Luxury Cruising Editorial

For the third straight time, a cruise ship received the lowest possible passing score during a recent health inspection conducted by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).

The ship was cited for rusted utensils in the kitchen, improper food storage, and missing logs regarding illness on board the ship.

National Geographic Sea Lion, operated by Lindblad Expeditions, scored an 86 during a health inspection where results were just posted to the CDC’s website.

The CDC considers inspection scores of 85 or lower as not satisfactory and results in a failing score.

The VSP found a total of 42 deficiencies during the inspection on the 62-passenger cruise ship. This was the ship’s first inspection since 2016 and 2017, when it also barely passed with an 86 during those two inspections.

Multiple deficiencies were found related to various technical areas across the cruise ship. For example, the 24-hour acute gastroenteritis (AGE) report was submitted more than 36 hours prior to the ship’s expected arrival in Sitka, Alaska.

An AGE-symptomatic crew member did not report their symptoms in a timely manner and was released from isolation and assigned nonfood-handling duties after only 24 hours of isolation.

Multiple four-hour manual halogen residual and pH checks were missing on several days of potable water production within the last month. The ship did not have the ability to measure the pH of the hypochlorous acid produced by the onboard generator.

Related: Dirtiest Cruise Ships in 2026 Based on the CDC’s Health Inspections

Deficiencies

In the kitchen, sanitized vegetable peelers had rust on them. They were thrown away during the inspection.

In the main deck galley, clean dishes were stored in a drawer soiled inside with dried lettuce.

Refrigeration temperatures were too high, forcing the staff to throw away 50 containers of daily products.

Frozen fish were stored under the open stairwell in the freezer, which could allow debris from shoes to fall onto the food below.

Inspectors also found wrapped fish stored directly on the stairs in the freezer.

The ship was cited for not having proper notes in the Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) surveillance log. Also, a food employee with AGE symptoms was released from isolation 24 hours after their last symptom, instead of the required 48 hours.

Inspectors also noted that Legionella sampling of the potable water system was not conducted every six months. Also, the four-hour manual halogen residual and pH checks were missing on several days of potable water production logs.

And as with most inspections, there were also several extremely minor deficiencies pointed out by the inspectors. This includes things like a screw loose in the dishwasher to more than one day’s dust behind an espresso machine.

All cruise ships that sail to or from a U.S. port are subject to at least two surprise health inspections each year.

About the Ship

The cruise line has the following description listed for the cruise ship:

“Accommodating just 62 Guests in 31 outside cabins, the National Geographic Sea Lion is large enough to operate in remote environments in comfort, yet small enough to enter ports and inlets inaccessible to bigger ships. The ship carries sea kayaks and a fleet of expedition landing crafts, providing easy access to coastlines and other places of interest.

“All cabins have windows and are comfortably furnished with lower berths, private bathrooms, reading lights, and individual climate control. The National Geographic Sea Lion is authorized to operate in the Tongass National Forest under a Forest Service Special Use Permit.”

The storm has officially passed. That’s the good news.

But Hurricane Lala caused quite a bit of damage across Hawaii after the Category 1 hurricane swept through the islands.

The storm caused all kinds of logistic issues for two Norwegian Cruise Line ships in the area as well.  Lala forced port closures, delayed ship turnarounds, and pushed back embarkation times for thousands of NCL passengers.

Over 180,000 Hawaiian residents were left without electricity, and about 100 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to news reports.

As the storm made its closest approach, the U.S. Coast Guard instituted Port Condition Zulu for Honolulu Harbor, basically closing Oahu’s main maritime hub to commercial traffic until safety inspections could be completed.

Now that Honolulu Harbor has reopened, here is where things stand with both Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit.

Pride of America Completes Delayed Turnaround

Pride of America, NCL’s year-round Hawaii flagship, spent the worst of the storm out at sea after offering passengers the choice to disembark early in Honolulu on Friday or stay aboard the vessel with some extra onboard credit.

