HAWAII, USA — Hundreds of passengers were left behind in Hilo, Hawaii Tuesday when the Pride of America Norwegian cruise liner pulled out of the port two hours ahead of schedule due to a tsunami warning.

“We did not expect this,” one passenger said in a video posted on social media. “People are crying. We are going to higher ground. An employee is yelling at people. People are yelling at the employee. This is crazy!”

A Florida family was out on an excursion in Hilo when they got a government alert on their cell phones. They made it back on the ship shortly before it pulled away.

“We barely got to the port,” Raleigh said. “It was kind of chaotic and crazy trying to get on the ship. I think we were one of the last passengers to actually get on before they lifted the boarding plank. And the ship left…Unfortunately, I think about a quarter of the passengers were unable to get back to the port in time.”

Norwegian has not confirmed how many passengers it left behind, but says the ship was required to leave the port immediately due to the tsunami threat.

“We left the dock about. 5 o’clock or a little after it was due to hit here at 7:10 p.m. But by that point, we were at sea, which for a ship is the safest place to be. It’ll just be a little speed bump, but they needed to get the ship away from the dock,” Raleigh said. “I did not feel anything.”

Guests out on Norwegian excursions were brought to a local high school, a designated safe location in Hilo where they spent the night. Wednesday the ship returned to get them.

“The passengers who did make it back, were lining the starboard side of the ship  which was on the dock side of the ship. And as the passengers came out of the terminal and onto the ship, they were hooting and hollering and clapping and yelling,” Raleigh said. “It was kind of interesting to see and the people who were getting on the ship were in turn waving back up to the passengers who were on the ship. So it was a good reunion.”

A statement from Norwegian prior to the ship returning to port is in full below: 

“On July 29, 2025, the State of Hawaii declared a state of emergency and issued a tsunami warning following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake east of Petropavlovsk, 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. The ship departed at 4 PM local time, two hours ahead of its scheduled departure time of 6 PM.

Before departure, all guests were notified via SMS and advised to seek higher ground and follow instructions from local authorities if they were unable to return to the ship in time for its departure. Guests participating in NCL shore excursions were brought directly to a local high school, a designated safe location in Hilo, where refreshments were provided for their comfort and well-being. 

As a precaution and due to the temporary port closure, Pride of America has remained at sea, a safer location in situations such as this. 

The tsunami warning has since been lifted, allowing for the affected ports to gradually reopen. Hilo Harbor, however, requires a safety assessment before it can receive clearance from local authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard. This assessment is scheduled to take place in the early morning of July 30, 2025 local Hawaii time, at which point our guests will reboard the ship. 

We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as they become available.”

– Spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line