Passengers of the Pride of America from Norwegian Cruise Line docked in Hilo were expected to return to the harbor for a departure time of 6 p.m. Once the state of Hawaii declared a state of emergency due to the tsunami at approximately 2:45 p.m., the cruise liner had to abruptly set sail at 4 p.m.

The kids are just terrified on the ship, and the communication is not great," said one stranded passenger on TikTok