Once Honolulu Harbor officially cleared on Sunday afternoon, August 16, the ship docked and passengers were able to get off, just a day later than originally planned.

To make up for the lost time, NCL modified the upcoming itinerary, including a shortened call at Kahului, Maui.

Norwegian Spirit Disembarkation and Next Embarkation Pushed to Monday

For Norwegian Spirit, which was concluding a 16-night transpacific cruise from Vancouver, the wait lasted a bit longer.

After skipping scheduled Big Island stops in Hilo and Kona to stay ahead of the weather, Spirit was originally scheduled to end its voyage in Honolulu on Sunday, August 16.

But because the harbor was backlogged because of all the extra traffic trying to come in, there wasn’t enough space to dock.

Disembarkation for Norwegian Spirit had to be pushed back to Monday, August 17.

As a result, embarkation for Norwegian Spirit’s next 16-night sailing back to Vancouver was also delayed by a day.

Don’t feel too bad for the passengers though, as they got an extra night on the ship while waiting for the gangway to open.

NCL Statement

In a statement provided to Seatrade Cruise News, an NCL spokesperson confirmed the delay and wished the best for the impacted Hawaiians:

“We appreciate our guests for their patience and flexibility over the last few days, as we navigated multiple logistical challenges due to the aftermath of the storm. We also hope for a speedy recovery for the communities in Hawaii that were impacted.”

A couple of cruisers are in some hot water after getting into a fight after being told to “quiet down”.  In the course of events, a 9-year-old child was struck while inside the cruise ship cabin with two other people.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office pointed out the charges as Sheriff Wayne Ivey once again took to Facebook to describe the onboard incident in his own colorful way.

This isn’t the first time Sheriff Ivery has posted on social media about arrests at Port Canaveral.

You might recall when we covered another incident where six cruise passengers were arrested at Port Canaveral in a single day. In that case it wasn’t for a fight, but after routine checks caught outstanding warrants and probation violations, including one passenger wanted on murder charges.

Now, the Sheriff’s Office is back with a fresh installment of “The Chronicles of Cruising,” and according to him it’s a prime example of what happens when alcohol and zero common sense go hand in hand.

According to the post on social media, the entire ordeal started when passengers Gannon Jacox and his girlfriend, Brooklyn Hicks, were arguing loudly in the stateroom hallway after having a few too many drinks.

The post doesn’t specify how late it was or if nearby cruisers were trying to sleep, but apparently, some other cruisers not far away asked them to keep the noise down so they could sleep.

Instead of calling it a night, Hicks went over to confront them. Jacox made matters worse by pulling out his cell phone to film the altercation while encouraging Hicks to start a fight.

According to the sheriff’s post, the couple then forced their way directly into the guests’ stateroom, where a family, including a 9-year-old child, was inside.

A physical fight broke out inside the cabin. Jacox hit all three people in the room, including the child, while Hicks was wildly swinging punches.

By the end of the brawl, Jacox was left with a severe eye injury, which authorities noted came either from the victims defending themselves or from “friendly fire” courtesy of his girlfriend’s wild swings.

Fortunately, none of the victims suffered serious physical injuries.

When the ship (we’re not sure which vessel) docked at Port Canaveral, deputies were waiting to take the couple straight to jail. Sheriff Ivey held nothing back on Facebook when describing the fallout:

“Ok folks it’s time for another edition of “The Chronicles of Cruising” Brevard County style!!” Sheriff Ivey posted. “So what’s the moral of the story…if you can’t hold your liquor, then you definitely shouldn’t be out in public causing a scene like this and injuring random people including a child!! And if that memo is not clear enough for you then you might want to stay your butt out of Brevard County!!“

Jacox was charged with Burglary With A Battery and Child Abuse Without Great Bodily Harm. Hicks was charged with Burglary With Battery and Battery-Touch/Strike.

