People often ask what happens to a cruise ship when a tsunami is forecast. On Tuesday, every cruise ship in the Pacific had to monitor the situation.
Passengers from at least two cruise ships were left behind in Hawaii on Tuesday when a tsunami warning forced the ships to depart early.
This was published by a travel magazine:
Norwegian Cruise Line said its Pride of America left Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii two hours ahead of schedule after the state of Hawaii declared a state of emergency and issued a tsunami warning following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of eastern Russia.
"As such, in response to local emergency procedures and to prioritize the safety of our guests and crew, Pride of America was required to depart Hilo, Hawaii immediately,” NCL said.
The ship intends to return to Hilo to retrieve the remaining guests once it receives clearance, a spokesperson said. However, local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard must first conduct a safety assessment at the port, which was scheduled for early Wednesday morning, she added.
Guests who were on NCL shore excursions at the time of the ship's departure were brought to a high school and given refreshments, the spokesperson said.
The cruise line did not share how many guests were still on land and whether they were provided with overnight accommodations.
Passengers received text notifications
NCL said it texted all guests before the Pride of America left Hilo early at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, advising them to seek higher ground if they couldn't make it back to the ship.
Meanwhile, the Oceania Regatta also had to leave port early in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii while 10 guests were still ashore, according to Travel Market Report.
"Our ship and shoreside teams are in contact with these guests plus all relevant local authorities and are working to get them back onboard at the earliest possible opportunity," a cruise line spokesperson said.
The tsunami warning went into effect after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck near a Russian peninsula. It was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded, according to the Associated Press, and triggered tsunami warnings from Alaska to South America.
Authorities in Hawaii downgraded the tsunami warning to an advisory on Wednesday. An advisory indicates that there is still the potential for harbors and beaches to experience flooding, strong currents and dangerous waves, the AP reported.
I found this on a blog from a passenger on the Pride of America. I have not changed anything, it's as the cruiser posted from the ship:
Aloha fellow cruisers! I am currently on the PoA & yes we had the tsunami advisories at Hilo & yes the Coast guard made NCL PoA leaver port for safety. Can’t blame NCL, they were forced to leave early a little before 4pm. About 565 were left behind that were passengers & NCL employees.
we cruised into international waters & waited it out until the early morning hours & supposedly cruised to Kona to pick up some passengers through tender boats then headed back to Hilo to pick up the rest.
We left Hilo an hour or 2 after everyone boarded back in ship & we are now off to Kauai.
some cruisers may have left their phones on airplane mode, left phone in stateroom, ran out of battery, etc. cannot fault anyone.
NCL is compensating passengers at this time. Some received $100 non-refundable on-board credit & 10%off your next cruise & those who got stranded received 20/25% off next cruise, percentage back on service charges & cruise fare, not sure about the amount on on-board credit they receive. And of course any excursion for Kona was cancelled & refunded.
I always take my cell phone and make sure I've got a cell plan. The ship will contact you in an emergency like this, or if you are late getting back to the ship! Ana Navarro said she was shopping in Italy when she got a call from the ship. They told her to return immediately or they will leave her behind! She made it back in time.
