A family of nine was left stranded in Alaska after a misunderstanding with their tour operator saw them missing their scheduled cruise departure.
The family, originally from Oklahoma, comprises two parents, six children and a 78-year old grandmother.
They were all travelling on cruise ship Norwegian Encore, which docked in Ketchikan in Alaska.
After watching a lumberjack show, the group returned to the bus stop to catch a bus ride back to the port, which was organised by a local tour operator.
But they were mistakenly told the bus they were trying to get on was full, and were instructed to wait for the next one.
No other bus arrived, so the family frantically called the port authority to arrange alternative transportation.
When they finally made it back to the docks they realised Norwegian Encore had already sailed away – taking with it their passports, medication and personal belongings.
This marked the beginning of a nightmare day for the family, who were also hit with a fine of almost $9,000 by Norwegian Cruise Lines for failing to board the vessel.
That fee was issued in accordance with the US Customs and Border Protection’s Passenger Vessel Services Act, which they violated by not visiting a foreign port before they returned to the US.
‘We go to get on the bus and one of the attendees is like, “The bus is full and you know, you got to wait for the next bus”,’ a family member recounted to Oklahoma news outlet KJRH.
‘We all had to quit cold turkey medication these last few days, because it was all on the cruise ship.’
Stranded in a remote port located 300 miles from Alaska’s capital of Juneau, the family tried to arrange transport back to their hometown of Tulsa, only to find out their credit card had already been charged a customs fee of almost $9,000.
The family’s return journey to Tulsa took several days and was marked by flight cancellations and airport overnight stays, during which time some family members even caught Covid.
Upon their return to Oklahoma, family member Joshua said the group felt ‘unhealthy and beaten down’.
Cruise line officials said they would reimburse the family for the expenses they incurred while travelling, as well as the fee issues by US Customs and Border Patrol, alongside a partial refund for the two cruise days they missed.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines said: ‘On the afternoon of Friday, July 12, a family of nine guests missed the ship’s all aboard time in Ketchikan, Alaska due to a misstep by a local tour operator.
‘When the guests did not return to the ship at the published time, we attempted to contact them but were unable to reach them. As such, we alerted the local port agent in Ketchikan and requested that they assist the family with booking a hotel for the night.
‘As the guests would be unable to downline in the next port of call, Victoria, British Columbia, the port agent also helped the guests with securing flights to Seattle the following day, July 13.’
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