Nova Star Cruises - Yarmouth, NS to Portland, ME

[Neil]

Good news for Nova Scotia... the ferry to Maine is returning. Now,  we need more information on this vessel.
t.news.ca.msn.com/local/novascotia/yarmouth-maine-ferry-returning-in-may-2014-1

[Kahloke]

Nov 12, 2013 18:31:48 GMT -8 Neil said:

Good news for Nova Scotia... the ferry to Maine is returning. Now,  we need more information on this vessel.
t.news.ca.msn.com/local/novascotia/yarmouth-maine-ferry-returning-in-may-2014-1

That is cool!  If my wife and I ever do the Maritimes / Coastal New England trip we've been talking about, I'll have to make sure the trip includes this ferry.  Given our finances right now, I don't see us doing this for a few years, so hopefully this new ferry won't be short-lived experiment.

[Nick]

Nov 12, 2013 18:31:48 GMT -8 Neil said:

Good news for Nova Scotia... the ferry to Maine is returning. Now,  we need more information on this vessel.
t.news.ca.msn.com/local/novascotia/yarmouth-maine-ferry-returning-in-may-2014-1

As the resident east coast ferry geek, I'll do my best to get down that way next year. No promises though... it is a 7+ hour drive.

[Neil]

More info on the new- and it is brand new- Yarmouth to Bar Harbor cruise ferry.
thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1148092-video-a-closer-look-at-the-ferry-planned-for-yarmouth

[Kahloke]

I just created a thread for the new Nova Star ferry.  Things are not looking too good for the company right now.  They are planning on commencing service on May 1st, and here it is the middle of March and you still cannot buy tickets or make a reservation.  In the meantime, the ship has already left Singapore for the long journey to Boston, its first stop.  Here's an article on the ship's departure:

Portland-Nova Scotia ferry departs from Singapore
The vessel is scheduled to begin service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on May 1.

By Tom Bell [e-mail]
Staff Writer

The Nova Star ferry departed Singapore early Saturday local time and is heading to the Gulf of Maine, a 10,000-mile journey that will take about a month and require about $1 million in fuel.

The Nova Star ferry is expected to operate between Portland and Nova Scotia from May 1 to Oct. 31.

The ferry is scheduled to begin daily service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on May. 1.

The vessel will first arrive in Boston in mid-April, according to the operator, Nova Star Cruises. In Boston, there will be a ceremonial christening of the ship, which has never been put into service. The Coast Guard in Boston will examine the vessel, and game tables and 70 slot machines will also be installed.

The ship may also stop in Portsmouth, N.H., and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Its maiden journey with paying customers is expected to begin in Portland.

Nova Star Cruises is not advertising its fares or selling tickets because it is still waiting to receive two permits from the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. Company officials say they expect to receive the permits soon and that the service will begin on schedule.

Shortly after departing Singapore, the ship was traveling at about 13 knots and headed to Colombo, Sri Lanka, for refueling.

Its four main diesel engines each have 5,600 kilowatts of power, allowing the ship to sail at a service speed of 21.4 knots.

The vessel will use the Suez Canal to reach the Mediterranean Sea. After passing the Strait of Gibraltar, it will enter the Atlantic Ocean.

The vessel was built to cross the English Channel and is not designed for long ocean voyages. In 2007, the French company LD Lines contracted with Singapore Technologies Marine to build a ferry for its passenger and cargo service between Portsmouth, England, and Le Havre, France.

The ship underwent sea trials in 2010 and was scheduled to go into service that year.

But in March 2011, the shipbuilder said in a news release that it had received notice from the French company that it was terminating its $179 million contract for the ship because of a dispute over a delay in construction and the vessel’s design.

The ship contains cruise ship-like features, including three restaurants, three bars and a fitness center. The ship also includes a children’s play area, live on-board entertainment, and a movie theater.

The vessel has 163 cabins and capacity for 1,215 passengers. It can carry 336 cars and 38 commercial vehicles.

Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

[e-mail]

www.pressherald.com/news/Nova_Star_ferry_departs_from_Singapore_.html

[SolDuc]

The Coast Guard in Boston will examine the vessel, and game tables and 70 slot machines will also be installed.

Are you sure this is not the Spirit of Las Vegas or some kind of new BC Ferries experiment prior to having casinos on their boats?

[Kahloke]

It appears Nova Star has finally gotten approval to publish fares and sell tickets, which they say they will do by the end of next week.  It's not their final hurdle, but I guess they are one step closer to making this happen.  And, not surprisingly, they've delayed their start date by a couple of weeks.

March 20, 2014
Nova Star Cruises gets OK to sell tickets

The company starting a Portland-to-Nova Scotia ferry service has received federal approval to begin selling tickets, which company officials said would begin at the end of next week.

The Portland Press Herald reported Nova Star Cruises still needs to secure a casualty certificate, proving it has liability coverage, before it can leave a U.S. port with passengers. While the ferry operator secured its "certificate of performance" permit, allowing it to begin selling tickets, the company decided to delay the start of its service by two weeks, from May 1 to May 15.

