SuperStar Leo To NCL!

Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from Star Cruises (parent of NCL) and
thought it would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news'
postings, they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


21 January 2004

SUPERSTAR LEO TO ENTER NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE FLEET.

Star Cruises today announced plans to reposition Asia's first megaship
SuperStar Leo this summer into the Alaska market as part of the
Norwegian Cruise Line ("NCL") Alaska programme, commencing in May
2004.

The repositioning follows from the early transfer of the Norwegian Sky
to Hawai'i and reflagging as the Pride of Aloha which was announced by
NCL on 19 January 2004. The early transfer and reflagging of
Norwegian Sky into the U.S. registry is in response to the Pride of
America incident in the shipyard which has delayed her delivery and
affected her scheduled itineraries from May 2004.

SuperStar Leo which is currently in Australia will complete her
two-month programme there as planned. Upon completion of the
Australian programme, she will relocate back to Hong Kong as scheduled
and will remain in Hong Kong for a little over a month before
proceeding to Alaska to begin cruises from Seattle on 15 May 2004.

"The forthcoming change in deployment of SuperStar Leo to support
NCL's Alaska programme again demonstrates the company's ability to
respond at very short notice to unforeseen operational requirements
that necessitate the repositioning of ships so as to create the
minimum amount of inconvenience to our passengers", said Tan Sri KT
Lim, Star Cruises' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

In conjunction with this repositioning of SuperStar Leo and the sale
of SuperStar Capricorn announced on 15 January 2004, Star Cruises also
reaffirmed the intention to transfer one of NCL's mid-size ships into
the Star Cruises Asia-based fleet in the short to medium term. Details
will follow in due course, but Star Cruises felt that NCL's immediate
needs were best served by making the announcement on SuperStar Leo in
advance of any decision as to the particular NCL ship that will
transfer to Star Cruises. The chosen NCL ship will join the Star
Cruises fleet in Asia towards the end of 2004. This is in line with
Star Cruises' aim to modify its fleet profile in Asia in order to have
larger numbers of relatively modern vessels of medium capacity rather
than mega ships. Medium sized ships offer greater deployment
flexibility and more diversification of capacity in a developing
market where demand patterns have yet to be established.

Star Cruises will be providing periodic updates on the new Asian fleet
profile and itineraries at the appropriate time.

Star Cruises will be informing its travel agents who have passengers
booked on the SuperStar Leo and affected by her repositioning, to
advise them on the alternatives/options.

ABOUT STAR CRUISES
Star Cruises, the third largest cruise line in the world is a global
cruise brand presently operating a combined fleet of 18 ships with
over 23,000 lower berths, with cruises to destinations and islands in
Asia-Pacific, North and South America, Hawaii, Caribbean, Alaska,
Europe, Mediterranean, Bermuda and the Antarctica under the Star
Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Lines and Cruise Ferries
brands.

Star Cruises is represented in more than 20 locations worldwide with
offices in Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore,
Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom and the United States of America. For more information on Star
Cruises and NCL, please contact your travel professional.

Ray Goldenberg ) wrote:

: I received this press release from Star Cruises (parent of NCL) and
: thought it would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news'
: postings, they are available on my web site.


: 21 January 2004

: SUPERSTAR LEO TO ENTER NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE FLEET.
:

: SuperStar Leo which is currently in Australia will complete her
: two-month programme there as planned. Upon completion of the
: Australian programme, she will relocate back to Hong Kong as scheduled
: and will remain in Hong Kong for a little over a month before
: proceeding to Alaska to begin cruises from Seattle on 15 May 2004.

Thanks for the update, Ray.

Does anyone know if the SuperStar Leo will also be picking up the
Sky's repositioning cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver? We
recently booked that itinerary from May 12-15. Have not heard
from TA yet.

Daryl Smith

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Hi Everyone,

I received this press release from NCL. It is their version of the
Star Cruises press release that I posted earlier today. If you have
missed any of my news' postings, they are available on my web site.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com


STAR CRUISES’ SUPERSTAR LEO TO ENTER NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE FLEET TO
SAIL IN ALASKA AS PART OF NCL FLEET

Ship to replace Norwegian Sky for the 2004 Alaska season

MIAMI, FL, January 21, 2004- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced
today that the Star Cruises’ ship SuperStar Leo will spend this summer
in Alaska as part of NCL’s popular Alaska Inside Passage programenter
the NCL fleet for the 2004 Alaska season. The 77,000-ton ship will
take over Norwegian Sky’s previously published seven-day itinerary
from Seattle.

