Ultimate disappointment! British man spends $21K on dream cruise; it leaves the port without him

A British man was left stranded in the Philippines after his cruise liner left theport without him. Christopher Chapel invested about $21Kin what he thought would be a memorable, around-the-world voyage. The 72-year-old did find it to be a memorable trip, but for very different reasons.

Chapel reportedly started feeling ill and queasy midway through the cruise, according to a report in Ladbible. He went to see the doctor on board the cruise liner, who advised him to get tested if he wanted to stay.

Chapel got off the cruiseat the Philippines and gothimself evaluated. He was happy to learn that his symptoms were simply those of a heatstroke, but by the time he returned, the ship had left without him.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Chapel and his niece called the cruise line and trip insurance, who informed them that his condition was critical and that he would not be permitted to return. He was likewise found unsuitable to fly to Manila.

As a result, the 72-year-old had to go by boat from the Philippine island of Palawan to Manila. He arrived in the UK on April 7, over a month after getting off from the cruise ship for his testing.

"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.

Abandoned while snorkelling

Last month, something very similar happened to a Californian couple.Newly-weds Alexander Burckle and Elizabeth Webster were on a snorkelling excursion in Hawaii when their tour company abandoned them and they had to swim half a mile to safety.

They eventuallyfiled a lawsuit against the tour company, Maui Sail Company, for the incident and the resulting emotional suffering. Theydemanded$5 million in damages for general damages and emotional trauma.

They were told that the boat would be anchored in a particular spot for an hour before moving on to the next location during the 10 a.m. snorkelling adventure. Soon after they entered the ocean, the water became "choppy."

They discovered the boat had deserted them after battling the waves for 15 minutes.

Speaking to Insider, the couple’s lawyer said that the tour company failed to set "boundaries for snorkelling,identify a lifeguard for the excursion or make sure that the snorkelers had a buddy system."

According to their lawsuit, despite the crew members doing three headcounts, they failed to account for the missing couple and went away. The dehydrated and terrified honeymooners were forced to swim to shore, where they were eventually assisted by an island resident.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: