Australian Couple Abandoned on African Island:

An Australian couple and six other passengers were stranded on an African island after being left behind by a Norwegian Cruise ship.

The group included an elderly man with heart disease and a pregnant woman, who were without essential drugs and money.

The cruise spokesperson stated that the passengers were left on the island "on their own or with a private tour," missing the "all-aboard time" by over an hour.

The Australian couple described this experience as the "worst of our lives." Last week, Doug and Violeta Sanders were left stranded on the island of Sao Tome after their private tour ended later than expected, preventing them from boarding the Norwegian Dawn.

The couple, along with six others, were not allowed on the cruise and were unable to use their credit cards or speak the Portuguese and African languages.

With assistance from the US Embassy in Angola, they took a flight to Gambia to join the ship in Banjul.

However, the ship was unable to dock due to low tide and continued to Senegal.

The Sanders described the experience as the worst of their lives.

A company spokesperson stated that a private tour taken by American couple Jill and Jay Campbell, which resulted in their late arrival to the Senegal port, was not arranged by the company.

The couple had traveled to seven countries to reach Senegal but are now considering whether to board the ship due to their experience.

The spokesperson explained that the company collaborates with local tour operators to coordinate excursions, but this particular tour was not organized by them.

Therefore, the company had no communication with the private tour operator.

Jill Campbell expressed concerns about the ship's adherence to rules and policies.

The Campbells expressed their concern that the crew of the ship prioritized things other than the safety and wellbeing of their customers, who include elderly, disabled, and pregnant individuals.

One member of their group had gone without heart medication for five days and fell ill as a result.

The Campbells believed the crew had neglected their basic duty of care.