Family of 9 Receives Refund After Alaska Cruise Excursion Leaves Them Stranded

A $30,000 family reunion cruise aboard the Norwegian Encore became a nightmare for the Gault family when a tour operator in Ketchikan, Alaska, failed to return them to their ship on time, leaving them stranded as the boat sailed away.

The kicker: they booked the cruise excursion through the cruise line. So how did this happen?

The Oklahoma City family disembarked the vessel with their six children and Cailyn’s 68-year-old mother to attend a lumberjack show in Ketchikan.

When the show ended, they were not allowed to board any waiting tour buses even though they had tickets. They were instead advised to wait for the next one. 

“We see the chaos getting onto the buses. We go to get on the bus and one of the attendees is like, ‘The bus is full, and you know you got to wait for the next bus,” Joshua Gault told 2 News Oklahoma.

According to the Gaults, local tour personnel weren’t checking tickets and allowed cruise passengers from other sailings to occupy their seats.

Unfortunately, no other buses came, and the family had to find another way back. By the time they returned to the port, their vessel had already left.

A “Nightmare” and almost $9,000 in Fines

During the next few days, the family sought a way home. This involved finding last-minute accommodations, booking trips to several cities, spending nights at the airport, and enduring canceled flights. Since not all their passports were transferred from the ship, catching up with Encore in Canada wasn’t an option. 

Gault said, “You know, it was a nightmare. Six kids on board, minor children, and a 78-year-old mother-in-law, all on medication. We all had to quit cold turkey medication these last few days because it was all on the cruise ship.”

In addition to unplanned travel expenses, NCL charged their credit cards for nearly $9,000. The company later sent them a notice regarding a $971 per head fine for violating the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).

The law upheld by the US Customs and Border Protection states, “Any passenger who unexpectedly disembarks the ship at a US port of call, i.e., Alaska, due to any reason…may be charged by the cruise company supplying the transportation.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Responds

In a statement to 2 News Oklahoma, NCL acknowledged that the Gaults’ predicament was “due to a misstep by a local tour operator.”

It claimed it tried and failed to contact the family before the vessel left Ketchikan. It also mentioned that it requested the local port to assist the family with lodgings and flight arrangements.