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Six American cruise passengers, including a pregnant woman, and two Australians were stranded on an African island during a vacation getaway, according to reports.
And it’s only gotten worse.
A South Carolina couple – Jill and Jay Campbell – said Norwegian Cruise Line left the group on the island of São Tomé, a Central African island nearly 6,000 miles from their home, without their belongings, and allegedly refused to let them board, despite the Coast Guard’s help.
They worked with the U.S. Embassy in Angola and planned to fly to the Gambia in West Africa to meet them at the next port, but the ship wasn’t able to dock because of low tides, according to ABC 15 News, so the group remains in scramble mode.
But many of the passengers were separated from their belongings that are still in their cabins, including money, medicine, vaccination certifications required by immigration, among other important items, according to Fox Carolina.
“We have never had an experience like this before,” Jill Campbell told WRAL News.
A Norwegian Spirit cruise ship (iStock)
Latest statement to news outlets
The cruise line released this statement to the media over the weekend.
“While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time, which is communicated broadly over the ship’s intercom, in the daily communication and posted just before exiting the vessel.
“Guests are responsible for any necessary travel costs to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call. When the guests did not return to the vessel at the all-aboard time, their passports were delivered to the local port agents to retrieve when they returned to the port.
“Our team has been working closely with the local authorities to understand the requirements and necessary visas needed if the guests were to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call. We are in communication with the guests and providing additional information as it becomes available.”
