Unfavorable Article about NCL in Maui News

[bobnsandi]

For those of us who love cruising, as well as those

who have enjoyed visiting our lovely islands on NCL,

this is very discouraging. Apparently some people think of

cruise ships as the enemy and not part of the overall

tourist industry.

 

http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=12206

[Host CMLA]

I don't think this is an unfavorable article about NCL. It's unfavorable to all cruise lines that dock in Hawaiian waters. NCL is the most prominent but as others move into the market, it's going to work against everyone. Then again, maybe the Hawaiian committee that put it together has valid reasons for limiting certain things, etc. and we need to read all 145 pages of the report to see what it really says.

[sunshine 229]

This reminds me of the reports we were reading out of Bermuda a while ago. Seems one group of the population there did not like the increase in the number of cruise ships now scheduled to dock there.

 

From what I see just about every community would like to have the benefit to the economy that comes from the cruise ship business but doesn't want any of the down side, which is human nature I guess but is also not likely to happen.

 

I also don't see this as a particular NCL problem, just what happens when any 'outside' business comes into a community and runs up against local opposition.

[seahorse]

I find this interesting because NCLA is not like any other cruise company. They are committed to the region. They are an "inside" company........paying income taxes........employing Americans and paying other taxes that an American company pays, not like other cruise lines.

 

NCLA is boosting their economy a great deal, not detracting from it.

[smeyer418]

Its also the same conclusion that Fidel Castro came to. Cruise ships don't do as much as people that stay over....no duh....but it does help bring people and people do come back and stay. Clearly more taxes are paid by people who stay in hotels and eat at restuarants on land. But many people who come by ship wouldn't be there any other way. It is interesting that the person who became head of the Sierra Club was the leader of this-I have nothing against the Sierra Club but they are generally against growth(and whether the person became head of the Sierra Club before or after shows where her sympathy lies). Sounds a lot like the same complaints in Key West too.

[greenie]

I agree with Cecilia that the article didn't seem to me to be negative towards NCL at all. I was expecting the worst and then wondered if I'd missed something.

 

I'm all for doing a serious study on the impact of cruiseships on the local ecology. I think that's very important and we should not lose sight of that in our personal preferences of hoping this doesn't affect the cruise industry in the area. Call me a tree hugger, I can take it. ;)

 

But I also agree that the study needs to be done by a non-partisan, scientific team. The results of a study like that would be something I would respect and would, I think, be difficult for the community groups and cruiselines to argue against.

 

As for how the cruiseships impact the culture ... I'm thinking it's kind of silly to not include the rest of the tourist industry in the islands in a study and in concerns about that. As was mentioned in the article, the vast majority of tourists spending money there are staying in hotels, driving on their roads, using their electricity/water, etc, and helping to change the face of Hawaiian cultural by their numbers and presence.

[seahorse]

Most of my clients that do a week sail do stay on an average of 5 nights, so if they do a "study" on that I think it would be positive.

 

All of the cruise lines have stringent guards against any environment slip-ups.

 

IMHO when a "special intrest" group does a study and it comes out to their advantage.............I call it "job security";)

[KeystoneCruiser]

It is interesting that none of the members of the committee were from the business owners and bus companies. Those two groups I think welcome the added business that the cruise lines give.

 

 

 

Of course the hotel industry is upset! NCL even bills their Hawaii cruises as a chance to see the islands and only unpack once. I personally think that is what is so alluring about the Hawaii cruises: the fact that you do not have to go through airport security and hotel transfers on each island.

 

Perhaps this will make the hotels and airlines begin to put together more affordable "tour" packages of several islands to combat the cruise lines.

 

Either way, this report just smells of sour grapes by the hotel industry on Maui.

 

Seahorse had the best point about NCL-A: They are there with soon to be 3 ships that exclusively do Hawaii. They hire American workers and pay taxes to the Hawaiian economy. They purchase supplies in the islands and Hawaiian dock workers have to load and unload the ships. (unlike those that are from the west coast). They bring a steady flow of customers to the shops on the islands and they provide a great amount of business for the bus companies.