The NCL Pride of America is about to undergo a significant itinerary change following the nearly twenty-year run of its weekly Hawaii cruise. And, unfortunately, it isn’t for the better. This was previously decided, for reasons unknown, and the final two regular Napali coast cruises, which are sold out, will depart soon.
The company will no longer cruise the famed Napali Coast along Kauai on its itineraries. That was arguably one of the most anticipated and best parts of the week-long all-Hawaii voyage. Read on for what that most incredible part of the journey was actually like.
Na Pali Coastline was the chicken-skin moment of this Hawaii cruise.
It’s hard for us to describe the anticipation and excitement that more than three thousand passengers and crew experienced when pulling out of Kauai’s Nawiliwili Harbor and making the famous left turn to cruise up one of the world’s most spectacular and secluded coastlines. After about an hour’s time, the Pride of America ship started its approach towards the magical cliffs, lush valleys, and the famous beaches along the coastline. This is an area that is only accessible by boat, helicopter, or hiking.
When the Na Pali Coast was reached, a Native Hawaiian interpreter on board talked about the significance of the Na Pali and also offered sacred chant. It was beyond mesmerizing. If you’ve ever done this, you know it is an unforgettable experience and please share it with others in comments.
Hat tip to Cayla, who pointed out the itinerary change to us. Cayla said,
“After years of wanting to take NCL’s circle Hawaii cruise, I was finally in a position to book- and they’ve dropped the Na Pali Coast from the route. I don’t think alternatives like a helicopter or small boat would be accessible for our travel party, so almost instantly, NCL has de-prioritized Hawaii as a destination for us.”
The new NCL itinerary without Napali Coast extends time on Kauai.
NCL first leaves Honolulu on Saturday nights at 7 pm, then is docked Sundays and Mondays on Maui, Hilo on Tuesdays, followed by Wednesdays at Kona, and then Kauai on Thursdays at 8 am. Instead of leaving Kauai on Friday around 1 pm for the Napali Coast extravaganza, it will now remain docked until 5 pm, then sail directly back to Honolulu from Nawilidwili prior to disembarkation on Saturday morning.
Depending on any future activity at Kilauea Volcano, the ship may include a sail-by on Tuesday night after Hilo. That too was a mind-blowing experience of sight, sound, and smell. On that occasion as well, a Native Hawaiian interpreter was present on deck to help guide and inform the experience. It was awesome! Having that experience and the Napali Coast together in the same week made this sailing a complete stand out on an otherwise regular cruise.
Special act allows NCL to offer these interisland cruises without foreign ports.
Pride of America is a ship specifically tailored for all Hawaii itineraries. It is the only sizeable U.S.-flagged ship to sail within the Hawaiian Islands without visiting foreign ports. To do this, it had to qualify under the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which is the passenger equivalent of the cargo-related Jones Act.
The ship started as built here, and NCL bought the “remains” and finished the ship outside the USA. They could get the vessel qualified as American-built because of its history. This allows NCL to do its all-Hawaii itinerary to Oahu, Maui, Big Island, and Kauai without including a stop outside the country.
Why we like Pride of America.
BOH editors watched NCL Pride of America sail around our Hawaiian islands for years and wondered from afar what it would be like on board. We can recall being in the water at Hanalei Bay, watching the ship up there on Friday afternoons, and wondering what the view must be like.
You may recall that in 2005, upon its initial launch, the ship garnered less-than-favorable reviews. Following numerous inquiries by BOH readers asking about the cruise, we embarked on a week-long BOH-paid journey aboard to investigate. Initially, our expectations were relatively modest. We were, however, pleasantly surprised by the excellent service, good food, and the professionalism of the staff.
We liked it so well that we returned after the ship went through a dry-dock refurbishment.
NCL provides what we referred to before as a “Hawaii In A Nutshell” experience. For those who want to visit four islands in just one week, without airports, flights, or unpacking, this has been a great way to get introduced to Hawaii for two decades. For those who sometimes get seasick, as editor Jeff does, he found both sailings to be smooth even when traversing the notoriously turbulent Kauai channel and the Alenuihaha channel between Maui and the Big Island.
Is dropping the Napali Coast a dealbreaker for you when considering NCL Pride of America? If you’ve taken the cruise, what was it like for you?
I was planning to cruise the Hawaiian islands but now that I know the cruise will not include the Nepali coast I am rethinking
My husband, daughters, and I have taken the cruise twice – most recently during Thanksgiving weekend. (We live on Oahu.) It’s a lovely itinerary, giving a taste of each of the main islands. We purposely scheduled both of our cruises to include the Napali Coast. The first time, it was truly magical. The second time, not so much. The ship departed the port late, so by the time we got to the coast, most of the sunlight was gone, so we couldn’t see much of the mountains. Also, we didn’t get nearly as close on that second cruise as we did the first cruise. Very disappointing. I don’t think we’ll do the cruise again.
I have taken the Pride of America Hawai’i cruise twice now. The first time had a somewhat reversed itinerary as the weather surrounding the islands was less than favorable. This last time (just over a month ago) was the regular itinerary but I do not recall anything associated with the Nepali coast. Either way, the cruise and excursions definitely make for a wonderful vacation. As this article states, it’s a great way to sample each island without the travel component, ie the ship does everything for transportation and accommodations not to mention dining. If you have the means to do the cruise I highly recommend it!
I took that cruise a few years ago and, at least on my cruise, the ship was too far away from the Napali coast to get much of a sense of its beauty. I’ve since seen the cliffs via helicopter and small craft and the views are spectacular. I wouldn’t count on experiencing Napali from a cruise ship.
By expanding the land time on Kauai, visitors will be able to see the Pali coast from scenic sights as well as the Grand Canyon. There is also a wonderful bird sanctuary.
We loved the itinerary but found the ship itself to be substandard. Food was mediocre. Too many unpleasant or indifferent crew that offset the good ones. Our return was unlikely and now even moreso.
Cruising by the Napoli coast was definitely the highlight of the Hawaiian island cruise. shame on NCL for removing that from the itinerary.
We’ve made many trips to Kauai and a visit to the Napali Coast is always a highlight. We’ve hiked it, flown over it on a helicopter and sailed by on catamaran. NCL has made a big mistake by dropping these beautiful vistas from their itinerary. In turn, we’ve dropped any plans to cruise on NCL again.
Yet, NCL is still advertising & selling cruises (last cruise departing on April 28th, 2024) as “Hawaii: Inter-Island & Na Pali Coast”. Description of the cruise it clearly states “from the lush, fragrant vegetation of Kaua`i and the famous vistas of the Na Pali Coast” .
We purchased this cruise as it shows that there are only 2 more sailing dates w/this heading “Na Pali” coast; now to be told by NCL “resolution” supervisors that they do not know if the cruise we booked will actually go by the Na Pali Coast as advertised. Full description NCL: “6-Day Cruise On Pride Of America; Hawaii: Inter-island & Na Pali Coast from Honolulu, Oahu. “One of a kind 6 day cruise”. 03/16/24.
Very disappointed in NCL for dropping Napali coast.
Thos os most people’s bucket list destination.
At the price NCL charges for this cruise its very penny pinching to cut the cost sailing to save a couple of bucks!
Start thinking about your guests!