Update (7:30 PM CST on August 16, 2026) – Norwegian Cruise Line has delayed embarkation for Norwegian Spirit in Honolulu until Monday, August 17, following strong winds and challenging conditions caused by Hurricane Lala. In a message sent to guests, the cruise line stated:
“Hurricane Lala brought strong winds and challenging conditions to Hawaii. While Honolulu Harbor is expected to begin supporting vessel operations upon a successful inspection by the United States Coast Guard later this afternoon, berth availability will be limited. As a result, embarkation has been rescheduled to Monday, August 17, 2026. Please arrive at the pier on August 17 at the same check-in time you selected for August 16. Refer to your email for more information. We appreciate your continued patience and flexibility as we work through this evolving situation and will keep you informed as new information becomes available.”
Original Article:
Passengers aboard Norwegian Spirit and Pride of America, along with cruisers waiting to board in Honolulu, were left awaiting answers on August 16 as Tropical Storm Lala kept Honolulu Harbor closed. The disruption upended both ships’ itineraries and raised questions about flights, hotel stays and when passengers could embark or disembark.
Earlier Sunday, many passengers said the lack of clear, direct updates from Norwegian Cruise Line added to their frustration as both ships remained at sea awaiting the reopening of Honolulu Harbor.
Before the storm’s arrival, Norwegian Cruise Line had already revised both ships’ itineraries. Norwegian Spirit reached Honolulu early, giving guests the option to disembark before the vessel returned to sea. Pride of America also returned early after shortening its Kauai visit.
As the closure continued Sunday, both ships began sailing back toward Oahu. Cruise-tracking data showed Norwegian Spirit approximately 260 nautical miles south of Honolulu, while Pride of America was northeast of the island.
Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed the continuing disruption to Candid Cruise and Travel on August 16, emphasizing that neither vessels have a confirmed arrival time in Honolulu.
“At this time, we do not have any new information to share. Ongoing tropical storm conditions continue to affect the area, and as a result, the Port of Honolulu remains closed. Should anything change we will notify our guests via email accordingly,” NCL said in its statement to Candid Cruise and Travel.
Within an hour of the statement, Norwegian Cruise Line sent another update to Norwegian Spirit passengers, confirming that embarkation and disembarkation could not proceed while Honolulu Harbor remained closed.
“Until the port reopens, we are unable to proceed with embarkation and disembarkation plans,” the cruise line told guests.
Norwegian warned that guests who arrived before receiving further instructions could face an extended wait outside the terminal because the facilities remained closed. The cruise line also said NCL airport transfers would be automatically canceled and refunded to the original form of payment.
Norwegian Cruise Line said another update would be provided by 12 p.m. local time, even if there was no change in the harbor’s status.
Norwegian Spirit arrived early in Honolulu before returning to sea
Norwegian Spirit was completing a 16-night voyage from Vancouver to Honolulu when the ship changed plans ahead of Tropical Storm Lala.
According to Seatrade Cruise News, the ship entered Honolulu early on Thursday, August 13, 2026. Passengers could either disembark ahead of schedule or remain aboard through the voyage’s planned conclusion on Sunday.
Norwegian Spirit then skipped visits to Hilo and Kailua-Kona before heading back to sea to avoid the storm. The ship’s original itinerary included the following stops:
- July 31: Depart Vancouver, British Columbia
- August 2: Ketchikan, Alaska
- August 3: Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska
- August 4: Sitka, Alaska
- August 5: Haines, Alaska
- August 11: Kahului, Maui
- August 12–13: Nawiliwili, Kauai
- August 14: Hilo — skipped
- August 15: Kailua-Kona — skipped
- August 16 at 6 a.m.: Scheduled conclusion in Honolulu — delayed
Guests who remained aboard Norwegian Spirit expected to disembark on August 16; however, the continued harbor closure prevented that from happening on schedule.
Norwegian Spirit heads back toward Honolulu
CruiseMapper on Sunday afternoon placed Norwegian Spirit about 260 nautical miles south of Honolulu. At the time of publication, the ship was heading toward Oahu at approximately 10 knots, or 19 kilometers per hour. CruiseMapper reported rough seas of 2.6 meters, equivalent to about 8.5 feet.
In addition, the site displayed an estimated Honolulu arrival time of 11:17 p.m. on August 16. However, it’s important to note this time was generated by the tracking service and was not an official docking confirmation from Norwegian Cruise Line.
Even if the ship reached the waters outside Honolulu at that time, it cannot enter without clearance from port authorities. At the time of publication, CruiseMapper shows Norwegian Spirit’s planned itinerary as the following:
- August 17 at 5 p.m.: Depart Honolulu
- August 18: Kailua-Kona
- August 19–20: Nawiliwili, Kauai
- August 21: Kahului, Maui
- August 22–26: Pacific Ocean crossing
- August 27: Icy Strait Point, Hoonah
- August 28: Skagway
- August 29: Sitka
- August 30: Ketchikan
- September 1 at 7 a.m.: Arrive in Vancouver
Norwegian had not confirmed whether the sailing would depart on time or whether any of its Hawaiian calls would be shortened or removed.
