Passengers aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America are reporting a widespread toilet outage during the ship’s current sailing in Hawaii, with multiple guests claiming bathrooms have been unusable for hours.
Several guests shared their experiences in a Facebook group dedicated to NCL’s Pride of America, describing overflowing toilets, “horrific” conditions, and very little communication from the cruise line.
“Ship wide toilet outage. Zero communication from anyone,” one passenger wrote on September 6. “Gross is an understatement and we are supposed to be on vacation! Minimally they could communicate!!!”
The guest advised passengers booked on the following sailing to consider canceling, claiming that no bathrooms aboard the ship were working.
“We paid to vacation in these horrific conditions. Worse than outhouse conditions,” she wrote.
When another group member questioned whether the problem affected the entire vessel or only a section of cabins, the passenger reiterated that the issue was allegedly widespread.
“Entire ship!!! And all the toilets are full,” she replied. “It has been hours. More than 12 hours!!”
Norwegian Cruise Line has not confirmed the widespread toilet issue aboard Pride of America was affected at the time of publication.
Multiple passengers describe problems onboard
This was not the only passenger to report a widespread toilet issue on Pride of America. Another guest also posted on Facebook saying that toilets had not been flushing for several hours while Pride of America was docked in Maui.
“Pray for the maintenance crew to have wisdom please & for Maui to have any parts they may need if not on board already,” wrote the guest. “Toilets haven’t been flushing for hours.”
The passenger said she was preparing to leave the ship for the day and expected she would not receive another update until returning that evening.
The reported toilet problems surfaced while the ship was visiting Kahului, Maui, where Pride of America is scheduled to remain overnight.
Passengers speculate about what caused the issue
Other Facebook group members urged passengers to remain patient, noting that cruise ship plumbing problems can sometimes be caused by guests flushing prohibited materials.
One commenter suggested that a passenger may have used personal toilet paper and blocked part of the ship’s system. Others similarly speculated that someone had flushed an inappropriate item.
Some group members also argued that the situation would likely be repaired quickly. One commenter said cruise ships require working bathrooms for crew members as well as passengers, while another wrote, “They’ll get it fixed sooner rather than later with that kind of issue.”
Other responses were less sympathetic. One guest said it was “time for the Pride to be retired,” while several referenced the infamous “Poop Cruise” involving Carnival Triumph in 2013.
Pride of America’s current itinerary
Pride of America is currently sailing a 7-night, round-trip Hawaiian cruise that departed Honolulu on September 5, 2026. The voyage is scheduled to conclude in Honolulu on September 12.
According to CruiseMapper, the current itinerary is:
- September 5 at 7 p.m.: Depart Honolulu, Oahu
- September 6 at 8 a.m. to September 7 at 6 p.m.: Kahului, Maui
- September 8 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Hilo, Hawaii
- September 9 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
- September 10 at 8 a.m. to September 11 at 5:30 p.m.: Nawiliwili, Kauai
- September 12 at 7 a.m.: Arrive in Honolulu
Cruise-tracking information currently continues to display the scheduled itinerary, and there is no indication that the reported plumbing problem has affected any upcoming port calls.
Pride of America was recently affected by Honolulu Harbor closure
The reported toilet outage comes only a few weeks after Pride of America experienced another disruption in Hawaii.
In August 2026, Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit were both affected when Tropical Storm Lala forced Honolulu Harbor to close. Pride of America shortened its overnight visit to Kauai and returned to Honolulu ahead of the storm, allowing passengers to disembark early before the ship headed back to sea.
The harbor closure subsequently delayed Pride of America’s August 15 turnaround until August 16 and shortened the following sailing’s scheduled visit to Kahului.
Passengers affected by that disruption also expressed frustration about communication from Norwegian Cruise Line. Some travelers said they learned more about the situation through social media, hotel employees and other passengers than through direct updates from the cruise line.
Norwegian later confirmed that the storm and harbor closure were affecting operations. Because Pride of America sails a tightly scheduled seven-night itinerary without sea days, extended delays can be difficult to absorb without shortening or canceling port calls.
About Pride of America
Pride of America is Norwegian Cruise Line’s dedicated Hawaii-based cruise ship. The vessel entered service in 2005 and most recently underwent refurbishment in 2025. Pride of America is one of the oldest ships in Norwegian’s fleet.
The 80,439-gross-ton ship accommodates approximately 2,180 passengers at double occupancy. It is the only large U.S.-flagged cruise ship operating year-round cruises in Hawaii.
Pride of America sails 7-night, inter-island itineraries round-trip from Honolulu, typically visiting Maui, the Island of Hawaii and Kauai. Unlike most mainstream cruises, the itinerary does not include sea days, allowing passengers to visit four Hawaiian islands during a single week.
