The city and Aloha Tower want to
By Jerry Tune
restore the festive air that once came
with cruise-ship arrivals
Star-BulletinTaking a cue from the glory days of ocean travel to Hawaii, city officials and the new owners of Aloha Tower Marketplace are discussing ways to bring back the old "Boat Days" experience of music and lei greetings for visiting cruise ships.
The preliminary efforts come as the resurging cruise business injects new dollars into Hawaii's slumping economy. Some estimates have the cruise industry pumping up to $200 million a year into Hawaii.
Paula Loomis, executive assistant to the city managing director, confirmed discussions are underway but said there is no decision yet on how to finance Boat Days.
By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Above, the Royal Hawaiian Band plays at Pier 10 yesterday for
the arrival of the Norwegian Dynasty cruise ship. At top, coin
divers greet the liner President Cleveland on a Boat Day in
this1954 Star-Bulletin file photo.
"I'd like to see it as a community event," said Bill Thayer, president of Waldron Steamship Co., which handles many of the large cruise ships."I'd like to see Mayor Harris come down and say 'hello,' and maybe have Perry and Price or a nightly news broadcast from Aloha Tower. We could use two or three groups as the talent base, and maybe even have professionals dive for silver dollars. There could be a corporate sponsor with T-shirts given out."
The mayor's office has been talking to cruise lines and Aloha Tower Marketplace for a couple of months about what could be done.
The marketplace already has hula halau and musical groups perform in the afternoon on weekends when ships are in port but that's in the atrium area of the marketplace.
Iwalani Tseu, the marketplace's cultural advisor, said more cultural events are being held at Aloha Tower. But a new owner, Aloha Tower Limited Partners, just took over the marketplace so it will be awhile before marketing issues are settled.
Neighbor island ports have a head start on Boat Day-type greetings for cruise passengers.
Hilo volunteers have been entertaining cruise ships for more than five years and recently opened an "Aloha Room" to welcome cruise passengers.
Bill Anonsen, director of marine operations for American Hawaiian Cruises, said the Destination Hilo group coordinates entertainers when the company's interisland cruise ship, the S.S. Independence, calls. He is talking to other groups about greetings at Kahului and Nawiliwili harbors. Lahaina has Boat Days sponsored by the LahainaTown Action Committee and merchants.
Lahaina has music, hula, and free pineapple juice and flowers for passengers, said Theo Morrison, executive director of the LahainaTown Action Committee.
Destination Hilo opened its "Aloha Room" on April 1 after a community effort to paint, decorate and outfit the former Sea-Land office space leased from the state. It took only about a month to get local businesses to donate paint, posters, and maps for the room, said Beverly Sorrensen, the room's coordinator.
"We have 94 ships coming in this year," she said. "We have free shuttles to shopping and downtown." Sorrensen estimates the cruise passengers will spend $9 million a year in Hilo.
Kate Ahia, coordinator for the Hilo greeting project, said two kapuna groups of about 12 or 20 people provide the entertainment.
They go aboard the Independence every Thursday and also greet other cruise ships. "I even have foreign ships calling me from sea asking if we are going to be there," Ahia said.
The kapuna entertainers get $7,000 from the county and $2,000 a year from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau but that doesn't compensate them for the time involved, Ahia said. "It's a feeling of aloha," she said.
By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Passengers wave from the deck of the cruise ship
Norwegian Dynasty at Pier 10 yesterday.
American Hawaiian Cruises' Anonsen said the state harbor managers and neighbor island mayors have helped.For Honolulu, organizers say, there are still many unresolved issues, especially related to costs.
But as plans for Boat Days are discussed, more ships arrive.
The Norwegian Dynasty arrived in Honolulu yesterday to a welcome from the Royal Hawaiian Band, paid for by the cruise line.
Rhapsody of the Seas docks in Honolulu on May 5. It has a capacity for 2,000 passengers and 800 crew -- the largest number of people ever to arrive on a cruise ship. The Norwegian Dynasty, with a capacity for 800 passengers, also calls at Honolulu the same day.
"We're going to have more of these days with two and three ships calling," said Thayer. "Boat Days will help convince them to come back."
Boat Days go back to 1872 when the Royal Hawaiian Band would play whenever King William Lunalilo went on an ocean trip. Later, the band began greeting ocean liners. Event started for the king
Matson liners docked at 8 a.m. and sailed at 4 p.m. On arrival, there would be three blasts of the whistle as the liners passed the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Then two tugs would meet the ship with friends of passengers, hula dancers and photographers.
As the ship entered the channel, the band could be seen on the pier.
The Royal Hawaiian Band played on the upper deck of the pier and a hula troupe danced. At 4 p.m. the last line to the ship was dropped and the band played. As the ship passed Waikiki, it gave three whistle blasts.
Boat Days came to end in the 1960s as the jet age surpassed ocean travel.