The move comes in response to Norwegian Sky’s early transfer to
Hawai`i as Pride of Aloha. After a multi-million dollar remodeling in
May, Pride of Aloha will be reflagged into the U.S. registry to assume
Pride of America’s seven-day inter-island itinerary.

"We have acted quickly to support NCL at a difficult time when they
have had the delivery of their newest ship seriously delayed and their
plans to develop the important new Hawai`i market disrupted,” Star
Cruises’ Chairman and CEO, Tan Sri K T Lim said. “From a Star Cruises
Group perspective, we have decided that it is an immediate our top
priority is to support NCL's leading position in Alaska and to
facilitate the early transfer of Norwegian Sky to our exciting new
trade, Hawai`i.” SuperStar Leo, first introduced in Singapore in 1999,
was the very first purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ship and is one of
Star’s two most modern best ships outside North America.

According to NCL’s President and CEO Colin Veitch: “SuperStar Leo is
an exciting, high-quality modern ship with vibrant colors, exceptional
public areas and well-appointed cabins. She is the ideal way to ensure
that we have the Alaska program that our guests have planned and are
expecting. She is the first sister in the family of ships that
culminated just a year ago in the spectacular Norwegian Dawn, and
passengers who sail on Leo will immediately see the close resemblance
between these two big new ships.“

The 2,000-passenger SuperStar Leo was built by Meyer Werft, Germany
and was Star Cruises’ first newbuild and largest vessel. SuperStar Leo
features Freestyle Dining with seven restaurants including two main
restaurants, three alternative restaurants -- Maxim’s (a French
restaurant); Shogun (a Japanese restaurant) and Tai Pan (a Chinese
restaurant), -- the Raffles Lido Cafe and the popular 24-hour Blue
Lagoon.

Like her big sister Norwegian Star, which begins her first Alaska
season in May, SuperStar Leo is a family-friendly ship with a wide
choice of interconnecting cabins perfect for multi-generational
families of all sizes. All staterooms are richly appointed with each
containing a much larger bathroom unit than other ships, with separate
WC, shower, and washstand compartments separated by sliding doors.

The ship also boasts an expansive children and teen facility, and
together with Norwegian Star, they have the largest dedicated
children’s areas in Alaska cruising.

SuperStar Leo has an impressive array of entertainment venues
including a 1,000-seat theater, a disco, a cinema, several bars and
lounges and a world-class casino. The ship also features meeting
rooms, a sports deck and a Roman Spa & Fitness Center. SuperStar Leo
is a triple winner of the 1999 ShipPax Awards for her outstanding sun
decks, bars and lounges, and cabins.

SuperStar Leo will be operated by NCL be operated in Alaska with a
fully specified NCL product and offer the full Freestyle Cruising
program found on all other NCL ships. She will begin sailing from
Seattle on May 15th, the scheduled start of Norwegian Sky’s Alaska
season, with seven-day cruises to the Inside Passage with calls in
Ketchikan, Juneau, cruising Sawyer Glacier, Skagway and Prince Rupert,
British Columbia.

On Thursday, January 22nd, NCL will begin contacting travel agents who
have passengers booked on Norwegian Sky to advise them that their
passengers have been rebooked aboard SuperStar Leo.

SuperStar Leo features a multitude of outside cabins with 65 percent
of those having private balconies, a larger percentage than Norwegian
Sky, ensuring that all passengers booked on Norwegian Sky will move to
an equivalent or superior cabin on their chosen sailing date. In
addition, all passengers currently booked on Norwegian Sky will
receive a $25 per person onboard credit when they sail on SuperStar
Leo.

NCL will continue to take bookings on Norwegian Sky’s Alaska sailings
this week while advising travel agents of the ship change. SuperStar
Leo’s voyages will be open for sale for new bookings on Monday with
prices beginning at $649.

For further information on NCL, contact your travel agent.

"Daryl R. Smith" wrote in message
...
Ray Goldenberg ) wrote:

Does anyone know if the SuperStar Leo will also be picking up the
Sky's repositioning cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver? We
recently booked that itinerary from May 12-15. Have not heard
from TA yet.


You may find an even better repo... a repo of a lifetime, if she sails from
Asia to Alaska. Or Asia to the West Coast.

If you haven't been to Japan or elsewhere in Asia, that could be a
phenomenal treat.

I've been to Japan twice (on business) and it was a magical experience...
kind of like a kid in a candy shop. Everything was SO SO different.
Everything was a new experience there. Something I will always remember and
treasure.

--Tom