Dawn passengers left “stranded” on African island

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

Do you mean saying "due to a bout of sudden illness " rather than a vague statement? 

Agreed, @Daniel A. If people have the time to talk to the media, they have time to refer to the actual incident that caused the delay, especially given the amount of attention this story is getting. Was it a mechanical issue, a medical emergency, a security situation, etc.? I think they're being deliberately evasive and vague because they know that'll sink the whole "poor, pitiful me" narrative they're pushing.

[zak477]

44 minutes ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

Interesting.  I would like to hear about one of the success stories from that.  This could be quite an expensive proposition for a tour company to make that type of a guarantee.

There are many reputable private tour companies/agencies. One example is Viator. Look them up they are all over the world. Great tours, we use them often. And yes, they guarantee.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, kd1044 said:

 

Is that true? That the couple has been "late" at other stops?

 

I have been on other cruises where it seemed the same people were late every time on excursions.  It got to the point where we would agree to take turns tagging along with them just so we could keep track of them.

Sorry for the confusion.  Wasn't referring to any of those on this ship/excursion.

[slidemaster5]

1 minute ago, Lonedaddy said:

Yes most here realize the err wasn't on NCL but if you read some of the media comments (e.g. fox NBC....) people are making ridiculous comments showing they either have never been on a cruise or have any knowledge of (well anything)

It is like that for everything. I have worked in Taxes for 40 years and the media makes ridiculous comments on that subject too. Never mind the politicians on both sides who have no idea what they are talking about.  

[Lonedaddy]

1 hour ago, papaflamingo said:

Just a couple of comments.... There has been enough discussion regarding the comment that the Captain "refused" to answer both the Coast Guard and the Harbor Master, and  discussion of airlines leaving people at the gate for me to comment.  I am both Retired U.S. Coast Guard and a Retired Airline Captain.   Let me say this. No Professional Ship's Captain would EVER "refuse" to answer either the Harbor Master OR the local Coast Guard!!!! I can't stress this enough.  A ship's captain simply DOES NOT ignore the local authorities, at least not if he wants to keep his job.  It would be like an Airline Captain ignoring and refusing to answer an FAA Controller.  SIMPLY NOT DONE!  

As for Airlines leaving people at the gate. What you may or may not know.... for an airline to depart a Weight and Balance must be generated and on board.  In order to make an "On Time Departure" the flight is "closed out" around 5-10 minutes before departure and the Weight and Balance is generated.  ANY change, even adding 1 person (or removing 1 for that matter) requires a whole new Weight and Balance to be generated.  This is done (at least at the airline I flew for) by the Dispatchers in an office at the airline's headquarters so it isn't a quick thing. THAT is the number one reason that Agents don't let late passengers board.  And to add to that, airlines are ranked by on time performance, something that the traveling public demanded, so the days of waiting have come and gone. And just for perspective of how critical Weigh and Balance is, when I flew the L-1011 (a very large plane weighing over 400,000 pounds), we took a Football Charter out of Florida.  We had to remove ONE 180 pound Charter Rep. in order to have the "numbers" for takeoff.  Imagine a 180 pound person being "critical" to an over 400,000 pound aircraft!  So Weight and Balance is no joke. 

My point is, there is a lot in this story that is not exactly correct, and there are a lot of dynamics in place that make something that seems simple, like waiting, very difficult and costly.  But before judging anyone, it's imperative that all dynamics are understood and the entire story is known. 

Papa you over on this board reading this too!  Our regent board a little boring compared to this.

[Daniel A]

50 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here's one that has a 100% on-time guarantee - There are others...

 

 

https://www.spaindaytours.com/spain-shore-excursions/

 

 

The advertisement is misleading.   Nowhere does it say they are guaranteeing on time returns,  the are only claiming they have a 100% record of returning on time.  There's always a first time, just ask the six that were with the Campbells. 

[Wehwalt]

Regarding whether the company would have a "get you to next port" guarantee. I doubt that catering to cruise passengers is a huge part of the company's business. I see there are only eight more days on which a cruise ship is scheduled to dock in Principe in 2024, and only five in 2025. Most likely the greater part of their business is people who fly in, for example from Portugal.

Edited April 3 by Wehwalt

[graphicguy]

All this drama and all these interviews and still not one mention of the cruise tour operator, who are they.  We know they didn't do what they said they did (like contacting the Capt of the ship).  

