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Cruise ship “Norwegian Dawn”
Photo: Gary Cameron / Reuters
Their private excursion took too long and the ship left: eight cruise guests from the “Norwegian Dawn” were stranded on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe a week ago. The passengers traveled behind the ship on their own initiative – and at their own expense. Now their odyssey through several African countries will come to an end. According to the shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the group can board again in the port of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. A spokeswoman for the shipping company told SPIEGEL.
Previously, boarding in Banjul in Gambia had not been possible. “The ship was unable to dock safely at this destination due to adverse weather conditions and tidal restrictions,” the shipping company wrote. The group had been contacted about the change in itinerary. Travel costs from Banjul to Dakar will be reimbursed, NCL announced.
The shipping company confirmed in its statement that the eight passengers "who were on the island on their own or with a private tour" had missed the last boat back to the ship and were therefore unable to keep the time to return on board. "Although this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for returning to the ship at the published time," which has been informed several times. The passengers' passports were handed over to the local port agents so that the guests could pick them up.
The shipping company also confirmed to SPIEGEL that another passenger on the cruise had been left behind in São Tomé and Príncipe. The 80-year-old woman was taken to hospital there on the advice of the medical staff on board. According to the shipping company, she has now been able to leave the hospital and fly back to the USA via Lisbon.
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