STAR CRUISES - General Info

[kuldalai]

Whilst other lines including Costa have their Asian itineraries out till the end of 2009, Star are still moving with all the speed of a crippled snail to get out all itineraries for the balance of 2008 and well 2009 it just seems it is all too hard. Libra has only just been posted for March - October 2008 . Superstar Aloha arrives in two months time and still there is no word as to where she will be based and the itineraries from June 2008 .

Costa have two itineraries operating out of Singapore in 2009 . 1. Goes on a round trip to Hong Kong, and 2. A 14 day round trip to Indonesia.

The issue is that by the time Star get out their itineraries it is far too late, and a lot of potential cruisers have already booked with other lines in both Asia and other parts of the world . This is really sad as Star have a first class product and much potential business is being lost, through lack of new 7 - 10 day itineraries and tardiness in getting out a forward program well into 2009.

[electricron]

The reason why Star has not posted Aloha news may be that Star plans to sell them. Rumors originating from Lloyd's Register suggest the Dream and Majesty will be sold to Louis Cruise Lines, and the Aloha is being sold to Pullmantur.

 

Whereas the Dream and Majesty may not have fitted into Stars future plans, the Aloha I believe could have. What do you think Star will do with the cash they receive from these potential sells?

[kuldalai]

Well if Aloha and Dream and Majesty all go elsewhere STAR may well regret selling GEMINI unless they buy another vessel relatively new in the 1000 - 1200 pax capacity . Then again they could could continue to charter GEMINI from the new owners .Perhaps Star would have been wiser to stretch GEMINI as Fred Olsen are doing with Braemar . Either way if Star want to grow their business then they at least need to replace Gemini and get another fairly new vessel . Star should heavy NCL and get back Spirit as it is Virgo's sister and designed specifically for the Asian market .

 

Star management seem to be more interested in on shore Casino investments like in a new joint venture (just announced ) in the Phillipines, than expanding their Asian cruise fleet and maximising business opportunities. All a bid sad really, when apart from Aquarius (which has far too much Casino space) the product offering is so good and has so much potential .

[Angsa]

Apparently Pullmantur has withdrawn its offer for the Pride of Aloha, Star's asking price is too high.

 

I hope Star will now run it in Asia for real.

[electricron]

Apparently Pullmantur has withdrawn its offer for the Pride of Aloha, Star's asking price is too high.

 

I hope Star will now run it in Asia for real.

 

I hope so too.

 

The ex-Norwegian Sky, Pride of Aloha until May 11th, should fit in well in Star's fleet. It's as large and as new as the Superstar Virgo, although built to a different design by a different shipyard. It should make a great change of pace ship. Variety does add spice to life.

 

Here's some statistics that show the differences and similarities:

 

Statistic - Aloha - Virgo - Aquarius - Libra

Year Built - 1999 - 1999 - 1993 - 1988

Tonnage - 77,104 - 76,800 - 50,760 - 42,276

Length (feet) -853 - 880 - 754 - 709

Beam (feet) - 106 - 106 - 94 - 93

Passenger Capacity - 2002 - 1,966 - 1,748 - 1,480

Total Inside Cabins - 427 - 354 - 166 - 243

Total Outside Cabins - 572 - 562 - 703 - 497

Total Suites - 14 - 18 - 18 - 7

Cabins w/ verandas - 257 - 392 - 74 - 0

Restaurants - 6 - 8 - 6 - 6 - 5

Bars & Lounges - 13 - 9 - 11 - 8

 

Additionally, here's the sizes in square feet of the cabin classifications between these four ships.

Cabins - Aloha - Virgo - Aquarius - Libra

Inside - (128~191) - 149 - (136~144) - 114

Oceanview - (145~170) - 157 - 152 - (116~125)

Balcony - (150~173) - 161 - 167 - N/A

 

Note: Even the smallest inside cabin on the Aloha is larger than the largest oceanview cabin aboard the Libra, excluding suites.

