Does the NCL Pride of America Still Cruise Alongside the Big Island Volcano

In 2008 I was on the NCL POA and one of the highlights for me was cruising past the Big Island Volcano and seeing the lava flow at night.

I will be on this cruise again next month, but from the looks of the itinerary that is posted online we will not be cruising past the volcano. Hopefully this is not the case.

Either way is fine, but I did look forward to seeing that lava flow again.

So....for those of you who have been on the NCL/POA lately, what's the scoop?

You will sail by. However what you see depends on Madam Pele.

The volcano has been erupting continuously since 1984. But you can't always see lava flows.

Starboard

This was the highlight of my cruise too. I still remember seeing it at dusk. Very cool. It's stuff like this that makes cruising so cool.

We sailed by it around 11 pm so it was pitch black. They had turned off all of the ships outside lighting. At first I thought I was seeing car lights on the side of the volcano in the distance through my binoculars. It dawned on me that I was looking at lava! Very memorable cruise moment for sure.

Depends on where the lava is flowing. December 2015 it wasn't so we went north around the island.

We sailed by it around 11 pm so it was pitch black. They had turned off all of the ships outside lighting. At first I thought I was seeing car lights on the side of the volcano in the distance through my binoculars. It dawned on me that I was looking at lava! Very memorable cruise moment for sure.

You were seeing Madam Pele driving her fire red ferrari to the beach party and the Hawaiian road crew paving

the road in iridescent red with occasional white dashed center lines. The fiery beach party was some splashing

event that seems to continuously explode with each arriving vehicle making its own new parking space.

I would guess that the scenic passage on the south end of the Big Island would be subject to weather and winds

pushing clouds of volcanic ash into the path of the POA - safety concerns toxic fumes and ash blowing Makai

(toward the sea) not suitable for passage and blowing Mauka (toward land) best.

The sailing distance from Hilo to Kona is pretty much the same either way.

Videos of the event are available in just about all the tourist hot spots - but being there is the moment !

We sailed in March, and yes they did. They turned off all the lights as we passed. It was great!

If there is lava flowing you will sail by the volcano, if no lava, you might go the other direction.

Depends on where the lava is flowing. December 2015 it wasn't so we went north around the island.

Correct. If the lava is not flowing, they sail around the other side of the island. You can find out if the lava is flowing here:

https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm