NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line's ship Pride of America will restart service on April 9, 2022.
The only major US-flagged cruise ship is scheduled to operate 7-day year-round voyages from Honolulu (Oahu Island, Hawaii) as she did before the COVID crisis.
However, during the start-up phase, the vessel will operate with a lower passenger capacity than usual. The number of crew members onboard has also been reduced, which results in limited dining options. Moderno Churrascaria and Teppanyaki will be closed until further notice. Skyline Main Dining Room will be closed for breakfast and lunch. All other dining venues and facilities will operate as usual.
NCL has not yet revealed how long the restrictions on Pride of America would apply. In any case, the lower number of crew is probably due to the fact that the crew members flying the US flag may consist of US citizens and permanent residents of the U.S., and is therefore expensive and not easy to recruit.
While not the first cruise ship to start sailings to Hawaii, Pride of America is the first liner to offer Hawaii-based voyages. Pride of America's 7-day itineraries feature calls in Kahului (Maui), Hilo, Nawiliwili (Kaua'i), before sailing back to Honolulu.
Pride of America is the only large liner to comply with the USA's Passenger Vessel Services Act. The law states that a ship carrying passengers between two American ports must be USA-flagged and all American-crewed. If a ship doesn't comply with this rule, it must visit at least one non-US port on each voyage.