Norwegian Dawn is a luxury superyacht with a capacity of up to 2.500 people, belonging to the famous Norwegian cruise line Cruise Lines (NCL), which has just gotten into trouble when it decided to leave 8 tourists behind. an island in Africa in early April. These tourists did not go on a tour according to the cruise line's program but booked their own tour. When they returned, it was 4 hour late.
The group of tourists finally got on the train after having to race through 7 different countries in Africa in 48 hours to reach Senegal.
Super yacht Norwegian Dawn
Accused of 'revenge'
The incident caused widespread division on social media over whether the cruise ship should have waited for late passengers. Many people sided with the tourists, while many defended the cruise line's actions in leaving eight people behind in São Tomé, in the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
"Isn't it strange that the captain wouldn't let them board the ship if it was still in port?", many people asked.
Consumer expert Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion tells news.com.au that it was “absurd” that passengers, including pregnant women and others with heart conditions, were not allowed on board even though the Norweigian Dawn was still anchored near the harbor and the coast guard had taken both outreach group.
“Each situation needs to be handled flexibly,” he said.
Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime attorney, also criticized the cruise line, accusing it of “making a point by abandoning customers” because they booked a trip that did not follow the airline's itinerary.
Jill and Jay Campbell reboarded the Norwegian Dawn on Tuesday
“The reality is that cruise lines are actively promoting cruise-run shore excursions as a fundamental part of their business model, earning tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year,” he said. speak.
Therefore, cruise lines claim that if their guests pay for a self-designed trip, the company will not guarantee waiting if they arrive late and the risk of being abandoned on shore is very high.
“In this particular case, it appears that NCL intentionally abandoned the guests simply because they were on an independent cruise,” Mr. Walker said, believing the cruise line's actions were “vindictive in nature.” ”.
The group of tourists was left behind on the island
However, many others disagree with the above arguments. “Don't feel sorry for the eight tourists, they know all the rules. The ships will have to pay a heavy price if they do not depart on time," one person opined, saying that the cruise line always ensures the time because that is the right of all tourists.
Many tourists who have been on a cruise say that if you do not arrive at the port before the ship anchors, it will definitely leave without you even if you are standing at the dock and waving frantically. Just like planes, cruise ships have tight schedules.
The shipping company spoke up
In a statement, US-based Norwegian Cruise Lines said that while the ship was docked in São Tomé and Príncipe, eight guests who were on the island on a private tour “not organized by us” missed the boat. train when returning to port, “thus failing to meet the boarding time of 8 p.m. local time.”
The ship is on a journey in African countries
“While this is a very unfortunate situation, it is the responsibility of guests to ensure that they return to the ship at the published time, which is widely announced via the ship's intercom system, in the daily bulletin and posted immediately before leaving the ship”.
When guests do not return on time, their passports will be handed over to the local port agent for them to retrieve upon return to port, according to normal procedures, the spokesperson said.
However, later, the cruise line allowed 8 tourists (Europeans and Australians) to return to the ship in Dakar, Senegal on April 2.4.
“Despite a series of unfortunate events beyond our control, we will refund the travel expenses of these 8 guests from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal,” the cruise line shared.
