Cruise & Ferry
Hundreds Left Behind As Cruise Ship Flees Hawaii Tsunami

As sirens blared across Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon and evening, one of the most dramatic scenes unfolded quietly on the Big Island in Hilo Harbor. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America was forced to abandon port hours ahead of schedule due to tsunami evacuation orders. In the rush to leave, more than 300 passengers and crew members were left behind, many of whom were stranded without transportation, a place to go, or any clear sense of what would come next.
The decision to leave the port abruptly was driven by protocol. Following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, tsunami alerts were issued for Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. Coast Guard ordered vessels out of Hawaii’s ports for safety, and NCL complied.
But timing proved difficult. With sirens already sounding and traffic completely snarled across the Big Island and the entire state, hundreds of Pride of America passengers were unable to get back to the ship before it departed port.
What travelers should know before cruising in Hawaii.
Cruise passengers often assume that ship schedules are set in stone. And in most cases, they are. However, maritime law permits immediate departures when safety is at risk. In this case, both passengers on official NCL shore excursions and those exploring independently were caught off guard. Some guests were on NCL or independent commercial tours, while others were exploring Hilo on foot. A few were too far from the harbor to navigate the gridlock and return in time to sail.
For Hawaii travelers considering a cruise, the takeaway is this: always have a contingency plan. Pride of America passengers not on ship-sponsored excursions had to find their way to safety. Many ended up at a nearby high school, a designated tsunami shelter three miles inland and 105 feet above sea level. Others scrambled for hotel rooms or private rides up the hill. Some families were reportedly split between ship and shore. Some described the experience as surreal, while others found it terrifying.
How NCL responded to the tsunami emergency.
NCL confirmed that all passengers had been informed via SMS of the early departure and directed to follow emergency instructions. The cruise line also coordinated with authorities to shelter its tour participants at Waiakea High School. According to tracking data, Pride of America remained just offshore overnight, awaiting clearance to return once the harbor reopened today.
By early Wednesday morning, the tsunami warning had been downgraded to an advisory. Hilo Harbor was scheduled for a safety inspection before passengers could reboard. At first, no timeline was given, and many visitors worried they might miss the rest of their interisland itinerary.
What happens now to the Pride of America itinerary.
The Big Island was scheduled to be the ship’s focus on Tuesday and Wednesday, with stops in both Hilo and Kona. With the Hilo stop interrupted and the Kona stop now uncertain, guests may face a drastically shortened Big Island experience. Pride of America’s next scheduled port is Nawiliwili on Kauai on Thursday and Friday. That is also the ship’s final stop before returning to Honolulu on Saturday.
Norwegian has not yet announced whether it will modify or cancel any port visits beyond Kona. One option would be to use one of the final sea days to replace the missed port; however, this would also require Coast Guard approval and port availability. It is not yet clear how the line will handle compensation or itinerary credits following what occurred.
How Big Island visitors were affected.
Visitors staying on the Big Island saw widespread ripple effects from both the cruise departure and the tsunami alert. Roads were jammed in every direction, and Hilo’s harborfront was shut down entirely. Some residents tried to assist stranded tourists by offering rides uphill or sharing information about nearby shelter locations. Others took to social media with footage of the ship sailing away as stunned passengers watched from shore.
Could this happen again in Hawaii?
This is not the first time a cruise ship has left passengers behind in Hawaii due to an emergency, but it is the most high-profile instance we can remember in years. With global earthquakes and other seismic shifts becoming more frequent, travelers should expect the unexpected. Cruise contracts allow captains broad discretion to protect passengers and vessels, even if that means leaving people behind, as occurred at Hilo.
For Pride of America, this week’s sailing will be remembered less for its beaches and excursions and more for the confusion, evacuations, and uncertainty that began just after sunset in Hilo. And for Hawaii-bound visitors, it serves as a reminder that even paradise can be disrupted, sometimes with very little warning.
If you are on the Pride of America this week, let us know what it’s been like for you.
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Producer of missing Amy Lynn Bradley Netflix doc reveal new leads since series aired & believe she is alive 27 years on

