WonderMan3

26 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

And viewers can make their own determination on NCL.

It doesn't help when they included misinformation in the story saying that the ship was docked when it actually was anchored which is what complicated getting the passengers back on the ship.

OMG, now this story is on the NBC evening news. It just won't die. 😄😄

My Vista cruise for September 2025 that I booked in late December has gone up by $700pp since then

1 hour ago, Tyler414 said:

I'll do my best to help some folks with English:

gangway /găng′wā″/

 

noun

1.  
2. An opening in the bulwark of a ship through which passengers may board.

 

 

Nothing about a ramp up into the ship a person can walk on. 🤔

Just to refresh your memory, this is what you posted earlier:

“They returned when the gangway was still down and the captain refused to let them board, but anyhoo.”

Why would you mention a gangway being “down” if you were only referencing an “opening in the bulwark of a ship” and “nothing about a ramp up into the ship a person can walk on”? 🤔

2 minutes ago, SomewhereGirl said:

So the ship waited in this port?  Interesting. 

They’re docked with a gangway. The other situation involved an anchored ship where all lifeboats had been restored to the ship before the late passengers showed up. Totally different situation.

1 minute ago, Kp125 said:

The other passengers should sue these jokers for missing Gambia as the waiting around for them made the ship miss optimum docking time

I thought it was a tidal issue that caused them to miss Gambia? Someone on the ship posted about it here and it was announced the day before they were to even arrive there so it must have been an issue that was impacting the port for days.

1 minute ago, dmwnc1959 said:

What an excellent way of putting it. Can’t begin to tell you how many people I’ve talked to that won’t go on a cruise because they don’t want their ship to sink like Costa did in Italy. Or have my ship catch on fire like that one Carnival did the other day. Or get Norovirus like that news report said the other week. Or get abandoned on some African island like what I heard on the news last night. Or, or, or. It becomes an echo chamber of perception becoming reality. 

Claiming that highly touristed African countries should be avoided by Americans for fear of folks being kidnapped and murdered certainly helps exacerbate those flawed perceptions…

2 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

In 2024 I wouldn’t put it past them to give them that chance. Which is why I’m safer in New York City. But you go ahead and go to Egypt and Morocco this year, I’ve already been there - when it was safer. Glad I got my world traveling out-of-the-way when the world was a better place. Didn’t have to worry about being stuck in some Third World country.

Alexa, play “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen”

1 minute ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

People were STILL late after all of this drama?🙄

Ignorance is bliss…

3 minutes ago, Ashlynkat said:

Thought folks would like this update from the Dawn. All aboard here in Dakar, Senegal was 5:30pm. At 5:55pm we hear the overheard announcements for missing passengers to contact Guest Service. So of course everyone goes out on their balconies to watch. And sure enough at 6:06pm a car comes racing up the dock. When the folks got off, people started cheering with a few “GET ON THE DAMN BOAT” calls from the balcony. 

Eagerly awaiting for someone to come here and tell us how NCL failed these late passengers. 😂😂

20 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

They returned when the gangway was still down and the captain refused to let them board, but anyhoo.

Huh? The ship was anchored out in the water. There was no gangway.

1 hour ago, marrashadow said:

They all re-boarded so we shall see what comes next. I do not see any boards where NCL is villainized. Most threads are calling them idiots many saying their interviews made them look entitled.

The 80 year old mentioned by them had a stroke while on an excursion so they sent her to the hospital. A ship does not have the facilities to care for her so it was the best option. They would not state what happen because they couldn't. It's reported the ship was trying to contact her to set up a return home once she was well but wasn't able to reach her. Her family is upset that they left her at a hospital alone.

In all of this that is the one thing that I found concerning. I used to work for a travel company and occasionally we would have a traveler get injured and have to go to the hospital. In every situation that I can recall, the trip guide would go to the hospital and make continual check-ins until either they were released, a family member could show up (if that serious) or another representative from our company or from a trusted local associate company could be there to continually check on them (because the tour often had to move on to another destination). This sometimes meant a disruption to the itinerary for the other travelers. I would read feedback from other travelers who would always be praising the guide and our company for putting the needs of the traveler over the trip despite it causing them to miss things in the itinerary. Now who knows what the truth is. Maybe NCL did have someone local there who they worked with who was keeping an eye on the hospitalized passenger. I wouldn’t necessarily trust everything the disgruntled “stranded” group has to say about it. 