 

Therefore, having an additional "superliner" size cruise ship can't be bad. The drawbacks of the Aloha is that it may have too many inside cabins, and it may have too few cabins with verendas for optima fares. But those extra inside cabins may come in handy when introducing cruising to a new homeport.

[Angsa]

But they DEFINITELY will add a sizeable casino inside Pride of Aloha before the ship is ready for Asia. So this might affect the number of cabins available, no?

 

I think Star will be better off having a bigger ship in Asia to fight RCCL or other cruise companies that are planning to come in the market. They still have a big "gamble ship" image here and big ships can help to shake them off this image gradually.

[MMDown Under]

Do you know the statistics for the former Super Star Leo? Do you know what she is now called?

 

We did a repositioning cruise on her from Sydney to Darwin.

[kuldalai]

The former the Superstar LEO is the sister ship of Superstar VIRGO . The specs are basically the same as Virgo with minor variations. Superstar LEO re-badged as Norwegian Spirit is currently sailing for Norwegian Cruise Lines (50 % owned by Star Cruises). Spirit currently cruises from the US ports of New York and New Orleans . Superstar LEO was built in 1998 and Virgo in 1999.

[MMDown Under]

Thanks alot for the information, which will enable us to compare other ships with SS Leo's statistics.

 

We thought SS Leo was a beautiful ship and liked its size.

[Deck10 007]

Apparently Pullmantur has withdrawn its offer for the Pride of Aloha, Star's asking price is too high.

 

I hope Star will now run it in Asia for real.

 

Where is the Plan B for the POAl. What will happen to it come May 13 which is 3 weeks away.

[kuldalai]

Presumably the booking for Superstar Aloha to enter dry dock in Singapore for 2 weeks late May still stands ??? SSV you posted that advice originally IIRC. What is the latest on the dry dock booking ?

[kuldalai]

Well Norwegian Dream and majesty will NOT be coming over to Star as they have been sold to Louis Cruise lines.

 

Still no news on on future of Pride of Aloha . Pullmantur withdrew their offer, and it is not at all clear whether Star want her (as originally expected) or whether they still prefer to sell her if they can get a good price .

 

With Gemini departing at the end of 2008 one would think Star would want P of A or another larger vessel as otherwise they will have less capacity in Asia than now .

[electricron]

Well Norwegian Dream and majesty will NOT be coming over to Star as they have been sold to Louis Cruise lines.

 

Still no news on on future of Pride of Aloha . Pullmantur withdrew their offer, and it is not at all clear whether Star want her (as originally expected) or whether they still prefer to sell her if they can get a good price .

 

With Gemini departing at the end of 2008 one would think Star would want P of A or another larger vessel as otherwise they will have less capacity in Asia than now .

 

They should be able to use the Pride of Aloha themselves if they don't sell or lease her.

[kuldalai]

Have been reviewing the Star Press releases that have been issued over the last 12 months .

* On arrival of SS Aquarius in HK - Star talked of further expanding operations in Asian waters.

* On the Apollo 50/50 announcement - Star spoke of sale proceeds assisting the growth plan for expanded operations in the Greater China market.

* On the sale of SS Gemini - Star spoke as part of fleet optimization .

* On announcement of the full year results - Star spoke of intending to to deploy Pride of Aloha in the Asian market in the Summer of 2008.

* Most recently of accelerating fleet optimization plans in Asia with the proceeds from sale of Dream and Majesty .

 

OPTIMIZE - in a business sense usually means better use of assets, newer assets, not necessarily more in units but more in output. Reconfiguring the machinery of output (in this case the right sized ships).

 

Take this with the sale of Gemini and the intention to have no vessel in the Star Asian fleet under 40,000 tonnes ; and optimize can clearly be read as bigger ships (than Gemini) but not necessarily extra ships .

