Family Of 9 Stranded In Alaskan Island During Cruise. Here’s What Happened Next

A family of nine from Oklahoma (USA) found themselves stranded on a remote Alaskan island and faced Rs 7,38,000 in fees after their cruise ship departed without them. Joshua and Kaylin Gault, along with their six young children and Kaylin’s 78-year-old mother, were five days into their voyage on the Norwegian Encore. They had unboarded at Ketchikan, a popular cruise stop on Alaska’s South Eastern coast, to attend a lumberjack show booked through the cruise line. When they attempted to board the shuttle bus back to the port after the show, it was full. They did not realise at the time that this was the start of a prolonged vacation ordeal.

They contacted the port authority, and a van was dispatched to pick up the family. By the time they reached the port, it was too late. They stood by helplessly as their clothes, medication, passports, and other belongings departed with the cruise ship, leaving them behind. To worsen things further, the US Customs and Border Protection Passenger Vessel Services Act fined them over Rs 7 lakh for abandoning the ship. During their journey, they were supposed to catch a ship from a Canadian port, a foreign country. Unfortunately, their passports were on the ship that had left without them. Unable to go to Canada, they had to pay the associated fees. Additionally, they had to arrange for their stay, food, and find a way to get back home.

What was meant to be a fun vacation turned into a long, multi-day journey home including numerous cities, baggage pickup, cancelled flights, and overnight airport stays.

According to reports, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines stated that they had tried to contact the family after noticing their initial absence and had offered to book a hotel for them for the night. Additionally, they arranged flights for the family back to the mainland the following day, recognising that rejoining the ship at its next stop was not feasible. Now the company has assured that this happened because of a local tour operator, so they will get their refund and the loss incurred will be compensated. Going forward, the family of 9 people will also get a discount of 20 percent.