Hurricane Nolo Turns Carnival Hawaii Cruise Itinerary Upside Down

While a lot of weather news is focused on the nor’easter now impacting multiple ships on the US Atlantic coast and the strength of Hurricane Polo near Baja, Hurricane Nolo is forecast to impact Hawaii in the coming days. For guests on the current sailing of Carnival Spirit, that storm is causing an itinerary shuffle for every Hawaiian port the ship will visit.

Carnival Spirit departed Seattle on Wednesday, September 23 for a 15-night roundtrip cruise to the Aloha State, but guests onboard have now been informed that their original itinerary is not possible. Fortunately, they will still visit all the planned destinations in Hawaii, just not in the order that had been scheduled.

One of those guests provided the notification letter to Cruise Hive, which described the changes and how guests can stay updated.

“Based on the storm’s forecasted track, we have adjusted our itinerary to prioritize the safety and comfort of everyone on board while also helping to provide the best possible experience in port,” the letter explained. “While we still expect to visit all scheduled ports, the sequence of our calls has changed.”

Carnival Spirit was going to visit Honolulu first, followed by Nawiliwili, Kahului, and Hilo. Now, the letter explains that the port order will be Hilo first, followed by Kahului, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili.

This puts the 2,124-guest ship at the easternmost Hawaiian destination on the itinerary first. Hurricane Nolo is forecast to have the greatest impact on the remote northwestern, largely uninhabited part of the state’s island chain where a hurricane watch is already in effect.

For context, Hilo is 212 miles southeast of Honolulu. At the moment, no hurricane watches or warnings are in effect for the Big Island of Hawaii or for any of Carnival Spirit‘s port destinations, but changing the order of the itinerary is a precautionary measure to avoid rough sailing.

Because the storm could also bring rain and rough harbor conditions to Hawaii, keeping further from the storm’s track helps ensure better port conditions for guests to enjoy their time visiting each destination.

The letter does note that the time in each port is unchanged. Carnival Spirit will be visiting Hilo from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29; Kahului on Wednesday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Honolulu on Thursday, October 1 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Nawiliwili on Friday, October 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Any Carnival shore excursions guests have purchased will be moved to the appropriate day. If tours can no longer be accommodated, guests will be notified separately.

The ship’s last port of call, a quick stop in Victoria, British Columbia on Wednesday, October 7 from 8-11:59 p.m., is not impacted, nor is there any change to the ship’s return to Seattle for debarkation on Thursday, October 8.

Guests are urged to tune in to the “Good to Know Channel” on their stateroom televisions to stay updated if there are any further changes to the itinerary.

Hurricane Nolo Update

According to the 11 a.m. HST (5 p.m. ET) update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Nolo is located 365 miles south-southwest of Honolulu and is moving west at 12 miles per hour. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour and is currently a Category 3 storm but is expected to continue strengthening.

“A turn toward the northwest is expected by tonight, with this general motion continuing through Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Nolo will remain well south and southwest of the main Hawaiian Islands but will approach the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in a couple of days,” the advisory discussion reads.

Gusty winds and swells are expected on the east- and south-facing shores of the main Hawaiian Islands over the next few days as Carnival Spirit is visiting. By shuffling the port order, Carnival Cruise Line is minimizing how much of those weather effects guests will feel as they enjoy their time in Hawaii.