 

But if the business is to be grown in both the gambling cruises, and traditional Western style cruise markets then one would think the existing fleet size would be maintained, if not increased by one vessel .

 

Now it appears Star have had a change of heart in that they have at least 'flown the kite" to see if there is a buyer for Aloha at what potentially is suggested by some to be an above the odds price.

 

Timing wise releasing Aloha now might suit NCL but a better time for Star would be late 2008 when SS GEMINI goes . Especially as the crew from Gemini could form a large part of a new crew for Aloha .

 

If Aloha comes on board now then Star can hardly mothball it for 6 months, it has to be crewed and earn them some money . Pulling an all new crew out of thin air cannot be done overnight presumably.

 

On the other hand Star might consider Aloha too big (for current Asian operations) and prefer to sell her at the right price now, and purchase from Whoever Cruise Lines a vessel of 40 - 50,000 tonnes , to enter service late in 2008 when Gemini departs .

 

But then it also seems Star are currently more interested at the moment in developing on shore casino/gambling ventures as announced recently for the Phillipines; than expanding their on water operations .

 

Finally Mike in Taiwan , think you originally posted that Aloha was booked into Singapore dry dock late May for 2 weeks . Does that booking still stand ? If it has been cancelled then it would appear Star intends to sell Aloha ASAP as not fitting their fleet optimization plans in Asia.

[Deck10 007]

Pal, you have not heard.

 

The Pride of Aloha is joining the NCL fleet and homeport in Maimi.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=763582

[kuldalai]

One minute NCL says P of A off to Star as not suitable for conversion to Freestyle II . Now she becomes Norwegian ? and goes into NCL fleet , but for how long ?

 

BUT what medium term of these three (3) Options given that Star do not really want a replacement larger vessel for Gemini till early 2009 :

 

1. P of A still goes to Star but early 2009.

2. P of A stays with NCL full time . (So NCL fleet goes up by one ship.)

3. Spirit comes back to Star early 2009 .

 

My money would be on Option 3.

[electricron]

We have all lost track the 50% Apollo Management buying agreement into NCL.

 

The remaining two NCLA ships, the announcement for the Pride of Hawaii having already been pulled from Hawaii and turned into the NCL Jade, did not include the final financial impacts for the Prides of Aloha and America.

 

In that agreement, if NCL kept the two remaining ships, NCL would have to pay Star for them by December 31st to a tune of almost a half billion dollars. With the ownership of the Pride of Aloha transfering to Star, NCL has reduced what it owes Star significantly, to approximately $197 million, saving over $300 million of more indebtedness.

 

Per NCL's latest SEC filing, http://www.hoovers.com/free/co/secdoc.xhtml?ID=61521&ipage=5796002-18180-267132

 

On February 11, 2008 we announced the withdrawal of Pride of Aloha from the Hawaii market effective May 11, 2008. The ship is being transferred to Star Cruises and will be reflagged and deployed in Asia in the summer of 2008. The remaining year-round ship in Hawaii will be the Pride of America .

As a result of the decision to withdraw Pride of Aloha from the Hawaii market and pursuant to the terms of the Reimbursement and Distribution Agreement, Star Cruises Limited is liable for certain cash losses of NCLA and is also liable for certain expenses following the transfer of Pride of Aloha to Star Cruises Limited through December 31, 2008. Reimbursement by Star Cruises Limited of these losses and expenses shall not exceed $85 million. In addition to transferring Pride of Aloha to Star Cruises Limited, we expect to pay Star Cruises Limited approximately $197 million in connection with Pride of America .

We anticipate funding any payments to Star Cruises Limited under the Reimbursement and Distribution Agreement by the use of funds generated from the incurrence of additional indebtedness from existing or new debt facilities.

 

NCL has decided keeping the America was worth more indebtedness, keeping the Aloha wasn't. Star will assume ownership of the Aloha in May. What they do with the Aloha is up to them? They could sail the Aloha as a Star ship, OR sell or lease the Aloha to another cruise operator, including leasing her back to NCL. NCL has already decided not to rebuy the Aloha.