Company spokesman Dennis Bailey told the newspaper the Nova Star ferry vessel will arrive in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, from Singapore on April 14, traveling to Portland on April 16 for U.S. Coast Guard inspections and installation of 10 table games and 70 slot machines before two May publicity events in Boston and Portsmouth, N.H.

The company also announced Wednesday that it plans to lease space on Merrill's Wharf in Portland.

www.mainebiz.biz/article/20140320/NEWS0101/140329999

[Kahloke]

The schedule and 2014 fares are now published on Nova Star's website, novastarcruises.com/schedule/fares.  I was doing a comparison between Nova Star's fares and the Inside Passage fares during the peak summer traveling period.  Here's the breakdown:

BC FERRIES INSIDE PASSAGE DAY CRUISE - 16 hour crossing
Adult Passenger Fare:  $197.75
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  $451.25
Reserved Seating in Aurora Lounge:  $35.00
Inboard Cabin:  $90.00
Outboard Cabin:  $120.00


NOVA STAR CRUISES - Yarmouth to Portland - 9-10 hour crossing
Adult Passenger:  $139.00 + $5.00 port fee = $144.00
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  199.00 + $6.00 port fee = $205.00
Reserved Recliner Seat:  $49.00
Cabin prices range from $99.00 for an interior cabin all the way up to $249.00 for the Owner's Suite


My initial take is that Nova Star seems to be reasonably priced given the length of the crossing.  The vehicle fare surprised me.  I was expecting a much higher price for a car.  On the other hand, the passenger fare seems kind of high relative to the vehicle fare, which makes me wonder if the low vehicle fare is just for this year to entice customers, and after that, they will raise it quite a bit.

In any case, when we do our Coastal New England / Maritimes trip (which will most likely be in the summer of 2015), I think Nova Star will be beyond our budget.  I calculated $591.00 for the two of us, our car, and two recliner seats.

[Neil]

Mar 30, 2014 12:56:12 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

The schedule and 2014 fares are now published on Nova Star's website, novastarcruises.com/schedule/fares.  I was doing a comparison between Nova Star's fares and the Inside Passage fares during the peak summer traveling period.  Here's the breakdown:

BC FERRIES INSIDE PASSAGE DAY CRUISE - 16 hour crossing
Adult Passenger Fare:  $197.75
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  $451.25
Reserved Seating in Aurora Lounge:  $35.00
Inboard Cabin:  $90.00
Outboard Cabin:  $120.00


NOVA STAR CRUISES - Yarmouth to Portland - 9-10 hour crossing
Adult Passenger:  $139.00 + $5.00 port fee = $144.00
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  199.00 + $6.00 port fee = $205.00
Reserved Recliner Seat:  $49.00
Cabin prices range from $99.00 for an interior cabin all the way up to $249.00 for the Owner's Suite


My initial take is that Nova Star seems to be reasonably priced given the length of the crossing.  The vehicle fare surprised me.  I was expecting a much higher price for a car.  On the other hand, the passenger fare seems kind of high relative to the vehicle fare, which makes me wonder if the low vehicle fare is just for this year to entice customers, and after that, they will raise it quite a bit.

In any case, when we do our Coastal New England / Maritimes trip (which will most likely be in the summer of 2015), I think Nova Star will be beyond our budget.  I calculated $591.00 for the two of us, our car, and two recliner seats.

I think the fares are pretty reasonable... especially when you consider that the government of Nova Scotia is only subsidizing this route to the tune of $3 million a year. The tourism generated will probably pay that investment back several times over.

Makes me wonder why BC Ferries needs such a massive injection of cash to serve the now shrivelled route ten. Too many offices on Fort Street, perhaps?

[Starsteward]

Mar 30, 2014 22:05:23 GMT -8 Neil said:

Mar 30, 2014 12:56:12 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

The schedule and 2014 fares are now published on Nova Star's website, novastarcruises.com/schedule/fares.  I was doing a comparison between Nova Star's fares and the Inside Passage fares during the peak summer traveling period.  Here's the breakdown:

BC FERRIES INSIDE PASSAGE DAY CRUISE - 16 hour crossing
Adult Passenger Fare:  $197.75
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  $451.25
Reserved Seating in Aurora Lounge:  $35.00
Inboard Cabin:  $90.00
Outboard Cabin:  $120.00


NOVA STAR CRUISES - Yarmouth to Portland - 9-10 hour crossing
Adult Passenger:  $139.00 + $5.00 port fee = $144.00
Vehicle Fare (standard car):  199.00 + $6.00 port fee = $205.00
Reserved Recliner Seat:  $49.00
Cabin prices range from $99.00 for an interior cabin all the way up to $249.00 for the Owner's Suite


My initial take is that Nova Star seems to be reasonably priced given the length of the crossing.  The vehicle fare surprised me.  I was expecting a much higher price for a car.  On the other hand, the passenger fare seems kind of high relative to the vehicle fare, which makes me wonder if the low vehicle fare is just for this year to entice customers, and after that, they will raise it quite a bit.

