Hurricane Lala Hits Hawaii: Norwegian Reroutes Two Ships and Pushes a Sailing Back a Day
Updated: 2 days ago
Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit skipped Big Island ports and sat the storm out near Honolulu. Here is exactly what changed, and what it means if you are cruising Hawaii this month.
Hurricane Lala did what cruise lines always plan for and cruisers rarely think about until it happens: it rewrote two itineraries in about 48 hours. Norwegian Cruise Line pulled Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit away from the Big Island, cancelled port calls, and delayed a full turnaround day in Honolulu. Nobody was in danger, but a lot of people lost the ports they had booked the trip for, and the next set of guests are boarding a day late.
Key facts
Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, 15 August, with maximum sustained winds around 75 to 80 mph.
The eyewall brushed South Point on the Big Island late Saturday afternoon local time, with the centre passing roughly 30 miles offshore. It did not make landfall.
Norwegian Cruise Line revised two itineraries: Pride of America (80,439 gross tons, about 2,180 guests) and Norwegian Spirit (75,904 gross tons).
Norwegian Spirit cancelled its final two Hawaii calls, Hilo and Kailua-Kona, and went to Honolulu early before heading back out to sea.
Pride of America cut short its Kauai overnight, returned to Honolulu on Friday 14 August, and its scheduled 15 August turnaround slipped to Sunday 16 August.
Both ships were due to complete disembarkation in Honolulu on Sunday 16 August.
What actually happened, in order
Lala formed as a tropical storm on Thursday 13 August in the Central Pacific and strengthened fast. By Saturday morning the National Hurricane Center had it at Category 1, and forecasters were openly discussing the possibility of the Big Island taking its first direct hurricane hit in 155 years. That did not happen. The eye tracked just south of the island instead, and the National Weather Service confirmed on Saturday evening that landfall was no longer expected.
Passing close still did plenty of damage. Hawaii's governor declared a statewide emergency, one person died in a storm-related car crash, and tens of thousands of customers lost power, with more than a foot of rain falling on parts of the Big Island in 12 hours. Flash flood warnings covered much of Hawaii County, including Hilo.
The cruise response started before any of that. Norwegian Spirit was finishing a 16-night one-way sailing from Vancouver to Honolulu and had already called at Kahului and Nawiliwili. NCL cancelled the last two calls, Hilo and Kailua-Kona, sent the ship straight to Honolulu on Thursday, then took her back out to open water away from the storm track. Guests who wanted off early could disembark on 13 August. Everyone else stayed aboard for the scheduled Sunday finish.
Pride of America was mid-way through a 7-night inter-island cruise that left Honolulu on 8 August. She cut the Kauai overnight short, left Nawiliwili on 13 August and was back in her homeport on the 14th. Same choice offered to guests: get off early, or stay on board an extra day until the official disembarkation on Sunday.
Why ships run to Honolulu instead of running away
This is the part people always ask about, so it is worth explaining. A modern cruise ship can outrun most Atlantic hurricanes because there is room to manoeuvre. In Hawaii there is not. You have a small chain of islands, one realistic turnaround port, and a US Coast Guard captain of the port who can effectively shut that port down.
That is exactly what happened here. The Coast Guard set Port Condition Zulu for Hawaii, Maui and Honolulu counties from noon local time on Saturday, which is the level used when gale-force winds are expected within 12 hours. Kauai county went to Yankee, the 24-hour version. Once a port hits Zulu, cargo operations stop and ship movements are restricted, so a ship either has to be tucked in safely or well clear at sea.
So Norwegian did both. Pride of America positioned near her homeport to ride it out. Norwegian Spirit went back to sea to stay on the clean side of the system. Neither option is glamorous, but both are the right call, and the alternative of trying to keep a Hilo call on a day with a hurricane warning in force was never realistic.
The knock-on effect nobody books for
Here is the bit that hurts more than the missed ports. Pride of America's disembarkation moving to Sunday means the next 7-night sailing, which was due to leave on Saturday 15 August, boards a day late instead. Those guests should have been in Maui on the 16th under the original plan. Seatrade reports the Kahului call on that following cruise will be shortened as a result.
