Eight passengers on an NCL cruise were left stranded on the African island of Sao Tome and Principe after their ship departed without them.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) faced accusations of abandoning eight passengers, including elderly and pregnant individuals, on an African island after they missed the embarkation cut-off time for a private tour that ran late
The passengers left behind by the ship took a private tour not organised by the cruise line, which passengers say highlights the risks associated with straying from official ship-sponsored excursions.
The tourists, including six from the US and two from Australia, had to make their own way through several countries to catch up with the ship
The ship, Norwegian Dawn, departed from Cape Town, South Africa on 20 March for a 21-day trip up the coast of Africa ending in Barcelona, Spain on 10 April
The group was late to return to the ship on 27 March after a private tour, despite the tour operator notifying the cruise captain that they would be late.
The passengers were left stranded on the island for days dealing with language barriers, currency issues, and complicated travel arrangements to rejoin the ship
Despite meeting the ship in Senegal, the group is considering whether to board it due to concerns about the cruise line’s duty of care, with an 80-year-old woman and a pregnant woman also among the stranded group.
NCL stated that passengers are responsible for returning to the ship on time, acknowledging the unfortunate situation while reiterating the need for guests to follow published schedules to ensure smooth operations for others onboard: “While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time. We are communicating with the guests about their next steps.”
