Eight Norwegian passengers, including a pregnant woman and an elderly man suffering from a heart condition, claim they were stranded on an African island without money and vital medicines after the ship left port without them.
Jill and Jay Campbell, from South Carolina, said they were stuck on the central African island of Sao Tome with four other American passengers and two Australians after the ship's captain refused to let them on board. According to WMBF.
But a spokesperson for the cruise line claimed passengers were left on the island “alone or on a private tour” and lost “the entire cruise time”.
“Guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the announced time, which is widely communicated via the ship's intercom system, in daily communication and published just before exiting the ship,” the spokesperson said.
The Campbell family admitted there was a “problem” with their island tour, and that the guide “did not get us back” to the ship in time on Friday.
“We were saying our time was very short, and they were saying: 'No problem, we can have you back in an hour,'” Jay recounted telling the tour guide.
He said the tour operators then called the cruise ship's captain to let them know they would be delayed.
When they arrived at port, Campbell said the ship was still anchored, and the island's Coast Guard took them by boat to a ship to get back on board.
The captain allegedly refused to allow them to board the plane.
“The captain could have made an easy decision to bring one of the tender boats back, pick us up, load us safely and then move on,” Campbell said.
“They had no port to call at the next day, and were simply heading out to sea.”
They and others — including a couple from Delaware, a paralyzed man and an elderly man with a heart condition — were stranded on the island without any of their belongings from the cabin, including money, medicine and necessary travel documents.
The Campbells were the only ones who had a Visa card on their person, and had to pay more than $5,000 for food, toiletries and hotels for the group, they told WRAL.
In an updated statement on Saturday, a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson noted, “Guests are responsible for any travel costs necessary to join the ship at the next available port of call.”
Knowing this, the group planned to travel to Gambia in West Africa to meet the cruise ship in port on Sunday.
They then spent 15 hours traveling through six countries to reach port on Easter, only to discover the ship could not dock due to low tides. According to WPDE.
The passengers are now heading to a port in Senegal, where the ship is scheduled to dock on Tuesday.
But doing so will not be easy.
“What we looked at was some sort of truck transport of eight people, including the paralyzed woman, who was driving out of here,” Jay told WPDE.
He added: “We have to cross the ferry to reach Senegal.” “We had just learned from the gentleman that the ferry wasn't running, but he said, 'No problem, if the ferry isn't running, we'll get another small boat and then take a car on the other side.'
“Once we reach the other side of Senegal, it will take another four hours by car.”
However, Jay said the trip was worth it.
“We paid a lot for this trip to Africa, so hopefully we can make the rest of this trip and end up in Spain,” he told WBMF.
In its updated statement on Saturday, a Norwegian spokesperson said they are “in contact with guests” and are working “closely with local authorities to understand the requirements and visas needed if guests are to rejoin the ship next.” Available communication port.”
The Post also reached out to Norwegian Cruise Lines for comment.
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