Family of 9 stranded on Alaska island during cruise. Here’s what happened next

A family of nine from Oklahoma, USA, were stranded on a remote island in Alaska and were left with Rs 7,38,000 in costs after their cruise ship left without them. Joshua and Kaylin Gault, along with their six young children and Kaylin’s 78-year-old mother, were on a five-day voyage on the Norwegian Encore. They had disembarked in Ketchikan, a popular cruise stop on Alaska’s southeast coast, to attend a lumberjack show they had booked through the cruise line. When they tried to board the shuttle bus back to the port after the show, it was full. Little did they know that this was the beginning of a long vacation ordeal.

They contacted the port authorities and a van was sent to pick up the family. By the time they reached the port, it was too late. They watched helplessly as their clothes, medicines, passports and other belongings left on the cruise ship, leaving them behind. To make matters worse, the US Customs and Border Protection Passenger Vessel Services Act imposed a fine of over Rs 7 lakh for abandoning the ship. During their journey, they had to board a ship from a Canadian port, a foreign country. Unfortunately, their passports were on the ship that had left without them. Since they could not get to Canada, they had to pay the associated costs. On top of that, they had to arrange for their stay, food and a way to get back home.

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What should have been a nice vacation turned into a long, multi-day journey home, with countless cities along the way, luggage collection, canceled flights and overnight stays at the airport.

According to reports, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines stated that they had tried to contact the family after noticing their initial absence and offered to book them a hotel for the night. In addition, they arranged flights for the family back to the mainland the following day, as they recognized that it was not feasible to re-board the ship at the next stop. Now, the company has assured that this was done by a local tour operator, so they will be refunded and compensated for the loss incurred. From now on, the family of 9 will also receive a 20 percent discount.

What should have been a nice vacation turned into a long, multi-day journey home, with countless cities along the way, luggage collection, canceled flights and overnight stays at the airport.

According to reports, a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Lines stated that they had tried to contact the family after noticing their initial absence and offered to book them a hotel for the night. In addition, they arranged flights for the family back to the mainland the following day, as they recognized that it was not feasible to re-board the ship at the next stop. Now, the company has assured that this was done by a local tour operator, so they will be refunded and compensated for the loss incurred. From now on, the family of 9 will also receive a 20 percent discount.