In any case, when we do our Coastal New England / Maritimes trip (which will most likely be in the summer of 2015), I think Nova Star will be beyond our budget.  I calculated $591.00 for the two of us, our car, and two recliner seats.

I think the fares are pretty reasonable... especially when you consider that the government of Nova Scotia is only subsidizing this route to the tune of $3 million a year. The tourism generated will probably pay that investment back several times over.

Makes me wonder why BC Ferries needs such a massive injection of cash to serve the now shrivelled route ten. Too many offices on Fort Street, perhaps?

Neil, stop that nonsense talk, there's always an empty office on Fort St. that needs filling! They must help the 'Christies' jobs plan along, don't you know?
I've been meaning to do a chronological fare increase review on the Northern run but can't manage it with a lot of other stuff on the go but suffice ot say, the fares are outrageously high, hence a tragic drop in traffic volume. My theory must be wrong however as I don't have an MBA degree that teaches it's better to have less of the pie rather than more pie for more money.
Another exercise someone may like to undertake: Circle trip, with 2 adults and standard vehicle, inside stateroom as compared to what the price of an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver would cost. 

[Kahloke]

Mar 31, 2014 8:07:52 GMT -8 Starsteward said:

Another exercise someone may like to undertake: Circle trip, with 2 adults and standard vehicle, inside stateroom as compared to what the price of an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver would cost. 

I've looked into this before, comparing an Alaska cruise out of Seattle versus doing a series of ferries and hotels to do the trip, and I found that the cruise costs less, and you get a lot more amenities. Cruises are usually a pretty good deal.  It's kind of hard to do a comparison when you talk about adding a vehicle, however, since cruise ships are passenger-only.

Looking at Nova Star, the prices seem even more reasonable when you factor in the level of amenities on board the ship. Nova Star has 6 dining/drinking venues, a casino, a spa, a gym, a theatre, and a children's play area - not bad for a ferry. It seems more like a mini-cruise ship, or like one of the large European ferries, such as the Silja Line vessels.

[Kahloke]

Here are a couple of videos I found on Nova Star. 

The first one is from Nova Star's first official revenue sailing, shown arriving at Yarmouth, NS:


The second video is a tour of the vessel:


It looks like a pretty nice ship.  If we ever get back there, I may have to save up the funds and see if we can get on for a crossing.  It's expensive (although not as expensive as BC Ferries Inside Passage route), but I think it would be worth it for the experience.

[mariner42]

The news from Nova Star is not good.

They are ending their first season 3 weeks early due to poor passenger numbers. July was disappointing, August was good.

Bookings fell drastically after Thanksgiving weekend. They had hoped for a season's passenger total this year of 100,000; however, achieved only about 45,000.

They are hoping for 25,000 pax per month next year. This from The Globe and Mail Tuesday,Sept. 9, 2014

[Kahloke]

Sept 9, 2014 10:30:55 GMT -8 mariner42 said:

The news from Nova Star is not good.

They are ending their first season 3 weeks early due to poor passenger numbers. July was disappointing, August was good.

Bookings fell drastically after Thanksgiving weekend. They had hoped for a season's passenger total this year of 100,000; however, achieved only about 45,000.

They are hoping for 25,000 pax per month next year. This from The Globe and Mail Tuesday,Sept. 9, 2014

Ouch! Not good.  Hopefully, they will still be in service next summer.  I would like to get a chance to ride on Nova Star when we are out there next July or August.

[Kahloke]

From The Portland Press Herald:

Nova Star ferry finds route for service this winter, then will return for second season
The president of Nova Star Cruises Ltd. tells a business gathering that it will take several years to rebuild the market for Portland-to-Nova Scotia service.
By Tom Bell Staff Writer
Posted September 11

Operators of the Nova Star ferry say they have found a winter route for the ship, a critical development that will allow the vessel to earn money in the offseason and return to the Gulf of Maine for a second summer.

“It will be fully employed all winter and come back into service next year,” Mark Amundsen, president and CEO of Nova Star Cruises Ltd., said Thursday at a business gathering in Portland.

Amundsen declined to provide details about the winter assignment and said that an announcement will be made next week. He said he’s certain the vessel will return for a second season of ferrying passengers and vehicles between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Speaking at a Propeller Club of Portland meeting at DiMillo’s on the Water, Amundsen said the ferry service got off to a slow start, especially in the beginning of the season, for a number of reasons. The biggest factor was that a four-year hiatus in the service disrupted people’s travel habits and it will take several years to rebuild the market, he said.

The last ferry service, the high-speed Cat operated by Bay Ferries, was canceled after the 2009 season when the Nova Scotia government ended its subsidy, which had grown to more than $5 million annually.

The Nova Star’s lower-than-expected passenger counts this year caused it to miss revenue projections. The Nova Scotia government has given the ferry operator $21 million this year, the total subsidy amount that was expected to be handed out over a seven-year period to restore the service.

Amundsen, who lives in Eliot, said the ridership has been increasing over the summer, with 20,000 passengers in August, and September is on pace to be busier than July.