THE producer of the hit Netflix documentary about a missing woman who vanished on a family cruise more than 27 years ago says they have received new tips related to her case.
Amy Lynn Bradley disappeared without a trace in March 1998 after boarding the Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas with her parents, Ron and Iva, and her younger brother Brad.
The family trip began in Puerto Rico and first stopped in Aruba.
Just three days into the trip, on March 23, Amy disappeared after spending the night socializing and dancing at the ship’s nightclub until the early hours of the morning.
She was last seen asleep on the balcony in the family’s shared cabin, but no evidence suggests she fell or jumped from the railing.
When her father woke up, he couldn’t find his daughter and alerted the ship’s security crew, but they found no sign of her, and cameras failed to capture any last movements.
The case has gripped the true crime community for years, and alleged witnesses speak out in the documentary to suggest she may have been sex-trafficked.
She was last seen dancing with a bass player who was performing with a band on the trip, Alister Douglas, whose nickname was “Yellow,” although he has always maintained his innocence.
His daughter, Amica, suspects her father was involved in Amy’s disappearance and is seen in the three-part Netflix series grilling him during a tense phone call, in which he insists he has nothing to hide.
Filmmaker Ari Mark, who worked with fellow producer Phil Lott on the series, spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun after it became a Top 10 show on the streamer.
He said, “[We’re] very pleased with very pleased with how the series has been received. The ‘buzz’ around the show is incredible.
“That’s what we want. The more people that know Amy’s story – the better.”
Asked if the team had received any possible leads since its release that have been passed on to police or the FBI, he said they had, but they don’t want to get their hopes up just yet.
“We have had a few leads come in, but I can’t discuss them and they’re not verified yet, so they may very likely be false leads,” he said, as they can get hoax calls, or people getting information wrong.
“This was always about one thing: finding Amy,” he went on.
“But to ensure that the audience is activated, they have to want to help.
“To use Iva Bradley’s words, they are ‘over the moon’ that Amy’s story is finally getting this level of attention. Everyone in the world now knows her name.
“I prefer to believe that Amy is alive. But there’s so little tangible official ‘evidence’ in this case that it’s impossible to know.
“So much gray area, especially when it comes to timelines.
“Remember, no cell phones and virtually no cameras, so we really can’t track people’s whereabouts, which means we can’t take anything as fact.”
SEX WORKER MYSTERY
One of the aspects only briefly touched on in the documentary is how the family’s cabin was cleaned before the police were able to look for evidence and deem it a potential crime scene.
Mark admitted the cleaner’s identity remains unknown, and it is unclear whether a small table on the balcony could have been moved closer to the railing.
Her sandals were placed side by side, and a t-shirt was lying on the arm of the chair she’d been sitting on, while her cigarettes were missing, and only an ashtray remained on the table.
“Allegedly, ‘cruise security’ was responsible for questioning their crew,” Mark said.
He added that they did search for evidence that Amy had jumped or fallen into the water, saying, “They absolutely looked and came up with nothing.
“They did find Amy’s fingerprints around the cabin, but the whole family’s fingerprints were all over the room, so it wasn’t really ‘evidence.'”
One of the most shocking parts of the documentary saw experts review photographs published on a sex worker website years later that showed a woman clad in lingerie.
The woman had strikingly similar features to Amy, and her family said they fear it could be her years on.
Asked his opinion on the legitimacy of the photographs, Mark said, “I really don’t know. We tend to air on the side of something happened to her vs accident.
“One thing we do know with missing person cases is that there usually is some elusive piece of evidence out there, but the universe needs to align to bring that thing or person forward.”
FBI REWARD
Asked about the theory that Douglas could have been involved in her disappearance, Mark confirmed his lie detector test was “inconclusive” despite reports he passed, but he was cleared by police.
Mark simply said, “I feel awful for the Douglas family and what they’ve had to endure all these years.”
Does he have any advice for anyone who has information but is terrified to come forward?
He said, “I would say to them: look at this family. Look at the pain this has caused. And look at the millions of people that want to help.
“That has to be enough for someone to muster the courage to speak out.”
He added that Amy’s family is “understandably shattered and lives in a constant state of not knowing.”
Mark added, “Gaining their trust has been a journey, but their warmth, sense of family, and strength has been something that everyone who worked on this show has admired and rallied behind.”
Timeline of Amy Lynn Bradley’s last hours before her disappearance
March 23, 1998, evening Amy Lynn Bradley and her brother, Brad, attended a dance party at the ship’s disco, where they were seen with members of the ship’s band. The ship was sailing from Aruba to Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 3:35 a.m. Brad Bradley returned to the family cabin, followed five minutes later by Amy, after a night of dancing and drinking. They sat on the balcony and talked before Brad went to sleep.
March 24, 1998, 5:15 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Amy’s father, Ron Bradley, woke up briefly and saw Amy asleep on a lounge chair on their cabin’s balcony. This is the last confirmed sighting of her by her family.
March 24, 1998, 5:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. Three witnesses later claimed to have seen Amy on an upper deck of the ship with Alister “Yellow” Douglas, a member of the ship’s band, and said he was seen leaving alone shortly after 6 a.m.
March 24, 1998, 6:00 a.m. When Ron Bradley woke up again, Amy was no longer on the balcony, but her shoes were still in the cabin, and her cigarettes and lighter were missing. He began to search the ship for her.
March 24, 1998, 6:30 a.m. The family reported Amy missing to the ship’s crew and asked that passengers be prevented from disembarking, but their request was denied. The ship had already docked in Curaçao.
March 24, 1998, 7:50 a.m. The ship made a public announcement for Amy to come to the purser’s desk, but by this time, many of the passengers had already disembarked. A full ship search was conducted later in the day, but no sign of Amy was found.
March 24-27, 1998 The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard conducted a four-day air and sea search for Amy around Curaçao and Aruba, but no trace of her was ever found. Authorities initially considered the possibility that she fell overboard, but this theory was later dismissed.
The FBI has a page dedicated to Amy’s disappearance and a separate website that features images of what she could potentially look like today.
The page states, “The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the recovery of Amy Lynn Bradley and information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.”
She is described as standing at 5-feet-6-inches, and weighing 120 pounds with green eyes and short brown hair.
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Viking Opens 2027-28, Names Next Ship Viking Lyra – Cruise Industry News

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