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“We waited for the tender boats to come back to pick us up. But they didn’t come back – so we’re stranded here,” said American Jay Campbell. He, his wife Jill, four other Americans and two Australians experienced pure cruise horror.
The holiday guests went on a 21-day cruise through Africa with “Norwegian Cruise”. The fun ended on day eight in a small island nation off the coast of Africa, in São Tomé and Principe.
Among those left behind were a pregnant woman, a paralyzed woman and an elderly man with a heart condition. They were all stranded on the island on March 27 without documents, medicines or suitcases. But they were not entirely innocent.
Island tour took too long
“We were touring the island but had a problem during the tour. They didn’t get us back on time,” Campbell told TV station WMBF News. The departure time stated by the ship was 3:00 PM. But the tour dragged on. “We thought we were really out of time and the tour guide said, ‘No problem, we can get you back in an hour’.” He then allegedly informed the ship of the delay, but that did not achieve much.
When the guests arrived at the port, the ship was still there. According to Campbell, the captain refused to let the passengers on board. “He could easily have decided to turn one of the dinghies around, pick us up and then continue sailing. The next day there was no port planned, they were just at sea,” complains Campbell.
Second boarding attempt goes wrong
He and his wife were the only passengers with credit cards. They had to pay about $5,000 for food and shelter for anyone left behind. There were also costs for the onward journey. Because the Crusaders didn’t want to give up. Despite health restrictions and a lack of vaccination documents, the passengers managed to fly to Gambia, where the ship stopped on Easter Sunday.
After a 15-hour journey through six countries, the following malfunction occurred: the ship could not moor due to low tide. The trip was free. Now the group wants to try to target a port in Senegal. “We paid a lot for this trip to Africa, so we hope to make it through the rest of this trip and end up in Spain,” said Campbell.
To do this, passengers have to make another complicated journey – basically by ferry and bus. Only: the ferry should not be working at the moment. It remains unclear whether the trip with a replacement boat will be a success.
Company shows no remorse
The cruise line shows little compassion. In a statement, the company said: “Eight guests, traveling alone or on a private tour, missed the last tender back to the ship. Although this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for returning to the ship on time. If guests do not arrive on time, their passports will be handed over to local port agents for collection upon return to the port.”
The company is currently working “closely” with local port agents to onboard guests at the next port of call. (Mrs)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
