A US retired couple, aged 84 and 81, were abandoned in Spain by their cruise company. The seniors were surprised by a storm on a self-organized trip on the way back to the port.
An elderly couple from the US were left behind in Spain during a stopover on their Mediterranean cruise after they returned to the ship late. Richard and Claudene Gordon of Salt Lake City, Utah, were on a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise and took an independent trip to the city of Granada. Due to a rainstorm, their return to the ship was delayed and they were left in Motril. Richard Gordon reported this in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN.
The couple told CNN that as experienced cruisers, they had never missed a ship in port before. After realizing they would be late, they tried to reach a relative on board. However, he was informed by Norwegian Cruise Line staff that nothing could be done because the ship had to leave on time. When they arrived at the dock at 6:10 p.m., the ship scheduled to board at 5:30 p.m. was already gone.
According to CNN, Norwegian Cruise Line disputes the couple’s timing claims. A spokesman for the cruise line said the couple arrived about an hour late and missed their scheduled departure time. The cruise line said it made multiple attempts to reach the couple by phone and made arrangements to allow them to return to the ship.
“Although the ship’s team was informed by their relatives on board that these two guests were late, unfortunately, given the guests’ expected arrival time, the ship was unable to reschedule the scheduled departure time,” the cruise line said in a statement.
And further: “Like other scheduled means of transport such as trains and planes, a cruise ship follows a set itinerary with set arrival and departure times. Itineraries are carefully coordinated and planned well in advance of each voyage and take into account multiple factors, including weather/tide conditions, environment and/or local regulations, as well as the distance and speed required to get to the next port of call.”
Marilee Barker, the couple’s daughter, told CNN that her parents were left alone after the incident. The couple went to a police station, but even there they couldn’t help them. According to their own statements, they received no further support from the cruise company for the time being.
The cruise line spokesperson said: “After multiple attempts to contact these guests using the phone numbers provided and calling their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with local port agents in Motril (Spain) and Palma de Mallorca (Spain) to make arrangements for guests to return to the ship.”
Two days later, the seniors were finally reunited on the ship in Mallorca, where the two had flown in the meantime. Barker said Norwegian Cruise Line contacted her parents for the first time since the incident and arranged a pickup from the hotel to the ship. Her parents were met by the ship’s staff and taken to breakfast and then to their cabin.
Back in April, eight guests on the Norwegian Dawn had to chase their ship after a land excursion in Africa. But to no avail, the cruise ship left without them. Although they also came back on board, they have had enough of cruise trips for now.