolulu at 8:00 pm. The adjusted itinerary will be announced shortly.

NCL will make every effort to update guests aboard Pride of Hawai`i, whose cruise is scheduled to end in Honolulu on Monday, October 16; however, the airlines have not updated the company yet on flights scheduled for tomorrow.

Updated 9:30 a.m. EST.

Many airports on the islands are without power or are operating on emergency generators.  Flights are arriving at Hawai’i airports, however few are departing.  As of our last check with the cruise lines with itineraries scheduled for the next few weeks there are no diversions or itinerary changes to report.  We will continue to monitor the situation in Hawai’i as it develops and post any updates that may be of interest to the cruise community.

This week’s news:

• NCL’s new marketing campaign
• NBC’s Biggest Looser to be onboard Sapphire Princess
• Changes coming to Disney Wonder
• Carnival has Water Wars
• RUMOR- Royal Caribbean prepping offer to buy Oceania

After that we head off to discuss our Travel Insurance.� We know, not the most exciting of topics but important none the less.� We tried to keep it simple so we just talked about why you would want to insure your trip, what’s typically covered, and the differences between cruise line and private party insurance.

Finally there’s the Deal of the Week.� However, this week to get the details you’re going to have to listen to the show.� It’s a great deal, but it ties in with the discussion this week.

We’re looking to do a future show on your questions about cruising.� But we need those questions, so please post them in a comment here, e-mail us or call us at 888-286-9827.

As always, you’ll find the show in iTunes or you can click below to download it or play it right in your browser window.

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NCL’s been priming us for this for quite a while, but they’ve been pretty quiet about the details…. Until now:

For the first time in 10 years, NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCL”) today unveiled a new, all-encompassing brand identity created expressly to capture and articulate the company’s unique Freestyle Cruising—an approach to cruising unlike any other offered in the industry.

NCL’s Freestyle Cruising turns traditional cruising on its head and is characterized, in particular, by having no fixed dining times, no formal dress codes, relaxed disembarkation, up to 10 different restaurants and even more lounges, bars, theatres and other entertainment and activity options.

Spanning all consumer, travel agent and guest touch points, the comprehensive new brand identity captures the non-traditional, free-spirited attitude that is reflected throughout the NCL onboard experience. NCL’s innovative onboard experience offers vacationers freedom from the stress and demands of everyday life and freedom to enjoy a less structured, more relaxed, resort style experience than traditional cruising.

The marketing plan features national television, radio, print, newspaper, out-of-home and online advertising, along with a completely new Web site. NCL’s guests and travel agents will also see all new materials encompassing all cruise line correspondence, onboard and in-cabin elements and even port signage and terminal décor.

Consumers and travel agents will get their first look at the new brand identity when it debuts on Oct. 2, 2006 in a variety of media and online at the company’s Web site, www.ncl.com.

There’s more information about the new campaign when you click on “More” or call us at 888-286-9827 for more information aobut NCL and NCL America.

The new brand identity breaks the mold of traditional cruise industry marketing with its light-hearted, experiential tone. One way the brand is characterized is with a graphic treatment featuring a white fish swimming against the direction of a school of blue fish, depicting NCL’s innovative spirit in the cruise industry, as well as the type of guest that NCL is looking to attract, one who is a “non-conformist”. NCL’s research shows that the types of people who are attracted to Freestyle Cruising see themselves as individualists in a world in which increasingly everyone else is doing what they are told and accepting what is offered. NCL guests want to enjoy their cruise on their terms without the structure and regimentation that is still the central feature of traditional cruises.

“With NCL set to have by far the youngest fleet in the industry by 2010, with all of our new ships purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising and deployed in all major cruise destinations and our NCL America fleet now fully in place, the time is right to build large scale consumer awareness through a major brand identity initiative,” said Andy Stuart, NCL Corporation’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and passenger services.

“We believe bringing the brand to life in one unified voice across everything we do will help NCL and our travel partners expand the cruising population,” said Scott Rogers, NCL Corporation’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. “Our travel partners have done a great job helping educate their clients on the benefits of Freestyle Cruising and selling NCL cruises, and now we are ready to bring the story to everyone, driving more guests into their offices.