While it’s been a “really challenging year,” he said, “we are happy to be where we are going.”

Amundsen’s appearance at the club came just three days after his company announced that it was ending this season’s service three weeks early and was offering refunds to 650 passengers who had already booked tickets on the canceled runs.

The Nova Star, which operates daily round-trip service, will make its final trip from Portland on Columbus Day, Oct. 13, and arrive in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, the following morning. The original final date of operation had been scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2.

The service is considered an important investment for reviving the tourism industry in southwest Nova Scotia, and it also helps the Portland area because the ferry’s passengers spend money in the city’s restaurants and hotels, and most of its supplies, such as food, fuel and linen services, are purchased in Portland. The ferry uses $40,000 worth of fuel every day,

Members of the Propeller Club, made up of people who have business interests in the port of Portland, are supportive of the Nova Star, and Amundsen’s announcement that he has found a winter route for the ship was welcome news.

“It’s huge news. You can’t lay up a ship like that,” said John Henshaw, executive director of the Maine Port Authority.

Nova Star Cruises is leasing the ship from its builder, Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd. The contract is for three years with options to extend up to seven years.

On Monday, the company said it planned to dock the ship in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, for the short term while looking for a winter route for the vessel or a different location to lay over.

To avoid the cost of heating the ship all winter to maintain its systems, the company would have likely used a layover facility in a southern port. However, that would have required the company to spend money on fuel to travel to the south and also to dock the vessel all winter.

The Nova Star’s predecessor, the Cat, found winter work ferrying passengers between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

Another ferry, the Scotia Prince, found a winter job ferrying passengers between Tampa, Florida, and ports in Mexico.

Jerry Angier, a Propeller Club member who has worked for 30 years promoting the cruise industry in Portland, was pleased that the Nova Star is returning next year because it needs more than one year to market the service.

The ferry operators missed deadlines to win business this year with major tour bus companies, which typically book their trips a year in advance. Angier was encouraged that 32 bus tours already have been booked for the 2015 season.

“You’ve got the whole winter now to market the product,” he said.

Earlier this week, officials with the Nova Scotia government said they were working to assure that the service operates next year. The government also is sending its top economic development officer to Maine this month to meet with Gov. Paul LePage to explore how Maine can provide some financial support.

www.pressherald.com/2014/09/11/nova-star-ferry-set-for-second-season-after-running-winter-route/

[Neil]

That's good news if it works out as they're saying. And I don't really think it's so terrible they're stopping service three weeks early... operating into November their first year was probably too ambitious.

Still, I think it's absurd to think that this service can operate without a subsidy long term. They blew through seven years worth in a few months; Nova Scotia and possibly Maine will have to pony up in some form.

[Kahloke]

Nova Star is ramping up for 2015 after a somewhat lackluster first year.  According to the article (see below), they are getting a bunch more money thrown at them to try and make this operation work.  Reservations for the 2015 season are now open on their website.  I just booked passage for our July trip.  They are still offering reduced fares to entice people to use their service, so instead of close to $600(US) for two adults, a car, and an interior cabin, my grand total for all that comes to $472(US) - pretty good deal for a 10 hour crossing on a ferry that has more amenities, and food options, than Northern Expedition.  

Here's the fare breakdown for our passage, in US dollars, of course:
> Passenger     $124 (x2) = $248
> Vehicle <20'     $134 (that's a steal for such a long crossing)
> Interior Cabin     $59
>  Fuel Surcharge      $15
>  Port Fees     $16

Reservation Total:  $472


I'm looking forward to riding on this vessel this summer, and should have lots to report back on.  Given how much money the company is sucking in, and not making back in return, it does make me wonder how long they will be in operation.  Hopefully, they won't fold before August!  Here's that article:

Nova Star gets $13M more from province, expecting $5M in credit from Maine

By Darren Fishell, BDN Staff
Posted Feb. 04, 2015, at 11:19 a.m.

PORTLAND, Maine — The province of Nova Scotia plans to give another $13 million (Canadian) to the Nova Star, a ferry service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to keep the line operating in 2015.

With that, the province’s economic development minister, Michel Samson, said he expects Gov. Paul LePage to fulfill a commitment for Maine to provide the company a $5 million line of credit to operate through 2015.

“LePage committed that Maine would be a partner in this venture, and he was elected on that promise,” Samson said Wednesday during a news conference. “It’s on record saying that he would bring $5 million to the table.”

Adrienne Bennett, spokeswoman for the governor’s office, said the governor still intends to present such a bill to the Legislature but is not ready to discuss specifics.

During the 2014 sailing season, Bennett said, the administration and Finance Authority of Maine “exhausted all nonlegislative alternatives” to getting the company that line of credit and that the state has invested about $20 million to upgrade the Portland ferry terminal. The upgrade also allowed the city to host larger cruise ships.

The announcement that the Nova Star will continue to operate in 2015 comes after ridership fell short of projections during the ferry’s first season. Mark Amundsen, head of Nova Star Cruises, projected the service would bring in about 100,000 passengers. It had about 59,000.

