5 days ago
Norwegian Cruise Line leaves passengers behind amid tsunami scare
Norwegian Cruise Line leaves passengers behind amid tsunami scare originally appeared on TravelHost.
If you've ever wondered what cruise ships do when there's a tsunami, you can get your answer by looking at how cruise lines handled the alarming wave activity that radiated across the Pacific Ocean on July 29.
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurred off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, sending a tsunami across the Pacific that triggered tsunami warnings for Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and even the U.S. West Coast.
Despite what many people may think, cruise ships are actually safest at sea during a tsunami. In deep ocean waters, tsunami wave effects are minimal because of their long wavelengths. When tsunamis reach shallow water close to shorelines, they slow down and their wavelengths decrease, which causes them to grow tall and of that, when a tsunami warning is issued, cruise ships that are docked must leave port to sail safely away from the threat of incoming monster waves that could damage the ship and put passenger and crew safety at risk.
Tsunami waves move extremely quickly in deep oceans, so when a tsunami warning was issued for Hawaii while Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America was docked in Hilo and passengers were ashore, the captain faced a serious dilemma.
The ship needed to leave port early to be out of harm's way before the tsunami arrived, but that would mean leaving behind passengers who couldn't make it back to the ship in time.
Doug Parker shared more details on what happened as Norwegian's Pride of America set sail to steer clear of the tsunami's threat, and other cruise news, on the July 30 edition of Cruise News Cruise Line leaves passengers ashore amid Hawaii tsunami warning
Cruise News Today Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning, here's your cruise news for Wednesday, July 30th.
A massive earthquake off of Russia's coast triggered tsunami warnings on Tuesday across the Pacific, forcing cruise ships in Hawaii to depart early.
Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America left Hilo ahead of schedule, stranding guests like Jeffrey Booker of Orlando.
Everyone back to the ship, fast as you can. The ship's leaving at 3:30, but we knew at that point we were going to make staff and passengers that were left behind were told to shelter onto higher ground and wait for more information from the cruise line. Oceania Cruises' Regatta also departed early from Kona.
Hawaii's warnings were eventually downgraded early Wednesday morning. It should be noted that in an event of a tsunami, you're actually safer on a cruise ship than on land.
We reached out to NCL for comment about guests that were left ashore.
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Norwegian Cruise Line to open private island waterpark
And over here on the East Coast: big changes for NCL's private island.
Norwegian Cruise Line just announced a brand-new Great Tides Waterpark coming to Great Stirrup Cay next summer. Now the six-acre water park will feature 19 water slides, a 170-foot slide tower, cliff jumps, a lazy river, and the Caribbean's only family raft slide.
For younger guests, there's a massive splash zone, while adults can hang out at lagoon cabanas, swim-up bars, and an expanded Vibe Shore Club. Upgrades began this year with a new pier, tram system, and welcome Caribbean is now selling a $10,000 per day beach club cabana
And Royal Caribbean is officially setting records and not just at sea. The cruise line's new Ultimate Family Cabana at its upcoming Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in The Bahamas is commanding a rate of $10,000 per day, making it the most expensive cabana in the cruise industry.
Now the private cabana holds 12 and includes a private slide, heated plunge pool, minibar, swing, and its own bathroom. It's set to open December 21st.
Inclusive day passes start around $139 per guest and go up from cruise stocks were down on Tuesday. Carnival Corporation: flat, 29.70, Royal Caribbean: down 5%, 334.37, Norwegian: down 2%, 23.41, and Viking: down a half, 58.50.
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Have yourself a great Wednesday. I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today.
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, or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
