A 79-year-old woman who was a passengers on a Princess cruise ship spent a night by herself in Alaska on Wednesday, August 3. The unnamed passenger got lost while on a hike.
The woman was on an East Glacier hike by herself and not part of a tour. While the Coral Princess was calling at port the woman got lost after being on the Nugget Creek Trail. When she didn’t turn up by the time the cruise ship left at 4 PM authorities launched a search. The search was halted at midnight and with no camping gear, the woman was missing overnight.
Nikki Hinds, Assistant Director for the Visitors Center said on local news:
“She didn’t have camping gear, but she wore layers and a rain coat,” Hinds said. “I’m sure she was still cold, but it was a happy ending when she came in this morning.”
Thankfully this ended good as the Princess cruise passenger found her way back to the visitors center the next morning. The woman was well prepared and strong. Local Police took the woman to the airport so she could rejoin Coral Princess in Ketchikan the next day.
So glad this had a good ending, but many situations like this don’t end well. Always be prepared, try to stay in groups and book certified tours. Cruise ship guests can ask the tour desk onboard for further details about certain tours and what they detail.
Coral Princess is a 88,000 gross ton vessel which is currently sailing Alaskan cruises. The ship can carry 1,950 passengers when at double occupancy.
