Man paid Rs 17 lakh for dream cruise. It left without him

A UK man was left stranded in the Philippines after his cruise ship left without him (Representational image)

A British man was left stranded in the Philippines after his cruise ship left the country without him. Christopher Chapel spent £17,500 (Rs 17 lakh approximately) for what he assumed would be an unforgettable, around-the-world cruise. It did turn out to be an unforgettable experience for the 72-year-old, but for completely different reasons.

According to a report in Ladbible, Chapel was halfway through the cruise when he began to feel sick and nauseated. He paid a visit to the cruise ship’s doctor who told him to undergo some tests if he wanted to continue on board.

Chapel disembarked at the Philippines and got himself tested. He was relieved to find that his symptoms indicated nothing more than a heatstroke, but by the time he returned to port, the ship had left without him.

Chapel and his niece contacted the cruise organisers and trip insurers who said his condition was marked critical, which is why he could not be allowed to return. He was also deemed unfit to fly to Manila.

The 72-year-old therefore had to travel by boat from the island of Palawan to the capital of the Philippines. He finally arrived in the UK on April 7 – nearly a month after he disembarked the cruise ship for his tests.

“"It seems like a comical mix-up. The person who sent me away from the ship didn't even examine me and must have known that the hospital tests would have taken longer than the ship would be at the port,” Chapel told Ladbible.

"They have failed in their duty of care, first by leaving me on the island and now with all this secrecy about my health,” he added.