Captain Refuses To Let Stranded Passengers Back On Cruise Ship, Tourists Left On African 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. They are still awaiting assistance.
Jill and Jay Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, took a cruise to the African continent aboard a Norwegian liner that started on March 20.
But a week into their voyage, the couple and a handful of other passengers were left stranded 5,960 miles from their South Carolina home, North Carolina TV station WRAL reported.
Jill said what was supposed to be a memorable cruise became truly unforgettable but for the wrong reason.
She said: “We have never had an experience like this before.”
Jill and Campbell were among eight passengers left stranded in São Tomé and Príncipe
Image credits: Inside Edition
On Wednesday (March 27), the Campbells and six other people were on a tour in São Tomé and Príncipe, an African island nation close to the equator.
The tour took longer than expected. As Jay recalled: “We were like, ‘Our time is getting really short, ‘and they were like, ‘No problem, we can get you back within an hour.'”
The Campbells reportedly said the tour operator had contacted the captain to let them know passengers were going to be late.
Image credits: Jill Campbell
When the group arrived at the port, the ship was still anchored, but the Campbells said the captain refused to let them on board, as per WRAL.
Jay explained: “The Harbor Master tried to call the ship, [but] the captain refused the call.
“We sent emails to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the NCL customer service emergency number, and they said, well, the only way for us to get in touch with the ship is to send them emails, and they’re not responding to our emails.”
The cruise’s captain refused to let the passengers back on board after their tour had taken longer than expected
Image credits: Inside Edition
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.
Jay further recalled: “The captain could have made an easy decision to turn one of the tender boats back, pick us up, safely load us, and then go on the way.
“They had no port to call for the next day, they were simply going to be at sea.“
Image credits: Inside Edition
The group consisted of seven Americans and two Australians, four of whom were elderly. One passenger had a heart condition, and another was a paraplegic, WRAL reported.
Additionally, there was a married couple from Delaware, and the wife was reportedly pregnant.
While stranded, the group met an 80-year-old woman who got a concussion and lost part of her vision following a different cruise line tour, WRAL reported.
Elderly people with medical conditions were left stranded on the remote island
Image credits: Inside Edition
The Campbells said she was left at the hospital without any money or her belongings, and her emergency contact was never notified by the cruise line. However, the couple was able to help her.
Jay said: “I truly believe sometimes we’re put in certain places for a reason, and I believe we were put in this place for the 80-year-old woman who was left alone.
“God forbid what would have happened to that lady if we were not here.”
Image credits: ncl
According to WRAL, none of the other passengers had their medications or even credit cards that were accepted on the island.
The Campbells said they were the only ones in the group with a Visa card. As a result, they’ve paid over $5,000 in food, toiletries, and hotels for the group.
Jay was just happy to have his wife by his side, as he revealed: “This woman has been a saint.”
You can watch the incident’s new report below:
“I don’t know where the whole group would be without her strength, guidance, and compassion for others.
“I’m honored and blessed that I have the smartest woman in the world next to me.”
The Campbells said they would get help from the U.S. Embassy in Angola. On Sunday (April 7), the castaway group will be expected to fly to Gambia.
However, the stranded passengers can currently only get on the ship if the cruise line approves their request. The Campbells said they have not heard back from Norwegian Cruise Line about the incident.
Bored Panda has contacted NCL for comment.
“This is so unfair,” a reader commented
I´ve done contract work on several cruses ship when they were in port. The way they abuse staff is disgusting. The only reason cruses are so cheap is because the bulk of the staff is from very poor countries, and they pay them very low wages, like 300 dollar a month. It´s slavery in the 21st century. Last one was a for carnival and I was sick to see how the manager treated the staff.
As other people have said--if you book through the cruise line they will wait for you. Yes, it's cheaper to go directly to the guides, but the cruise lines specifically say that they will NOT wait for you if you do. I feel for the elderly people....but it's a little fafo.
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. Rules are rules.
Load More Replies...
I don't know, as someone who cruises pretty regularly, these are like Cruise 101 rules. Always carry your meds and ID, if you don't book an excursion from the ship, it's on you to get back in time. If the ship says get back by 3, I'm there by 2 at the latest. I've seen SO many pier runners, I just don't get waiting until the last minute.
I fail to feel sorry for these people. Rules are rules and they make it very clear what time you need to be back (and that non-ship booked excursions are at your own risk). Imagine if the ship waited for everyone to straggle onboard............it would never get left!
