NCL leaves passengers behind in Africa

[Dug720]

Had she already pulled in the floating dock used for tendering? What about the time and hazards of the crew responsible for tender operations? They can't likely be released from their duty station with the portal open. They likely have other duties besides tender operations.

BINGO! The ship had already ceased all tender operations. They aren't going to just sit there with a platform down waiting for who knows how long for people who couldn't be responsible enough to tell their guide to return (at least one report, one of the "experienced" cruisers told the guide they needed to go back and the guide said that he could get them back within an hour and so the "experienced" cruisers relented).

"In communication with the port" also does not mean constantly. I'd guess the odds are high they gave them an ETA and missed it. Hence the passports being taken to the port authority.

 

[DCLMP]

Unless there are not, my friend just spent the night at LGA on a chair with her husband and children. There’s usually last flights of the evening.

Was that because they were late and missed their flight or did the flight cancel. Why didn't they go to a hotel? I know your trying really hard to make a comparison, but it's not working.

 

[Dug720]

Actually, in quite a number of situations leaving on time is important for making the next port on time. Ships often take advantage (or need) tides to be at certain positions to navigate a channel safely. Currents can vastly improve or reduce fuel consumption. On the ship's revenue side, casinos and shops may be required to remain closed while in territorial waters, reducing revenue. Not to mention the frustration of passengers who are focused on gambling.

To my mind, we, as individuals have a responsibility to carry emergency contact info and have that readily available in case we become incapacitated. I have a medic alert bracelet and a wallet card with information. My backpack has a copy of the card in an inner compartment. My backpack has a tag on the outside that mentions the information cards and where to find them. I used to maintain a voicemail number that had a recording of my emergency contact information. Today, I have a web page.

When on travel, we usually have set check-ins with a point of contact via text or email to document status for cruises. Key points are going ashore and reboarding the ship. We share our detailed itinerary with friends and family so there's some knowledge of where we planned to be. We usually leave a copy on the desk in our cabin in case of emergency.

Absolutely!

Ships routinely evacuate passengers for medical emergencies, leaving them in foreign countries. As far as the daughter not being contacted, it's highly possible the daughter was NOT listed as the emergency contact. I know when I cruise the line has only the information I give them - if I opt to give them my best friend's name and contact info rather than my parents' or my sister's, that is who the ship will contact.

But yes. It's always a good idea - especially in a foreign country - to have something on your person with not only your identification and pertinent info but ICE information as well so that care facilities would know who to contact.

 

[Dug720]

We were an hour late coming back from a DCL excursion because of an accident on a freeway. Sometimes things happen that are out of your control.

Ship-based excursions carry a bit of insurance - the ship will wait as long as they can for them, and if they cannot, then the ship fully funds getting you to the next port.

These people opted not to do a ship-based excursion. And they didn't insist on returning to the port when they noticed it was getting late and the guide said he could get them back in an hour.

 

[DCLMP]

Ship-based excursions carry a bit of insurance - the ship will wait as long as they can for them, and if they cannot, then the ship fully funds getting you to the next port.

These people opted not to do a ship-based excursion. And they didn't insist on returning to the port when they noticed it was getting late and the guide said he could get them back in an hour.

I'm well aware of how it works.

 

[auntlynne]

If you don’t make it back in time, does the ship call your Emergency Contact?

The woman who had a medical emergency - was she left “with the other passengers” or transported to the hospital on the island - in other words, are these two separate incidents - and she would have been left even if the others had been on time?

Is it possible the ship had retrieved the guests’ passports and sent them to the island when the last tender reached the boat? And in so doing, the passengers got to the ship and the passports were now on the island. Add more time to get the passports back to the ship.

I believe there are crucial aspects to this story that have not been communicated. And others that have been inflated for sensationalism.

Takeaway - besides returning on time, put your essential medications - and a well- accepted credit card with your passport in a plastic bag in the safe for Security to collect if this happens to you. Mark the bag as necessary if you don’t return on time. Maybe they have rules about what they can retrieve, but this seems like a viable option.

 

[auntlynne]

Are there seats available on flights these days if you miss your scheduled one? My flights seem to be flying full.

 

[Sykes]

Better example, but now a days most flights are refundable or you will be accommodated on another flight or you can easily book another flight.

