However, one American couple said they’re “considering” not reboarding.
Jill and Jay Campbell from South Carolina, were part of the group and said they’d spent thousands of dollars to help everyone get back to the ship.
Speaking on NBC, Jay Campbell said locals in Sao Tome were “very gracious, very hospitable”, and had helped them but it had still been a tough time.
“It’s a very, very difficult process. You’re dealing with multiple languages, different currencies, finding someone that will even take dollars,” he said.
NCL claims it will allow the passengers to reboard the ship but Jill Campbell said they aren’t sure they want to continue their trip.
“We are considering whether or not we are going to board the ship,” she said, adding that the cruise line had forgotten about the ‘basic duty of care’ for passengers.
“They really forgot that they are people working in the hospitality industry and that the safety and the wellbeing of their customers should be the first priority and that should be placed first,” she said.
NCL stated it was communicating with the guests and providing additional information as well as working with local authorities on a solution.
The Campbells were just seven days into their 21-day cruise when the incident occurred. If they decide to stay on shore, they’ll miss the Spain leg of the journey, as it heads to Barcelona, the final destination.
In a statement to the Herald this morning the cruise operator said all eight passengers had successfully reunited with the Dawn in Senegal, and were safely back onboard.
“Despite the series of unfortunate events outside of our control, we will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal,” said a Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson.
- with additional reporting
