What happens when you miss the ship?

[wilsonqbc]

almost sounds like you plan on missing the ship, lol

I also had a crazy taxi experience there, felt like I was in Jamaica.

being harassed to use this certain guy, whenyolur finished shopping you use me ok, just grabbed another one, but he made some other round about way to get back to havensight to pick up some other people that were not there either. it was pretty close. all he said was dont worry you 'lll be there on time. we were but by about 15 min

[markstudy]

I was curious what time you actually left the ship (was there a line to get off??) and what time you actually grabbed a cab at the beach in St. John to get to the ferry? Were there plenty of taxi's at the beach in St. John and at the ferry in Red Hook to bring you back to the ship??

 

I'd love to also have a few pages of notes just in case. I am sure it'll be ok, but I'm always a little nervous venturing so far from the ship. We always take cruise excursions when going this far, but this time the ship's excursions are not long enough and we booked Snuba at St. John for 11am. Thanks again for your help!

 

ship pulled into Crown Bay at 7:50 instead of 7:00... then they take 15 or 20mintues to get tied-up and open the doors for us to get off. I guess it was still too early for most people, because we got off the Ruby with no lines, and walked 5mins to the taxi stand (which is around front to the right side of the shops) and were at the taxi stand by 8:25 (wait 5min for them to fill up the van with other passengers) at the Ferry at 8:55 and walked on the 9:00 boat.

 

Make sure you look at the Ferry schedul on St John for coming back. We got lucky and timed it so we walked up 15mins before that ferry left back to St Thomas. (funny we spent no real time waiting for the Ferry either way, which was just good luck on our part, but it is run as a professional operation and very easy to use)

 

Keep in mind, your results may be different. We were in town on a Saturday right after New Years... prime vacation time, but there were only two ships in town that day.

 

The one thing I don't like about St Thomas is they sit you in a taxi van and then try to get other passengers, that are going the same way as you. Sometimes you end up making a few stops.

[gooch47]

I consider the extra money you pay for a Princess excursion to be insurance that you won't miss the ship.

 

My hubby and I actually were the last two people to board after a fishing trip in Alaska. We were over an hour late returning. But since the ship had arranged the trip they waited on us. People were "booing" us as we walked up to the ship.

 

Yes, you often hear announcements for so-and-so to contact the purser's desk immediately. I often wonder how many of them turn up and how many were left behind.

 

We saw a couple race up to the dock in a water-taxi in Venice as the ship was leaving. The ship did not allow them to board even though it was only about 2 feet from the dock. Sadly, the next thing we saw was a police boat stop and give the water-taxi driver a ticket, for speeding we assume.

[davekathy]

For those who have gone over to St. Johns on their own, where did you catch the ferry at? We’ve been to St. Thomas before and this time would like to go over to St. Johns. Our plans are to go to the shopping district, have a drink and catch the ferry back to St. Thomas around 1: PM.

[Embracedbylife]

My son did what you are planning, had no trouble, but worried all day and did not really enjoy himself. We have taken the ship excursion to Trunk Bay, got on the ferry/small boat right where the ship was docked. A very relaxing day. I usually do all independent excursions, but this time the ship excusion was for peach of mind, well worth the extra money.

 

 

I'd love to take the ship's excursion to Trunk Bay but I have a 11am Snuba booked at Trunk Bay, and want to snorkel a little on my own after and not feel rushed by the group. Also I'm not sure if the Princess tour will arrive in time for me to do my snuba there. The only tour to Trunk bay is the princess snorkel tour. It does say they leaves at 10:00am and returns at 2:30pm I just dont' knwo if i'll get there in time for my 11am snuba dive - so i'm gonna take a chance on my own this one time! :)

[markstudy]

For those who have gone over to St. Johns on their own, where did you catch the ferry at? .

 

 

Please go over to the "Port of Call" section on Cruise Critic

Look under "Caribbean" and then go to the "St Thomas" section

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

There is so much detailed information by experts... I had 5 pages of notes.

I had enough information to run for mayor of St John, by the time I got done reading :D

[texasgirl29]

Call me overly cautious but on our recent trip to Central America and the Panama Canal on Island Princess, we booked all of our excursions through Princess. The excursion in Nicaragua got back to the dock about 15 minutes after the time we were supposed to be on board -- but so did several other buses. And in Jamaica, our trip to Dunn River Falls and Mystic Mountain was almost an hour late getting back. The tour operator was in constant contact with the dispatcher who was presumably in contact with the ship. We even got a police escort through town. Knowing the excursion was booked through the ship gave us peace of mind and we enjoyed ourselves even though we knew we were running very late.