If a passenger is a no-show (i.e. fails to change or cancel in advance) due to something within the passenger's control/responsibility then for most airlines official policy is to void the ticket even if it's refundable. Some (not all) airlines do have a so-called "flat tire" policy that gives agents discretion to help out passengers that have a reasonable excuse for being late.

IMO, the cruise passengers in question come off as exceptionally over-entitled. While one hopes that the ship will be able to wait if you're late, it is unreasonable to have that as a an expectation--that's not even guaranteed for ship-sponsored excursions. That they went to the press to complain after a perfectly normal and predictable series of events happened is disgusting.

 

[Dug720]

If you don’t make it back in time, does the ship call your Emergency Contact?

The woman who had a medical emergency - was she left “with the other passengers” or transported to the hospital on the island - in other words, are these two separate incidents - and she would have been left even if the others had been on time?

Is it possible the ship had retrieved the guests’ passports and sent them to the island when the last tender reached the boat? And in so doing, the passengers got to the ship and the passports were now on the island. Add more time to get the passports back to the ship.

I believe there are crucial aspects to this story that have not been communicated. And others that have been inflated for sensationalism.

Takeaway - besides returning on time, put your essential medications - and a well- accepted credit card with your passport in a plastic bag in the safe for Security to collect if this happens to you. Mark the bag as necessary if you don’t return on time. Maybe they have rules about what they can retrieve, but this seems like a viable option.

She was at least initially separate as she was on an NCL-based excursion.

Yes. Once they were late beyond a certain point - either the ship's gotta-go time OR quite possibly (since we're really only getting the side of the "experienced" cruisers who are milking this for all it's worth) beyond the time the tour operator told the port authority they would be back - the passports were taken to shore and handed over to the port authority. In the case of this cruise, the ship was holding everyone's passport, so there was no going into their cabins to pack up anything. At least for the independent excursion people. It's possible they packed up the cabin of the woman injured on the NCL excursion, but I haven't seen that.

One thing I haven't seen addressed is if the ship would have been able to get to Gambia if she had left on time. I'm kinda suspecting that the ship waiting for them caused them to miss the tides that would have allowed them to get to Gambia. (Though either way the cruiseline is covering their costs to get from Gambia to Senegal due to the missed port - a very generous offer if in fact them leaving Sao Tome and Principe late due to waiting caused them to miss Gambia due to tides.)

 

[auntlynne]

Still no excuse not to just let them on.
If the ship has left, fine. You missed it. But if the ship is still there and you’re in AFRICA and there is a paraplegic and a relatively large group of passengers trying to get on the ship? What is wrong with this captain? I still haven’t heard anyone answer why it is okay to pick up randos out of the ocean— sometimes diverting the ship to do so— but not let passing cruise passengers back on when they ship is there?! I mean it is mind boggling to me. The same argument can be applied to them. You shouldn’t be in the middle of the ocean, buddy. Should have planned ahead lol.

People on ships that are in distress at sea have the potential to die.

Guests left in a place that has food, water, electricity - enough to welcome cruise guests and give tours - are inconvenienced.

And there’s the issue of maritime law that a ship will give aid.

“The IMO explicitly states this requirement in its International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea: “A master of a ship at sea, which is in a position to be able to provide assistance on receiving a signal from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance. ...Mar 12, 2013

https://www.sealaw.com/maritime-law...ly states this,all speed to their assistance.

Maritime Law: Cruise Ships and Assistance for Distressed ...”​

I believe they leave passengers to set precedence. For each delay, the question becomes “why did you wait for others but not me?” It’s not like they leave people in a war zone. It’s a place safe enough for tourists.

And, yes, an inconvenience to those left.

As to whether the people in the boat are attempting to enter another country illegally, that is not a ship’s responsibility. Coast Guards of the closest country are notified and assume control of the situation.

Not all ships in distress are a result of the occupants mistake. If we cruisers are at sea and our ship goes dead, a passing ship would be required to give aid. Like the Carpathian coming to aid of the Titanic.

 

[auntlynne]

Duplicate post.

 

[Dug720]

I believe they leave passengers to set precedence. For each delay, the question becomes “why did you wait for others but not me?” It’s not like they leave people in a war zone. It’s a place safe enough for tourists.

Yes, this exactly!

