Key Aspects:
- The Honolulu Cruise Port remains closed as Tropical Storm Lala brings heavy wind and rain to the Hawaiian Islands.
- It’s unclear when Honolulu will reopen to cruise traffic, but Norwegian Spirit will remain at sea until it does.
- Disembarkation for the current sailing on August 16 and embarkation for the following voyage have been delayed indefinitely.
Thousands of NCL guests have been left with more questions than answers as Tropical Storm Lala drenches the Hawaiian islands.
Current guests were supposed to disembark from Norwegian Spirit in Honolulu on August 16, 2026, while a new round of guests was supposed to board the ship for a 16-night, one-way sailing to Vancouver, Canada.
But with Tropical Storm Lala still bringing dangerously heavy rain and strong winds to the Hawaiian Islands, the 1,972-guest ship is stuck at sea, riding out the storm in deeper waters until it is given clearance to return to Honolulu.
“At this time, we do not have any new information to share. Ongoing tropical storm conditions continue to affect the area, and as a result, the Port of Honolulu remains closed,” Norwegian Cruise Line wrote in a letter to guests on August 15, which has been shared on Reddit.
“We understand that your travel plans have been impacted, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. Please be assured that our team remains in close contact with port officials and is actively monitoring the situation,” the letter continued.
As of 6 a.m. HST, cruise tracking data shows that the ship is positioned off the coast of Hilo and sailing in the direction of Honolulu, in rough seas with 2.9-meter swells (about 9.5 feet).
Norwegian Cruise Line promised to provide an update by 8 a.m. HST on August 16, even if there is still no news to share.
Cruise Hive previously reported that the 75,904-gross ton ship made an early arrival in Honolulu because of the coming storm, but the ship had to go back out to sea when the port closed.
Similarly, NCL’s Pride Of America also made a beeline to Honolulu because of Tropical Storm Lala. This ship was supposed to return to Honolulu on August 16 to debark its current sailing one day late, but could potentially be delayed further if the port is unable to reopen.
Ports Remain Shuttered As Storm Rages
According to the National Hurricane Center (NOAA), Tropical Storm Lala has been downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane but is still bringing near hurricane-force gusts, heavy rain, and massive waves to the islands.
“Strong wind gusts are expected to continue across the Big Island of Hawaii this morning, particularly over areas of higher terrain. Across portions of the smaller islands, tropical-storm-force winds accompanied by gusts to near hurricane strength will persist through today,” NOAA wrote in its 5 a.m. HST update on August 16.
“Large and dangerous waves are expected to persist across portions of the Hawaiian islands today…The heavy surf may cause localized coastal flooding and significant beach erosion,” the update continued.
At this time, Tropical Storm Lala is positioned about 140 miles west-northwest of Kailua-Kona and about 75 miles south of Honolulu. It is moving northwest at speeds of 14 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds are reaching 70 miles per hour.
The US Coast Guard has closed all of Hawaii’s ports for the time being, with each port listed at Condition Zulu. This is an emergency alert that means gale-force winds are expected to arrive within 12 hours.
For safety reasons, the ports cannot reopen until ships can safely navigate without excessive risk to port infrastructure and to the vessels themselves.
