Dancers from kumu hula Moana Chang perform today as the 12-story Pride of Aloha cruise ship arrives at Pier 9 in Honolulu. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

The newly refurbished and rechristened ship — entwined plumeria and orchid lei gaily painted along either side — is here to launch the Norwegian Cruise Line's new seven-day interisland itinerary.

It is NCL's first U.S.-flagged ship. Only American flag ships are allowed to cruise solely within American waters; NCL secured an exemption to federal maritime law to make the new schedule possible. It's expected to appeal more to local cruisers as well as travelers with no interest in visiting Fanning Island, formerly a mandatory part of the NCL Isle cruise schedule.

A gala overnight charity cruise is set for tomorrow and the official maiden voyage departs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

As the ship slid into view, kumu hula Moana Chang stepped to the microphone to call "Alooooooha to you on the Pride of Aloha," and a faint response could be heard from a smattering of passengers on their starboard-side balconies. The youngest of Chang's mo'opuna were lined up in front of their hula dancing 'ohana holding wooden cutouts that looked suspiciously like the ones that were a standard feature of the old Kodak Hula Show, spelling out the word A-L-O-H-A.

"This is turning out really well," said Leonard Adams, bustling around handing out plumeria lei. Adams is pier coordinator for the all-volunteer Aloha Boat Days Committee, which greets all the cruise ships that visit Honolulu. The committee had laid on something a little special for this momentous if achingly early occasion at 6 a.m.

The committee usually musters a smattering of faithful retirees to stand and slowly wave at the ship and a trio of musicians with a couple of hula girls.

But this morning, there were the pu blowers (visiting Chang grandsons from Los Angeles), the ALOHA sign and — although the Changs routinely perform, they don't usually bring along enough aunties, uncles, son, daughters, in-laws and grandchildren to stage a family reunion — 24 performers in bright red costumes and a number of supporting cast milling around in the back, holding the babies and getting breakfast ready.

As the ship spun around to present its stern to Pier 11 — and what a job of parallel parking that is — Ron Hopper clutched a cell phone to his ear and gazed upward as though to try and locate someone on board. He was talking to his son, Robert, 19, a galley worker, for the first time in 4› months. "I am so happy they're back, it's been hard (to be out of touch). I hope he's going to get the whole day off; he said they worked 100 hours last week," said Hopper.

He was among a number of O'ahu folk who were hoping to spend at least part of the Fourth of July weekend with NCL workers who have been rehearsing for this voyage for months, having joined the ship in California, where shakedown cruises took place.

By 7:01, just a minute off schedule, the ship was tied up, and the Changs were quickly gulping down a few doughnuts preparatory to yet another special feature of the morning: a lei greeting inside the terminal for the first passengers off.

The routine itinerary will take the Pride from Honolulu each Sunday evening to Nawiliwili in Kaua'i, then to Hilo and Kona on Hawai'i and finally to Kahului, Maui, before returning to Honolulu each Sunday morning.