Passengers stranded in Spain scramble to rejoin their cruise liner
Richard and Claudene Gordon, a couple from Salt Lake City, Utah, were in the midst of a Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Viva with their family and friends. The trip was meant to be capped off with Richard's 85th birthday celebration later in the week.
While the ship was docked in Motril, Spain, on a Monday, the pair decided to visit the historic city of Granada on their own. This wasn't part of an excursion organized by the cruise line. Unfortunately, due to a rainstorm, their bus was delayed for an hour.
"I'm a very experienced traveler and have been on around 30 cruises in my life," Gordon told CNN. "I've never missed catching a ship on time at a port before, so we're not someone who abuses the system."
The Gordons had to hurry back to the ship, but they missed the all-aboard time of 5:30 p.m. by just 15 minutes! They called a relative on board to alert him of their impending arrival, but Norwegian Cruise Line staff told him they couldn't help because the ship needed to leave on schedule.
The Gordons arrived at the pier by taxi at 6:10 p.m., with crucial belongings like Claudene's medication, Richard's glasses, both spare hearing aid batteries, and their phone chargers left on the ship.
Gordon noted that the ship had departed Lisbon a bit late before and said, "They never actually leave on the exact moment scheduled."
After arriving at the port, the Gordons received no help from the cruise line. The couple's daughter, Marilee Barker, recalling the ordeal, said they went to the police station, where they could only get in touch with the cruise line through a phone call from the dock. The police officer said there was nothing he could do.
Barker and her husband had to spend hours finding flights and a hotel, eventually landing them on a plane to Palma de Mallorca, where the ship would dock the next day.
Claudene Gordon messaged her daughter late on Tuesday to say Norwegian Cruise Line had contacted them for the first time since the incident and offered to send a taxi to pick them up from their hotel on Wednesday morning.
Finally, after spending two days stranded, the Gordons were reunited with their ship on Wednesday morning. They got a black BMW limousine that took them from their hotel to the ship. They then met the head of ship services, who took them inside the ship to the general manager, before escorting them to breakfast and finally to their cabin.
Gordon said he simply told the officials that they had been "abandoned at the dock with no one to meet them or tell them where to go." The company admitted that the harbor master was responsible for their delayed return and apologized.
A Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson said, "The two guests who went ashore independently arrived at the pier approximately an hour late and missed the all-aboard time," adding, "After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly." The company confirmed it had made arrangements for the Gordons to catch up with their ship.
In a seemingly similar incident, eight passengers got stuck on the African island nation of São Tomé last month while Norwegian Cruise Line ships circumnavigated the continent. These passengers endured a struggle to catch up with their ship as it made its way up the west coast of Africa.
Paraphrasing, the couple, Richard and Claudene Gordon, from Utah, were cruising on Norwegian Viva with their family. While in Motril, Spain, they decided to explore the historical city of Granada. Unfortunately, their bus was delayed by a storm, making them late to rejoin the ship.
They were told that they had missed the all-aboard time, which was half an hour earlier, but made it their priority to return as soon as possible. Their family member informed the staff on board of their impending arrival. However, they were denied entry due to the ship's scheduled departure time.
Being stranded without crucial items like their medications and hearing aid batteries, they eventually contacted the police for help. The police officer called the ship but was told there was nothing that could be done.
Their daughter, Barker, spent hours finding suitable flights and a hotel for them to wait it out. The couple received their first contact from the cruise line on Tuesday. They were pledged a taxi to pick them up the following morning.
After being reunited with their ship on Wednesday morning, they were treated to a luxurious arrival. They caught a limousine that transported them to the ship. The couple's ordeal had a happy ending with the help of the top officials of the ship who ensured their comfort.
A spokesperson for the cruise line clarified, "The guests in question had independently left the vessel and, upon their return, arrived at the pier approximately an hour late." They had worked hard to make arrangements for the couple's return, even though they struggled to reach the couple by phone.
If that's what happened, Norwegian pointed out that the latecomers were part of a private excursion not arranged by the cruise company.
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The Gordons expressed their interest in continuing their travel plans, wishing to join the Norwegian Viva once again after their unexpected detour in Spain. Despite their desire to rejoin the cruise, they had yet to make any concrete arrangements.
Upon hearing of the Gordons' situation, many travelers shared their own experiences of missing cruise departures and the challenges that ensued. Some recommended carrying backup travel documents in case of such emergencies.
Source: edition.cnn.com