Don't try to justify this c**p. The ship was still anchored. The tourists were brought in a boat to the ship that was still anchored, and they were turned away. The tour guides even called the ship as soon as they knew they'd be late, an hour before they were due back. This is pure a*****e behavior.
Load More Replies...
As someone that did 3 six-month deployments on an aircraft carrier, we learned early on that the ship does not wait for you. Be it a cruise ship or a war ship, anytime you are either pulled into a dock or anchored out, you pay for your time in that country. They have agreements on what time they have to be out, with fees going up after you extend your time. It would be the same as complaining that you got to the gate late because you were eating a restaurant and lost track of time. You can see the plane just pulled from the gate, but there is no way they are going to return for you or stop and unload your luggage.
I feel like the captain should have taken them onboard if the local port actually brought the to the ship. But like others have said, the departure time is the departure time. This is drilled into you MULTIPLE times before and after you arrive on the ship.
If the departure time is the the departure time, why had the ship not departed? This was simply the captain being a c**t.
Load More Replies...
Just as a side point: The rules for captaining a ship, especially the ones around entering/leaving port, are extremely rigid (as they should be). That captain COULD have delayed his departure proceedings, but that could have cost him his captains license and ended his career and that's a pretty huge risk to take just because eight people (out of a whole cruise liner full) couldn't follow the rules
Imagine if this couple was on the cruise and THEIR schedule would be changed because of OTHER tourists.
So they expected a 150,000 ton cruise ship to just sit in harbour waiting for them? If they're even an hour late there is every chance tides will be wrong and the boat can't actually leave until next high. So they've just made *everyone* on the boat 12 hours late. And that doesn't account for the other boats that get messed about because the cruise ship is sitting there docked in the space they're supposed to use. I'm sure cruise lines build a little leeway into their times but if you can't even manage that then sorry, you're left behind. If you don't think you're capable of moving around quick enough then stay on the boat, if you have even the vaguest inkling that a tour may cut it fine don't take it!
This is insane. Definitely would make for a great screenplay down the road. So is this going to be a bigger lawsuit than the Boeing plane door coming off I wonder?
why would there be a lawsuit? THEY are the ones who broke the rules.
Load More Replies... Another reason not to go on a cruise... Hope they make it home alright!
Just book your excursions through the ship and you'll be fine.
Load More Replies...
Good lord. Glad they got left and furious they are getting reimbursed. Do they not see that more people will do this now?
Cruises are for lazy, non adventurous travellers, who cant be bothered researching anything, and just lay around eating and drinking because they are getting a cheap deal. Serves these people right for being left behind.
Unfortunately, that's the reality. They stress over and over that you MUST be back on time. They have an ENTIRE ship full of people and a schedule. It is no one's fault but the passengers and the operators of the tour they booked. I feel bad for them, but being elderly or pregnant, while unfortunate, is NOT the problem. It's a straw man fallacy to distract from the fact that they did not adhere to rules and policy which are there for a reason. This is the con of booking your own tours to save a couple of bucks. The ship will ONLY wait for you if your tour is booked thru the ship, THEN they are legally required to wait for you. And they weren't a little late. It doesn't matter that the ship was still anchored. We have developed this sense of entitlement that rules don't apply to us - but as these unfortunate people discovered - they do. It has nothing to do with compassion or that they were sick or elderly - that is a straw man. If you take a cruise, book your tours with the ship.
why is this even a story? this s**t was actually on the national news last night. they were over an hour late getting back. so, thousands of other people are just supposed to wait for them? not to mention, the ship is now gonna be late to the next destination.
i agree they should have been on time, they didn't book through the cruise line etc... but, the ship was STILL DOCKED when they returned. that's where i stop supporting the capt, up until that point, leaving without them? yep! that they hadn't actually left the dock, nope, the capt made a choice at that point that put the cruise line in a bad light.
Load More Replies... I´ve done contract work on several cruses ship when they were in port. The way they abuse staff is disgusting. The only reason cruses are so cheap is because the bulk of the staff is from very poor countries, and they pay them very low wages, like 300 dollar a month. It´s slavery in the 21st century. Last one was a for carnival and I was sick to see how the manager treated the staff.
As other people have said--if you book through the cruise line they will wait for you. Yes, it's cheaper to go directly to the guides, but the cruise lines specifically say that they will NOT wait for you if you do. I feel for the elderly people....but it's a little fafo.
