Sun Aug 03 12:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, along with a summary:

**Summary:**

An Illinois family’s Hawaiian vacation was disrupted by a tsunami warning issued after a major earthquake near Russia. The Endres family was touring near Hilo when the warning hit. They rushed back to port but missed their cruise ship. They were stranded for 19 hours, navigating chaotic traffic to reach a shelter. The cruise line eventually returned to port to pick up the stranded passengers and offered them a partial refund and reimbursement for expenses.

**News Article:**

**Illinois Family’s Hawaiian Cruise Turns Chaotic After Tsunami Warning**

VANDALIA, Ill. – What was meant to be a memorable Hawaiian vacation turned into a stressful ordeal for the Endres family of Illinois after a tsunami warning was issued for the islands due to an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia.

Jeff Endres told 5 On Your Side that the family was touring volcanoes near Hilo when the warning was issued. Rushing back to the port, they arrived to find their cruise ship had already departed, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

“There were hundreds and hundreds of people standing there watching the ship sail away,” Endres recounted. “It was very disorganized and there were children crying.”

The family was transported to a local high school gymnasium for safety. “It took us a little over two hours to go 4 miles to higher ground,” Endres said, describing the traffic as a “nightmare.”

After spending approximately 19 hours on shore, including a night sleeping in a bus, the Endres family and other stranded passengers were relieved when the Norwegian Cruise Line ship returned to port to collect them. “The passengers that were on the cruise ship were all on the decks and they started clapping for us,” Endres said.

Despite the chaotic experience, Endres acknowledged that the situation could have been far worse. “I would describe it as a once in a lifetime experience that I hope I never have to go through again,” he said.

The cruise line has offered to refund 20% of the cost of the cruise and reimburse all expenses incurred by the family while stranded. After cancelling several legs of the trip, the ship is now expected to return to its original port in Honolulu on Saturday.

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