Recently, an American couple spoke to the media about their tragic experience of being abandoned in Africa by the cruise ship they were on while on a cruise.
They and a few other old, weak, sick and disabled tourists were ruthlessly thrown by the captain on an African island where they were unfamiliar with the place and language.
In order to catch up with the cruise ship, these penniless tourists drove 48 hours overnight across six countries to the next port where the cruise ship docked, but still failed to board the ship. People are embarrassed, sleeping in the open along the way, lacking clothes and medicine, and are very pitiful like ascetics.
After their experience was widely reported, the cruise ship side also rushed to stand up and give a completely different explanation. What's even more reversal is that after the whole picture of the matter was exposed, netizens instead scolded the couple who came out to complain...
At the end of March, the Campbells in the United States signed up for a three-week sea cruise on the Dawn.
On March 27, the cruise ship docked off the coast of West Africa and tourists began to travel to the island, so the Campbells and several tourists signed up for a two-day impromptu parade on the island.
By the afternoon of March 29, the Campbells were worried that they would not be able to return to the cruise ship on time, so they asked the tour guide when they would return. The other party swore that it was still early, and it would be too late. In the end, as expected, everyone had a collective fun.
A group of tourists turned to the Coast Guard to get them to the port as fast as they could. But it was too late, and they missed their last boarding. Although the cruise ship was still in port, the staff refused to allow them to board.
The local port authority staff tried to contact the cruise ship captain, but was also denied.
Seeing that the trip was about to be lost, the Campbells contacted the cruise company, but the other party said that the cruise ship could only accept emails now, but they did not get an immediate response after sending the email.
In this way, the Campbells were stranded with four Americans and two Australians on one of the small islands in the Republic of São Tomé and Principe in Africa.
Among the eight tourists who were left behind by the cruise ship were a disabled amputee, a heart patient, an 80-year-old patient with post-stroke conditions and a pregnant woman.
Their medicines, wallets, and credit cards were left on the cruise ship without them, and their situation could be said to be very pitiful and dangerous. However, in order to catch the cruise ship back to the United States, they can only rush to the next port to board the ship on their own.
As a result, this group of old, weak, sick and disabled people drove around the clock. After 15 hours and six countries, the cruise ship finally arrived at the port of the Gambian capital on April 1.
However, the roof leak happened to rain overnight, because of the low tide in the port, the cruise ship could not dock and continued to sail. This reality, which seemed like an April Fool's joke, forced them to continue to catch up non-stop.
On the embarrassment of the cruise ship across six countries, only the Campbells brought credit cards, and they also paid $7,500 (about 54,000 RMB) for other tourists. Their upheaval and sleeping along the way can be imagined.
In the words of an Australian tourist: "It was the worst experience of our lives, being left in a strange country, with no language barrier and no money, really hungry, tired and scared." ”
During the journey, the Campbells said in a remote interview with the media that the local people in Africa were very good, giving them directions, introducing hotels, and helping to contact the local U.S. embassy to send the 80-year-old back to China by plane.
At the same time, they also condemned cruise lines for being unkind:
"I know cruise ships have their own rules, but they should change the rules. They forget that they are in the service industry, and that they want to treat their customers as gods and that it is their responsibility to keep them safe.
Wouldn't the captain have solved our problem in a simple way, let one of the supply ships turn around and pick us up and return to the main cruise ship?
Is it difficult to give different solutions according to the situation of different tourists?"
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell also said that they had been completely distracted by the cruise ship, and they were hesitating whether to get on the ship and continue sailing.
Campbell and the others chase the ship
After the encounter of Campbell and his party was reported, the cruise ship also hastened to issue explanations and statements. But the announcement of this diametrically opposed statement has sparked even more heated discussions on the Internet...
In a statement to the media, the head office of the cruise ship said that when the cruise ship docked on the afternoon of March 27, the eight tourists did not participate in the trip organized by the cruise ship, but privately reported to the local group, so they missed the last boarding time, and this part of the loss should be borne by the tourists themselves.
The cruise line also said that when tourists sign up for cruise trips, the company has repeatedly told tourists to abide by time regulations, and will also use radio to inform them of the rules of participation every day. A hard copy of the confirmation letter will also be issued every day to ensure that each guest understands and confirms the final time of landing and returning to the island.
When visiting the island, the company also keeps all visitors' passports at the port authorities at each port of call to ensure that they can travel safely even if they miss the ship.
However, probably out of public pressure, the cruise ship heard about their encounter this time and allowed them to board Senegal, which was passing by on the way to the chase (if they could catch up).
As for the Campbells' accusations of their "ruthless" system, the company also decided to spend money to settle the situation and reimburse all the expenses caused by the eight of them traveling, hoping to calm down the turmoil as soon as possible.
At the same time that the cruise ship came out to explain the situation, some media also interviewed travel industry experts, and the other party said that there was no problem with the cruise ship's operation.
Because, it is easy to cause danger to let such a large cruise ship turn around and pick up people. In addition, if the cruise ship delays its departure, it may face huge fines in the country or region where the port is located.
On top of that, since the traveler has already tacitly followed the rules of the cruise when signing up, they should be responsible for their own actions.
These 8 people did not sign up for the cruise ship's ground pick-up group when they landed on the island, but chose the tour group they found, probably because the latter was cheaper. However, unofficial tour groups cannot guarantee that tourists will return to the port on time to board the ship, and these tourists should be aware of it.
Now when you don't catch the cruise ship, you either go to the next port to board the ship by yourself, or go home directly, because the default rule of cruise ship travel is that people wait for the ship, not the boat waits for people.
The statement of the cruise ship and the words of the experts have made things turn around, and public opinion has also been divided into two factions: the station tourists and the station cruise ship. Netizens were foaming at the mouth in the comment area and were arguing.
A group of netizens believe that tourists should give themselves a cover for their behavior if they break the rules:
"The cruise ship arrives at the port not for their own convenience, but because the tides affect the current, making the docking unsafe. So when the cruise ship arrives and departs, it is fighting against the current tides.
If it misses a suitable departure time, it will have to wait for hours in place. Driving a boat is not as simple as driving a bus. ”
"If you can't guarantee that you will return to the ship on time, then don't report to the local group, it's as simple as that. Especially those of you who are not in good health and need to be in a wheelchair. ”
Another group of netizens felt that the tourists were at fault, but the cruise ship was also a dereliction of duty:
"I think when a cruise ship refused to let them board, they knew they were making a big deal out of it. It's one thing you can't see the passengers, it's another thing to not let them in when they knock on the door to contact, and it seems that someone's (the staff's) attitude that day was indeed a bit excessive. ”
"In fact, the boat was still in port when they were brought by the coast guards. I think it's the cruise ship that is taking revenge on them, who made you not sign up for our ground pick-up group.
Anyway, I never report the official pick-up group recommended by the cruise ship, they are much more expensive than what I am looking for, and it may not be much. ”
Now, the tourists have successfully boarded the boat in Senegal and will continue the second half of the trip. This extreme journey may become a memory that they will never forget.
Do you think they deserve it completely, or is it debatable how the cruise ship will handle it?