Departure missed!
Cruise ship leaves tourists behind on island
An American couple's planned dream vacation turned out to be a real nightmare just a few days after their trip began. Jill and Jay Campbell and seven other tourists were simply left behind by their cruise ship during a land tour organized by the shipping company on the coast of Africa.
The Campbells were on a 21-day cruise organized by Norwegian Cruise Line for eight days, starting in South Africa and ending on the island of São Tomé. On the ninth day of their journey, they decided to briefly leave the Norwegian Dawn for a tour on land.
Cruise ship denied boarding to tourists
However, there was an accident during the tour and the couple and seven other passengers were brought back to the port late - "more than an hour late" according to the cruise line. The ship had already set sail by then. Despite intervention by the coast guard, the cruise ship refused to take the desperate tourists back on board with dinghies.
"We were waiting for the dinghies to come back and pick us up, but they didn't come back, so we were stranded here," reports Jay.
The problem: apart from Jay and Jill, none of the stranded people had any money or a credit card with them. Medication, vaccination and passport certificates etc. had also been left on board. According to Campbell, the stranded tourists included elderly people, including a heart patient and a pregnant woman. The delay had occurred because one woman (80) had suffered a concussion during the tour - sponsored by the shipping company - and needed medical treatment.
Shipping company: Passengers are to blame
In a statement sent to "WMBF News" on Saturday, the shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line explained that the passengers were left on the island "on their own" because they did not get back on board in time.
Those stranded must return to The Gambia at their own expense
"While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for returning to the ship at the estimated time, which is generally announced over the ship's intercom and in daily communications and posted just prior to leaving the ship," a spokesperson for the cruise line said. Those left behind would have to make their own arrangements to reach the ship's next port of call in The Gambia in time.
Passports and visas handed over to tourists
Despite the problems, the forgotten passengers are confident that they will be able to complete their journey. Their passports were handed over by the shipping company to the local authorities and finally to the stranded passengers. "We paid a lot for this trip to Africa, so we hope to make it through the rest of the journey and arrive in Spain," said Jay.
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