The service also was expected to use just $12 million of $21 million (Canadian) in subsidies from the province in its first season. By year’s end, the province had given the ferry service $28.5 million, including a $5 million allotment through a new agreement at the end of the season and another $2.5 million to support its costs through the winter.

The company attempted to find winter work for the ship, but the Nova Star has split time between Nova Scotia and Charleston, South Carolina, where it is now docked.

A recently released audit showed the company spent $30.2 million to pay for its first season, from the start of service through September.

Samson said the ship is expected to have a better run this year as it has already booked about 50 bus tours and will start taking reservations immediately. With that, the ferry’s operators also tweaked the schedule, starting in June instead of mid-May and ending in mid-October. The service ended early last year — in October — cutting short its original plan to run until Nov. 2.

The company also made changes to its fares, which vary by the day of the week and the time of the season. A round-trip ticket Saturday, July 18, checked Wednesday, would cost about $268 for an adult. Round trips before June 30 or after Sept. 8, traveling between Monday and Wednesday, would cost as low as $188, with additional costs for a cabin, a seat and bringing vehicles on board.

All fare prices are in U.S. dollars, which is much stronger than the Canadian dollar, the loonie. The loonie is worth 80 cents in U.S. currency. Samson said he hoped that exchange rate and low gas prices would entice U.S. visitors to decide on a Canadian vacation aboard the ship this coming summer. For Nova Scotia residents, the ferry plans to offer a 10 percent discount on fares.

But beyond 2016, Nova Star will perhaps have to compete with other hopeful operators for the Maine-Nova Scotia ferry run. Two companies submitted proposals to the province after the conclusion of the 2014 sailing season, but Samson said they would have cost significantly more to start from scratch than continuing to run the Nova Star.

“We want the best ferry service at the best price,” Samson said.

To cut costs, Samson said the Nova Star operators also explored finding a new, smaller vessel — and were close to a deal — but the condition of that other ship and threat of losing the 2015 sailing season scuttled that consideration.

The province also plans to implement stricter requirements to keep tabs on spending by Nova Star Cruises in the 2015 season. The province will require year-end audits, provide funding only after approved expenses and future costs are verified, a monthly review of the company’s ledger and oversight of management salaries.

The company also will be required to publicly report passenger numbers by the 15th of each month.

bangordailynews.com/2015/02/04/business/nova-star-gets-13-million-more-from-province-expecting-5-million-in-credit-from-maine/

[Kahloke]

This post is going to be pretty photo-heavy.  I have now taken a cruise on MV Nova Star - did that Sunday, July 26th from Yarmouth to Portland.  It's a very nice ship, and definitely feels more like a cruise ship than a ferry.  It's foreign-flagged, home port registry of Nassau, and so the crew is also foreign.  We had a Norwegian captain, and most of the cabin stewards and hostess personnel were internationals as well, reminding me very much of the Holland America cruise we were on a few years ago.  We did get an interior cabin, mostly as a place to store our day stuff, and maybe as a place to nap, although I never did.  When I wasn't wandering around the ship, I spent most of my time in one of the cushy recliner chairs at the stern of the vessel, looking out the big picture windows.  They had on-board activities which I didn't really participate in, but they would make announcements over the PA when things were going to start.  They made a big deal about the on-board spa, but I don't think they had a lot of takers the day we were on board.  It was sad to me that the vessel was maybe only 1/3 full, at best, especially on a Sunday in the middle of summer.  It's a big ship, but I don't think there were even 100 vehicles on board.  They put us all on the main car deck.  The vessel can take up to 336 cars, so +/-100 is not very many.  They have two full size car decks, and each of those decks is full-height, so tall vehicles can fit equally well on both levels.  The upper car deck has 2 hoistable platforms to increase capacity, if needed, and there is a very long internal ramp to get between the main car deck and the upper car deck.  It seems that Nova Star was built with 2-level shore ramps in mind, like what BC Ferries employs, but neither Portland or Yarmouth have such elevated structures, so if the vessel were full to capacity, they would be relying on those internal ramps.  Because of the light passenger load the day we were on board, not all of the amenities were open.  Key's Lounge at the forward end of the vessel was open (Nova Star's Forward Lounge), Piper's Club, directly aft of the forward lounge, was open for the entire crossing and served as a drink and snack bar, the main cafeteria (Fathom's Buffet) was open for select periods during the crossing, and the casino was open, but the other lounges were not (you could walk through them, but they weren't staffed).  Like I said above, it felt much like a mini-cruise.  Deck layouts are as follows:
3:  main car deck (two levels)
5:  upper car deck (two levels when platforms are stowed)
6:  hoistable platforms for cars (only when in use - they were not on our sailing)
7:  main passenger services - this is where the forward lounge is, the restaurants, casino, kids zone, etc.
8:  passenger cabins
9:  crew cabins, spa, reserved recliner seating, and aft lounge

OK, enough of my rambling here - on to the photos:

Nova Star arriving at Yarmouth around 08:00


departing Yarmouth, Nova Scotia




Exterior deck space in the aft of the vessel - not a lot of outdoor deck space for passengers