“Our research shows that non-cruisers and even those who have cruised but were not ‘in-love’ with cruising, readily identified with the traditional, staid norms of cruising such as dining and dress code as key barriers to try cruising or repeat,” Rogers continued. “This all-encompassing brand identity truly illustrates how we are different from other cruise lines and seeks to create demand not only among those who have cruised before, but also with non-cruisers who are accustomed to more conventional, land-based vacations.”

Branding agency GSD&M of Austin, Texas, created the new brand identity and is handling the media planning and buying.

“Our challenge was to bring to life the feeling of complete freedom a guest feels on an NCL cruise in every aspect of the brand experience. We created one unified look and feel that extends beyond advertising and surrounds consumers before, during and after their cruise,” said Roy Spence, president and founder of GSD&M.

The brand identity campaign includes:

that extends beyond advertising and surrounds consumers before, during and after their cruise,” said Roy Spence, president and founder of GSD&M.

The brand identity campaign includes:

• Broadcast: Directed by Gerard de Thame and choreographed by Vincent Paterson, NCL will air nationally, two 30 second spots and a range of 15 second spots on a variety of network and cable television channels. “Watches,” the first 30 second spot, opens with a choreographed mass of regimented vacationers sunbathing, playing shuffleboard and dining in complete unison, checking their watches persistently to keep on schedule. Then the images switch to illustrate NCL’s Freestyle Cruising, with passengers relaxing and enjoying themselves according to their whims. The ads conclude with “NCL: Where You’re Free to Whatever” and the animated fish graphic. In the New York metropolitan area, NCL will sponsor traffic and weather updates on key AM and FM radio stations;

• Print: Eight different print spreads in more than 20 national consumer and trade magazines, as well as newspaper, feature laidback, free-spirited copy that powerfully articulates NCL’s Freestyle Cruising difference, including “Our dress code: wear something” and “Dinner will be served promptly at whatever o’clock”;

• Interactive Media: Fun, playful banner ads on high reach portals such as Yahoo!, comparison shopping/search sites and niche travel sites;

• Out-Of-Home: Specific to the New York metro area, out-of-home elements include commuter rail posters, messaging on the ABC Super Sign in Times Square, and dry cleaning bags that read, “Whatever this is, you can wear it onboard”;

• NCL.com Web site: Totally new Web site that has been developed with new features, enhanced content and functionality all within the new look reflective of the brand;

• Ports: By the end of the year, all NCL ports will be outfitted with signage that reflects the new brand. Port consultants will wear ties and scarves that feature the fish graphic;

• Onboard: All onboard and in-cabin signage from the cabin keys and welcome aboard packet to comment cards and restaurant reservation cards will reflect the new brand. Labels on traditional in-cabin amenities feature playful phrases, such as “flip flops and sandals need not apply” on the shoe polishing mitt. Rollout of the onboard elements will take place by the end of the year for NCL ships and by early 2007 for the NCL America fleet.

• Loyalty/Direct Mail: NCL’s Latitudes frequent cruiser program and the company’s direct mail and email marketing to both consumers and trade will feature the new brand personality.

NCL Corporation Ltd. (“NCL”) is an innovative cruise company headquartered in Miami, Florida, with a fleet of 15 ships in service and under construction. The corporation oversees the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, and Orient Lines. The company is currently building two ships, the Norwegian Pearl for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the Norwegian Gem for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2007.

In addition, NCL plans to build up to three new third generation Freestyle Cruising ships for delivery between 2009 and 2011. NCL is on target to have the youngest fleet in the industry by 2010, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy the flexibility of Freestyle Cruising on the newest, most contemporary ships at sea.

• Costa announces 2007/2008 itineraries.
• A special offer for residents of the Midwest from MSC.
• NCL orders two new ships
• Enhancements onboard NCL America’s ships.
• Princess introduces e-documents and a new transportation option if you depart from Brooklyn NY.
• Deal of the Week- This week you can cruise in style onboard Regent Seven Seas to Alaska with FREE AIR!

You can find the show over in iTunes, download it it from the link below, or play it directly in your browser.

This week I wonder if we should come up with some theme music for the Deal of The Week, what do you think?� We also talk about cruising with kids, and review the kids program policies onboard Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess and Disney Cruise Line.

It’s not a complete list of programs onboard every ship and every line, but just a taste of what you can expect.� If you would like the specifics about any line’s kids program send us an e-mail or call us at 888-286-9827.

As always you can find the show over in iTunes, download it from the link below, or play it right in your web browser.