PHOTO: Hawaiians and tourists alike have been preparing for Tropical Storm Guillermo. (Courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority)
Hawaiians and tourists were anxiously scanning the skies, but it looks like the islands will miss the worst of Tropical Storm Guillermo.
Once a hurricane, Guillermo was downgraded early Tuesday, but is still expected to bring heavy rains, high winds, high surf and possible flash floods starting early Wednesday morning.
A tropical storm watch was in effect for Hawaii County and Maui County, including the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. At mid-morning Tuesday, Guillermo was about 420 miles east of Hilo and 610 miles east of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority urged hotels and industry partners "to check that your crisis plans are current to ensure the safety of our visitors as well as your employees." It also recommended that visitors download the Travel Safety Brochure from its Travel Smart Hawaii website.
Norwegian Cruise Line adjusted the itinerary of the Pride of America to call on Nawiliwili, Kauai, today, Aug. 4, where it will overnight and depart early Aug. 5 to sail past the Napali coast for Hilo, arriving on Aug. 6. The ship will visit Kona on Aug. 7 and arrive in Honolulu as scheduled on Aug. 8.
Stewart Chiron, a cruise retailer and industry pundit known as The Cruise Guy, is on the Pride of America.
"The weather has been nice so far," he told TravelPulse in an email. "Seas have had a typical Pacific Ocean chop but nothing unusual. This is a prime example of the advantages of cruising during hurricane season in that itineraries can be adjusted to ensure passenger and ship safety and comfort. We're going to be far enough away from the storm that I don't expect much of an impact at this point. Based on storm's track, I think NCL erred on side of caution, which was a prudent decision. While it caused some inconveniences, it ensured better weather for the remainder of the cruise."
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