Eight cruise passengers stranded in Sao Tome and Principe had to hurry to rejoin their cruise ship.
The passengers, including a pregnant woman and a paraplegic traveler, disembarked from Norwegian Dawn to join a local tour before arriving in time for a scheduled departure from Sao Tome Island in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250 kilometers off the coast of Gabon. There wasn’t.
Another passenger in his 80s was receiving emergency treatment on the island, causing him to miss the ship.
The ship, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, departed Cape Town on March 20 for a three-week cruise to Barcelona and arrived in Sao Tome on Wednesday morning.
The group’s private day trip on the island took place after hours, and despite the efforts of the local coast guard to drive the group to the ship before sailing that afternoon, the captain refused to allow late guests to board. There wasn’t.
Jill and Jay Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, described the time they arrived late and tried to board the ship.
“We’ve never experienced anything like this before,” Jill Campbell said. ABC4 News.
“The harbor master tried to call the ship, but the master refused the call. I sent an email to NCL, the NCL customer service emergency number. They said, ‘The only contact with the ship is The way to do it is to send an email, but they’re not responding to our emails,”’ Jay Campbell added.
“The captain could have easily made the decision to turn one of the tenders back, pick us up, safely load our cargo, and then leave.”
The traveler’s passport was returned through port authorities. The group reportedly included two Australians who had to leave their medicine, bank cards and other belongings on board. The Campbells said they were the only members of the group with Visa cards and paid more than $5,000 to reach the ship.
They were aiming to reboard Norwegian Dawn in Gambia the following Sunday, but low tide prevented them from berthing as planned. The cruise line said the group traveled through six countries before finally meeting up with the ship in Dakar, Senegal, the last West African port of the trip.
“We looked at a van for eight people, including a quadriplegic woman,” said Jay Campbell. told ABC15. He explained that to get into Senegal we would have to take a ferry and from there it would be a four hour drive.
Australians Doug and Violeta Sanders were among the stranded passengers.
Violeta Saunders told Seven’s Sunrise program: “Being left like this in a strange country where you don’t speak the language is the worst experience of your life.”
“I don’t have any money, so I can’t use a credit card.”
The 21-day cruise is scheduled to end in Barcelona on April 10th.
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said this was a “very unfortunate situation” and that it was passengers’ responsibility to return to the ship at least one hour before scheduled departure.
Sydney travel lawyer Anthony Coldato said passengers should be aware of the ship’s tight schedule.
“Conditions will make it imperative that we return to the ship on time,” he said.
“It’s tough from a consumer perspective, but from a ship perspective, are you going to postpone your cruise for an hour or two just because you boarded late?” 1,000 passengers for four people Are you going to cause trouble? ”
The cruise line said all eight passengers have returned to the ship.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “On the afternoon of March 27, 2024, while the ship was calling at the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, eight guests who were on a private tour not organized by the company missed the ship. ” he said. The last tender returns to the ship, missing the full embarkation time of 3:00 PM local time. Although this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring that they return to the ship at the published time, which is widely communicated over the ship’s intercom, communicated in daily print, and immediately before leaving the ship. will be posted on.
“If a guest did not return to the ship at boarding time, following normal procedures, the passport was delivered to the local port agent and collected upon return to port. Our team will ensure that the next available We have worked closely with local authorities to understand the requirements and required visas to re-board the ship at the following ports of call. Given failure to return to the ship in time, it is the guest’s responsibility to make the necessary travel arrangements to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call in accordance with our protocols.
“The eight guests made arrangements to rejoin the ship in Banjul, Gambia on April 1, 2024, but unfortunately due to inclement weather and tidal restrictions that required specific timing for safe navigation. As a result, the ship was unable to safely dock at its destination. We share your disappointment, but this change was made with the safety of our customers and crew as our top priority. We have contacted these eight of her guests regarding adjustments to this itinerary and have given them permission to re-board the ship in Dakar, Senegal on April 2, 2024.
“Despite a series of unfortunate events beyond our control, we will reimburse these eight guests for their travel expenses from Banjul, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal. As of this morning, guests All eight people have returned to the ship.”
