Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America recently completed 20 years of cruising for Norwegian Cruise Line.

Originally ordered as part of American Classic Voyages’ Project America, the ship was delivered by the Lloyd Werft shipyard on June 7, 2005.

The ship was part of an ambitious growth plan announced in 1998 by the U.S.-based company that operated under two brands: American Hawaii Cruises and Delta Queen Steamboat Company.

American Classic Voyages was planning to quadruple its passenger capacity in Hawaii by building a series of U.S.-flagged vessels at Litton Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Mississippi.

The first vessel ordered was the soon-to-be Pride of America, which was to be built at a $400-million cost for a 2002 delivery.

Ingalls started working on the 1,900-guest ship before American Classic Voyages filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

Norwegian Cruise Line then took possession of the 70,000-ton vessel, towing it to Germany for completion at the Lloyd Werft shipyard.

The company also revised the ship’s design, enlarging the hull and adding more cabins and suites, as well as additional public areas.

While delivery was initially scheduled for 2004, it had to be postponed due to an incident that saw the vessel partially sink at its berth.

Under the NCL America brand, the Pride of America finally entered service in mid-2005, arriving at its homeport in Honolulu on July 23, 2005.

Following a series of inaugural cruises on both the East and the West Coast, the ship officially kicked off a series of inter-island cruises in Hawaii, which are still being offered.

In 2025, the seven-night itineraries include visits to the ports of Hilo, Kahului, Kailua Kona and Nawiliwili.

The Pride of America underwent a major refurbishment earlier this year, which added new cabins, as well as new features and venues to the vessel.

The drydock was completed in early June and included the debut of a Starbucks, a pickleball court and more.