“They knew they were running late and they called ahead and tried to communicate with the ship and once they got there, the last tender had left,” the brother of one of the tourists tells Inside Edition.
A group of tourists were left behind on a small island off the coast of central Africa when they did not return to their cruise ship in time.
Jill and Jay Campbell found themselves among eight left stranded during an excursion to São Tomé, an island country located in the Gulf of Guinea. They did not get back to the vessel, the Norwegian Dawn, in time to leave the island.
Jay’s brother, Rob, spoke to Inside Edition.
“They knew they were running late and they called ahead and tried to communicate with the ship and once they got there, the last tender had left,” Rob says. “I think it was a little bit of disbelief on their part with everything they had tried in good faith to get back on the boat.”
Local authorities pitched in to help the stranded passengers. The group, including an elderly woman, was loaded onto a boat that took them to meet back up with the cruise ship.
But, the cruise captain refused to let them on board.
In a statement, Norwegian Cruise Line says, “While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time, which is communicated broadly over the ship’s intercom, in the daily communication and posted just before exiting the vessel.”
The Campbells and the other passengers are now attempting to meet the ship in Senegal.
