Eight cruise passengers had to scramble to rejoin their cruise ship after being left behind in São Tomé and Príncipe.
The passengers, including a pregnant woman and a paraplegic passenger, missed their scheduled departure from the island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, about 250 kilometers off the coast of Gabon, after disembarking from the Norwegian Dawn to join a local tour.
It was reported that another passenger in his 80s was late for the ship due to receiving emergency medical treatment on the island.
The ship, operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines, arrived in São Tome on Wednesday morning after leaving Cape Town on March 20 for a three-week cruise to Barcelona.
The group’s private day trips around the island ran overtime, and the captain refused to allow late guests to board despite the efforts of the local coast guard, who directed the group to the ship before departing in the afternoon.
Jill and Jay Campbell of Garden City, South Carolina, described trying to board the ship after arriving late.
“We’ve never had an experience like this before,” Jill Campbell told ABC4 News.
“The harbor master tried to search the ship, but the captain refused to search. We emailed NCL, which is the NCL customer service emergency number. “They said, ‘The only way we can contact the ship is to email them, they’re not responding to our emails,'” Jay Campbell added.
“The captain could have made the easy decision to turn away one of the tender boats to pick us up, load us safely and then continue on our way.”
The passengers’ passports were returned to them through port authorities. The group, which reportedly included two Australians, had to leave their medication, bank cards and other belongings on board. The Campbell family said they were the only members of the group with a Visa card and paid more than $5,000 to access the ship.
They aimed to re-board Norwegian Dawn in Gambia the following Sunday, but low tides prevented the ship’s planned stop. The group reportedly toured six countries and met up with the ship in Dakar, Senegal, the final West African port visit of the cruise, according to the cruise line.
“What we were looking at was some type of minibus transport for eight people, including the paralyzed woman,” Jay Campbell told ABC15. He explained that he had to take a ferry to get to Senegal, and then it was a four-hour journey.
Australians Doug and Violeta Sanders were among the stranded passengers.
“Being abandoned like that in a foreign country, not being able to speak the language, was the worst experience of our lives,” Violeta Sanders told Seven’s Sunrise programme.
“We have no money, our credit cards are not accepted.”
The 21-day journey will end in Barcelona on April 10.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said this was a “very unfortunate situation” and that it was the passenger’s responsibility to return to the ship no later than an hour before the ship’s scheduled departure time.
Sydney travel lawyer Anthony Cordato said passengers had to adhere to the ships’ tight schedules.
“Terms and conditions will dictate a timely return to the ship,” he said.
“From a consumer’s perspective, it’s difficult, but from a ship’s perspective, are you going to delay the trip by an hour or two because they’re slow to get on board? Are you going to disturb 1000 passengers for the sake of four people?
The cruise line said all eight guests rejoined the ship.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “On the afternoon of 27 March 2024, while the ship was in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, eight guests who were on the island on a private tour not organized through us missed out on the final offer sent back to the ship, so The boarding time of 15:00 local time cannot be observed. While this is quite unfortunate, guests are responsible for ensuring that they return to the ship at the published time, which is widely announced in daily written communication via the ship’s internal communications system and announced immediately prior to disembarkation.
“Since the guests did not return during the time they boarded the ship, their passports were handed over to local port agencies to be taken back when they returned to the port, in accordance with the normal protocol. Our team works closely with local authorities to understand the requirements and required visas for guests to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call. Given that these guests are on a private tour and do not return to the ship for the advertised time on board, they are responsible for travel arrangements necessary to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call per our protocol.
“While eight guests made arrangements to rejoin the ship in Banjul, Gambia on April 1, 2024, unfortunately the ship was unable to safely dock at its destination due to adverse weather conditions and tidal restrictions requiring special timing for safe passage. Our guests are disappointed While we share this change, this change is made with their safety and that of our crew in mind, which is our top priority. We have contacted these eight guests regarding this itinerary adjustment and have given them permission to rejoin the ship in Dakar, Senegal, on April 2, 2024.
“Despite a series of unfortunate events beyond our control, we will cover the travel expenses of these eight guests from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal. As of this morning, all eight guests have rejoined the ship.”