Rescue boats


Main stairs forward


entry hall / greeting area on Deck 7


main hall on Deck 7 between greeting area and aft service areas, like Fathoms Buffet, the gift shop, casino, etc..  It's very much like the layout on Northern Expedition


Keys Lounge at the forward end of the vessel on Deck 7 - this is the "forward lounge"






no one on piano for the day cruise


Piper's Pub, directly aft of Keys Lounge, connects to the main greeting area seen in the photos above - this is like their snack bar.  It was open the entire crossing


Currents Restaurant was not open for the day cruise.  It, too, is directly aft of Keys Lounge, just on the other side of the vessel from Piper's Pub.  I believe it is open for dinner only, which would be on the Portland to Yarmouth overnight voyage


Fathoms Buffet is the main place to get food on the vessel.  It is open 3 times during the day cruise - once in the morning, once for lunch, and once mid afternoon, typically for an hour each time.  The food's not bad.  They had a nice salad bar and some pretty yummy desserts, as well as some hot food items.








There is a casino on board, aft of the Fathoms Buffet, and Kid's Zone area.  I noticed a few people playing Blackjack, but this space, too, was pretty empty on our cruise


Aft staircase, as seen on Deck 8


Reserved seating lounge on Deck 9 - they were on both sides of the vessel


Sea Glass Lounge on Deck 9.  The bar was closed but the seating area was open.  I spent a fair amount of time in the recliner chairs nearest the aft windows




typical corridor on deck 8.  This is the cabin level, so not too much to see here.  It's kind of like any cruise ship corridor through the cabin areas.


Our cabin:  we got an interior cabin so there is a mirror instead of a window.  The cabins are plain but functional.  Your boarding pass is your cabin card key, so that makes it easy.




small, but efficient en-suite bathroom.  All the cabins have them


There's even a shower, probably not too unlike what you get on Northern Expedition


Main car deck, looking towards the bow.  We loaded at the bow in Yarmouth, so were facing the stern when we offloaded in Portland


big long ramp going up to Deck 5


Deck 3, looking towards the stern door


Nova Star departing Portland

[Koastal Karl]

ooh nice photos. That ship does remind me a lot of the Northern Expedition especially the stairwells. How long is the day cruise and overnight cruise?? She dont do day cruises both ways?

[WettCoast]

A fine photo essay Mr. Kahloke!

Questions:

- Does this ship have a visor, or 'clam shell' type doors at the bow?
- What was the build year of the ship?  It looks fairly new.
- The floating berth that the ship uses in Yarmouth looks pretty much the same as what they have for BC's 'Northern' boats.  I assume there is a similar arrangement in Portland?  Can you confirm that these berths are the European type and that the NorEx or NorAd could use them without modification? 

I hope that a lack of passenger & cars that you saw is not the 'norm', as this service might die all too soon.

[Kahloke]

Aug 3, 2015 21:13:00 GMT -8 Koastal Karl said:

ooh nice photos. That ship does remind me a lot of the Northern Expedition especially the stairwells. How long is the day cruise and overnight cruise?? She dont do day cruises both ways?

the schedule is as follows:

depart Portland:  20:00 EDT
arrive Yarmouth:  08:00 next day ADT
crossing time = 11 hours

depart Yarmouth:  09:30 ADT
arrive Portland:  18:30  EDT
crossing time = 10 hours

The overnight cruise is from Portland to Yarmouth
The day cruise we were on is the opposite direction

[Kahloke]

Aug 3, 2015 21:43:37 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

A fine photo essay Mr. Kahloke!

Questions:

- Does this ship have a visor, or 'clam shell' type doors at the bow?
- What was the build year of the ship?  It looks fairly new.
- The floating berth that the ship uses in Yarmouth looks pretty much the same as what they have for BC's 'Northern' boats.  I assume there is a similar arrangement in Portland?  Can you confirm that these berths are the European type and that the NorEx or NorAd could use them without modification? 

I hope that a lack of passenger & cars that you saw is not the 'norm', as this service might die all too soon.

1.  Nova Star has clam shell doors at the bow
2.  It was built in 2014 in Singapore, not originally intended for the route she is on today.  Here's a link to the Wikipedia article on her:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Nova_Star

3.  Yes, the floating berths in Yarmouth and Portland are pretty similar to what BC Ferries uses.  Have no idea if they are the European type or not, but I would suspect yes, since this vessel was originally supposed to be deployed in Europe.
4.  I would hope that they get more traffic than what we saw the day we went, but I read articles earlier that said ridership has fallen short of expectations.  Their first year, last year, fell dismally short of expectations, so I fear that this operation may not last long. 

[ghYHZ]

Thanks for posting......And an interesting development for the Nova Star just announced today (Aug 4) the owners have found winter work for the ferry after the Maine-Nova Scotia run ends in October. It will then move to an English Channel route.......the return here next spring (maybe?)

