TRAVEL LOG

2 Aloha cruises called off

The newly launched Pride of Aloha, the first modern oceangoing cruise ship to be U.S.-flagged in nearly 50 years, has run into trouble with its American crew.

Two short cruises have been canceled to give the newly organized crew a chance to “rest and recharge” in preparation for the July 4 inaugural of its new Hawaii Island sailings, said Susan Robison, spokeswoman for NCL America, the U.S.-flagged brand of Norwegian Cruise Line that owns the Pride of Aloha.

The ship also reduced its passenger load by 10% on its departure June 20 from San Francisco for a 12-night crossing to Honolulu. That was done “to relieve the stress on the crew” after about seven weeks of intense training and work, she said.

Start-up problems on cruises are common, although canceling cruises to accommodate a tired crew is unusual. Because it sails under the U.S. flag, the Pride of Aloha must have an American crew, and there was no pool of experienced staff to help meet the demand, Robison said. Most cruise ships operating in North America are foreign-flagged, allowing them to hire all nationalities and pay lower wages than for U.S. crews. NCL’s other ships are Bahamas-flagged.

The ship did two Pacific Coast sailings with passengers and a short cruise for travel agents and media in Los Angeles. A two-night preview cruise from San Francisco for travel agents and media, and a one-night cruise for passengers July 2 in Hawaii were canceled.

Asked about reports that large numbers of the crew were walking off the job, Robison said there was no more than normal attrition with a start-up, although she gave no numbers. She said the 2,000-passenger ship would sail with about 800 crew members.

-- Mary Lu Abbott

*

Denmark’s Jewish legacy

Copenhagen

With an uneven wood-planked floor that rocks up and down, the Danish Jewish Museum may make visitors feel as if they’re standing on a boat.

“The decoration of the museum is a nod to October 1943,” museum director Janne Laursen said, referring to the time during World War II when Danes smuggled their Jewish countrymen across the Oresund strait to neutral Sweden to save them from being rounded up by Nazis occupying the country.

Dodging German patrol boats on a rocking sea, most of Denmark’s 7,300 Jews escaped to safety.

The Danish museum was inspired by Berlin’s Jewish Museum and is in a 16th century boathouse in the garden of Copenhagen’s Royal Library. The two museums were designed by Daniel Libeskind.

The museum tells the story of Danish Jews from 1622, when they were invited to Denmark by King Christian IV, to the current community of about 7,000. Entrance is $6.60 for adults.

The museum is closed Mondays. Information: www.jewmus.dk/index.asp

Associated Press

*

Westjet plans LAX service

WestJet, a Canadian low-fare carrier that’s been flying since 1996, is scheduled to begin serving the L.A. market Sept. 20. Thirteen Canadian cities will be served out of LAX, including nonstop flights daily to Calgary (one-way fares begin at $172) and Toronto (one-way fares begin at $142). Service out of Palm Springs is planned at a later time. For information: (800) 538-5696,

www.westjet.com.

-- Compiled by Times staff