Princess Cruises Cancels Kauai Port Call on Ruby Princess
Princess Cruises announced the cancellation of the Ruby Princess cruise ship’s scheduled port call at Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The 16-night Hawaiian Islands cruise departing from San Francisco will instead extend its stay in Honolulu, Hawaii, giving passengers an additional overnight on the island’s capital.
The original plan had the Ruby Princess docking at Nawiliwili from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 22, before heading to Honolulu on September 23. The ship’s new schedule adjusts its Honolulu arrival to 8 a.m. on September 22, allowing guests nearly 40 hours at port before the departure remains
set for 7 a.m. on September 23.
Hurricane Lowell Causes Infrastructure Damage and Power Outages on Kauai
The port call cancellation follows significant damage on Kauai resulting from Hurricane Lowell, which impacted the island late Monday night and early Tuesday morning before the ship’s scheduled stop. Although the storm peaked as a Category 5 system, it weakened to Category 2 as it passed the Hawaiian Islands.
Over 91% of Kauai’s power distribution was knocked out, leaving more than 30,000 residents without electricity as of September 16, 2026. The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative is focusing on restoring the transmission system and distribution network, with COO Brad Rockwell noting that work is
aimed at completing transmission repairs within two days to begin distribution circuit restoration by week’s end.
Schedule Adjustments and Passenger Notifications
Guests on the Ruby Princess were informed of the itinerary change by Princess Cruises, which confirmed the Kauai stop would be skipped due to Hurricane Lowell’s impact. Shore excursions booked through the cruise line for the Kauai visit are automatically canceled and refunded to passengers. Other port calls on the 16-night roundtrip voyage remain unaffected.
Official Statements from Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and Princess Cruises
Brad Rockwell, COO of Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative, stated, “We were pleased that some restoration could be made today, but unfortunately the majority of our members remain without power.”
He added, “Our efforts [over] the next two days will focus on completing these transmission system repairs. If all goes well, we can complete that work and shift to repairing distribution circuits by the end of this week, if not earlier.”
Princess Cruises confirmed the vessel’s extended call in Honolulu, revising the arrival time on September 22 and maintaining the planned departure on September 23, to accommodate the change caused by the hurricane.
Impact on Travelers and Cruise Industry Context
Passengers scheduled to visit Kauai will remain aboard the Ruby Princess while docked in Honolulu. They will experience an extended overnight stay in the city. All Kauai
shore excursions booked through Princess Cruises have been canceled and refunded, requiring adjustments to travel plans for affected passengers.
Hurricane impacts on cruise itineraries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean are rare. Earlier in August 2026, Hurricane Lala forced itinerary changes for other cruise ships such as Pride of America and Norwegian Spirit due to the Port of Honolulu closure. The 2026 Kauai disruption marks the first hurricane to directly affect the island since 1992.