 

 

NCL bought the Norwegian Spirit in late 2004 in the same agreement where Star bought the Marco Polo, Sea, Dream, Wind, and Majesty. NCL has been leasing them since. When NCL's lease expired, Star has been either sailing them under Star, or selling them to other cruise operators. Star has decided to sell the Marco Polo, Dream, and Majesty, while Star has decided to sail the Sea as the Libra and Wind as the Aquarius. We'll just hae to wait and see what Star does with the Aloha.

 

The rumor mill recently suggests the Aloha (as the Sky again) will be sailing 3 and 4 night itineraries from Miami. I assume this means NCL will be chartering/leasing the Aloha from Star, like they have been leasing the other six ships since late 2004. Whether this rumor is true or not I don't know, but time will tell. It certainly will not be sailing full with passengers, as neither NCL nor Star have posted any sailings for it up for sale. There's over 1000 cabins to sell, and we're just a month away before the Aloha is idle.

[electricron]

To add some legal documents into the fray, this SEC filing includes the Reimbursement and Distribution Agreement.

 

It's very confusing to a layman, but here it is:

 

http://www.hoovers.com/free/co/secdoc.xhtml?ID=61521&ipage=5696684-11935-113352

 

To summarize, there's a lot of cash at stake.

 

Also, some recent rumors. NCL plans to sail the Aloha as the Sky from Miami with 3 and 4 day Bahamas cruises after the Aloha's/Sky's dry dock. Whether Star is leasing it back to NCL, or NCL is buying it instead from Star, or if this is just a back up plan in case Star doesn't sell it to a third party, or if the rumor is true or not; is unknown at this time.

 

The next few weeks may contain a few surprises, as the Aloha's drydock shouldn't last more than a few weeks. It's presently sailing it's last cruise as the Aloha.

[electricron]

Sorry Star fans, here's NCL's press release:

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/pressroom/pressRelease.html?storyCode=PR_050608

 

NCL Corporation (NCL) announced today that it will reflag and rename Pride of Aloha and launch the ship as Norwegian Sky, offering three and four-day Bahamas cruises from Miami commencing this summer.

 

P.S. The dry dock is to occur in the Miami area.

[s0334200]

Star Cruises may not able to take the Aloha , there's are not enough crew on every Star' ship even on SS Virgo. Sometimes they have to close some parts of the restaurant .etc...Also , it seems that STAR is lacking of navigation officer . So if Aloha transferred to Star , can't sail immediately . I think Star doesn't have such" big market" in Asia , they no need to have a big ship...

[kuldalai]

As Norwegian Whatever , Pride of Aloha has set out itineraries out of Miami up to April 2009. Also having said earlier it was not viable to alter Aloha for Freestyle-2 NCL, have done a 180 with pike and are now modifying her for Freestyle 2 .

The above developments plus the fact that the retirement of SS Gemini from the Star Fleet (December, 2008) and Aloha deployment from Miami is set out till April, 2009 do no co-incide suggests that Aloha will stay in NCL fleet for good .

It would never really suit Star to take on another vessel until the crew from Gemini is released (end of 2008) .

The big question now is whether Star will replace Gemini or just have Libra do her longer duration itineraries that are so popular with travellers from outside Asia. Star seems to have lost the enthusiasm for its Asian cruise business, and seems more interested in developing on shore casino/gambling interests.

[electricron]

I believe the reason NCL was slow at announcing the new Sky itineraries was because Star was close to having the Aloha (Sky) sold.

 

I believe NCL will be leasing the Sky until Star Cruises either decides to keep it or sells it. Just like what occurred with the Gemini, Marco Polo, Crown, Dream, and Majesty, if Star Cruises sells the Sky, there will be some sort of lease deal done to finish the Sky's posted itineraries.

