The Norwegian Cruise Line vessel Pride of America skipped making call this week in Kailua-Kona.
The 920-foot cruise ship made its way toward Kailua Bay early Wednesday, however, opted to skip making call in Kailua-Kona due to high surf. The surf was generated by a south swell that prompted the National Weather Service to issue a high surf advisory for south-facing shores that day.
The cruise line said Friday the call was made due to the waves were directly entering the bay. Because Kailua-Kona does not have a deep draft harbor, cruise liners must utilize smaller boats and tenders to ferry passengers to Kailua Pier from the anchored vessel.
After bypassing Kailua-Kona, the ship continued its sail, arriving on schedule Thursday morning at Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai, the cruise line said.
West Hawaii Today reached out to the company after receiving several emails and calls from readers concerned that the vessel had been turned away because of COVID-19 cases on board.
The Pride of America is one of the 10 Norwegian Cruise Line vessels participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Cruise Ship Color Status Program. The voluntary program assigns color statuses based on data reported by cruise ships and relevant public health authorities.
The color-coding system gives travelers information they can use to make informed decisions before choosing to travel. Color status designations indicate the number of COVID-19 cases reported for each ship in the program, whether an investigation is needed, additional public health measures a ship is taking, and whether a ship has opted out of the program.
As of Friday, the Pride of America, which is operating at 50% capacity amid the ongoing pandemic, remained on “orange” color status, which means reported cases on the vessel have met the CDC’s “threshold for CDC investigation.” Color status orange means that 0.3% or more of total passengers and/or crew have suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases.
“CDC has started an investigation and ship remains under investigation,” the CDC website reads.