Any new info on Pride of America?! Why is she in Astoria?

[chengkp75]

22 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

The more the better, for those of us concerned that she might not resume sailing due to lack of crew.

The decision to move back to Hawaii was based on comparative docking costs, airline costs for crew, and whether the crew would have their documentation ready in time, and the need to get back to the islands and start the supply chain rolling again.  As with most things, most of what the POA uses is brought from the mainland, including the fuel, at significant cost.

[4 cruisers]

12 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Unfortunately, NCL tried to hire Hawaiians when the US flag operation first started, back in 2004.  It didn't end well, and ended quickly.  The aloha spirit of laid-back, stress-free life, did not mix well with a cruise ship hospitality environment, and being bound to the ship for months. 

I get it!!!!  Still love their culture and music!  Shaka Brah!

[4 cruisers]

I forgot that Hawaii has quite a tie to Oregon!  

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The decision to move back to Hawaii was based on comparative docking costs, airline costs for crew, and whether the crew would have their documentation ready in time, and the need to get back to the islands and start the supply chain rolling again.  As with most things, most of what the POA uses is brought from the mainland, including the fuel, at significant cost.

Are you suggesting that they're going there three weeks in advance to save money?

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are you suggesting that they're going there three weeks in advance to save money?

I'm saying that they balanced out whether it would cost more to wait in Oregon for more crew, or more to fly crew to Hawaii.

[4 cruisers]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:02 PM, chengkp75 said:

The decision to move back to Hawaii was based on comparative docking costs, airline costs for crew, and whether the crew would have their documentation ready in time, and the need to get back to the islands and start the supply chain rolling again.  As with most things, most of what the POA uses is brought from the mainland, including the fuel, at significant cost.

If they are indeed doing a couple of test cruises, it really isn't too soon to have her in Hawaii.  April 9th is quickly approaching!  I was also thinking that airfare to Hawaii is pretty reasonable at this time to have crew boarding in Hawaii!

[chengkp75]

It may seem reasonable until you start buying a couple hundred tickets.

[4 cruisers]

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

It may seem reasonable until you start buying a couple hundred tickets.

But feeding the crew for the crossing can't be cheap either!  We can fly to Hawaii from California for less than flying to Vegas!  One way tickets in bulk must be exceptionally reasonable.  Any way they can get it done is fine with me!!!

[BermudaBound2014]

I just paid $9.00 for a gallon of milk and $7.99 for 4 sticks of butter and that is cheap compared to produce prices 🙂 

[njhorseman]

34 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

It may seem reasonable until you start buying a couple hundred tickets.

If they actually needed to buy a couple of hundred tickets it undoubtedly would be cheaper to charter an aircraft rather than flying on a scheduled flight or flights.

[chengkp75]

37 minutes ago, 4 cruisers said:

But feeding the crew for the crossing can't be cheap either!  We can fly to Hawaii from California for less than flying to Vegas!  One way tickets in bulk must be exceptionally reasonable.  Any way they can get it done is fine with me!!!

Let's say that there are 200 crew to decide whether to fly or send on the ship.  From Boston to Honolulu (remember, the crew comes from all across the US), it is around $320/person.  Giving a merchant mariner's discount (not sure if they still give those out) of say 25%, that is $240/person, or $48,000 in tickets.  Using the GSA's per diem table, for Honolulu, it is $119/person for meals.  Using the standard restaurant figure of 30% food cost (and trust me, the crew eats for that), that equals $35/person times 7.5 days is $260/person, or $52,000.  So, it is about a wash.

 

22 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

If they actually needed to buy a couple of hundred tickets it undoubtedly would be cheaper to charter an aircraft rather than flying on a scheduled flight or flights.

If they were all coming from one location, yes, but they would still have to get everyone to the starting point of the charter.

[njhorseman]

6 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

If they were all coming from one location, yes, but they would still have to get everyone to the starting point of the charter.

You book cheap short haul scheduled flights to a single central location to the extent possible and then run a charter from that location to HNL.

[ChiefMateJRK]

I really don't care how the crew gets to the ship.  I just want to hear that they are indeed on the ship sometime soon.

[don't-use-real-name]

Another question ?

Would NCL have enough of a crew to run a cruise from i.e. Portland to Honolulu one-way ?

This of course to enable selling that leg to NCL guests.

I am not thinking of a skeleton crew with just the buffet and a cafe open for dining but all

the other on board restaurants and full service stateroom service -

Realize the POA does not have a Casino but there are other entertainment options.

 

OK Portland is not the origin boarding city - maybe Seattle or San Francisco probably 

a better gathering boarding port - - -

 

Interesting to see how this plays out - AND wish I was on that unusual one time cruise !

[njhorseman]

52 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Another question ?

Would NCL have enough of a crew to run a cruise from i.e. Portland to Honolulu one-way ?

This of course to enable selling that leg to NCL guests.

I am not thinking of a skeleton crew with just the buffet and a cafe open for dining but all

the other on board restaurants and full service stateroom service -

Realize the POA does not have a Casino but there are other entertainment options.

 

OK Portland is not the origin boarding city - maybe Seattle or San Francisco probably 

a better gathering boarding port - - -

 

Interesting to see how this plays out - AND wish I was on that unusual one time cruise !

I believe POA is limited by law to only doing inter island Hawaii cruises with the possible exception of returning to the mainland for drydock. @chengkp75knows the precise limitation.

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, njhorseman said:

I believe POA is limited by law to only doing inter island Hawaii cruises with the possible exception of returning to the mainland for drydock. @chengkp75knows the precise limitation.

This is correct, I'm not sure how CBP would interpret the two year shutdown as a "shipyard" period, but there was work done in Portland, so it would likely be considered returning from a shipyard.

 

Whether or not NCL would want to jump into a soft opening on a crossing from the West Coast is a question only they can answer.  Similarly, whether they have enough crew for that only they can say.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

This is correct, I'm not sure how CBP would interpret the two year shutdown as a "shipyard" period, but there was work done in Portland, so it would likely be considered returning from a shipyard.

 

Whether or not NCL would want to jump into a soft opening on a crossing from the West Coast is a question only they can answer.  Similarly, whether they have enough crew for that only they can say.

Obviously since the ship is already underway to Hawaii, scheduled to arrive on Friday, and since NCL made no attempt to sell that return cruise to passengers the questions are just academic.

[4 cruisers]

Well news from NCL a few minutes ago!  Here is the letter:

 

[Traveller20074]

On 3/15/2022 at 9:54 AM, 4 cruisers said:

No buffet?     

 

 

Well news from NCL a few minutes ago!  Here is the letter:

 

 

[bluenose1]

5 minutes ago, Traveller20074 said:

 

The Aloha Cafe is a buffet.

 

[98420934]

PoA has completed her journey from Oregon, and is now moored alongside her usual berth at pier 2 in Honolulu.

[www3traveler]

13 minutes ago, 98420934 said:

PoA has completed her journey from Oregon, and is now moored alongside her usual berth at pier 2 in Honolulu.

YEAH!!!  Thank you for posting this.

[vacation44]

22 minutes ago, 98420934 said:

PoA has completed her journey from Oregon, and is now moored alongside her usual berth at pier 2 in Honolulu.

Wonderful news--thanks for letting us know!