Saw a brief mention that they took the LATE 8 shopping instead of returning to the tender on time.  Nothing like getting a little kick back from a shopping spree.

 

They just dropped them off at the tender site, with the last tender gone?  Waived goodbye and said "see 'ya....wouldn't want to be 'ya"!  Poof!  Just like that, they've washed their hands of this drama filled fiasco and it was their fault to begin with.  Seems they've skulked into the shadows so no one can find them.

[blackwing]

27 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Agreed, @Daniel A. If people have the time to talk to the media, they have time to refer to the actual incident that caused the delay, especially given the amount of attention this story is getting. Was it a mechanical issue, a medical emergency, a security situation, etc.? I think they're being deliberately evasive and vague because they know that'll sink the whole "poor, pitiful me" narrative they're pushing.

I'm disappointed that these TV people won't push more on that.  "Can you describe the issue?  Did you spend a lot of time at lunch or shopping?  Why wouldn't you have told the tour operator that you needed to get back to port earlier?"

 

Do we even know for sure that this was an actual tour company?  Or was it just a guy on the dock with a van that holds eight and asking everyone who walked by if they wanted a "Private Island Tour" until he filled his seats?  I could easily see that scenario happening.

[Daniel A]

11 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 Saw a brief mention that they took the LATE 8 shopping instead of returning to the tender on time.  Nothing like getting a little kick back from a shopping spree.

If that were the reason for missing the boat, then why are the Campbells being so evasive about that being the 'issue?'  If it was the tour company that caused this through their fault, I'd be screaming bloody murder at the tour company, not the cruise line.

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

@Ashlynkat...thank you for giving us a first hand account.  You're just trying to enjoy your cruise along with your other 2,000+ guests.  And, then have to endure this drama with other passengers literally missing the ship.

 

It sounds like the couple got their face plastered all over the news actually did rebound the ship.  Given there were probably no lawyers jumping out of their chairs to litigate this made their threats to not reboard, and forfeit their entire cruise fare, less than attractive.

 

One last thing.....I've had occasion to need the on board Medical Centers for minor issues.....dispensing meds for stomach ailments, x-rays to check for broken bones, etc.

 

Limited experience, but I'd say I would not be one who would want them treating anything major like a stroke. That is better left to a land based hospital.  Their medical personnel, while nice folks, didn't give me the impression they were either trained or experienced enough to treat anything serious.  

 

the med centers on board ship are set up and equipped as emergency rooms. They are usually staffed by Doctors that have emergency room certifications. They are designed to provide short term care, to diagnose and stabilize, anyone requiring more care that would require treatment by other departments in a hospital get transferred off ship.

 

They also function like an urgent care facility.

 

On board ship I have talked with several Doctors from various countries. All have stated that emergency certifications were a primary requirement. They were from countries like South Africa where they train their physicians quite well, but where they are paid quite poorly. One Doctor on board with her husband a chemical engineer said that she made more in 6 months on a cruise ship, then both of them could make in a year in South Africa.

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, noshoobie said:

Booing?? You must be a Philadelphia Sports fan. LOL. (you can see where I'm from). Has anyone ever thought that the "issue" might have been embarrassing - like explosive d***hea? (Sorry - hope no one is eating breakfast while reading this. lol

Just lunch! 

[Mrs f.]

31 minutes ago, Wehwalt said:

Regarding whether the company would have a "get you to next port" guarantee. I doubt that catering to cruise passengers is a huge part of the company's business. I see there are only eight more days on which a cruise ship is scheduled to dock in Principe in 2024, and only five in 2025. Most likely the greater part of their business is people who fly in, for example from Portugal.

We'll be docked there this November. Doing an Oceania cruise this time. 

[Mrs f.]

20 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I'm disappointed that these TV people won't push more on that.  "Can you describe the issue?  Did you spend a lot of time at lunch or shopping?  Why wouldn't you have told the tour operator that you needed to get back to port earlier?"

 

Do we even know for sure that this was an actual tour company?  Or was it just a guy on the dock with a van that holds eight and asking everyone who walked by if they wanted a "Private Island Tour" until he filled his seats?  I could easily see that scenario happening.

It was an actual tour company.  I emailed the article to my guide there and asked if it was him and he told me what company it is.

