NCL Ships Delayed Returning to Honolulu as Hurricane Lala Passes Hawaii

The storm has officially passed. That’s the good news.

But Hurricane Lala caused quite a bit of damage across Hawaii after the Category 1 hurricane swept through the islands.

The storm caused all kinds of logistic issues for two Norwegian Cruise Line ships in the area as well.  Lala forced port closures, delayed ship turnarounds, and pushed back embarkation times for thousands of NCL passengers.

Over 180,000 Hawaiian residents were left without electricity, and about 100 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to news reports.

As the storm made its closest approach, the U.S. Coast Guard instituted Port Condition Zulu for Honolulu Harbor, basically closing Oahu’s main maritime hub to commercial traffic until safety inspections could be completed.

Now that Honolulu Harbor has reopened, here is where things stand with both Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit.

Pride of America Completes Delayed Turnaround

Pride of America, NCL’s year-round Hawaii flagship, spent the worst of the storm out at sea after offering passengers the choice to disembark early in Honolulu on Friday or stay aboard the vessel with some extra onboard credit.

Once Honolulu Harbor officially cleared on Sunday afternoon, August 16, the ship docked and passengers were able to get off, just a day later than originally planned.

To make up for the lost time, NCL modified the upcoming itinerary, including a shortened call at Kahului, Maui.

Norwegian Spirit Disembarkation and Next Embarkation Pushed to Monday

For Norwegian Spirit, which was concluding a 16-night transpacific cruise from Vancouver, the wait lasted a bit longer.

After skipping scheduled Big Island stops in Hilo and Kona to stay ahead of the weather, Spirit was originally scheduled to end its voyage in Honolulu on Sunday, August 16.

But because the harbor was backlogged because of all the extra traffic trying to come in, there wasn’t enough space to dock.

Disembarkation for Norwegian Spirit had to be pushed back to Monday, August 17.

As a result, embarkation for Norwegian Spirit’s next 16-night sailing back to Vancouver was also delayed by a day.

Don’t feel too bad for the passengers though, as they got an extra night on the ship while waiting for the gangway to open.

NCL Statement

In a statement provided to Seatrade Cruise News, an NCL spokesperson confirmed the delay and wished the best for the impacted Hawaiians:

“We appreciate our guests for their patience and flexibility over the last few days, as we navigated multiple logistical challenges due to the aftermath of the storm. We also hope for a speedy recovery for the communities in Hawaii that were impacted.”