Family ordered to pay nearly $9,000 to Cruise after their bus seats were given away

A family of nine was forced to pay nearly $9,000 to their cruise line after they were stranded at a port because their coach seats had been given away.

The Gault family traveled aboard the Norwegian Encore for a family reunion. There were 16 family members on board and the total cost was approximately $30,000.

Nine family members then left the ship for an excursion to a lumberjack show in Ketchikan, Alaska.

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However, they ran into trouble when they had to return to the harbor after the show.

All nine family members have since returned home to Tulsa, Oklahoma, but told their local news station they are still in pain.

“We see the chaos on the buses,” Joshua Gault told 2 News Oklahoma.

“We want to get on the bus and one of the people present says: ‘The bus is full, so you know you have to wait for the next bus’.”

While the family had tickets for their seats on the bus, they told 2 News Oklahoma the ticket taker let people from another ship take their seats.

After calling the port authorities, a van was sent to pick up the family, but it was too late.

Stranded without medicine

The family missed the ship and saw it leave with all their belongings, including their medicines.

“It was a nightmare,” Gault said.

“Six children on board, minors and a 78-year-old mother-in-law, all under the influence of drugs.

“We all had to abruptly stop taking our medication over the last few days because it all happened on the cruise ship.”

Most of the passports were taken from the ship, but one family member was missing their passport, meaning the family could not meet the ship at its next stop in Canada.

It took me several days to get home, through several cities, with cancelled flights and overnight stays at the airport.

“(We had to) pay for all the flights for nine people, all the food for nine people, all the hotel stays,” Gault said.

To make matters worse, the cruise line charged the family $971 per person for missing the boat, totaling nearly $9,000.

The next morning, nearly $8,739 was charged to Gault’s credit cards, just as the family was buying flights and hotels to get home.

“You know, the fact that Norwegian is treating this like it’s a customer service issue instead of an emergency, I think that’s the worst part,” he said.

Although the family is now home, they were dealt another blow when several family members contracted COVID-19.

“So yeah, we’re defeated now,” Gault said. “We’re unhealthy and defeated.”

Cruise line responds

A Norwegian Cruise Lines spokesman said the crew tried to contact the family when they became stranded “due to a misstep by a local tour operator” but were unable to reach them.

They then instructed the local port agent to help the family book a hotel and arrange flights to Seattle.

“We will reimburse the family for all expenses incurred over the past two days as a result of missing the ship in Ketchikan, including meals, lodging, etc.,” the spokesperson said.

“Refunds will be processed once we receive receipts for these charges.”

The family will also be reimbursed for the nearly $9,000 in costs and will receive a “prorated refund for the two cruise days they missed,” the spokesperson said.

“As a gesture of goodwill, the company will also give each of the nine guests a Future Cruse Credit, a 20 percent discount on their cruise fare, which can be used toward their next voyage.”