Dawn passengers left “stranded” on African island

[BirdTravels]

19 minutes ago, omahabob said:

Norwegian never asked us for emergency contacts.

It’s required to do online checkin. 

[Panhandle Couple]

33 minutes ago, southerngoose said:

@blackwing   Not sure of their exact path, but when I looked it up, out of curiosity, it looked like this.  So I think that this is close to what they did.   I think it takes so long because not every flight runs every day or multiple times a day and I guess the connections aren't that good?

According to Cruisemapper, they were at Principe, (Santo Antonio) not Sao Tome.  The country is called Sao Tome and Principe.  The main cruise port is Principe, which in smaller and less populated.  They probably had to get a small plane from there to Sao Tome.

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 hours ago, pete_coach said:

Bottom line on the topic, the folks pooched and missed the bus (I mean boat LOL). It happens far too frequently. No one to blame but the passengers themselves..

Finally, after 16 pages, somebody points out the obvious.

[spicytraveler]

29 minutes ago, omahabob said:

Norwegian never asked us for emergency contacts.

 

4 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

According to Cruisemapper, they were at Principe, (Santo Antonio) not Sao Tome.  The country is called Sao Tome and Principe.  The main cruise port is Principe, which in smaller and less populated.  They probably had to get a small plane from there to Sao Tome.

The emergency contacts are in the passport.

 

 

[exm]

2 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

  I read earlier that NCL would hold the ship and not leave people behind if on the ship's cruise . The HAL policy is the same and yet we were on a cruise thru the Panama Canal where they did in fact leave 33 people behind on a ship's cruise in Costa Rica . Here's the video of the Captain's announcement while we were at dinner .

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. How interesting. However, the time slot for the panama canal is really something that is inflexible. At least these guests seemed to be well taken care of.

[exm]

Also, Cruise ship was right to ditch the late passengers in Africa, travel writer says

[CatMom72]

1 hour ago, Mikel1733 said:

I understand cruise lines having strict guidelines regarding sailing times.  We've alway taken ship tours to alleviate worrying about getting back on time.  I'm really concerned NCL had left an elderly woman 2 days earlier who was disembarked at the same port who was thought to have had a stroke, then according to family didn't even contact them.  I'm sure the news will sort more information out, but I'm disappointed in NCL.  Not sure we will sail with them again.

A cruise ship doesn’t have the ability to provide the type of care that is needed for someone who has had a stroke.  The responsible thing to do is to ensure that the victim gets to a land-based hospital that IS equipped to deal with stroke patients.  Sounds like NCL did that, to the extent that they could.  As for the family’s claim they weren’t contacted by NCL, we don’t know the relevant details.  How do we know what contact information the victim provided?  How do we know that NCL didn’t try to contact someone? More importantly, if the family was so concerned about their 80-year-old relative traveling on a 22-day cruise by herself, perhaps they should have taken greater precautions themselves when it came to ensuring her safety.  Why is this NCL’s problem?  What else should they have done in this case?

[Wehwalt]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

Normally the port agent will follow up on medical removed passengers and assist them as necessary in making their arrangements after discharge from the medical facility.

That is what happened when I broke my arm in Tahiti. The port agent came to my hospital room with my passport and baggage and was helpful in getting me a hotel room and a medical service to assist me for a week until the bone had knit enough for me to fly back to the States.

[OldSalt73]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:25 PM, yakcruiser said:

Maybe a security issue? Piracy is a real thing in that neck of the woods. And I'm sure their Coast Guard boat in no way resembles one of ours.

 

Edited April 3 by OldSalt73

[Mike07]

24 minutes ago, exm said:

 

Thanks for sharing. How interesting. However, the time slot for the panama canal is really something that is inflexible. At least these guests seemed to be well taken care of.

 

My experience with Panama canal was that the ship arrived when it was supposed to, and then in third world country fashion, I personally am convinced that the authorities tried to shake down the cruise line for more money. I think the claim was the Panama canal authority didn't believe the COVID tests the bridge crew took were real or something like that.

 

We had a surprise sea day and went thru the following morning even though the line said they had no idea how many days it'd take since we missed our slot.

 

I have learned when dealing with foreign governments that rules are sometimes wherever the dart lands that day.

Edited April 3 by Mike07

[bortman23]

30 minutes ago, CatMom72 said:

the family was so concerned about their 80-year-old relative traveling on a 22-day cruise by herself, perhaps they should have taken greater precautions themselves when it came to ensuring her safety.

 

Exactly 

[Ashlynkat]

2 hours ago, Mikel1733 said:

 I'm really concerned NCL had left an elderly woman 2 days earlier who was disembarked at the same port who was thought to have had a stroke, then according to family didn't even contact them.  I'm sure the news will sort more information out, but I'm disappointed in NCL.  Not sure we will sail with them again.

This is incorrect. We weren’t in São Tomé “2 days earlier.” We were in Angola 2 days previous and March 27th was our one and only stop at São Tomé. In fact, according to our guide, our arrival on NCL Dawn was the first cruise ship visit of the year for the island with the last cruise ship being in early December. 
 

That unfortunate woman had a medical emergency THAT DAY and was apparently still being evaluated by medical personnel on the island long after the 3pm all aboard. Because her condition required longer care, she was medically disembarked. 

[Ashlynkat]

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

According to Cruisemapper, they were at Principe, (Santo Antonio) not Sao Tome.  The country is called Sao Tome and Principe.  The main cruise port is Principe, which in smaller and less populated.  They probably had to get a small plane from there to Sao Tome.