 

 

 

[Wehwalt]

I don't think either the Campbells or the media are interested in further exploration of the circumstances of what happened. Both got what they wanted out of there being a story. The Campbells got pressure on NCL to make a full reimbursement, which either will work, or it will not (right now it's the latter) and since no one is ever the villain in their own head, they are happy to have dinged the cruise line. The media filled a few minutes or webpages, and they aren't totally unhappy to ding the cruise industry, with its "privilege" and it's (in their minds) environmentally questionable way of travel. As for the cruise line, it gets free publicity that it goes to exotic ports and people who would take NCL on an African cruise are going to be understanding that the cruise line is not going to wait. 

[omahabob]

3 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

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.   

They did delay departure to disembark the other lady and transfer her to a hospital, but I don't know how long they delayed. Maybe Ashlynkat can answer that, since she was on that cruise.

[omahabob]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

I think the point is that somebody upthread said that Norwegian doesn't ask for emergency contacts, so that they wouldn't have known who to contact for the lady who had a stroke.

That might have actually been me. Since I've never provided one, I may well have forgotten that they asked. I plead senility or alzheimers. But since I'm in no condition to remember, I can't tell you which one it is. 

[cabincop]

I just don’t know how the the couple from SC that’s been on all the tv channels and on all the newspapers can ever go on a cruise again. They smeared their own name. Such experience cruisers yet they let this happen. Today the Australia couple are on the news. Enough you guys screwed up & hopefully learned a lesson. Onto the next scandal. 

[Mrs f.]

3 hours ago, www3traveler said:

I find it interesting that the couple being interviewed several media outlets stated that they would NOT be re-joining the ship and yet they did.

 

Question: how were these people able to reach out to the media outlets in New York City to get their story aired??

They might have texted or emailed a friend/relative and that person picked contacted the local media.  We saw the story first on our local TV station (NBC affiliate) since we are in the town next to where the Campbell's  live.   My guess is then the national channel picked up the story.  And there are so many unanswered questions. 

[cabincop]

4 minutes ago, omahabob said:

That might have actually been me. Since I've never provided one, I may well have forgotten that they asked. I plead senility or alzheimers. But since I'm in no condition to remember, I can't tell you which one it is. 

In your phone contacts you should have ICE info. ICE is in case of emergency. I have 3 ICE contacts. Their names, addresses & phone numbers. I’m a retired cop when we get into victims phone we always look for their ICE contact info.

[graphicguy]

35 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

If that were the reason for missing the boat, then why are the Campbells being so evasive about that being the 'issue?'  If it was the tour company that caused this through their fault, I'd be screaming bloody murder at the tour company, not the cruise line.

The Headline (actually not even worth a headline) would have read....

 

"Campbells and some other people miss ship because Bob's Bait, Tackle and Tour Guides  can't get to the tenders on time".

 

That's not nearly as compelling.

[omahabob]

2 minutes ago, cabincop said:

In your phone contacts you should have ICE info. ICE is in case of emergency. I have 3 ICE contacts. Their names, addresses & phone numbers. I’m a retired cop when we get into victims phone we always look for their ICE contact info.

I only have one person to contact in an emergency, and she's always on the cruise with me, so that wouldn't work. They couldn't get into my phone anyway. The 'emergency' number that displays on the lock screen is also that person on the cruise with me.

[N-8]

Funny how you never hear that an airline abandoned passengers who late for their flights....These people caused their own problem. Wish the media would just move on.

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, zak477 said:

There are many reputable private tour companies/agencies. One example is Viator. Look them up they are all over the world. Great tours, we use them often. And yes, they guarantee.

Viator isn't a tour company - they're just the middleman connecting travelers with various tour groups. Which is why you'll see the same type of tour offered 4+ times on their website with slight variations, because each is run by a different group. So Viator itself has no guarantees, it's all up to the specific tour company you book through the Viator site. And not all of them cater to cruise passengers or any guarantee at all, so read the fine print before booking.

 

58 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

It was an actual tour company.  I emailed the article to my guide there and asked if it was him and he told me what company it is.

 

Can you share the details so the rest of us can avoid them?

[FitchburgWIFamily]

The most entitled phrase ever:

 

“While we understand there are rules and guidelines we believe they followed them too rigidly in this case”.
 

That may be a little bit of a paraphrase, but I believe the passenger from South Carolina said almost exactly this. 

 

it is this exact attitude that the rules that exist and not “for me” that got them into the situation.

 

The ship’s daily provides the contact number for someone at the port. That is the person with whom everyone should have been in contact. That is probably the person with whom NCL left everyone’s passports.  
 

They FAFO.