Saturday, April 20, 2024

Norwegian Cruise captain refused to let eight passengers who were late reboard ship Africa

passengers left by cruise ship

Any parent would always bring their children on a cruise, and even if impossible, for example, on an 18+ cruise such as Virgin Voyages, ensure they are under the care of a suitable and caring adult. The two children, an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were in relatively good health when firefighters entered the apartment, and have since been handed over to a family member. 29-year-old Lakesha Woods Williams was arrested following her return from a cruise that departed from Florida in early April 2024, and which made a call to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean. Typically, if you haven't made it back on board, the crew will take off without you for the sake of time. Of course, like everything in life, there are some exceptions, but if you're thinking of cruising soon, you won't want to rely on getting a good-faith exception. "Watching pier runners is one of my hobbies," wrote one TikTok commenter.

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After all, you and your family aren't the only ones who are impacted by your lateness. On our very first cruise, one of hubby and I's excursions ran long and the boat waited for us. Since then we ONLY book through the ship (even though it's more expensive) or we do our own thing and are back at the boat at least an hour before departure. São Tomé coast guard managed to eventually load all of the passengers on a boat and take them to the anchored ship, but the captain told the coast guard to take the passengers back to the island. An American couple nearly experienced being cast away after becoming stranded on a small African island after their cruise ship left without them due to a tour guide’s delay, leading to a series of challenges and acts of kindness. A couple says they were stranded on a small African island after they missed a cruise ship's boarding deadline, according to local media.

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On Monday, the guests had made arrangements to rejoin the ship in Banjul, Gambia, but the ship was unable to safely dock there because of “adverse weather conditions” and “tidal restrictions,” Norwegian said. The guests were then contacted and provided with information to rejoin the ship at Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday. While we share in our guests’ disappointment, this modification was made with great consideration for their safety and that of our crew, which is our top priority.

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He told US broadcaster NBC’s the Today Show on Tuesday that the people of São Tomé and Príncipe had been “very gracious, very hospitable,” and had steered them towards hotels and travel agents. A TikToker and cruiser Candi Thomas unleashed on the passengers saying it was the responsibility of the passengers to make it back to the ship on time. “The harbor master tried to call the ship, the captain refused the call,” Jay Campbell told ABC 4 News.

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It added that the deadline to return was "communicated broadly" over the ship's intercom, in printed communications, and on posts shown at the exits of the ship. The Campbells said they were frequent cruisers, embarking on Norwegian Dawn on March 20 for their third voyage with the cruise line in a year. Jay and Jill Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, described their ordeal with a Norwegian Cruise Line ship in an interview with WPDE, their local ABC affiliate. They had reached out as much as they could to help us find hotels,” Jay Campbell said on NBC's "TODAY" show Tuesday morning.

Others said they always make it back with plenty of time to avoid this situation.

In a now-viral video on TikTok, @thisisuz03 shows the late passengers running down the pier, while others already on board cheered them on. The Campbells reportedly said the tour operator had contacted the captain to let them know passengers were going to be late. Faulkner is currently on the cruise, but FOX 9’s Karen Scullin spoke to her by phone. She did not explain why the money was not returned then or why the clients were not notified. Though cruise ships need to stay punctual, ruined-vacation stories like this are a reputational risk and might put people off.

Faulkner said their money is being held by Travel Joy, a company that independent agents use to collect payment for bookings. She said the money would be returned, but Richardson and Goudeau aren’t buying it. But when the pair went to the cruise terminal to board the ship last Sunday, their excitement quickly turned to confusion, anger, and disbelief. One of the passengers, Cherie Goudeau, said she had been planning this cruise for a year as she was being treated for thyroid cancer.

Norwegian Cruise Lines ship abandons passengers on African island - Quartz

Norwegian Cruise Lines ship abandons passengers on African island.

Posted: Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

passengers left by cruise ship

The couple says the tour overran, and its operator informed the captain that eight passengers were running late. They aimed to reboard the Norwegian Dawn in the Gambia the following Sunday but low tides prevented the ship from making the scheduled stop. The group reportedly travelled through six countries and eventually met the ship in Dakar, Senegal, the final west African port call of its journey, according to the cruise line. Six Americans and two Australians were on a privately-run excursion on the island of Sao Tome on March 30 and were supposed to be back by 3 p.m.

"I was looking forward to hearing some Juvenile, reliving some 90s music, the fresh food that was going to be on the boat, the burgers that were going to be on the boat, just hanging out with people," said Goudeau. But it all unraveled in a matter of minutes on the day they were supposed to leave. A TikTok video showed the couple waving and begging the crew to wait for them, even though the gangway appeared to have already been removed.

"Despite the series of unfortunate events outside of our control, we will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal," a cruise line spokesperson said in a statement. "We remain in communication with the guests and are providing additional information as it becomes available." Norwegian said the passengers were responsible for making their own travel arrangements to rejoin the ship. The group, which reportedly includes two Australians, had to leave their medication, bank cards and other belongings on board.

According to the MSC Cruises website, "check-in closes two hours before the ship is due to depart in all embarkation ports." The pair were due to embark on a nine-day cruise on the MSC Splendida around the Mediterranean, starting in Bari, Italy, on August 15, MailOnline reported. Norwegian said that its care team tried to call Lenkoff several times and was unable to reach her and that it worked with its port agent in São Tomé and Príncipe for updates on her health. A silver lining of the catastrophe was that the Campbells were able to connect with another Norwegian Dawn passenger — Julia Lenkoff, 80 — who was also left on the island, but for a medical reason. But the couple was reconsidering whether they even wanted to return to the cruise. The debacle has caused a huge divide online with some taking the side of the passengers, while others have defended the cruise’s move in leaving the passengers behind in São Tomé.

The group have now made their way by plane, ferry and car to Senegal, over 2,000 miles from São Tomé and Príncipe, where the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) ship departed without them last Wednesday.

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