WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida family is on edge after their cruise ship was given the go-ahead to sail as a major hurricane approaches Hawaii.
The Alos family was hoping to cruise the Hawaiian islands aboard the Norwegian Pride of America ship this weekend.
The problem is major Hurricane Lane, which is barreling toward the state, has them wanting to avoid the region.
“It was supposed to be our family bonding together, going to Hawaii,” Mario Alos said. “We’ve never been there. We really thought this was going to be a special moment. It’s incredibly frightening for my wife and my daughter.”
That moment turned into a nightmare, so they’re trying to adjust. The family still wants to cruise with Norwegian but on a different ship.
The cruise line, however, rejected their request.
“They said that there’s no reason because it’s business as usual,” Alos said.
The ship is still scheduled to sail and a spokesperson with the company said they have modified the ship’s itinerary during the days the storm poses the most risk.
That’s the cruise before the Alos family is scheduled to board.
Hawaii is just outside the cone of uncertainty and the eye of the storm is forecasted to be past the port of call by Saturday. High winds and heavy rains are already being felt across the area.
Islanders are frantically getting ready for the worst.
“We saw that its coming nearer than we thought to Oahu, so we’re trying to prepare,” a resident said.
The cruise line said they are monitoring the storm, and if anything changes they’ll update passengers, but for the Alos family, that’s not enough.
“Even though they are in our community, they don’t really get it,” Alos said. “They don’t understand really what a hurricane and the kind of damage that it can bring.”
Flights are still able to go in and out of the islands, and the family has until 3:30 p.m., Friday to decide if they will get on a plane to start heading west — or stay home in South Florida.
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