Norwegian Cruise Line is continuing its “Great Cruise Comeback” with the restart of passenger operations aboard Pride of America, offering round-trip cruises from Honolulu, exploring the Hawaiian islands. This is the cruise line’s 15th ship to set sail since the pandemic shutdown, with only two ships remaining to restart.
Pride of America Sets Sail
Pride of America officially welcomed passengers back aboard on Saturday, April 9, with its first departure for a 7-night inter-island sailing, exploring multiple ports of call and featuring two days at sea.
“Being the only cruise line to sail year-round from Hawai’i, we’re thrilled to be back at last,” Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line President and Chief Executive Officer, said.
The itinerary, which is the same for each weekly sailing, includes four ports of call: Kahului, Maui; both Hilo and Kona in Hawai’i; and Nawiliwili, Kaua’i. Of course, guests can also explore Honolulu before or after their cruise, and Norwegian Cruise Line does offer a limited number of 3-day land-based cruisetour extensions in Oahu.
“Pride of America will once again offer thoroughly immersive itineraries and deeply authentic experiences that support business and tourism in Hawai’i, while providing travelers with everything they seek from a vacation in paradise,” Sommer said.
During these first sailings as the vessel resumes, the ship will have limited capacity and fewer dining options due to fewer crew members on board. There is no timeline available for when full service may resume, but it will likely depend on how and when local restrictions may be eased further. The 80,439-gross ton Pride of America has a guest capacity of 2,186 passengers at double occupancy, with 927 crew members.
Guests should note that some select sailings only feature three ports of call, and itineraries are subject to change. Bookings are now available for reservations through December 2025, and all departures are on Saturdays.
15 Ships Now Sailing
Pride of America‘s return marks the fifteenth Norwegian Cruise Line ship to return to service following the pandemic-related, industry-wide global shutdown. Norwegian Jade was the first of the line’s vessels to restart when she set sail from Athens, Greece, in July 2021.
Since then, various vessels have restarted in different parts of the world, including Norwegian Jewel from Panama, Norwegian Sky from Miami, and most recently, Norwegian Star from Barcelona on April 3.
Norwegian Cruise Line has had a rocky restart with multiple cruise cancelations due to the surge of the Omicron variant in December and January, as well as the damage to Norwegian Escape and multiple cruise cancelations for that vessel. The line has had smoother sailing in recent weeks, however, and is looking forward to a promising summer season.
Yet to Set Sail
Only two ships in Norwegian Cruise Lines 17-vessel fleet have yet to restart passenger operations.
Norwegian Sun will welcome guests for the first time in over two years on May 5 out of Seattle, Washington, where she will offer 5-9 day Alaska itineraries until repositioning to Asia in mid-October.
Norwegian Spirit is already positioned in Polynesia, and will restart operations from May 7 with a short series of one-way voyages between Tahiti and Hawaii, before moving to Seattle to sail Alaska cruises for the summer.
In addition to these two familiar ships, Norwegian Cruise Line will welcome the new Norwegian Prima in August. First offering a diverse range of inaugural sailings from various ports in Europe and the United States, the new ship will homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida, through the winter.
