02 May 2024 , 13:18
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An elderly couple were left stranded in Spain without their medication after a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ship left part without them.
Richard, 84, and his wife Claudene, 81, had gone on an independently booked excursion to view the city of Grenada while their ship, Viva, was docked in Motril on Monday. Due to a rainstorm, they ran late for the 5.30pm all-aboard time ahead of a scheduled 6pm departure.
At 5.45pm, the Gordons, from Salt Lake City, who were taking the cruise to celebrate Richard's 85th birthday this week, notified a relative on board that they were running late but were nearby. The family member was told that the Viva had to leave on time and would not wait.
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The couple said they are experienced cruise ship passengers (Corbis via Getty Images)By the time the octogenarians arrived at 6:10 pm, the boat had left the harbour, Mr Gordon told CNN. He said: "I am a very experienced traveller and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises during my lifetime. Never before have we ever missed catching a ship on time at a port. So we are not someone who abuses the system."
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He added: "Our cruise began in Lisbon and we departed from Lisbon about one and a half hours after the scheduled departure at 4 pm. Then the next night or two, at least a half-hour late from the dock, so it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled."
When the cruise ship set sail, the Gordons found themselves without their necessary items such as medication, glasses, and spare batteries for hearing aids which were on board. Back in Salt Lake City, their daughter Marilee Baker was up till the early hours booking a flight for her parents to Palma de Mallorca, where the boat was due to stop next.
The Gordons alleged that they didn't hear from Norwegian until late Tuesday. Once they reached Mallorca, they were greeted with a luxury taxi service to take them to the ship.
The couple had booked the cruise as a 58th birthday celebration (Corbis via Getty Images)"They picked us up at the hotel in a beautiful black BMW limousine to take us to the ship. There we were met by the head of ship services who escorted us inside the ship to meet the general manager of the ship, then they escorted us to breakfast, then they escorted us to our cabin," Mr Gordon said. The ship maintained the Motril harbormaster was responsible for the confusion and travel arrangements with the couple.
Despite this warm welcome, Mr Gordon expressed dissatisfaction with the situation, particularly the lack of communication from the ship. He said: "The ship had not contacted us directly for two days so that doesn't speak so well for them."
Norwegian Cruise Line refuted the couple's narrative, informing The Post they were an hour late behind the scheduled 5.30 pm all-aboard time and that it made multiple unsuccessful attempts to reach out to the couple after they were left stranded.
"After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with the local port agents to make arrangements for the guests to rejoin the vessel," a Norwegian Cruise Lines spokesperson said.
"It is important to note that a delayed departure has the potential to impact the ship's ability to deliver its planned itinerary and thus influence the experience for all guests onboard. While this was a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time."