Cruise passengers trapped aboard the disease-stricken ocean liner Norwegian Dawn have described their desperation to get off the ship, which was finally allowed to dock in Mauritius following a cholera outbreak.
The British tourists are among the 2,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members of the cruise ship that Mauritius authorities banned from docking on Saturday “to avoid any health risk.”
At least 15 people on the ship were in isolation with a stomach illness, which authorities initially feared was cholera but have now confirmed was gastroenteritis.
The ship has been allowed to dock in Port Louis, but passengers will reportedly remain on the ship for “at least another 24 hours” after days at sea.
Speaking earlier about passengers’ frustrations at being stranded on the ship, Dutch tourist Esther Verdaas said the atmosphere among passengers was “not pleasant”.
‘Flights are missed, people lose money on hotels booked in Mauritius. The guests are angry, rebellious and sad,” he told BN DeStem.
‘These are luxury problems, of course. But what I find difficult is that many things are not clear. Can we go home? When? As? Where do we get the tickets?
A Norwegian Dawn passenger shared an image of the cruise ship arriving at the dock in Mauritius.
Passengers were left stranded on the ship after Mauritian authorities refused to let it dock. This photograph was taken by a passenger aboard the ocean liner Norwegian Dawn near Mauritius.
Hundreds of tourists were unable to board the ship and were forced to queue at the port before being accommodated in hotels.
The 12-day cruise set sail from South Africa via Mozambique and was scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but arrived a day early after missing a stopover on Reunion Island.
Verdaas explained that “the misery began” when they were due to dock in Reunion on Saturday, but the authorities denied them.
“That meant a long extra day floating aimlessly in the open sea,” said the tourist, who is traveling with her husband and two daughters.
Now cruise passengers worry about their next trips.
Lucy Boyle, from Nottinghamshire, whose elderly mother and stepfather are on the cruise, said: “I just want her to be safe at home, she has said this cruise hasn’t been good at all and this is her third or fourth time traveling.” with Norwegian Cruises.
‘The last I heard from her was that everyone was clear that there was no case of cholera confirmed by testing. Inspectors will come on board as soon as they dock before being allowed to disembark.
Tourists queue at the port on Sunday. The ship was not allowed to dock on Saturday and cruise ship customers were put up in hotels.
Dutch tourist Esther Verdaas with her husband and daughters
The 12-day cruise set sail from South Africa via Mozambique and was scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday. She has now been allowed to dock in Mauritius.
‘My mom is hoping to catch a flight tomorrow night. I’m worried because she is diabetic and they are over 70 years old, but so far she hasn’t contracted anything.’
While people wait to get off the ship, more than 2,000 cruise customers have not been able to board.
They were forced to queue at the port over the weekend before being put up in hotels when it became clear the ship could not dock.
A Briton, due to start his cruise over the weekend, said he tried to cancel his trip and is considering taking expensive flights back to the UK.
‘[I am] “Not on the boat, but waiting to get on and accidentally… it’s been complete chaos on land,” he told MailOnline, saying he had received no updates and the situation was “complete chaos”.
The 59-year-old holidaymaker said his partner “now refuses to get on the boat no matter what” and said they are looking at £1,600 worth of flights home.
He said this would mean they would lose any potential reimbursement for the trip, but they are still eager to return home.
A passenger on board photographed a tanker near the ship as it remains off the coast of Mauritius.
A group of journalists were due to embark on a press trip on the ship on Sunday when they learned that cholera was suspected on board. USA Today reports.
A passenger on the ship wrote on Facebook today: “We have not received an explanation as to why we are stuck outside Mauritius, but the theory is that we had a water leak. [gastro intestinal] problems, most likely due to food poisoning.
The view from the boat off the coast of Mauritius, shared by a passenger on board
The 12-day cruise left South Africa and was scheduled to dock in Port Louis on Sunday, but arrived a day early after missing a stop on Reunion Island.
The Norwegian Dawn, which has made a 12-day cruise through southern Africa (archive image)
Another tourist on board the ship today said passengers were “fed up” and there were “limited facilities” to cope with being trapped at sea.
While cholera is rare in countries such as the UK and the US, there have been major cholera outbreaks in southern Africa in recent months, with at least 188,000 cases recorded in seven countries since January 2023 and more than 3,000 deaths.
“The decision not to allow cruise ships access to the pier was taken to avoid health risks,” the Mauritius Port Authority said.
“The health and safety of passengers, as well as that of the country as a whole, is of utmost importance to the authorities,” he added, without giving details about the nature of the health risk.
A spokesperson for U.S.-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that during the ship’s voyage to South Africa on Feb. 13, some passengers had experienced mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness.
Once in Port Louis, the ship’s management worked with Mauritian authorities to ensure precautions were taken and everyone on board was safe, the spokesperson said.
The port authority said the results of its tests would be known within 48 hours.
The ship has 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew. Of those, about 2,000 passengers would have disembarked in Port Louis after completing their cruise, while another 2,279 new passengers were expected to board the ship, the port authority said.
“Passengers who were due to board the ‘Norwegian Dawn’ and begin their cruise from Mauritius today will not be able to do so due to potential health risks,” he said.
Those disembarking or joining the cruise will now do so on February 27, the Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said.
A company spokesperson said: “Upon Norwegian Dawn’s arrival in Port Louis Mauritius on February 25, 2024, there were a small number of guests experiencing mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness.
‘Despite previous reports and speculation, there were no confirmed cases or evidence of cholera on board the ship.
“Although only six guests were being monitored due to mild symptoms of a stomach-related illness, the Mauritian government required testing with extreme caution, thus delaying the ship’s original disembarkation scheduled for February 25, 2024.”
“Following the results of regulatory testing conducted by the Government of Mauritius and its confirmation that no traces of cholera were found during testing, Norwegian Dawn has been cleared to enter Port Louis, Mauritius, and disembark all guests. It will begin early in the morning on February 27, 2024, local time.