NORWEGIAN SPIRIT
April 25, 2023 | Kona, Hawaii
Day 2 of our 16-night Fire & Ice cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit (Norwegian Cruise Line) brought us to Kona, Hawaii, on April 25, 2023. Our first port after leaving Honolulu introduced the western coast of Hawaii Island, before the voyage continued to Kauai, Maui and Hilo and then crossed the Pacific to Alaska.
Our visit to Kona on April 25, 2023, was Day 2 of our 16-night Fire & Ice cruise aboard Norwegian Spirit. We had embarked in Honolulu the previous day, beginning a voyage that combined Hawaiian island visits, a five-day Pacific crossing and Alaska before concluding in Vancouver on May 10.
Kailua-Kona lies on the western coast of Hawaii Island, commonly known as the Big Island. The town’s waterfront, historic royal sites and sheltered bay give the port a character distinct from Honolulu. Kona is a tender port, where cruise passengers travel between their ship and the shore in smaller boats rather than walking directly onto a cruise pier.
Norwegian Spirit was approaching her twenty-fifth year in service during this journey. Originally built as SuperStar Leo for Star Cruises, she had sailed under her Norwegian name since 2004 and undergone an extensive modernization in 2020. These photographs record the opening Hawaiian portion of our voyage, long before the ship reached the glaciers and mountain-lined waterways of Alaska.
Information List
Name: Norwegian Spirit
Former Name: SuperStar Leo
Operator During This Voyage: Norwegian Cruise Line
Original Operator: Star Cruises
Class: Leo class
Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany
Entered Service: 1998
Renamed Norwegian Spirit: 2004
Major Modernization: 2020
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 75,904 GT
Length Overall: Approximately 880 feet / 268 meters
Guest Capacity: Approximately 2,000 at double occupancy
IMO Number: 9141065
Cruise: Our 16-night Fire & Ice voyage from Honolulu to Vancouver
Cruise Dates: April 24–May 10, 2023
Embarkation Port: Honolulu, Hawaii
Disembarkation Port: Vancouver, British Columbia
Cruise Day: Day 2
Gallery Date: April 25, 2023
Gallery Location: Kona, Hawaii
Island: Hawaii Island / Big Island
Port Access: Tender service to Kailua-Kona
Previous Port: Honolulu, Oahu
Following Port: Kauai
History and Features
Built as SuperStar Leo:
Norwegian Spirit entered service in 1998 as SuperStar Leo, built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
She was the first vessel in the Leo class, developed for Star Cruises’ Asian market.
Her sister ship, SuperStar Virgo, followed with a related design.
The original arrangement included a tall central atrium, extensive restaurants and entertainment venues, and outdoor passenger facilities.
Her later Norwegian Cruise Line career carried a ship originally associated with Asia into a much wider range of destinations.
Transfer to Norwegian Cruise Line:
In 2004, SuperStar Leo transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line and became Norwegian Spirit.
The change brought a new name, branding and deployment pattern while retaining the ship’s original structure.
Subsequent refurbishments adapted her passenger spaces to Norwegian’s evolving onboard offerings.
At approximately 76,000 gross tons, she belongs to a smaller generation of cruise ship than the company’s later Breakaway and Prima classes.
Her scale and history distinguish her from ships designed around the much larger recreational complexes introduced in later decades.
The 2020 Modernization:
An extensive renovation took place in Marseille, France, in early 2020.
The approximately $100 million project involved staterooms, dining venues and public areas throughout the ship.
Changes included new and updated restaurants, refreshed accommodation and an expanded Mandara Spa.
Spinnaker Lounge and the adults-only Spice H2O retreat were among the venues introduced through the modernization.
By our April 2023 cruise, the ship combined her original Leo-class structure with this substantially revised interior and outdoor arrangement.
Dining, Lounges and Life Aboard:
Windows is one of the ship’s main dining rooms, with large windows forming a defining part of the space.
The Local Bar & Grill provides an informal dining alternative.
Onda by Scarpetta forms part of the specialty dining selection introduced during the ship’s modernization.
Spinnaker Lounge offers panoramic views from an indoor setting.
These venues provided the onboard setting for a journey that would move from short passages between Hawaiian islands to consecutive days on the open Pacific.
Kailua-Kona and the Waterfront:
Kailua-Kona is a historic seaside town on the Kona coast of Hawaii Island.
Alii Drive follows the waterfront through an area containing shops, restaurants and important historic sites.
King Kamehameha I spent his later years at Kamakahonu, near Kailua Pier.
Nearby landmarks include Ahuena Heiau, Hulihee Palace and Mokuaikaua Church.
Hulihee Palace, built in 1838, served as a vacation residence for Hawaiian royalty and later became a museum.
The waterfront connects the town’s present-day visitor activity with its earlier royal and maritime history.
A Tender Port:
Kona differs from ports where a large cruise ship can berth directly alongside a passenger terminal.
Ships remain offshore while smaller tender boats transfer passengers between the vessel and Kailua Pier.
The arrangement places the ship within the wider bay setting rather than immediately beside the town’s buildings.
Tender operations are an important part of the passenger experience at this Hawaiian call.
The port therefore provides a different relationship between ship and shore from the dockside embarkation in Honolulu.
April 25, 2023 – Day 2:
Kona was our first port of call after embarking in Honolulu on April 24.
The published itinerary scheduled a morning arrival and late-afternoon departure.
Our visit took place near the beginning of the Hawaiian portion of the cruise.
Kauai followed on April 26, with Maui on April 27 and Hilo on April 28.
These photographs document Norwegian Spirit during this early stage of the same voyage later recorded in our Alaska galleries.
From Hawaii to Alaska:
Following Hilo, five consecutive sea days carried the ship across the Pacific.
Icy Strait Point on May 4 began the Alaska portion of the voyage.
Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan followed before the final passage to Vancouver.
We disembarked on May 10, completing the 16-night journey.
The Kona gallery records the tropical opening of a voyage whose later destinations would provide the contrasting Alaska setting behind its Fire & Ice name.
OLP Social: Our first port after leaving Honolulu, with visits to Kauai, Maui and Hilo still ahead before the five-day Pacific crossing to Alaska.
