SS UNITED STATES

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

When will the total refit of a 50-year-old rusting/thick steel hull
happen ...probably never! Perhaps NCL bought the current vessel [and its
name] as a "spoiler" ... to ensure no competitor could easily get into
the US-registered large cruise ship business! Albeit there may
eventually be a bigger/modern cruise liner with the name UNITED STATES
[perhaps "incorporating" the steel of the current hull to get around the
laws affecting keeping the US registry], it will certainly not be a real
SS/Steam Ship (e.g., think about the current status of the SS NORWAY,
nee SS FRANCE) nor will the interior resemble the three-class/1950-ish
elements of the original SS UNITED STATES!

On 7 Oct 2003 02:09:13 -0700, (James) wrote:

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

Hi,

There have been no plans announced and if there is a refit it is years
away. Sorry to be the bearer of such discouraging news. :+(

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

There are no plans to ever "refit" and put the ship into service. NCL bought the
hull just to take the only remaining US flagable hull off the market. A
competitive ploy only, no intent to use the ship.

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , James says...

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

You may be correct Cal. The other thought is that they might make the claim
that they want to serve the US marketplace and since they have a US built
hull and it is cost prohibitive to rebuild her maybe the Congress will pass
an exception and they can 'trade' the use of that hull for another ship they
already own. Hey, they were able to cut a sweetheart deal for Hawaii, what
makes you think they may not try and finagle some sort of deal for the
Eastern Seaboard?
Jim

"Cal Ford" wrote in message
...
There are no plans to ever "refit" and put the ship into service. NCL
bought the
hull just to take the only remaining US flagable hull off the market. A
competitive ploy only, no intent to use the ship.

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , James says...

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

As a resident of the Philadelphia area who has stared at the hulk of this
once majestic ship for probably the past 20 years as it rusts in the
Delaware, I sincerely doubt that I will see her sail again in my lifetime,
nor can I imagine why, given the glorious new ships I can opt for, I ever
would want to sail on her.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ


"James" wrote in message
m...
Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

Yes, I have thought of that angle as well. If their Hawaiian adventure plays out
then the Eastern Seaboard would be the next logical plan of attack.

However, it all depends on the success of the Hawaiian ships and they have
bitten off a very expensive chunk to chew there. Just my opinion ....

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , Jim says...

You may be correct Cal. The other thought is that they might make the claim
that they want to serve the US marketplace and since they have a US built
hull and it is cost prohibitive to rebuild her maybe the Congress will pass
an exception and they can 'trade' the use of that hull for another ship they
already own. Hey, they were able to cut a sweetheart deal for Hawaii, what
makes you think they may not try and finagle some sort of deal for the
Eastern Seaboard?
Jim

"Cal Ford" wrote in message
...
There are no plans to ever "refit" and put the ship into service. NCL
bought the
hull just to take the only remaining US flagable hull off the market. A
competitive ploy only, no intent to use the ship.

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , James says...

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

NCL did also purchase the two Project America ships from the bankrupt
American Hawaii Cruises (American Classic). One is currently in port being
finished. If this ship does return to the US it will be the only US flagged
deep sea cruise ship in the market. The sweetheart deal talked about was
done only if NCL places these two ships in US service. The FOC (flag of
convienence) ships sailed by NCL and all other cruise lines must stop at a
foreign port before "returning" to the US. The sweetheart deal for the one
NCL FOC ship will only last for a specific amount of time. If the Project
America ship/s are not completed by that date NCL has to go back to their
original trip to Fanning Island for their Hawaii cruises.

We have to ask ouselves if we really want to have US flagged cruise ships.
To be economically feasible they will have to charge a much higher price for
the fare. The officers and crew (required by law to be US citizens) will be
paid much more than the FOC ships. Why did AHC go bankrupt? I have heard
horror storys about the crew members (all US citizens) not cleaning the
cabins of the guests properly (one cleaning in 1 week), food not properly
prepared and served, etc. (And yes, I have heard of great service on the old
ships also but the horror storys outweigh the good ones.) Think of the work
ethic of mony of the young US citizens today. They don't have any thought
except what can I get out of this, not what can I do to make others happy or
to do a better job.



"Cal Ford" wrote in message
...
Yes, I have thought of that angle as well. If their Hawaiian adventure
plays out
then the Eastern Seaboard would be the next logical plan of attack.

However, it all depends on the success of the Hawaiian ships and they have
bitten off a very expensive chunk to chew there. Just my opinion ....

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , Jim says...

You may be correct Cal. The other thought is that they might make the
claim
that they want to serve the US marketplace and since they have a US built
hull and it is cost prohibitive to rebuild her maybe the Congress will
pass
an exception and they can 'trade' the use of that hull for another ship
they
already own. Hey, they were able to cut a sweetheart deal for Hawaii,
what
makes you think they may not try and finagle some sort of deal for the
Eastern Seaboard?
Jim

"Cal Ford" wrote in message
...
There are no plans to ever "refit" and put the ship into service. NCL
bought the
hull just to take the only remaining US flagable hull off the market. A
competitive ploy only, no intent to use the ship.

Cal Ford
www.lidodeckcruises.com



In article , James
says...

Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

"Dick Goldhaber" wrote in message ...
As a resident of the Philadelphia area who has stared at the hulk of this
once majestic ship for probably the past 20 years as it rusts in the
Delaware, I sincerely doubt that I will see her sail again in my lifetime,
nor can I imagine why, given the glorious new ships I can opt for, I ever
would want to sail on her.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



The answer can be found in the song STYLE by Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin






















"James" wrote in message
m...
Does anyone know when the refit of the SS United States is to begin?.
NCL bought it months ago and it is still sitting in Philidelphia. I
want to go to Hawaii or Europe on it ASAP. Any news on fares?

We have to ask ouselves if we really want to have US flagged cruise ships.
To be economically feasible they will have to charge a much higher price for
the fare. The officers and crew (required by law to be US citizens) will be
paid much more than the FOC ships. Why did AHC go bankrupt? I have heard

Unlike hotels where most of the service staff are not US citizens and speak
little to no English