A South Carolina couple have been stranded on an island off the coast of Africa after their cruise line denied them re-entry on the ship. Jill and Jay Campbell boarded the Norwegian Dawn in Cape Town, South Africa, to begin their cruise around the continent. Last Wednesday, they embarked on a private tour on São Tomé and Principe, a small island off western Africa.
According the the couple, the tour operator notified the captain that they were going to be late re-joining the group. When the São Tomé coast guard ferried the tour group back to the ship, which was anchored off the island – but the captain had ordered them to be taken back to shore.
The Campbells were ultimately left in the seaside capital city of São Tomé with seven other passengers – five of whom are also American – and forced to watch as the ship sailed off.
The group includes seven Americans and two Australians, four of whom are elderly. One passenger has a heart condition, another is a paraplegic, and one woman from Delaware is pregnant. ‘The Harbor Master tried to call the ship, the captain refused the call,’ Jay Campbell told WRAL.
‘We sent emails to Norwegian Cruise Line, the NCL customer service emergency number, and they said, well, the only way for us to get in touch with the ship is to send them e-mails, and they’re not responding to our emails.’
Among the castaways is an 80-year-old woman who suffered a concussion and lost part of her vision following a different tour. The couple, who are now 5,960 miles away from home, said the woman was left at a local hospital without any money or belongings, and her emergency contact was never notified by the cruise line.
‘I truly believe sometimes we’re put in certain places for a reason, and I believe we were put in this place for the 80-year-old woman that was left alone,’ Jay Campbell said. ‘God forbid what would have happened to that lady if we were not here.’
The South Carolina couple have shelled out more than $5,000 to supply the group with food, toiletries and hotel rooms, as they are the only ones with a debit card. At the time they were stranded, they were just over a week into a 21-night cruise continuing onward to Barcelona.
Throughout the troubling ordeal, Jay Campbell says his wife has been a ‘saint.’ ‘I don’t know where the whole group would be without her strength, guidance and compassion for others,’ he said. ‘I’m honored and blessed that I have the smartest woman in the world next to me.’
With assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Angola, the group is expected to fly to Gambia. However, they they can only re-join the cruise if Norwegian approves their request.