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-star-announcement-of-winter-route-downplayed-by-province-1.3178573

[Kahloke]

Aug 4, 2015 14:28:38 GMT -8 ghYHZ said:

Thanks for posting......And an interesting development for the Nova Star just announced today (Aug 4) the owners have found winter work for the ferry after the Maine-Nova Scotia run ends in October. It will then move to an English Channel route.......the return here next spring (maybe?)

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-star-announcement-of-winter-route-downplayed-by-province-1.3178573

Interesting development.  Thanks for posting the link.  That article sure confirmed the experience we had traveling on Nova Star.  Like I said above, I think our crossing was only about 1/3 full, for passengers.  I think the entire vehicle load could have fit onto the 124-car ferry Chelan, and perhaps the passenger compliment, too.  The ferry seemed pretty empty, especially for one as large as it is.  I think the route is a good one, but maybe they need a smaller vessel, something more along the size of Northern Expedition.  Nova Star is really set up for European operations, and ports with double-decked berth structures.  It's far too large for its current assignment, especially given the passenger numbers they have been seeing.  Also, all of their power outlets on board are European standard.  You have to have an adapter if you want to plug any of your North American devices in, anywhere (OK, that's a small, nitpicky thing, but it does illustrate that this vessel was not originally intended for use in North America).

[Low Light Mike]

Portland Press Herald article on challenges facing the Nova Star, and other ferry routes.

HERE

As tourism world shifts, Maine-to-Canada ferry feels the tremors

The ferry service between Portland and Nova Scotia is only one of the victims as fewer people choose to visit Maine's neighbor to the north.
BY TOM BELL STAFF WRITER
[e-mail] | @tombellportland | 207-791-6369


Thirty-six years ago, Stephen Pickford crossed the Gulf of Maine on the M/S Caribe, one of seven ferries that have traversed the route between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Portland since 1970. Between 400 and 500 passengers packed the ship, he recalls.

Pickford returned last week to ride the Nova Star on a sentimental journey to retrace that trip. The food and service were excellent, he reports, but the ferry’s corridors and public rooms were oddly quiet. Only 108 passengers made the crossing with him from Nova Scotia. The ship can comfortably carry 750.

Pickford, who hosts a Montreal-based radio show about world travel, said the Nova Star may have fewer passengers than past ferries because the travel industry and people’s vacation habits are a lot different from what they once were.

“There are so many more options,” he said. “The world has changed.”

Pickford may be on to something.

While critics of the troubled Nova Star service say it would do a lot better if it had a less expensive vessel or a more savvy operator, experts in the ferry and tourism industries say that the ferry service has suffered from large-scale shifts in society and business:

• Americans are taking shorter vacations than they used to. The well-planned, two-week family excursion has been replaced by the last-minute weekend get-away. Many Americans don’t have the time to travel all the way to Nova Scotia and back, no matter which mode of transportation they use.

• The explosive growth of the $117 billion global cruise ship industry has given consumers more options for travel at sea. Between 2009 and 2013, the number of people who took a cruise trip annually rose from 17.8 million to 23 million, an increase of nearly 30 percent, according to industry data. The cruise industry has done this by containing costs and giving consumers value for their money.

Holland America, for example, is now selling a seven-day cruise to Montreal from Boston with two stops in Nova Scotia, for $1,391 for two people in an interior cabin, meals included.

Nova Star sells a 24-hour cruise for $380 for two people in an interior cabin, meals not included.

Three cruise companies currently offer cruises out of Boston – Nova Star’s primary market – that stop in Nova Scotia, and five cruise companies offer trips from New York City. While traffic to Nova Scotia is down elsewhere, cruise ships are on the rise. Since 2000, the number of people calling on the Nova Scotia ports of Halifax and Sydney increased 85 percent, from 162,000 to 300,000.

PRESSURE FROM COMPETITION

The rise of the cruise ship industry has hurt other ferry services. Ryan Burles, president of Black Ball Ferry Line, which runs a daily vehicle and passenger ferry service between downtown Victoria, British Columbia, and Washington state, said passenger volumes have fallen about 25 percent since 2002. While the ferry service is slowly rebounding, he said, competition with the cruise ship industry will prevent the company from achieving its peak passenger levels of the early 1990s.

• Tour buses were a big part of the revenue stream of the Scotia Prince, one of Nova Star’s predecessors, which operated the Yarmouth-to-Portland run from 1983 to 2004. But the tour bus industry has struggled since the late 1990s and early 2000s because of higher insurance costs, consolidation and lower consumer demand, according to a study by the International Business & Economics Research Journal.

• The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, caused the United States to require American citizens entering the U.S. after visiting Canada to show their passports or enhanced driver’s license. Fewer than half of Americans have a passport or passport card, according to the U.S. State Department.

Because of increased border security, travelers taking a 24-hour cruise on the Nova Star are now required to get out of bed, leave the ship, clear customs and then get back on the ship.

• Part of the appeal of the Scotia Prince was its casino – a significant draw for passengers. During its operation, the nearest slot machines were in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and later in southeastern Connecticut. Although the Nova Star also has slot machines and card tables, the opening of Hollywood Slots in Bangor in 2005 and the Oxford Casino in 2012 has given consumers who want to gamble other options.