2 hours ago, Tyler414 said:

One more, of many reason's I will never step foot on another NCL ship.

Because you’re afraid the ship will sail away at its scheduled departure time when you choose to take a risk and go off on your own on an excursion that if delayed a bit can cause you to miss all aboard time? Okay. But I’ll guess you’ll have to forgo cruise ships altogether then since they all have the same rules. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2 hours ago, marrashadow said:

According to news story they are not reimbursing all expenses just the expense from Gambia to next port as the ship missed that port and had granted re-embarkation for it. So the expenses it took to get there are still on them and now SC couple is stating they aren't sure they want to re-board. Idiots!

They’re milking the drama.

I find it amusing that in the midst of apparently transiting through multiple African countries over the past few days, likely in one of the most stressful situations of their lives, trying to catch up to the ship these folks have found plenty of time to talk to and be interviewed by multiple media sources. Guess we know where their priorities lie…

2 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I think it would be different if this was in the Bahamas, or Australia, or Bermuda, or Italy, or somewhere that wasn’t bordering Third World country status. Africa is not safe by any stretch of the imagination.

If a port was not safe for passengers to debark then the cruise line would not go there. And to just make a blanket statement that “Africa is not safe” is a bit slanderous and factually incorrect. Are there particular places within the CONTINENT of Africa that are not safe, certainly. Just as there are a number of places here in the United States that are not safe, or in France or the UK and so on. I mean just to look as an example, let’s compare the crime rate of São Tomé where these passengers were “stranded” to Fort Lauderdale, FL which is one of the key ports for boarding a cruise in the U.S. where many of us have spent time. I have never felt unsafe in Ft. Lauderdale and yet its crime rate is considered moderate while São Tomé’s is considered very low. 

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Fort-Lauderdale

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/country_result.jsp?country=Sao+Tome+And+Principe

Now if you want to say that Africa can be a more challenging destination to be “stranded” in (due to more limited flights, increased barriers with English not being spoken as readily, etc.) there is more weight to that argument but we still should not be generalizing an entire continent because there is a vast difference between being left behind in say Cape Town or Alexandria versus São Tomé.

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

And....just like that...poof....story came and went.  

 

 

Huh? It’s all over news sites now. This is what you see with a quick google search.

29 minutes ago, icft said:

 

Calm down my man. No need to stroke out. I think everyone got you point and they have moved on to another point that also supports the position of NCL not being the bad guy. Folks accepting your point and not arguing about it is a good thing...

Dude chill out. People kept responding to my comment when I had already clearly explained my point. They either weren't bothering to read through the thread or just felt like arguing. You're now just perpetuating it all with yet another response. Move on please...

1 minute ago, puppycanducruise said:

Not necessarily that easy for an employee to open a door and let someone in.  By  then, the cash could be locked up in the safe.  Most of the employees would have gone home so letting someone into the store is NOT a good idea.

Missing the point...Not going to repeat myself again. Just read through the thread.

Just now, MrsTocko said:

Please tell me the store that the employees will open back up an hour after close so I can do my shopping, because I couldn’t get there before closing.  

You're missing the point. Regardless of whether stores normally open for someone after closing (and they occasionally do as I've had it done for me at least once in the past...), that action does not put the customer in danger with risk of injury or death as this transfer at sea apparently would have.

2 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Remember that this was NOT an NCL sponsored shore excursion. 

Where did I say that it was? I was responding to a comment talking about NCL sponsored excursions not guaranteeing transportation coverage to get you to the next port if you miss the boat because of language in their T&Cs.

1 hour ago, MrsTocko said:

For all of those that are saying they should have been allowed to board...look at it another way.  you go to a store named NCL Dawn.  It is now 5pm, and you have just arrived. Store closed at 4pm (all aboard time), but the employees of store are still there doing closing procedures (still in harbor). Should they reopen for you? or should they tell you to comeback when they are open again (next port)?  NCL Dawn was there and open for you until closing time. You got there late. whether it was traffic delay, or poor time management, it is not the store's responsibility at this point.