No, we were in the capital city of São Tomé on the main island of São Tomé. Not sure why the main cruise port would be on the less populated Principe but if that was true, I guess that’s why we tendered in São Tomé as there really wasn’t a “dock” or much semblance of a port at all. 
 

We basically pulled up in the tender boat to some stone stairs and climbed onto the street. This is a picture I took around the dock area. I’m not sure but I kinda wonder if this boat was the “coast guard” ship as this looked more like the boats in the water after the tenders were raised and we were getting ready to leave. Again, never saw anything that looks like what a modern, Western country’s Coast Guard vessel. 

Edited April 3 by Ashlynkat
Adding photo description and details

[www3traveler]

10 minutes ago, Ashlynkat said:

This is incorrect. We weren’t in São Tomé “2 days earlier.” We were in Angola 2 days previous and March 27th was our one and only stop at São Tomé. In fact, according to our guide, our arrival on NCL Dawn was the first cruise ship visit of the year for the island with the last cruise ship being in early December. 
 

That unfortunate woman had a medical emergency THAT DAY and was apparently still being evaluated by medical personnel on the island long after the 3pm all aboard. Because her condition required longer care, she was medically disembarked. 

According to reports by her family, she is safely home and in the Stanford University Hospital.

[omahabob]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I thought maybe a boat to mainland and then train through multiple countries.  

 

When you e-check in, there is a line to list emergency contact.  

Never did it.

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

You provide the info on pre-cruise check in.

Never did it.

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

It’s required to do online checkin. 

Can't be. I have no emergency contacts, so I can't possibly be required to provide them. It's possible I simply entered "none". I suppose it's also possible I made up a fictitious one. That sounds like something I might do.

 

James Blonde

007 License2kill Way

Shaken Not Stirred, FL 12345

 

Gotta remember that one for next time.

[Panhandle Couple]

8 minutes ago, Ashlynkat said:

No, we were in the capital city of São Tomé on the main island of São Tomé. Not sure why the main cruise port would be on the less populated Principe but if that was true, I guess that’s why we tendered in São Tomé as there really wasn’t a “dock” or much semblance of a port at all. 
 

We basically pulled up in the tender boat to some stone stairs and climbed onto the street. 

Thanks!

That is interesting, because cruisemapper shows only 1 ship at Sao Tome for the rest of this year, and 8 or 9 (including NCL and Oceania ships) for the rest of this year.

Looks like cruisemapper is off on this location.

 

By their map, there isn't any real dock in Principe either.

Edited April 3 by Panhandle Couple

[omahabob]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

The call that the Captain made is to "follow our process."  There was not on-the-fly decision making.

Actually, they acknowledged he followed procedure. They just think he followed it too strictly.

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

True, there are no passenger planes that can carry 4000 people at one time.  NCL had to use multiple aircraft.  And, it is very difficult to charter a large number of aircraft at one time.

Some of the planes I have been on recently seemed like they tried to fit 4000 on board.

[MizMoon]

The independent eight returned to the ship and the lady from the ship excursion is hospitalized at home - Bless Their Hearts.  

[TRLD]

16 minutes ago, Ashlynkat said:

No, we were in the capital city of São Tomé on the main island of São Tomé. Not sure why the main cruise port would be on the less populated Principe but if that was true, I guess that’s why we tendered in São Tomé as there really wasn’t a “dock” or much semblance of a port at all. 
 

We basically pulled up in the tender boat to some stone stairs and climbed onto the street. This is a picture I took around the dock area. I’m not sure but I kinda wonder if this boat was the “coast guard” ship as this looked more like the boats in the water after the tenders were raised and we were getting ready to leave. Again, never saw anything that looks like what a modern, Western country’s Coast Guard vessel. 

Their coast guard/navy has a 27ft Boston whaler, 1 41 foot technical boat, and some zodiacs. 

 

1 tender would double the Navy's passenger capacity compared to their existing craft.

Edited April 3 by TRLD

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Right... travel insurance should cover this... not the cruise line.

Most travel insurance policies do not consider expenses incurred by someone missing a scheduled departure of a cruise ship to be a covered event.

 

If they had been on a scheduled carrier such as a ferry or train then maybe, but not for a tour.

[TRLD]

55 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

My experience with Panama canal was that the ship arrived when it was supposed to, and then in third world country fashion, I personally am convinced that the authorities tried to shake down the cruise line for more money. I think the claim was the Panama canal authority didn't believe the COVID tests the bridge crew took were real or something like that.

 

We had a surprise sea day and went thru the following morning even though the line said they had no idea how many days it'd take since we missed our slot.

 

I have learned when dealing with foreign governments that rules are sometimes wherever the dart lands that day.

When was that?

 

There was a couple of times just after the restart when ships got delayed due to a misunderstanding of the rules for passage. Something about all of the ships personnel that would come in contact with canal personnel having to be pcr tested and the ship was delayed for a day while the testing was completed

[The-Inside-Cabin]

10 hours ago, omahabob said:

Actually, they acknowledged he followed procedure. They just think he followed it too strictly.

I wonder how "strict " they expect NCL to follow the rules?   10 minutes - 1 hour - 2 hours?

 

Does anyone know their tour itinerary?   It's possible they got dropped off to go hike up to the waterfall and they were late returning to the van.   There is a lot of missing information.   

[bortman23]

NBC just reported all passengers are back on the ship now, with NCL confirming they will reimburse their travel costs to get back on the ship.

 

 

[Asawi]

11 hours ago, spicytraveler said:

 

The emergency contacts are in the passport.

Not in Swedish passports. No contact information what-so-ever in our passports. Which makes sense since those are things that may change during the passport validity.

It is however asked for during NCL online checkin.