An Oklahoma family of nine had an unexpected adventure when they got stranded in remote Alaska. Their ship, the Norwegian Encore from Norwegian Cruise Lines, set sail without them and then charged them $9,000 in customs fees.

The Gault family, which included six young children and a 78-year-old grandmother, left the ship on July 12 in Ketchikan to enjoy a lumberjack show.

But things took a turn when they tried to return to the ship. The local tour operator responsible for bringing passengers back only counted heads instead of checking tickets. Because of this, they were told the bus was full and that they would need to wait for another one.

“We saw a lot of people trying to get on the buses,” Joshua Gault shared with 2 News. “When we tried to board, an attendant mentioned, ‘The bus is full; you have to wait for the next one,’” he explained.

Sadly, the next bus didn’t show up. After several frantic attempts to reach the port authorities, when they finally got to the docks, they watched their cruise ship sailing away. With it went their passports, vital medications, and all their clothing.

“We have six kids – all of them minors – and a 78-year-old mother-in-law, all in need of medication,” Joshua voiced. “We all had to abruptly stop our medications because everything was on the ship,” he added.

Things quickly worsened for the family, who had already spent about $30,000 on their trip. They were charged close to $9,000 by the cruise line — $971 for each person — due to missing the boat.

This fee was linked to the US Customs and Border Protection’s Passenger Vessel Services Act, which got triggered because they couldn’t visit an intended foreign port.

Without passports, catching the ship at its next stop in Canada wasn’t an option. They had to think quickly and organize new accommodations, flights, and food for everyone, adding to their mounting expenses.

“Just imagine keeping nine people fed, finding new flights for nine people, and paying for hotel stays,” Joshua detailed the unexpected costs they had to bear.

After days spent crisscrossing through multiple cities, dealing with flight cancellations, and spending several nights at airports, the family finally reached their home in Tulsa. Exhaustion took its toll, and they caught COVID during their ordeal.

“We’re really worn out right now. We’re just worn out and feel really under the weather,” Joshua admitted.

The Gault family is now in talks with Norwegian to sort out the incident. They believe that the cruise line needs to make things right.

“Their message to us was, ‘We’re still reviewing everything, and we haven’t forgotten you,’” Cailyn Gault shared. “But, honestly, we felt completely forgotten when they left us in port and just told us to deal with it ourselves,” she expressed her frustration.

Norwegian Cruise Lines shared with The Post that they are working on refunding the nearly $9,000 in fees and will reimburse the family for travel expenses, pending their receipts.

The company also reported making attempts to contact the Gaults after realizing the missed bus issue stemmed from “a local tour operator mishap.” When they couldn’t connect, they collaborated with the port authorities to arrange accommodations before the family could fly out to Seattle the next day.

“These guests will also get a partial refund for the two days of the cruise they missed,” said a representative from Norwegian Cruise Line.

“Plus, out of goodwill, we will provide each of the nine guests with a Future Cruise Credit, offering a 20 percent discount on their next cruise fare,” Norwegian added.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has seen similar incidents in the past where passengers were left behind. In April, eight passengers were left in Africa after their independent tour returned late, forcing them to make their own arrangements to catch up.

Most cruise lines hold strict schedules, which means they leave at designated times. However, if delays occur through the cruise line or its partners, exceptions might be made.

In the April case, the passengers went on their own tour, but due to their ages and disabilities, there were concerns about the steadfastness of the cruise line’s rules. Eventually, Norwegian agreed to partially compensate those passengers for the costs of catching the ship.