August 31, 2007
New “Superferry” makes its debut in Hawaii
A new way of traveling by sea between the Hawaiian Islands became possible on August 26th, offering an alternative to air travel and the long delays that US air travelers have seen this summer. The company, Hawaii Superferry introduced its service with bargain $5 one way fares – not surprisingly, over 2,000 passengers took advantage of the service on the first day of operations.
However, the maiden voyage didn’t go too well – the ferry was delayed for over two hours, due to hundreds of protesters (many on surfboards!) who claimed that the service posed an environmental threat and was operating in spite of a Supreme Court injunction. Hawaii Superferry claims that their ship is actually environmentally friendly, with no exposed propellers that could potentially harm marine life and no shipboard waste being dumped overboard.
The company also hopes to convince passengers that getting there is half the fun - the ferry boasts an observation lounge, restaurant and bar. There’s also a Premium Lounge which, for an extra charge offers more luxurious accommodation. The ferry also offers the latest in safety and technology, such as watertight compartments and state of the art satellite navigation.
At the moment, there is just one ship, the Alakai – a 250 feet long catamaran style ferry which can accommodate an impressive 866 passengers – which travels between Lihue, Honolulu and Maui. The company plans to introduce another vessel in 2009.
It takes just a few hours to travel by sea between the Hawaiian Islands, but if you really want to spend as much time as you can on a ship, you can actually live on a cruise ship. I had heard of this concept before, but didn’t realize what a big business it has become. The concept is apparently popular with older, retired (and presumably wealthy!) people who choose to buy a cabin on a cruise ship rather than spend that same money on nursing home or assisted living fees.
One site I found had so much detail and made it sound so appealing, that if I had the money, I would buy a cabin tomorrow. It isn’t cheap to live on a cruise ship, as you’ve probably guessed – a cabin measuring about 325 square feet costs around $200,000 to purchase, and a 3,000 square feet living space costs over $5 million.
At those prices, the rooms in some of the world’s most expensive hotels seem like quite a bargain! Not to mention places like Hanlei Bay Resort or Kuhio Shores condos.
Guest entry by Mancunian.
Posted by James Trotta at August 31, 2007 10:50 AM | TrackBack
The ferry sounds like a great idea! I just looked at their web site and unfortunately since this story was posted, it seems like they have suspended operations indefinitely. Hopefully they can sort out their problems...
Posted by: martin at August 31, 2007 4:24 PMyou'd better check your facts...the superferry is dead in the water thanks to some environmental whackos...the operation is tied up in the courts at least until 9/6/07.
Posted by: Steve at August 31, 2007 7:28 PM