Daniel A

If that were the reason for missing the boat, then why are the Campbells being so evasive about that being the 'issue?' If it was the tour company that caused this through their fault, I'd be screaming bloody murder at the tour company, not the cruise line.

The advertisement is misleading. Nowhere does it say they are guaranteeing on time returns, the are only claiming they have a 100% record of returning on time. There's always a first time, just ask the six that were with the Campbells.

I have seen many tours advertising Guaranteed Return to Ship. That doesn't mean the ship will wait, rather it means they will be responsible to get you to the next port of call so you can re-board there if the ship leaves without you.

I meant they could have tactfully given a more specific explanation rather than saying it was an "issue." I think they used that same word in more than one interview. They are being deliberately vague and that is inviting more speculation as to why.

Do you mean saying "due to a bout of sudden illness " rather than a vague statement?

Something that is a positive for cruise lines in general, all of this publicity around a private tour missing the boat will probably increase bookings for cruise line excursions. "This is what could happen to you."

Amen to that, brother! 💁‍♂️

What I find interesting is that we are only hearing one side of the story from the Cambells. Why are we not hearing anything from the other 6 people who missed the ship? Something's not adding up here. Is it possible that the Campbells put expenses on their credit card because they were the cause of the delay returning to the ship? The only explanation (from the Campbells) for the late return was that there was an 'issue' during the excursion which caused the late return. When I hear vague terminology from people trying to make themselves look blameless, it makes me want to know the specifics, not a generalized term which could mean anything. Has any of the crack media reporting the story even attempted to contact the tour provider or the other passengers for their version of the story? I would tend to think that would be interesting.

So, when one needs medications on a daily basis to survive, it's always a good policy to roll the dice with a private tour (of unknown reliability) as to whether or not you'll get back in time to take your next dose??? Darwin had a lot to say about people like this. 😉 Sorry, but maybe the television station in South Carolina will air lift some medication to them and if they don't, it's the TV station's fault if things go sideways...

They will generally look in the safe for passports and valuables such as wallets and credit cards. That's why I don't understand why the Campbells were the only ones with a credit card. Usually there is a "Port Agent" for the cruise line who is contracted to deal with passenger emergencies ashore. That would be who gets the envelopes from ship's security.

There is someone on this thread who keeps posting that they represent the views of the "court of public opinion" and that NCL is to blame for this and probably every other inconvenience in the world today. I have noticed the parcity of posts in agreement with that "court of public opinion." There are some people who believe that nobody should suffer the consequences of their poor decisions and actions and that it is the responsibility of the members of the court of public opinion to make these people whole again. DW & I always take the cruise line sponsored excursions especially in sketchy areas and sometimes if we believe the area is too sketchy, we enjoy a nice day staying aboard ship. We pay extra for the guarantee of return to ship. These people saved a few nickels by going private but now want the world to believe they are victims who were entitled to the same guarantees' others pay extra for. If these people were placed in dangerous circumstances, it was through their poor decision making and it is their fault and no other person's or entities' fault. The female reporter in the Inside Edition segment lied when she said the cruise lines "generally have zero tolerance for those who return late." She ought to get an education by watching all of the YouTube videos of the pier runners returning to the ship after it was supposed to sail away. If it is safe to wait, then they will wait a reasonable amount of time. But the meaning of the expression "that ship has sailed" is based in real life experiences. There are reasons why people pay extra for good travel insurance and cruise line excursions. One is so you don't end up in a situation like the Cambells.

@Fogfog - I just noticed that you can click on the words Wide Tag in my above post and it will take you to the order page.

I prefer to "wear a belt AND suspenders", so I have used the Haven tags and I've also attached ones I printed from home. I also use these Cruise Critic luggage tag holders. They're very secure and much larger and visible than the ones I got in the mail. I do attach both to each piece of luggage. The Cruise Critic tag holders are $5.00, they are reusable and will accommodate luggage tags from some other cruise lines. If you're interested, here is a link to the Cruise Critic web page. The only thing I'll add is that the web page doesn't clearly show where to click to open the purchase order page. You would need to click on the very bottom of the page where it says: Buy Cruise Critic Cruise Luggage Tag Holder Narrow Tag Wide Tag You would click on the words "Wide Tag." The link is here: Cruise Critic Store: Cruise Luggage Tag Holder - Cruise Critic Community

Our VRC included air and excursions every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely looking forward to the O cruise. I'll just load up my Kindle and put it behind glass in case of emergency.

