Pride of America boarding slips to 28 Sep as Hurricane Nolo hits Hawaii

Pride of America’s next Honolulu week just lost two days. Cruise Hive, dated 25 Sep 2026, quotes a Norwegian Cruise Line guest letter sent 24 Sep 2026: embarkation for the Saturday 26 Sep sailing is pushed to Monday 28 Sep because Tropical Storm Nolo is expected to disrupt Honolulu Harbor operations. Voyage Ready’s 25 Sep write-up corroborates the delay and shortened cruise. No NCL newsroom release was located. Load-bearing passenger facts below come from those Tier 2 write-ups of the line email. Storm status comes from Central Pacific Hurricane Center / National Hurricane Center advisories.

If you are booked on this sailing, decide sail-or-cancel before the 26 Sep cancel deadline in the guest letter those outlets quoted.

What changed

Cruise Hive says the ~2,180-passenger U.S.-flagged ship’s usual seven-night interisland cruise now boards Monday 28 Sep and returns to Honolulu on 3 Oct. NCL also brought the current voyage back to Honolulu early.

Revised port plan from the guest letter Cruise Hive quoted:

• Tuesday 29 Sep: Hilo, 8am–6pm
• Wednesday 30 Sep: Kona, 7am–5:30pm
• Thursday 1 Oct: Nawiliwili, 8am–6pm
• Friday 2 Oct: Kahului, 8am–6pm
• Saturday 3 Oct: Honolulu return

NCL told guests this may not be the final call and that more text and email updates will follow.

Compensation options

From Cruise Hive’s summary of the NCL letter:

• Option 1 — still sail Monday: 50% refund of the original fare paid, plus service charges and applicable Free at Sea drink-package charges, and a Future Cruise Credit equal to 50% of the fare paid, usable on a future Norwegian sailing through 31 Dec 2027. NCL said it is adjusting line-sold shore excursions to the new port times.
• Option 2 — cancel: full refund if you opt out no later than 26 Sep, plus a Future Cruise Credit with a 10% discount toward any Norwegian cruise through 31 Dec 2027.

Flights, hotels, and independent tours you arranged around the original Saturday board are usually your problem unless your travel insurance or airline covers weather delays. Read your own policies.

Why

The guest letter blames Tropical Storm Nolo and says Honolulu Harbor cannot safely support embarkation on Saturday 26 Sep. That matched CPHC/NHC Advisory 17 at 11am HST Thursday 24 Sep 2026, which still listed Nolo as a tropical storm with 70 mph winds about 455 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, with a Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch for Hawaii County.

By Advisory 20 at 5am HST Friday 25 Sep 2026, Nolo was already a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph, centered about 400 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, still under a Hawaii County Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning, with more strengthening expected over the weekend. The advisory track kept the center well south of the main islands while warning of life-threatening Big Island flooding and mudslides.

What you should do

If you hold the 26 Sep 2026 Pride of America Honolulu booking, open the latest NCL email and app notice today. Confirm whether Monday 28 Sep boarding still stands. If you cannot shift hotels or flights, use the cancel-by-26-Sep path for the full refund plus 10% FCC those outlets described. If you stay on the ship, expect a five-night island hop and confirm Hilo / Kona / Nawiliwili / Kahului times plus any adjusted NCL tours. Watch for further NCL texts. Facts above follow Cruise Hive and Voyage Ready on 25 Sep 2026 quoting NCL’s 24 Sep guest notice, plus CPHC/NHC Advisories 17 and 20 for the storm.