A tsunami warning after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia forced cruise ships to flee Hawaii without some of the passengers aboard.
Two cruise ships visiting the state’s Big Island were in port Tuesday and had to leave early due to the tsunami warning. Some people were left on the shore when they didn’t make it back in time.
“We were up visiting Volcanoes National Park and saw the tsunami warning go off on our phones. One of the tour operators from our cruise ship, the Pride of America, said, ‘Everyone back to the ship as fast as you can. Ship’s leaving at 3.30 p.m.’ But we knew at that point we weren’t going to make it,” Jeffrey Booker told CNN.
British traveler Rachael Burrows, who was also on the Big Island, told the BBC that her party was one of the last to make it onto her ship.
“We could see a lot of other people like getting dropped off and just lining up, but they didn’t make it. They were then told to get up to higher ground on shore,” she said.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America was in Hilo, Hawaii, and Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Regatta was in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, when the tsunami warning sounded. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings owns both companies.
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told Cruise Fever that the Pride of America left two hours early and that guests on shore excursions unable to make it back were “brought directly to a local high school, a designated safe location in Hilo, where refreshments were provided for their comfort and well-being.”
The spokesperson added that once the ship is cleared to return to Hilo by the Coast Guard, the Pride of America will swing back and pick up the remaining guests left on shore. The spokesperson did not say how many passengers failed to make it back to the boat in time.
An Oceania Cruises spokesperson told Travel Market Report that 10 of the passengers for the Oceania Regatta could not get back to the boat in Kailua-Kona in time.
“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. The safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are always our top priority,” the Oceania spokesperson said.
The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port in Honolulu reopened the ports across the state Wednesday just after 8:30 a.m. local time.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.