Norwegian cruise lines leaves family of nine behind in Alaska

An Oklahoma family of nine was left behind in remote Alaska after their Norwegian Cruise Lines ship departed without them, and they were then charged $9,000 in customs fees.

The Gaults—mom, dad, six kids, and grandma—hopped off their Norwegian ship in Ketchikan on July 12 to catch some axe-throwing action. When they tried to return, some tour guy told them the bus was packed, and they'd have to hang tight for another ride. However, no subsequent shuttle arrived.

Joshua Gault told 2 News, "We see the chaos getting onto the buses. We go to get on the bus and one of the attendants is like, 'The bus is full, and you know you've got to wait for the next bus.'" The family arrived at the port to find the ship had already departed, taking with it their passports, medication, and belongings.

The Gaults, who had spent approximately $30,000 on the trip, were then charged an additional $9,000 by Norwegian Cruise Lines—$971 per passenger—for missing the boat. This fee was attributed to a violation of the US Customs and Border Protection's Passenger Vessel Services Act, as they did not visit a foreign port before returning to the US as planned in their itinerary.

Unable to rejoin the cruise at its next stop in Canada due to lack of passports, the family had to arrange new lodging, book flights home, and cover meals for nine people. The costs continued to accumulate as their journey home was prolonged.

After several days of travel, including multiple city stops, flight cancellations, and overnight stays in airports, the family finally reached their home in Tulsa. Joshua Gault described their state upon return: "So yeah, we're beat down right now. We're unhealthy and beaten down."

Norwegian Cruise Lines has since responded to the incident. A representative told The Post that the company has begun the process of refunding the $9,000 in fees charged to the Gaults and will reimburse their travel expenses upon receipt of documentation. The cruise line also stated they attempted to contact the family after they missed their bus and worked with local authorities to arrange overnight accommodation.

The cruise line added, "As a gesture of goodwill, the company will also be providing each of the nine guests with a Future Cruise Credit in the form of a 20 percent discount off their cruise fare that can be used towards their next voyage."

This incident follows a similar occurrence in April when eight passengers were left behind in Africa after a late return from an independent tour. Norwegian Cruise Lines partially refunded those passengers for expenses incurred while catching up with the ship.

Most cruise lines maintain strict policies about leaving passengers behind to maintain schedules, but exceptions are typically made when delays are caused by the cruise line or its recommended operators.