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. Rules are rules.
Load More Replies... I don't know, as someone who cruises pretty regularly, these are like Cruise 101 rules. Always carry your meds and ID, if you don't book an excursion from the ship, it's on you to get back in time. If the ship says get back by 3, I'm there by 2 at the latest. I've seen SO many pier runners, I just don't get waiting until the last minute.
I fail to feel sorry for these people. Rules are rules and they make it very clear what time you need to be back (and that non-ship booked excursions are at your own risk). Imagine if the ship waited for everyone to straggle onboard............it would never get left!
Don't try to justify this c**p. The ship was still anchored. The tourists were brought in a boat to the ship that was still anchored, and they were turned away. The tour guides even called the ship as soon as they knew they'd be late, an hour before they were due back. This is pure a*****e behavior.
Load More Replies... As someone that did 3 six-month deployments on an aircraft carrier, we learned early on that the ship does not wait for you. Be it a cruise ship or a war ship, anytime you are either pulled into a dock or anchored out, you pay for your time in that country. They have agreements on what time they have to be out, with fees going up after you extend your time. It would be the same as complaining that you got to the gate late because you were eating a restaurant and lost track of time. You can see the plane just pulled from the gate, but there is no way they are going to return for you or stop and unload your luggage.
I feel like the captain should have taken them onboard if the local port actually brought the to the ship. But like others have said, the departure time is the departure time. This is drilled into you MULTIPLE times before and after you arrive on the ship.
If the departure time is the the departure time, why had the ship not departed? This was simply the captain being a c**t.
Load More Replies... Just as a side point: The rules for captaining a ship, especially the ones around entering/leaving port, are extremely rigid (as they should be). That captain COULD have delayed his departure proceedings, but that could have cost him his captains license and ended his career and that's a pretty huge risk to take just because eight people (out of a whole cruise liner full) couldn't follow the rules
Imagine if this couple was on the cruise and THEIR schedule would be changed because of OTHER tourists.
So they expected a 150,000 ton cruise ship to just sit in harbour waiting for them? If they're even an hour late there is every chance tides will be wrong and the boat can't actually leave until next high. So they've just made *everyone* on the boat 12 hours late. And that doesn't account for the other boats that get messed about because the cruise ship is sitting there docked in the space they're supposed to use. I'm sure cruise lines build a little leeway into their times but if you can't even manage that then sorry, you're left behind. If you don't think you're capable of moving around quick enough then stay on the boat, if you have even the vaguest inkling that a tour may cut it fine don't take it!
This is insane. Definitely would make for a great screenplay down the road. So is this going to be a bigger lawsuit than the Boeing plane door coming off I wonder?
why would there be a lawsuit? THEY are the ones who broke the rules.
Load More Replies... Another reason not to go on a cruise... Hope they make it home alright!
Just book your excursions through the ship and you'll be fine.
Load More Replies... Good lord. Glad they got left and furious they are getting reimbursed. Do they not see that more people will do this now?
Cruises are for lazy, non adventurous travellers, who cant be bothered researching anything, and just lay around eating and drinking because they are getting a cheap deal. Serves these people right for being left behind.
Unfortunately, that's the reality. They stress over and over that you MUST be back on time. They have an ENTIRE ship full of people and a schedule. It is no one's fault but the passengers and the operators of the tour they booked. I feel bad for them, but being elderly or pregnant, while unfortunate, is NOT the problem. It's a straw man fallacy to distract from the fact that they did not adhere to rules and policy which are there for a reason. This is the con of booking your own tours to save a couple of bucks. The ship will ONLY wait for you if your tour is booked thru the ship, THEN they are legally required to wait for you. And they weren't a little late. It doesn't matter that the ship was still anchored. We have developed this sense of entitlement that rules don't apply to us - but as these unfortunate people discovered - they do. It has nothing to do with compassion or that they were sick or elderly - that is a straw man. If you take a cruise, book your tours with the ship.
why is this even a story? this s**t was actually on the national news last night. they were over an hour late getting back. so, thousands of other people are just supposed to wait for them? not to mention, the ship is now gonna be late to the next destination.
i agree they should have been on time, they didn't book through the cruise line etc... but, the ship was STILL DOCKED when they returned. that's where i stop supporting the capt, up until that point, leaving without them? yep! that they hadn't actually left the dock, nope, the capt made a choice at that point that put the cruise line in a bad light.
Load More Replies...
36
27