That is a domino that runs a long way. Flights booked for a Saturday embarkation. Pre-cruise hotel nights that suddenly do not line up. Excursions in Maui booked around a full day in port. NCL pointed guests who needed extra Honolulu nights toward three properties with availability, all in the Waikiki area, but Honolulu hotel rooms in mid-August during a storm event are not exactly plentiful.
If you are on that sailing, the honest position is that Norwegian has not published a full revised itinerary yet. Watch your email and the app rather than the forums.
What guests are actually getting
For missed ports, reporting from Cruise Hive and Cruise.blog indicates Norwegian Spirit guests who stayed aboard were given onboard credit as compensation, and travel outlets covering the NCL guest letter have also reported a 10 percent future cruise credit valid through the end of 2027. Treat the second figure as reported rather than confirmed until you see it in writing on your own account.
What that means practically: onboard credit is real money if you were going to spend it anyway, and useless if you were not. A future cruise credit at 10 percent is a discount on a cruise you have not booked yet, not a refund. Neither is unreasonable for a weather cancellation, because your cruise contract does not owe you a port. But do not confuse goodwill with compensation.
What this means if you are cruising Hawaii soon
Lala is forecast to weaken as it moves west-northwest, so the disruption should be measured in days rather than weeks. A few practical points if Hawaii is on your calendar this month.
Book flights home for the day after your cruise ends, not the same afternoon. In Hawaii there is one turnaround port and no second ship to shuffle you onto, so a one-day slip becomes your problem very quickly.
Take travel insurance seriously here, specifically the trip delay and missed connection cover, not just medical. An extra unplanned hotel night in Waikiki in August is expensive.
And if the Big Island ports are the reason you booked, understand that Hilo and Kona are the calls most often dropped when weather moves in, because they are the most exposed. That is not a reason to avoid the itinerary, just a reason not to build your whole holiday around one shore excursion.
FAQ
Did Hurricane Lala hit Hawaii directly?
No. Lala strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on 15 August and its eyewall brushed the southern tip of the Big Island, but the centre stayed roughly 30 miles offshore and no landfall occurred. The island still saw hurricane-force gusts, flooding rain and widespread power outages.
Which cruise ships were affected by Hurricane Lala?
Two Norwegian Cruise Line ships: Pride of America, which sails year-round from Honolulu, and Norwegian Spirit, which was completing a 16-night sailing from Vancouver to Honolulu. Norwegian Spirit lost its Hilo and Kailua-Kona calls, and Pride of America cut its Kauai overnight short.
Will my Hawaii cruise be cancelled because of the storm?
Full cancellations are rare. What actually happens is what happened here: ports get dropped, port times get shortened, and turnaround days slip. Lala is forecast to weaken as it tracks away from the islands, so sailings later in August should be operating normally. Check directly with your cruise line rather than relying on social media.
Do I get a refund for cancelled ports of call?
Not usually a cash refund. Cruise contracts allow the line to change the itinerary for safety, so what you normally receive is a refund of prepaid excursion and port fees plus some goodwill, which in this case has been reported as onboard credit and a future cruise credit. Independently booked tours are between you and the tour operator, which is why refundable tours are worth the extra few pounds. Here is what each cruise line refunds for a missed port.
Is August a bad month to cruise Hawaii?
August sits inside the central Pacific hurricane season, but direct hits are genuinely rare. Weather.com noted Lala is only the fifth hurricane since 1957 to pass within 70 miles of the Big Island. The trade-off is that Hawaii has one homeport and limited alternatives, so when weather does interfere, the schedule changes are felt more sharply than they would be in the Caribbean.
The bottom line
Norwegian handled this one properly. Ports were dropped early rather than at the last minute, guests were given a choice about disembarking, and the ships were repositioned before the Coast Guard restricted movements. That is the system working. The frustrating part is the bit no cruise line can fix, which is that a one-day delay in Honolulu ripples through flights, hotels and the next set of guests with nowhere to absorb it.
Related guides: What happens if a hurricane hits your cruise | Every cruise ship incident in 2026, tracked live
If you were on either sailing, I would love to hear how it was handled on board, particularly what was actually credited to your account, because the on-the-ground version is always more useful than a press statement. Drop a comment below, and if you want the follow-up when Norwegian confirms the revised itinerary for the delayed Pride of America sailing, subscribe on YouTube at The Walking Cruiser.
