8 cruise ship passengers stranded in Africa after arriving late to boarding

Passengers on the Norwegian Dawn went on a private excursion and were denied entry back onto the boat when they showed up after the vessel's sailing time.

A group of eight cruise passengers were left stranded at a port in West Africa after the vessel didn’t allow them to board due to lateness.

Six American and two Australian tourists were supposed to be on a dream vacation, but it quickly turned into a nightmare when they arrived back at port from a private tour to find the boat had already closed its doors and denied them entry.

The group had embarked on a private excursion on March 27 on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe and were expected to be back for the all-aboard time of 3 p.m. The tour operator had called ahead in an attempt to let the cruise captain know they would be late.

Despite help from the local Coast Guard, they were denied entry to the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship.

Affected passengers Jay and Jill Campbell told ABC affiliate WPDE the incident happened during their first week of a three-week voyage with Norwegian Cruise Line. While out on the excursion, touring the island, they became aware they were running short on time.

“We were like, ‘Our time is getting short,'” Jay Campbell recalled, at which point he said the guide let them know, “‘No problem, we can get you back in an hour.'”

When they arrived back, the vessel was still anchored but its doors were closed. The Coast Guard ferried the group to the ship, but they weren’t allowed aboard.

“The harbourmaster tried to call the ship. The captain refused the call. We sent emails to NCL the customer service emergency number,” Jay Campbell said. “They said the only way for us to get in touch with the ship is via email. They’re not responding to our emails.”