Passengers aboard a Norwegian Cruise found themselves stranded on an African island after missing the boarding time by more than an hour. The group of eight, including six Americans and two Australians, were on a private tour of São Tomé when they missed the 3 p.m. all-aboard call on Friday.
The cruise line spokesperson confirmed that the passengers were late by more than an hour, leading to their passports being left with the local port agent for retrieval upon their return from the private tour.
It is standard protocol for cruise lines to sail away on time if passengers on excursions or private tours are late. Despite the boat being in sight of the island, the captain denied entry to the group, who were eventually ferried back to the ship by the Coast Guard.
The Campbells, a South Carolina couple within the group, expressed frustration with the cruise line's strict adherence to rules, stating that the crew seemed to have forgotten their duty of care towards passengers.
After a chase through several countries, the stranded passengers finally caught up with the ship and boarded by Wednesday morning. The cruise line mentioned that they are working on addressing follow-up questions, including an incident involving an elderly woman who had to disembark for medical reasons.
Another unfortunate incident involved an 80-year-old passenger, Julie Lenkoff, who suffered a stroke and potentially a heart attack during the trip. The cruise line decided to send her to a local clinic on São Tomé without notifying her emergency contacts. The Campbells, who were also stranded passengers, took care of Lenkoff and helped her reach her family in the U.S.
Lenkoff was eventually flown to Stanford Hospital in California, where she has been receiving constant care. The cruise line acknowledged both incidents as very unfortunate situations.