How many butlers are there in the Haven? Would asking for a different butler be an option?

We got the full drink package for our cruise. It looks like a nice ship, but I am reluctant to sail on small ships. I did a Viking River Cruise and found the size of the crew made a significant difference in availability of amenities. DW liked it, I got bored. I'm hoping this doesn't happen with O. We aren't show people, but we do like some variety in places to relax with a drink. Also, I've never been to Bermuda before and it doesn't appear to offer much in the way of daytime distractions but I'll survive. 😊

The Haven Concierge is the Haven Manager. Maybe a quiet word to the Concierge might have improved the situation, but it's all water under the bridge now. I don't mean to sound like "cudder, wudder, shudder" to you, but it may help someone else to know this. That butler needs to find a different line of work.

From the looks of the Penthouse Suite on O (which is what we have booked for September) it is very similar in layout to a Deluxe Balcony cabin on the larger Princess ships. The balconies for both the Princess and O are very narrow with the exception that Princess also has Premium Deluxe Balconies with enormous aft facing balconies. I'm sure the difference is included amenities and nicer fixtures on O. We like Princess because they aren't party boats, and they don't have amusement parks on the top of the ship. This attracts a more subdued crowd and not too many rambunctious children (or drunks.) On all my sailings, I've never yet seen any drunks as described above, but we also generally don't hang out at the watering holes preferring to have our cocktails on our balcony. DW & I prefer to have the drink packages (which by the way, are not 'unlimited'.) Our reasoning is that since we are on a nice vacation, we don't want to be counting how much money we have spent on drinks. It's like having an insurance policy so up front, we know exactly how much we will be spending on drinks. Our experience with Haven Bars (as opposed to the lido bars) is that it is more of a reserved quiet atmosphere offering a more relaxing experience. I'm sure there are exceptions to this experience, but I can only relate to my own. This is the nice thing about the cruise industry - there are many different niches catering to differing preferences for a vacation.

If you can wait until September 🙄, we will be taking our first (and maybe only) Oceania cruise. DW likes the atmosphere of smaller ships and I'm also wondering how it will compare to the Haven. I'll try to post a comparison here after the cruise. I'm really sorry @Battlement had such a bad experience. I do think @Battlement understood what I meant when I said the "type of guests" during Spring Break.

@Battlement don't let a sub par butler queer you on the Haven. Give it another chance. I just returned today from a week long trip to a resort DW and I just love. We go there just about every year. This year we made the mistake of going during spring break. No college aged kids but it was a very different (and unpleasant for us) experience. It was more the crowds and the type of guests that made it a different experience. We will keep returning there in the future but not during spring break time. My point is that if this was our first experience there, we would never plan to return there. Try the Haven on a different ship next time.

Placing blame or hypothesising this soon after an event like this one is what is referred to as a rush to judgement. It will take many months before any definitive explanation is made. We don't need to know before then.

American Cruise Line ship American Constitution was due in Baltimore today. Cruisemapper is showing Constitution is docked in D.C. today. These are smaller ships.

I've paid the tax while our Princess ships were in and leaving Ft. Lauderdale. ( Port Everglades-they don't differentiate by piers ) @Battlement don't forget the almond croissants at breakfast. You won't be disappointed...

The number of people who also get the key card in addition to the Medallion is so insignificant that if Princess weren't offering it, they might lose whole bookings. Now, that would be a bigger loss than issuing a key card for use on the ship. You don't 'turn in' the medallion, you still may need it for embarkation and disembarkation at ports of call. Maybe @cruzsnooze can confirm if the keycard also replaces the medallion for embarkation and disembarkation or if it is only used onboard.

Sometimes the TSA sends me through the Full Body Scanner, but some places don't have them. Princess says that the magnet in the medallion is normally not an issue for implanted devices if you keep the medallion at least 9 inches from the implanted device but advises checking with your health care provider. That's why I use either the wrist band or a belt clip. Medallion FAQ page: Princess MedallionClass® - Frequently Asked Questions - Princess Cruises