More than 1,200 passengers will arrive here Sunday morning via the ms Patriot, one of the few American-flagged cruise ships in the business. New inter-island cruiseship carries 1200-plus passengers The vessel is scheduled to cruise into Nawiliwili Harbor for the
More than 1,200 passengers will arrive here Sunday morning via the ms Patriot, one of the few American-flagged cruise ships in the business. New inter-island cruiseship carries 1200-plus passengers The vessel is scheduled to cruise into Nawiliwili Harbor for the first time at 9 a.m., to much fanfare, entertainment and greeters, including Mayor Maryanne Kusaka, representatives from the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau, the county Office of Economic Development, and a larger-than-usual group of volunteers.
The vessel, the United States Lines’ first ship, is the largest cruise ship dedicated to Hawaiian island cruises 12 months a year. It will berth overnight at Nawiliwili each Sunday.
The firm is building two other cruise ships, also for use only in Hawaiian waters. They’ll be launched in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
Kusaka journeyed to Honolulu Harbor yesterday for the christening of the Patriot by Margaret Inouye, wife of U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye.
Kusaka and the state’s other mayors are members of the ship’s welcoming committee.
A flower drop from a helicopter will greet the maiden voyagers aboard the Patriot as she settles into Nawiliwili, said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Visitors Bureau.
The route of the 1,212-passenger Patriot is Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Kahului on Maui, Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, and back to O’ahu. The ship will circle Kaua’i, cruising by Ni’ihau and Na Pali Coast, before arriving at Nawiliwili.
A gala inaugural voyage off O’ahu Friday night, featuring the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, benefited several charities, including Ready to Learn, which provides school supplies to needy Hawai’i students, and America’s Promise Hawai’i, a partnership between the state Department of Education and Sen. Inouye to organize community and corporate resources for students and schools.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext.224).
United States Lines’ 1,212-passenger ms Patriot will be the largest ship to date dedicated to cruising exclusively in Hawaii.
