You're the owner of NCL and can make ONE change....

[bob brown]

On 12/17/2018 at 6:43 AM, chengkp75 said:

No ship in the NCL fleet could qualify as a replacement for POA.  They are not US built.  Even POA, which was half built in the US, had to get an act of Congress to get a PVSA waiver, and that was only possible since the US government would have owned the half built ship (for the full price) due to granting construction loan guarantees, which NCL paid off.

 

18 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

 

Oh and BTW I think this has been answered but the ship doesn't have to American built as far as we were taught, just American flagged with I think 75% of the crew being American citizens. 

I believe chengkp75 has explained, that to be American flagged, a ship must also be American built, with the special exemption the POA has....

[NLH Arizona]

After my recent Breakaway cruise, I'd change the following:

 

• Have a crew member at the kiddie pool and splash area, keeping non-potty trained/diapered kids out of those areas for health and safety reasons.
• Put a door on the pool deck smoking cube, so that folks aren't standing outside of it smoking.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

 

I believe chengkp75 has explained, that to be American flagged, a ship must also be American built, with the special exemption the POA has....

This is not quite correct.  A US flag ship can be built overseas, but it is then not eligible for PVSA or Jones Act trade.  In other words, if the Escape (foreign built), were flagged in the US (which is allowed), she would be eligible to participate in the itineraries that all foreign flag ships do, but would not be exempt from the restrictions of the PVSA.  I have worked on many US flag ships that were built overseas, but that were not allowed to trade "coastwise" under the Jones Act.  It is only the "coastwise" trade aspect of the PVSA and Jones Act, that requires a ship to be built in the US.  The US ownership, US flag, and US crew requirements apply to all US vessels, even those that do not meet the requirements of the PVSA or Jones Act.

[CruisingNole]

This is 2018. Make internet affordable. During promotions RCCL charges less than $10 a day for unlimited surf/stream internet. NCL charges 3x as much. NCL is also the only company I've seen charge by the minute since dial up AOL in the 90's. Get with the times, every package should be unlimited. 

[bob brown]

16 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not quite correct.  A US flag ship can be built overseas, but it is then not eligible for PVSA or Jones Act trade.  In other words, if the Escape (foreign built), were flagged in the US (which is allowed), she would be eligible to participate in the itineraries that all foreign flag ships do, but would not be exempt from the restrictions of the PVSA.  I have worked on many US flag ships that were built overseas, but that were not allowed to trade "coastwise" under the Jones Act.  It is only the "coastwise" trade aspect of the PVSA and Jones Act, that requires a ship to be built in the US.  The US ownership, US flag, and US crew requirements apply to all US vessels, even those that do not meet the requirements of the PVSA or Jones Act.

If that is the case, what would be the point in registering the ship in the US, if they could not meet PVSA requirement's?

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

If that is the case, what would be the point in registering the ship in the US, if they could not meet PVSA requirement's?

In today's economy, not much point.  There are non-Jones Act ships that have priority in US government cargo, like food aid going overseas, and government contracts to carry supplies to military and civilian government stations overseas, or jet fuel to Israel.  Many of the Reserve fleet, those ships brought out to support operations like Desert Storm, are non-Jones Act ships, but are US flag, since they only cannot carry cargo between US ports.

 

When I was on a US flag con/Ro ship (container and Ro/Ro) that had several US government contracts, like carrying M-1 tanks to Germany (and bringing the old ones back for overhaul in the US), we supplemented our run with commercial cargo from many industries.  While in Bremerhaven, I would notice a small, Baltic freighter (carried maybe 8-10 containers, and looks a lot like a self-propelled Rhine river barge), that was named the "Eric Kesselring", and was US flag.  Knowing that the ship could never cross the Atlantic, I went aboard one day to ask about the US flag.  It turns out the owner, found an opportunity of bringing supplies and materials to US embassies and facilities in Scandinavia, and was waiting for the cargo we unloaded.  Since he provided a US flag vessel, he got essentially a monopoly on carriage of the cargo.  So, a ship built in Germany, yet flagged in the US, that subsisted on US government preference cargo only in Europe.

 

As to cruise ships and the PVSA, the Hawaiian trade is a one off anomaly, and there is no economic benefit to flagging US (except for small coastal lines like Blount and American Cruise).  The only way it would ever happen would be if the US passes a law requiring all cruise ships home ported in the US to be US flag.  And that ain't never gonna happen, short of a catastrophe.

Edited December 19, 2018 by chengkp75

[PATRLR]

On 12/18/2018 at 1:46 PM, newmexicoNita said:

and HAL was the ship that started and then stopped the no required tipping: it wasn't really a not tipping. The had tip jars etc all around the ship and everyone had to option to tip. Too few did, that was the end of the NO TIP policy. 

Not when I was on it.  Mid 80s.  There was no tipping.  Period.

[PATRLR]

On 12/18/2018 at 1:41 PM, newmexicoNita said:

The DSC is the fault of cheap cruisers.

Wrong.  It's the fault of the cruise lines not paying their staff a decent wage.  

 

Pay the staff a proper wage, charge the passenger appropriate fare, eliminate the DSC.  

[STARFISH*4]

Add paid gratuities to the Free at Sea choices

Beverage pkg and

$50 per person shore excursion-lower the prices too some are really ridiculously priced

(have enjoyed each of these-some of the Best deals)

and better Latitude benefits specially for Platinum and up ( open up more agents at embarkation  ) last two cruises-first time cruisers were on the ship and I was still in line