Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Chelsea Ritschel

Woman sparks debate after claiming cruise ship left her ‘stuck on an island’

TikTok / @phfame00

A woman has sparked a heated debate after documenting her reaction to learning her cruise ship left without her.

Tesla Williams, a model and social media influencer who goes by the username @phfame00 on TikTok, was reportedly onboard a Celebrity Cruises ship to Cozumel, Mexico, when she returned to the dock to find the cruise ship had left without her.

“Y’all my boat left me wtf Celebrity Cruises,” Tesla wrote in a text caption on the video, which showed her recording the ship as it sailed further and further away.

In the video, Tesla shares her confusion about what she was meant to do now that the cruise had seemingly left her stranded.

“What in the f**k am I supposed to do? I’m literally stuck on an island,” she said, panning from the ocean towards the land.

The video, which has been viewed more than five million times, has since sparked a debate in the comments, where many viewers have claimed Tesla was solely to blame for missing the ship.

“Cruise ships do not leave people who get back ON TIME,” one person commented, while another said: “You can be late for everything but not a cruise ship. So long Cast Away ...”

“What are you supposed to do??? Be on time!!” someone else suggested.

Others pointed out that cruise ships have strict schedules and that passengers should “believe them” when they say to be back on board by a specific time.

“No, the boat did not leave you… you did not get to the boat on time,” one person wrote.

Someone else said: “They tell you so many times when you should be back and that’s your responsibility. The ship didn’t leave you, you left the ship.”

Although the majority of comments were from viewers blaming Tesla, others offered some suggestions.

“You pay a plane to take you to the next port,” one person said, while another person added: “Catch a flight and go home baby.”

In a follow-up video, Tesla admitted that it was her fault she missed the cruise and shared a video of herself enjoying the beach and drinking.

“Why I was late to the boat, I got drunk and started listening to that good music then fell asleep on the island,” she captioned the video.

In another follow-up, she revealed that she made it back onto the cruise ship “after meeting them at the next port” and showed herself walking down a cruise ship hallway while holding up a peace sign.

In a TikTok posted on Monday, Tesla also addressed the critical comments she’d received from viewers who blamed her for the incident.

“When I blamed myself for the cruise and y’all still bashing me so now I don’t wanna tell y’all the story,” she captioned the video.

She reiterated again that she was to blame in a video posted on Tuesday, which showed her sitting in a plane seat.

“People make mistakes, yes it’s my fault lol,” she wrote.

The Independent has contacted Celebrity Cruises and Tesla for comment.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.