An Australian couple is among a group of eight people stranded on an island off the coast of Africa after their cruise line denied them re-entry to the ship because they arrived late.
It is understood the group, which includes a pregnant woman, a paraplegic person and a person with a heart condition, were abandoned by the Norwegian Dawn ship after returning late from private tours.
The ship is now more than 3,000 kilometers from the group off the coast between Gambia and Senegal, according to a ship tracking website.
Passengers traveled to Gambia on Sunday for 15 hours, but due to exceptionally low tide the cruise line was unable to dock.
Instead, the group will attempt to rendezvous with the ship further north, in Senegal, where they hope the captain will grant them permission to reboard.
US-based Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) said it was a “very unfortunate incident” but that guests had not adhered to the 3pm all-aboard schedule. March 27th.
Jill and Jay Campbell from South Carolina in the United States boarded the Norwegian Dawn in Cape Town to begin their cruise around the continent.
Last Wednesday, the ship docked in Sao Tome and Principe, a small island off West Africa, and many passengers opted to take private tours.
The Campbells, who were with the two Australians, said the tour operator notified the captain that they would be late to rejoin the group.
When the São Tomé coast guard took the group back to port, the ship was still anchored, but the captain had ordered them to be taken back to the island.
The tour group was eventually stranded in the coastal capital of São Tomé and forced to watch as the ship set sail with the rest of the abandoned passengers.
Members of the group stranded in Sao Tome and Principe (Jill and Jay Campbell on the left)
Jill and Jay Campbell were stranded on Sao Tome and Principe, an island off West Africa, after their cruise line sailed without them.
The group of stranded passengers includes four elderly passengers, one person with a heart condition, another paraplegic and a Delaware woman who is pregnant.
The group includes four elderly passengers, one person with heart disease, another paraplegic and a Delaware woman who is pregnant.
The Coast Guard loaded the stranded passengers onto a ship and took them to the Norwegian Dawn, where they were again denied re-entry.
“The harbor master tried to call the ship, but the captain rejected the call,” Campbell said. WRAL.
“We sent emails to Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL’s customer service emergency number, and they said, well, the only way to contact the ship is to send them emails, and they don’t respond to our emails. ‘
Among the castaways was an 80-year-old woman who suffered a concussion and lost some of her vision after a tour on a different cruise line.
The elderly woman flew to Lisbon to catch a connecting flight to the U.S. after the Campbells put an air tag on her and notified her family.
The Campbells, who are now more than 9,500 miles from home, said the woman was abandoned at a local hospital with no money or belongings, and that the cruise line never notified her emergency contact.
“I really believe that sometimes we are put in certain places for a reason, and I think we were put in this place because of the 80-year-old woman who was left alone,” Campbell said. “God forbid what would have happened to that lady if we weren’t here.”
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson explained that the group was denied re-entry after missing the 3 pm local time ‘all aboard’ hour.
A woman tries to board the boat but the officers stop her.
The South Carolina couple has shelled out more than $7,500 to provide food, toiletries and hotel rooms to the group since they are the only ones with a debit card.
By the time they were stranded, they had been on a 21-night cruise continuing toward Barcelona for just over a week.
Throughout this troubling experience, Campbell says his wife has been a “saint.”
“I don’t know where the entire group would be without his strength, guidance and compassion for others,” she said. “I feel honored and blessed to have the smartest woman in the world by my side.”
With the help of the US embassy in Angola, the group traveled 3,000 kilometers to Gambia on Sunday, but the ship was unable to dock due to low tide.
They will now travel to Senegal, the next African nation to the north, for which the group will have to rent a van and cross a body of water on a ferry.
Despite numerous attempts to contact the cruise line, stranded travelers say they have received no response.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line disputed this, saying it was “in communication with guests” and providing them with “additional information.”
Jay Campbell praised his wife for her “strength, guidance and compassion for others” during the harrowing experience.
Group of stranded vacationers pose for a selfie amid their troubles in Africa
The South Carolina couple has spent more than $7,500 on hotels, food and toiletries for the group. They spent 15 hours traveling to Gambia on Sunday in hopes of reuniting with the ship.
The group has attempted to contact Norwegian Cruise Line, without success.
“While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the posted time, which is widely communicated via the ship’s intercom, in daily communication, and is posted just prior to leaving the ship. “said a statement from the world’s third largest cruise company.
NCL explained that guests are responsible for travel costs necessary to return to the ship at the next available port of call.
“When guests did not return to the ship at the scheduled time, their passports were handed over to local port agents to be retrieved upon their return to port,” the statement continued.
“Our team has been working closely with local authorities to understand the requirements and visas needed if guests were to return to the ship at the next available port of call.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the cruise company for comment, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.