 

I don't expect itineraries for the Sky will be posted for much longer than a year into the future.

 

If the Sky (Aloha) was too large a ship for Star Cruses, the smaller Crown, Majesty, or Dream (sister of the Aquarius) may have fitted better. But Star sold all of them.

 

I might add the ex Superstar Leo (sister of the Virgo), now Norwegian Spirit, is just as large as the Sky (Aloha). So, it does make one wonder what Star Cruises plans for its future.

 

Apparently, they like the Libra (ex Sea) very much. I've read they weren't as happy with the Aquarius (ex Wind), which may be why they sold the Dream so quickly. I'm pretty sure either the Majesty or Crown would have made better Gemini replacements. The Crown was smaller than the Libra, and the Majesty was the same size as the Libra. Apparently, the Gemini's traditional cruising experience is what the Libra may be doing in the future, because it is the smallest cruise ship left.

 

Unless Star buys another used small ship, which are becoming a dying breed and which they have been selling off quickly, so I don't consider that likely; they will have to build a brand new one to replace the Gemini's smaller ship role. Maybe that's their plan, to build a smaller sized Virgo which will cost between $200 to $300 million? I'm awaiting for the possible order. They certainly have the cash to do so, with all the recent ship sells.

 

It's possible Star Cruises plans to pick up one of Oceania's smaller ships to replace the Gemini. Oceania has newer, larger ships on order, and may be willing to part with one of them as the new ships enter Oceania's fleet. Oceania owners, Apollo Management, is Star Cruises' 50% partner with NCL. I haven't heard anything, just my own speculation.

 

As an aside, the Sky is sized perfectly for the proposed 3 and 4 nights Bahamas itinerary from Miami. It's possible NCL may sail it very profitably from Miami for a long time.

[kuldalai]

Electricon - would agree that a cascade, sale , transfer via Apollo connection of an Oceania vessel to Star would be a possibility . But the timing and ship size do not fit . Star should be looking for a replacement for Gemini in early 2009, but Oceania's new builds do not arrive till September 2010 and July, 2011.

Further Star previously said they wanted to re-configure their fleet to no vessel less than 40,000 tonnes . But the current three Oceania vessels are only 30,000 tonnes and 824 pax which is little more pax than Gemini . So Star would probably not be interested in any of Oceania's current fleet . But the new Oceania builds (two ordered and third option) are 65,000 tonnes and 1260 pax which is more what Star would be looking for . But they are 2 - 3 years away, even if Star ordered now.

[electricron]

Electricon - would agree that a cascade, sale , transfer via Apollo connection of an Oceania vessel to Star would be a possibility . But the timing and ship size do not fit . Star should be looking for a replacement for Gemini in early 2009, but Oceania's new builds do not arrive till September 2010 and July, 2011.

Further Star previously said they wanted to re-configure their fleet to no vessel less than 40,000 tonnes . But the current three Oceania vessels are only 30,000 tonnes and 824 pax which is little more pax than Gemini . So Star would probably not be interested in any of Oceania's current fleet . But the new Oceania builds (two ordered and third option) are 65,000 tonnes and 1260 pax which is more what Star would be looking for . But they are 2 - 3 years away, even if Star ordered now.

 

I doubt that Oceania would want to sell their new builds.

If the old NCL ships are too small or too old, that probably means Star maybe interested in ordering and building new ships. Because Star has sold, accepted, or placed on the auction block, all of NCL's older, smaller ships.

 

The Aloha or Sky, is still up for sale.

 

http://cruiseship.homestead.com/cruiseships.html

 

http://www.tug-barge.com/p508.htm

[kuldalai]

Many of us fondly remember cruising on SS LEO when it was part of the Star Cruises fleet , and hope for her eventual return to Asian waters . As currently part of the NCL fleet as Norwegian Spirit she was involved in a minor berthing incident in New York - http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2612