NCL America to Host Gala Fundraiser Cruise in Hawai`i

Bishop Museum, Child and Family Service, Ready to Learn, The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the U.S.S. Missouri Memorial Will Benefit from Pride of America Inaugural Festivities

Miami (November 30, 2003) - Today, NCL America announced that it will hold an overnight fundraiser cruise on July 3, 2004 in Honolulu to benefit five Hawai`i-based charities. The cruise is part of the line’s inaugural festivities for its new U.S.-flagged ship, Pride of America. The new ship, which will be based year-round in Hawai`i, is the first new U.S.-flagged cruise ship in nearly 50 years.

All ticket revenue from the gala cruise will benefit Bishop Museum, Child and Family Service, Ready to Learn, The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the U.S.S. Missouri Memorial. NCL America will donate the use of the ship and all operational, food and beverage services and amenities for the sailing.

“ NCL has a long history of contributing to the communities in which it does business and we are proud to assist these very worthy organizations in their charitable work,” said Robert Kritzman, executive vice president and managing director of NCL America. “We’ve established great relationships with the Hawai`i community and look forward to continue to contribute however we can.”

Guests will enjoy a full evening and morning of culinary delights with Pride of America’s eight different restaurants as well as a sail away cocktail party, live entertainment, a comedy show and a silent auction that will also raise money for the charities.

Prices for the overnight charity are per cabin and are:
Inside Cabins $300
Outside Cabins $500
Balcony Cabins $700
Family Suites $1,000
Penthouse Suites $1,250
Deluxe Penthouse Suites $1,500

For booking the cruise, interested participants should contact the charity they would like to support. Phone numbers for each charity are:
Bishop Museum - 808-848-4157
Child and Family Service - 808-543-8413
Ready to Learn - 808-585-7425
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement - 808- 521-5011
U.S.S. Missouri Memorial - 808-454-1434

Beginning May 9 and continuing through July 4, 2004 Pride of America begins her historic journey home to Hawai’i with a series of U.S. coastal cruises visiting historic cities across America. The 2,156-passenger Pride of America will sail six cruises ranging from one overnight cruise to an 18-day voyage, with departures from Boston, New York, Miami, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco with stops in such cities as Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; Newport, R.I.; Philadelphia, Norfolk, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; New Orleans; San Diego; Santa Barbara and Monterey, Calif.

The cruises precede the ship’s christening on July 4, 2004 in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Pride of America is the first U.S. Flagged ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s NCL America brand, under which all of its U.S.-flag vessels will operate.

Guests aboard Pride of America will enjoy a 100 percent U.S. crew, which will hail mainly from Hawai’i offering the gracious hospitality and service along with their sunny outlook on life, known in Hawai’i as “The Aloha Spirit.”

Pride of America will sail seven-day cruises calling on Hawai`i’s four main islands and a day of scenic cruising beginning July 4th, 2004. Her itinerary departs Sundays from Honolulu with ports of call at Nawiliwili, Kauai (overnight); Hilo and Kona, Hawai’i; and Kahului, Maui (overnight). The ship will be in port everyday and will offer scenic cruising on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Five charities benefit from charity cruise
Hawai’i’s Bishop Museum is the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific and is recognized throughout the world for its cultural collections, research projects, consulting services and public educational programs.

Child and Family Service is one of Hawai’i’s oldest and most effective private nonprofit organizations dedicated to services for poor and troubled families through the prevention of child abuse and neglect, alternative education for troubled youth, shelter for families in domestic violence, and care for the frail elderly statewide.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) seeks to promote the advancement of Native Hawaiians through empowerment and informational initiatives. CNHA helps other organizations deliver services to Native communities to assist them in achieving their goals. CNHA provides programs and services that promote collaboration, networking, information sharing, capacity building and partnerships among organizations.

The Battleship Missouri hosted the signing of the Terms of Surrender ending World War II and stands today as a symbol of national strength, individual sacrifice - and peace restored. The USS Missouri Memorial Association, a Hawai`i-based non-profit organization designated by the Navy as caretaker of this American Icon, is dedicated to creating and maintaining a fitting memorial, preserving into perpetuity her history and the lessons learned for future generations.

Ready to Learn is a non-profit, statewide organization that provides basic school supplies such as paper, pencils, and rulers to needy children (grades kindergarten through 12) throughout Hawai’i.

In 2001, NCL donated Norwegian Star to four Hawai’i charities for a one-night gala fundraising cruise. The company raised over $240,000 for Aloha United Way, Read To Me, Bishop Museum and Hawai’i International Film Festival.

Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line is an industry innovator. NCL recently announced its new brand, NCL America, under which its US flagged ships will operate. The company is currently building its first US Flagged ship, Pride of America, which begins inter-island Hawai`i cruises on July 4, 2004. NCL is also the leader in roundtrip seven-day cruising from U.S. and Canadian ports, offering its popular Homeland Cruising program seasonally from Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Orlando (Port Canaveral), San Juan, Seattle and Vancouver, and year round from New York, Houston and Honolulu.

For further information on NCL America, contact a travel agent or NCL in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 327-7030; in Miami-Dade County, Fla., (305) 436-0866; visit NCL’s web site at www.ncl.com or on AOL at keyword: NCL; or to download high-resolution photography visit www.ncl.com/hires.

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