That's actually a poor analogy as an employee could easily open a door and let someone into the store. Someone further up the thread outlined exactly why the passengers could not easily transfer back to the ship to board; it was an extreme safety issue with the risk of injury or death to a passenger if they were to fall while transiting from the port boat back to the ship.

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

She was not “dumped”. Her medical condition, whatever it was, could not be safely treated on board. And for HER safety and wellbeing, she was medically evacuated to a shore side medical facility. At that point, her travel insurance needs to handle her transport. 

Sounds like she's the only one in this group of passengers whose insurance will actually cover her transport back to the ship or home.

2 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Several people have made statements that NCL will pay to get them to the next port if the Shore Excursion was booked with NCL.

I used to believe that to be true, however, I've been researching the NCL website to locate just where any of us might find that information.  What I found is quite contrary to that...

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#shorex-terms-conditions    However, scroll to the bottom and note:

 Important Information NCL makes arrangements for Guests for Shore Excursions solely for the convenience of the Guest; NCL does not act on behalf of or supervise the parties or persons who own, furnish, or operate such excursions, and the same are provided by independent contractors. NCL assumes no responsibility for, nor guarantees the performance of, any such excursion provider, and Guests acknowledge that NCL shall not be liable for losses or injuries arising from the acts or omissions of such provider.

 

Also see: 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/NCL_Guest_Ticket Contract_US_EN_02_2023.pdf

 

page 10, Independent Contractor, (a) (bottom of that page)

9. Independent Contractors: (a) Off-Vessel Transport and Activities: The Guest recognizes and agrees that, if and when the Carrier makes arrangements for the Guest for air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transfers, shore excursions, medical care and/or for other transportation, activities, services, facilities or amusements occurring off of the vessel, the Carrier does so solely for the convenience of the Guest, the Carrier does not act on behalf of or supervise the parties or persons who own, furnish, or operate such conveyances, services or facilities, and the same are provided by independent contractors who work directly for the Guest and Guest is subject to such terms, if any, appearing in the tickets, vouchers or notices of such party or parties. Therefore, the Guest agrees that the Carrier assumes no responsibility for, nor guarantees the performance of, any such person, party, contractor, service or facility, and that the Carrier shall not be liable for losses or injuries arising from the acts or omissions of such person, party, contractor, service or facility.

 

I suppose terms and conditions can get the cruise line out of pretty much anything but anytime I've heard of a story where a cruise line sponsored excursion has had delays to the point where passengers missed the ship then the cruise line covered the expenses to get passengers back to the ship at the next port or to the debark port depending on the itinerary.

8 hours ago, Ashlynkat said:

I am currently on this cruise and while I don’t know any detail about the 80 year old woman who apparently got injured on an NCL tour. From our balcony, I did see a few tenders running slightly past our 3:30pm all aboard time. (3pm was technically the last tender and it was ~15-20 minute journey from dock to ship)

 

In hindsight, one was apparently carrying their passports and it was a little after 4pm (our scheduled departure time) before it seemed like they had all the tender boats reloaded with floating gangway and everything else put away. 

Didn’t see the coast guard vessel (or at least something I recognized as a coast guard vessel). I don’t remember the exact time we pulled away but it was definitely later than 4pm but not too much later. Maybe 4:15?  
 

Compared to Abidjan, Ivory Coast (our next port after São Tomé), traffic on São Tomé was a breeze so that wouldn’t have held them up. It’s a small island so getting to and from the port wasn’t that difficult. I think the theories about the tour operator operating on “island time” and not taking seriously the all aboard deadline is likely true. 
 

Unfortunately we just found out yesterday that our stop in Banjul, Gambia is canceled because of adverse tidal conditions at the port. So this group will need to find a way to Dakar, Senegal to meet back up.
 

Dreadful situation and while many folks on this cruise have done private tours with no issues getting back to the ship, this definitely highlights the risks of booking those tours in new ports that aren’t use to cruise ship operations! 

Yikes. The article says they were supposed to be flying to Gambia today. If they did, they're going to now have to fly on to Senegal. What a mess.