Once Norwegian Spirit is cleared to dock, the crew will need to disembark current guests, unload luggage, replenish supplies and prepare the ship for arriving passengers. A lengthy delay could affect the visits to Kailua-Kona, Nawiliwili and Kahului.
Pride of America heads back toward Oahu
At the time of publication, CruiseMapper showed Pride of America northeast of Oahu and sailing toward Honolulu. The ship was traveling at approximately 16 knots, or 30 kilometers per hour. The tracker reported rough seas of 3.8 meters, equivalent to about 12.5 feet, and a strong breeze of 13.1 meters per second.
CruiseMapper displayed a tracker-generated arrival estimate of 10:30 p.m. on August 16. However, this has not been confirmed by the cruise line. The ship’s plotted route showed it sailing north of the islands before turning toward Oahu.
Similar to Norwegian Spirit, Pride of America also changed course before Lala reached the islands. The Honolulu-based ship shortened its overnight call in Kauai and returned to Honolulu on Friday, according to Seatrade Cruise News. Passengers could disembark early or remain aboard while the ship returned to sea.
Pride of America’s August 15 turnaround was then delayed until August 16 and the next cruise’s scheduled call at Kahului was also shortened.
The original schedule included the following stops:
- August 15 at 7 p.m.: Depart Honolulu — delayed
- August 16–17: Overnight visit to Kahului — shortened
- August 18: Hilo
- August 19: Kailua-Kona
- August 20–21: Overnight visit to Nawiliwili
- August 22 at 7 a.m.: Return to Honolulu
Norwegian Cruise Line has not released a complete revised schedule for Pride of America. Additional ports of call could be shortened or canceled depending on when the ship enters Honolulu and how quickly embarkation can be completed.
Because Pride of America operates a 7-night inter-island schedule, it has limited time to recover from an extended delay without further changes.
Incoming passengers express frustration
Earlier Sunday, several travelers said the uncertainty was compounded by limited direct communication from Norwegian Cruise Line. Some said they had not received timely updates from the cruise line and instead learned about the port closure through other passengers, hotel employees or social media.
One incoming passenger wrote:
“The zero communication from NCL is ridiculous. We shouldn’t all need to be researching whether the port is closed and whether crew are booked into hotels for tonight! I understand the safety and that the ship should be at sea, and boarding will be delayed- but at least tell us that they are aware and will update us at x time, so we all know whether to find a hotel for tonight. I haven’t been able to reach NCL or cruise agent.”
Another traveler expressed similar frustration on Reddit:
“NCL has communicated NOTHING to me. I read OP’s update. I would like them to communicate with me. That’s what more I would want.”
Other guests questioned whether they should travel to the embarkation port, remain at the airport or reserve another hotel night. One passenger traveling from Vancouver was also attempting to rearrange a canceled flight:
“We are in Vancouver trying to make alternate flight arrangements after ours was cancelled, and not sure if we should be trying to come today or tomorrow or when?”
Norwegian Cruise Line subsequently sent additional guidance to Norwegian Spirit passengers, telling incoming guests not to proceed to the port until the cruise line provides further instructions.
The cruise line also told guests who purchased NCL airport transfers that their transfers would be automatically canceled and refunded to their original form of payment, with no further action required. Norwegian committed to providing another update by 12 p.m. local time, even if there was no change in the harbor’s status.
Lala brings flooding and widespread outages to Hawaii
Lala weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm early Sunday, but its maximum sustained winds remained near 70 mph. At 7 a.m. Hawaii time, the storm was approximately 77 miles south-southwest of Honolulu and moving northwest at 14 mph.
Its center narrowly avoided making landfall after the eyewall grazed the southern portion of the Big Island. Forecasters continued to warn of damaging winds, dangerous surf and life-threatening flooding.
Rain fell at more than an inch per hour in some areas. Parts of Maui experienced rates of up to 2.5 inches per hour, while forecast totals on the Big Island could reach 35 inches. A flash-flood warning covered all of Oahu Sunday morning. Rising water was reported in several streams, and flooding closed a freeway leading into downtown Honolulu.
More than 200,000 electric customers across Hawaii were without power at one point Sunday morning, according to outage information cited by The New York Times. Honolulu officials also opened at least eight emergency shelters.
About Norwegian Spirit and Pride of America
Norwegian Spirit and Pride of America are two of the smaller ships in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet, with each accommodating around 2,000 guests at double occupancy. However, the ships operate very different itineraries and have distinct roles within the NCL fleet.
Norwegian Spirit entered service in 1998 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2022. The 75,904-gross-ton ship accommodates 1,972 guests at double occupancy and operates longer, destination-focused itineraries to regions around the world.
On the other hand, Pride of America is uniquely designed around Norwegian’s Hawaii cruise program. Built in 2005 and most recently refurbished in 2025, the 80,439-gross-ton ship accommodates 2,180 guests at double occupancy. Pride of America is the only U.S.-flagged cruise ship sailing in Hawaii and operates year-round, seven-night inter-island cruises from Honolulu. Its regular itinerary allows passengers to visit four Hawaiian islands without any sea days.
