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NCL commits to Hawaii through 2012

The Pride of Aloha makes its last stop in Kona on May 8, 2008. NCL has committed to the Hawaii market through January 2012. (Photo by Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com)

The Pride of Aloha makes its last stop in Kona on May 8, 2008. NCL has committed to the Hawaii market through January 2012. (Photo by Karin Stanton/Hawaii247.com)

KARIN STANTON/Hawaii247.com Contributing Editor

Norwegian Cruise Lines announced Tuesday, Dec. 9 it will continue its Hawaii inter-island trip through January 2012. Previously, NCL had only committed to the Hawaii market until 2010.

The two-year extension will come as good news for the visitor industry, which could only watch this year as NCL pulled the Pride of Aloha and the Pride of Hawaii ships from the Hawaii rotation and slashed its Honolulu staff to a handful of personnel.

NCL announced the extension on its Web site, calling the Hawaii tours a “successful deployment.”

The Pride of America regular seven-day round-trip sails each Saturday from Honolulu. Ports of call include: Kahului; Hilo and Kona and Nawiliwili, with an evening sail by Kilauea Volcano and an afternoon cruise of the Napali Coast.

NCL arrived in Hawaii in 2004, investing more than $1 billion and eventually offering regular cruises on the three ships. However, earlier this year, NCL reported a $250 million deficit in Hawaii.

The Pride of Hawaii headed for Europe in February, while the Pride of Aloha left for Asian waters in May. The loss of the ships meant the loss of some 1,000 jobs in Hawaii.

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