I was on a Royal Caribbean 12-night Mediterranean cruise round-trip from Barcelona. Stop 1 was Villefranche, France. All-aboard time came and there was a paging of several passengers including 2 I'll call Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They were paged a few times and eventually we left - and the Captain got on the speaker system to remind us all the importance of being on board at the designated time. Stop 2 was Livorno, Italy. All-aboard time came and a few less passengers were paged - but again, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (it wasn't that common of a name, and they were using first names, so I know it was the same couple). A few pages, and we finally left - and got a slightly firmer announcement from the bridge reminding us all the importance of being back on time. Stop 3 was Civitavecchia (Rome). Only a couple of names paged - including once again Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I was at dinner and seated next to a window, and this time we were against the pier. My server said "If their names are announced again, watch out the window." Sure enough they were on the second paging, and within 2 minutes, bags were disembarked and handed to the port agent. My server said they'd all been through it enough with previous passengers and what would have happened is that after the second offense, the captain would have met with them personally and told them in no uncertain terms that if they were late one more time, they would be disembarked. And he stuck to it.

 

[SteveMouse]

Are there seats available on flights these days if you miss your scheduled one? My flights seem to be flying full

error- please disregard

 

[auntlynne]

lbecause it's technically more than 18 months dear it's 18 months +22 days. I'm not overly sweating it. I'm simply pointing out it's first you have to buy the 90 days then you get to buy three years no years +90 days probationary period is 90 days plus up to three years, that's where those what the law 9
is again. I'm not screaming at you about it but just hypothetically yeah or hypothetically yeah OK if I'm.

What?

I think you dialed the wrong number.

 

[SteveMouse]

What?

I think you dialed the wrong number.

Siri was listening and posted for me. Bad Siri!

 

[DCLMP]

If a passenger is a no-show (i.e. fails to change or cancel in advance) due to something within the passenger's control/responsibility then for most airlines official policy is to void the ticket even if it's refundable. Some (not all) airlines do have a so-called "flat tire" policy that gives agents discretion to help out passengers that have a reasonable excuse for being late.

IMO, the cruise passengers in question come off as exceptionally over-entitled. While one hopes that the ship will be able to wait if you're late, it is unreasonable to have that as a an expectation--that's not even guaranteed for ship-sponsored excursions. That they went to the press to complain after a perfectly normal and predictable series of events happened is disgusting.

Missing a flight is nowhere near comparable to this situation. It's like you're not even reading the posts. Hello!!!! it's not that hard to book another flight. I give up.
Whatever your opinion is on the situation can we stop comparing it to missing a flight. or missing a dinner reservation, or not turning in your homework or job application in on time.....for gods sake.

 

[DCLMP]

Are there seats available on flights these days if you miss your scheduled one? My flights seem to be flying full.

People fly standby all the time. You can always book a flight. It may cost you two arms and a leg, but you can book one.

 

[SteveMouse]

Missing a flight is nowhere near comparable to this situation. It's like you're not even reading the posts. Hello!!!! it's not that hard to book another flight. I give up.
Whatever your opinion is on the situation can we stop comparing it to missing a flight. or missing a dinner reservation, or not turning in your homework or job application in on time.....for gods sake.

You're right. It is not that hard to be on time when you have been repeatedly told of the schedule, the accurate time so that watches and clocks can be synchronized/checked, and the impacts of not being on time.

 

[Mommb]

If you miss a flight, you have the ability to book another flight to arrive at your destination. If you miss all-aboard for a cruise, you have the ability to book a flight, or a boat, or a car, depending on distance, to get to your next destination. That is what the people on the Norwegian cruise did — they booked transportation to the next destination.

Because the ship couldn’t dock at that destination, they then had to book further transportation to another destination. Because that was unexpected, Norwegian did, reportedly, reimburse them for the cost of getting from the 2nd to the 3rd destination.

 

[mjkacmom]

Was that because they were late and missed their flight or did the flight cancel. Why didn't they go to a hotel? I know your trying really hard to make a comparison, but it's not working.

Whether they missed their flight or it was cancelled, the result is the same, you wait until the next day. But really, the comparison is if you miss your flight, sucks for you. If you miss your train, sucks for you. If you miss your ship, sucks for you. I usually do have sympathy for these folks, except when they place the blame elsewhere. You sign a cruise contract, you are told a zillion times the ship won’t wait (cruising 101) it’s written in several places, constant announcements. Sometimes ships have to leave behind folks who purchased the cruise lines excursions (ships can’t always stay for many reasons) the difference is the cruise line has agreed to get you to the next stop, pay for hotel rooms, etc. Those who take private excursions know the risks.