Instead of finishing their cruise vacation, the couple is spending time at what Sheriff Ivey calls “Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge,” complete with “close quarter sleeping arrangements, communal showers, no drink packages and of course no excursions!!”

While the details about what cruise ship was involved have not been given in this case, this kind of behavior typically results in a lifetime ban from the cruise line.

Just last month I wrote about the fact that Norwegian Cruise Line truly does own the Hawaii cruise market. But with a storm barreling down on the islands this weekend, the cruise line has had to make some adjustments to keep everyone safe.

Both Norwegian Spirit and Pride of America have been impacted by the storm, and passengers for one sailing were given the option to end the cruise early or stay on the ship for some extra sea days.

According to recent reports from the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Lala is currently approaching the islands with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, pushing tropical-storm-force winds out as far as 205 miles from its center.

A Hurricane Warning was issued for the Big Island as the storm made its closest approach, dumping between 10 to 20 inches of rain and bringing heavy surf across the region.

Hawaii isn’t used to these types of storms. Direct hits like this are surprisingly rare as the islands have several natural barriers such as volcanic mountains and cooler water temperatures surrounding them.

So, when a rare storm like Lala does roll in, operating two cruise ships in the area requires some last-minute changes.

NCL has had to cancel a few ports in Hawaii including scheduled calls in Hilo and Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, as well as shortening visits to Kauai.

Here is how NCL navigated the situation with both Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit and what the line officially told guests.

NCL’s Letter to Guests

According to travel outlets like Travel Pulse, NCL reached out to passengers on Pride of America (The Hawaii staple) about the storm’s development with the following message:

“A developing tropical storm in the Central Pacific, southeast of the Hawaiian Islands, is expected to bring strong winds and challenging conditions to the region, resulting in the potential closure of the Port of Honolulu. To ensure we can safely arrive in Honolulu ahead of these anticipated restrictions, Pride of America will depart Nawiliwili on August 13, 2026, and proceed to Honolulu where we intend to remain until 5:00 pm local time on August 14, 2026.”

Extra Options for Norwegian Spirit Passengers

But for the cruise line’s second ship that also happened to be in Hawaii, some other options were given. Norwegian Spirit was on a 17-day sailing from Vancouver to Honolulu. The ship was supposed to conclude its voyage in Honolulu on August 16, 2026.

The ship skipped its final scheduled stops in Hilo and Kona on the Big Island to outrun the storm. Spirit docked early in Honolulu on Thursday, where NCL gave passengers these two choices:

• Disembark Early: Guests could leave the ship in Honolulu on Thursday to lock in earlier flights or Waikiki hotels. NCL provided a prorated refund equivalent to two daily cruise rates for those stepping off early.
• Stay On Board for Bonus Sea Days: Passengers who chose to stay on board got two extra days at sea as the ship headed back out to open water well southwest of Oahu to wait out the storm. In addition to staying on the ship through the original Sunday disembarkation date, these guests received onboard credit to compensate for the missed port calls.

According to reports from Cruise Radio, around 200 guests opted to disembark early while the rest enjoyed some extra time on the 2,000-passenger vessel.

Hilo and Kailua-Kona were the two ports canceled on the Norwegian Spirit sailing. While the extra sea days still make the duration the same (as the cruise will conclude in Honolulu on the same date), it does mean more time on the ship compared to getting off on August 13. Spirit is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on August 16.

Personally, I’ll take extra sea days and some onboard credit to boot any day of the week. One Reddit user who is on board said it this way, 

“We got to Honolulu yesterday morning and were given two options: get off the ship early on Friday, or stay on board while the ship rides out the storm at sea and disembark on Sunday. We chose to stay on board. Better to be safe at sea with food and drinks than trapped in a Waikiki hotel room with no power.”

Pride of America guests were offered a similar option to step off early in Honolulu on Friday or stay on board as the ship returned to deeper water to ride out the weather before Sunday’s final disembarkation.