Travel expert issues warning after family were forced to pay thousands when cruise ship left them stranded

A travel expert has warned holidaymakers to get their ‘priorities’ in check after a family of nine were recently left behind by their cruise liner.

While the 16-person Gault family were vacationing on a Norwegian Encore cruise ship, nine of the party elected to go on an excursion to a LumberJack show in Ketchikan, Alaska.

After enjoying the show, the family – made up of six children and three adults – waited for a bus to take them back to port.

However, the transport never arrived and despite the cruise ship sending out a van to collect them, the Gaults missed the boat and discovered they’d been left behind and stranded.

Unfortunately, the Oklahoma family couldn’t board the boat at the next port either.

This was because one of the passports they needed was left onboard the Norwegian Encore.

Due to missing the ship, each passenger was charged an eye-watering £747 ($951) fine – resulting in a total of almost $9,000 – and it allegedly took the family days to return home.

Following the brood filing a complaint regarding the fines, Norwegian Cruise has said they would be reimbursing them for ‘all out-of-pocket expenses’ they may have incurred.

Since the story of the expensive mishap has gone viral, travel expert Nausheen Farishta has outlined how others can avoid experiencing a similar situation on their own cruise holidays.

Farishta runs Globe Gazers; a website that seeks to empower others, especially women of colour, to travel solo and reap its transformative benefits.

A travel expert has shared some crucial tips for cruises. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Speaking to Tyla, she has explained how you can avoid missing your ship and what to do if you become stranded at port.

Fail to plan? Plan to fail

Farishta says the best way to avoid the fate of the Gaults is to make sure you plan everything down to the minute.

“Keep track of the ship’s schedule and any time zone changes,” she explained. “As seen with the Gault family, relying on third-party transportation can be risky, so consider booking shore excursions through the cruise line, as they typically guarantee to get you back on time.”

She added that it is ‘very wise’ to carry contact information for the ship and the port agent while you’re ashore.

Contact the emergency cruise hotline

If you’ve been out on an excursion and realised your transport back to port has gone AWOL, immediately contact the cruise line’s emergency number.

Call your local port agent on their emergency or out-of-hours number if the cruise company isn’t picking up.

However, remember to stay calm and try not to panic.

“Many cruise lines have procedures in place to assist passengers in this situation, though as the article shows, their effectiveness can vary.”

Nausheen Farishta says you should keep important items on you when you go ashore. (Joshua Gault/KJRH)

Carry important items on your person

The Gaults couldn’t get on the ship at the next port because one of their passports was left in their cabin.

Farishta advises that to avoid a similar fate, you should ‘always carry a day bag’ with important items.

This means you should have belongings like your passports, money and maybe even a day’s worth of necessary medications when you go ashore.

She added that it’s also wise to keep digital copies of important documents in secure cloud storage, just in case something goes missing.

Always remain vigilant

Travelling is fun but when it goes wrong, all hell can break loose. To avoid being in these situations in the first place, be sure to ‘remain vigilant’, says Farishta.

“Consider setting alarms on your phone as a reminder to return to the ship,” she continued.

“It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with the cruise line’s policies regarding missed departures before your trip, as policies can vary between companies.”

She added that while exploring new destinations is ‘exciting’, a traveller’s priority should ‘always be returning to the ship on time.’