• The deregulation of airlines and the rise of discount airlines have made it cheaper for people to travel by air. It’s not that Americans are flying to Halifax instead of taking the ferry. Rather, they are flying to places like Las Vegas and Orlando.

• Highway construction in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has made it faster to drive between Maine and Nova Scotia. The biggest improvement was a $500 million project in New Brunswick, completed in 2012, that allowed motorists to travel on a 150-mile divided highway between Calais and the junction with the Trans-Canadian Highway about 75 miles north of Saint John. The improvements have cut about half an hour off the trip. It now takes about 10 hours to drive from Portland to Yarmouth, about the same time as the ferry takes to get there.

• A surge in the value of the Canadian dollar between 2002 and 2013 made travel to Canada more expensive for Americans. The Great Recession in 2008 and 2009 and the slow economic recovery afterward caused many American families to pull back on travel spending. The American dollar has surged in value in the past year, but travel habits have changed, and it may take time for Americans to discover their money has more buying power in Canada now.

• Many families in New England and Nova Scotia have relatives on both sides of the Gulf of Maine. Those ties date back to the 1800s and early 1900s, when thousands of Canadians from the Atlantic Provinces emigrated to the “Boston States.” For generations, a significant percentage of American tourists in Nova Scotia were visiting relatives. But the passage of time and the domestic migration of families to distant parts of the U.S. and Canada have weakened those family bonds, said Glenn Squires, chairman of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia.

“When they were young, they would come to Canada every summer,” he said. “Now they don’t come back anymore.”

HEADWINDS FOR FERRIES

All of these factors are changing the tourism landscape in which the ferry service tries to compete. Officials in the Nova Scotia government are trying to decide whether to award the ferry operator, Nova Star Cruises, a contract for next season, or to replace the operator and keep the ship, or perhaps replace the operator and also replace the Nova Star with an older, less expensive ship.

The ship is carrying far fewer passengers than the government had anticipated. A 2011 consultant hired by a Yarmouth business group projected the service would carry 120,000 passengers in the first year. A different panel working for the provincial government in 2012 projected the service would carry 110,000 passengers.

Instead, the Nova Star carried 59,000 in its first season.

The numbers were expected to improve this year because the company had more time to market its service to bus tour companies, but the ferry is on pace to carry even fewer passengers than its inaugural season. Through August, the ferry had carried 37,800 passengers, a 6 percent decrease from the 40,347 it had carried through August last year. Those numbers are remarkably low compared with the huge numbers of people who rode ferries across the Gulf of Maine in the past.

From 1970 through the end of the 2004 season, there was enough market demand to support two ferries that made daily crossings between Maine and Yarmouth – the Scotia Prince operating out of Portland and the high-speed Cat out of Bar Harbor. At the peak in 2002, the two ferry services had a combined ridership of roughly 330,000 people – five times the number that crossed in 2014.

But the numbers dropped rapidly. By 2009, volume on the one remaining ferry service, the Cat, which began splitting its Maine ports of call between Portland and Bar Harbor, had collapsed to just over 75,000. The operator, Bay Ferries, ended the service after the provincial government decided to end its subsidy, which by the last season swelled to $5.6 million.

But it wasn’t just the ferry that saw a decline. The entire province of Nova Scotia saw the number of American visitors plunge. Between 2004 and 2013, the number of people traveling from the United States to Nova Scotia declined from 301,000 to 160,000, a drop of 47 percent, according to statistics provided by Tourism Nova Scotia, a publicly funded corporation that promotes tourism.

CONCERNS IN NOVA SCOTIA

Americans traveling to Nova Scotia by air fell from 114,000 in 2004 to 73,600 in 2013, a 35 percent drop. Americans traveling to the province by road fell from 188,000 to 86,000, a 54 percent drop.

“The decline in the numbers to begin with – ferry or no ferry – is of the most concern to the Nova Scotia tourism department,” said Michael Gardner, president of Gardner Pinfold Consulting, which conducted an analysis of potential ferry traffic for a Yarmouth business group in 2011.

He said it should take four or five years for ferry service to build a market after a four-year gap in service. Still, the conditions this year are more favorable for the ferry, he said. The improved U.S. economy and the stronger U.S. dollar should be boosting the service, which historically has counted on Americans for 80 percent of its ticket sales. The entire Nova Scotia tourism industry should be prospering under these conditions, he said.

“The number of U.S. visitors to Nova Scotia should be higher. They are not,” he said. “There is something else going on in the travel market.”

Still, the success of ferries that cross the English Channel – despite opening of the Channel Tunnel and the advent of low-cost airlines – shows there is a solid market of people who prefer to travel by ferries, said Paul Woodbury, a ferry consultant and former operations manager for P&O European Ferries.

People with high incomes are looking for authentic experiences, so that means successful operators have to be innovative, challenge convention and develop a real relationship with their passengers, he said.

“People have choice after choice after choice nowadays, so simply providing a floating bridge with a nice menu in the restaurant will never quite hit the register high enough in today’s markets,” he said.