Family of nine with six young children are stranded in remote Alaska after cruise ship left them behind - as they reveal the final insult

A family of nine, including six young children, were near stranded successful a distant Alaskan metropolis erstwhile their cruise vessel near them down precocious past week.

The Gaults, of Oklahoma, decided to subordinate extended family members for a reunion onboard nan Norwegian Encore - costing nan group of 16 astir $30,000. 

But their travel ended abruptly aft Joshua Gault's family of 9 disembarked for a Norwegian Cruise Line excursion to a LumberJack show successful Ketchikan, Alaska, he told KJRH.

As nan arena came to an end, he said he and his woman noticed a mad-dash to get backmost onto nan autobus that would bring them to nan ship.

'We spell to get connected nan autobus and 1 of nan attendees is like, "The autobus is afloat and you know, you sewage to hold for nan adjacent bus,' Joshua recounted.

That adjacent bus, though, ne'er showed up.

The Gaults now declare nan summons attendant was not really checking nan stubs - enabling group from different vessel to return their seats.

When they realized different autobus was not coming to rescue them, Joshua said they called nan larboard authority and a van came to prime up nan family - but it was already excessively late.

They arrived astatine nan larboard conscionable successful clip to watch their clothes, medication, passports and nan remainder of their belongings sail distant without them, arsenic they were near stuck successful Ketchikan - a metropolis much than 1,500 miles from Anchorage and astir 300 miles from Juneau.

'You know, it was a nightmare,' Joshua said, describing really he was near pinch six young children and his 78-year-old mother-in-law - each of whom were connected regular medication.

'We each had to discontinue acold turkey medicine these past fewer days, because it was each connected nan cruise ship.'

And while astir of their passports were transported disconnected nan ship, 1 stayed down - meaning that nan family could not meet nan Norwegian Encore astatine its adjacent destination successful Canada.

As they were trying to fig retired their options, Joshua said nan cruise statement issued a $971 good per personification for missing nan ship.

He described really he discovered his in installments cards were charged astir $9,000 while he was purchasing flights and hotels to get home.

The Gault family yet spent respective days walking done galore cities and dealing pinch canceled flights and overnight airdrome stays. 

They were besides forced to salary for each small expense, 'all nan flights for 9 people, each nan nutrient for 9 people, each nan edifice stays,' Joshua said. 

The Gaults person since arrived backmost successful Oklahoma, pinch immoderate family members testing affirmative for COVID.

'So yeah, we're hit down correct now,' Joshua told KJRH. 'We're unhealthy and beaten down.'

Still, Joshua and his wife, Cailyn, person been pressing Norwegian Cruise Line for answers.

But erstwhile they would call, Cailyn said, nan cruise officials would conscionable show them: 'We're still looking into it, we haven't forgotten astir you.'

'And I was like, "No, we consciousness for illustration you beautiful overmuch forgot astir america erstwhile you near america successful larboard and told america to spell fig it out,' she said.

Norwegian Cruise Line officials person since acknowledged that nan family of 9 'missed nan ship's all-aboard clip successful Ketchikan, Alaska owed to a misstep by a section circuit operator.

'When nan guests did not return to nan vessel astatine nan published time, we attempted to interaction them but were incapable to scope them.

'As such, we alerted nan section larboard supplier successful Ketchikan and requested they assistance nan family pinch booking a edifice for nan night.

'As nan guests would beryllium incapable to downline successful nan adjacent larboard of call, Victoria, British Columbia, nan larboard supplier besides helped nan guests pinch securing flights to Seattle nan pursuing day, July 13.'

Cruise statement officials added they would reimburse nan family for nan out-of-pocket expenses they incurred, nan interest they incurred from US Customs and Border Patrol and a pro-rated refund for nan 2 cruise days they missed. 

'As a motion of goodwill, nan institution will besides beryllium providing each of nan 9 guests pinch a Future Cruise Credit successful nan shape of a 20 percent discount connected their cruise fare that tin beryllium utilized towards their adjacent voyage.'

The fiasco comes conscionable months aft a group of 8 Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were left stranded connected a distant African island.

The passengers had 'missed nan each aboard clip of 3pm by much than an hour' aft they returned from a backstage circuit connected March 27, a spokesperson for nan cruise statement told DailyMail.com

Their passports were past turned complete to section larboard agents, and nan group of six Americans and 2 Australians were near connected nan land of São Tomé and Príncipe. 

They launched a hopeless bid to rejoin nan vessel successful nan pursuing days, flying done six countries to scope Banjul, nan Gambia, wherever nan alloy was group to dock connected April 1. However, adverse upwind conditions meant nan vessel ne'er reached shore.

The group yet concluded their astir 2,000-mile-long voyage to Dakar, Senegal, connected April 2, wherever nan cruise statement confirmed they re-embarked.