Passengers on a Norwegian cruise stranded on an African island were left stranded after boarding was delayed by more than an hour, according to reports.
The cruise line said eight passengers, including six Americans and two Australians, were on a private tour of Sao Tome but missed the call for all to gather at 3pm on Friday.
A spokesperson for the cruise line initially told Sky News that the group was delayed by more than an hour, and the New York Post confirmed that.
“If they are more than an hour late for the full 3pm embarkation time, as per protocol, their passports will be held for collection when they return to the port from their private tour (not organized by us). was placed with a local port official,” a cruise line spokesperson told the Post.
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The photo shows a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Passengers who recently traveled to Africa said their cruise line left them stranded there. (Getty Images)
If passengers on an excursion or private tour are delayed, it is the cruise line’s right to depart on time.
Two members of the group, South Carolina couple Jay and Jill Campbell, said in a news interview that their tour guide was late and could not get them back to the ship in time for Friday.
The boat was still in sight of the island and the coast guard escorted the group to the ship, but the captain refused them entry.
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A cruise line spokesperson said: “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 communications, and posted immediately prior to disembarkation.” Stated.
Gill said in an interview Tuesday morning that cruise lines “adhered to the rules too strictly.” today’s show.
“I really feel like they’re forgetting that they’re people who work in the hospitality industry and the safety and well-being of their customers should be their number one priority,” Gill said, adding that crew members “There is a basic duty of care,” he said. Forgotten. ”
Jill and Jay Campbell, both from South Carolina, were among eight passengers stranded on Norwegian Cruise Line after they all missed the call to board. (Jill and Jay Campbell)
The Campbells said Norwegian Cruise Line secured the group’s passports as part of the process, but did not take vital medical supplies, cash or other belongings.
The group also includes a paraplegic, a man with heart disease, and a pregnant Delaware woman and her husband.
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“If a guest does not return to the ship after the full boarding time, the passport will be delivered to the local port official and collected upon return,” the company said.
Eight stranded passengers chased the ship through several countries before finally catching up and boarding the ship by Wednesday morning, Norwegian Cruise Line told Fox News Digital.
The company has recently come under fire from passengers who say they were stranded on an African island. (Reuters/Gary Cameron)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Campbells to get answers to additional questions from Norwegian Cruise Line, including an unrelated incident in which an elderly woman had to disembark for medical reasons. He said he is working towards this.
Julie Lenkov, 80, suffered a stroke during the trip and may have had a heart attack, and the cruise company believed it was in her best interest to send her to a local clinic on Sao Tome Island. said.
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But family members said the cruise line did not call Lenkov’s emergency contact number and abandoned him.
At that time, the Campbells learned that she was on the same island and took her under their care.
“They are heroes,” Lenkov’s son-in-law, Kurt Giese, told Fox News Digital about the Campbells. “They saved our mother.”
Julie Lenkov was smiling before being taken off a Norwegian cruise on an African island due to a medical emergency and left stranded there. (Facebook)
The South Carolina couple helped Lenkov contact his family in the United States, and Lenkov ended up taking a 30-hour flight from Sao Tome to Lisbon, Portugal, Toronto, and Stanford Hospital in California. You can even survive. ”
She has since been admitted to Stanford Hospital, where she is receiving ongoing treatment, Giese said.
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Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement to FOX News Digital on Tuesday that both unrelated incidents were “very unfortunate circumstances.”
