London 5 September, 2005: Al Schiller, crewmember on NCL America’s Pride of Aloha, is taking a year off to fulfill a lifelong dream of competing on the U.S. Olympic speed skating team.

Schiller, who joined NCL as one of Pride of Aloha’s original crew members, is now training in Milwaukee where speed skating time trials begin next month. Schiller will compete against some of the top skaters in the US and if his time is fast enough, he'll have a chance at qualifying for the U.S. National Team in December. If he succeeds that would put him one step closer to his ultimate goal - a shot at the Olympic trials.

"To make the team will be tough because the U.S. is a dominant country in speed skating," commented Schiller. "It would be a feat to make the trials, but once you get to those trials anything can happen. I'm just going to do my training, focus one day at a time and whatever happens, happens."

NCL America is supporting Schiller and has given him a year off to follow his dream. "We are so excited for Al and wish him the best of luck," said Robert Kritzman, NCL's executive vice president and managing director of Hawai`i operations. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and we are proud of him. He is a valuable member of NCL America and we want to help support his dream."

NCL America, NCL’s unique brand in Hawai’i which boasts the first US-flagged ships for nearly 50 years, also made a donation to Schiller's skating club, which will cover part of his living expenses, training and uniforms.

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