 

JoAnn

[davekathy]

Please go over to the "Port of Call" section on Cruise Critic

Look under "Caribbean" and then go to the "St Thomas" section

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

There is so much detailed information by experts... I had 5 pages of notes.

I had enough information to run for mayor of St John, by the time I got done reading :D

 

Busted! I knew about the Island specific section but was to lazy to look.

[markstudy]

busted! I knew about the island specific section but was to lazy to look.

 

lol ;)

[Embracedbylife]

I've read a ton on the St. Thomas board, but nobody ever replies back to me there LOL. So I appreicate your responses here on this board and will keep reading over there. I think I have all my details in terms of ferry times (on the hour) and taxi's and such. I just didnt' see much about the taxi's sitting at Red Hook to come back to the ship. Were there plenty for you to grab when you got the ferry back that afternoon to Red Hook??

[satxdiver]

We are planning to do ST. Thomas port on our own - it's our first time really doing our own thing while at port. We always worry about missing the ship, so typically we do the princess excursions when we venture out a ways from the ship.

 

So we are going to be in St. Thomas from 8am-6pm (ship leaves at 6pm) and we are going to take the ferry over on our own to St. John catching a cab by 8:30am and plan to catch the 2pm ferry back to St. Thomas to give us time in case we miss that ferry and/or hit traffic. Plan to be back on board by 4pm.

 

However, worst case scenario - we have a snag with the ferry, or accident in traffic, whatever and miss the ship how does it work??? We'll be carrying one credit card, cash and copies of our passports (although St. Thomas is part of the US and so is PR the next port) should we also carry our driver's license in the worst event we have to fly to San Juan if we miss the ship? Does princess have someone at the pier or is there a number to call if god forbid we miss the ship? I just want to have all this written down and have it with us in case!!! Thanks!

 

In September 2008 we were on the AOS out of San Juan. We left two pax (male and female - married??) in Curacao after waiting 30 minutes for them. The Captain came on the intercom and said that he was waiting because he was a "nice guy". They showed up at the dock an hour after we left. I never heard why. The interesting part was that when we were getting ready to leave St Thomas, the Captain again announced that he was waiting for two pax because he was a "nice guy". We waited about 30 minutes and the pax finally showed up to reboard. It was the same two pax we had left in Curacao!

 

I assume they received a good tongue lashing from the captain but never found out.

 

We rented a jeep and drove it around the island. It was interesting driving on the "wrong side" or left side in a vehicle with the steering column on the left side. We did enjoy our time though. Anyway the point I wanted to make is that on returning to the ship later in the afternoon, we hit a lot of traffic. Since the streets are all only two lanes and sometimes very narrow, the traffic just creeped along. Luckily we like to arrive back at the ship at least one hour before sailing so we made it but with less than one half hour to spare. Plan ahead and expect blocked traffic or miss the ship!

 

It could happen to anyone because of traffic delays, forgetting the time, medical problems or problems with the local authorities. Just make sure you have your money, credit cards and most important your passport so that you can fly to the next port of call and meet the ship. It is at your expense of course.

[paul929207]

In September 2008 we were on the AOS out of San Juan. We left two pax (male and female - married??) in Curacao after waiting 30 minutes for them. The Captain came on the intercom and said that he was waiting because he was a "nice guy". They showed up at the dock an hour after we left. I never heard why. The interesting part was that when we were getting ready to leave St Thomas, the Captain again announced that he was waiting for two pax because he was a "nice guy". We waited about 30 minutes and the pax finally showed up to reboard. It was the same two pax we had left in Curacao!

 

I assume they received a good tongue lashing from the captain but never found out.

 

We rented a jeep and drove it around the island. It was interesting driving on the "wrong side" or left side in a vehicle with the steering column on the left side. We did enjoy our time though. Anyway the point I wanted to make is that on returning to the ship later in the afternoon, we hit a lot of traffic. Since the streets are all only two lanes and sometimes very narrow, the traffic just creeped along. Luckily we like to arrive back at the ship at least one hour before sailing so we made it but with less than one half hour to spare. Plan ahead and expect blocked traffic or miss the ship!

 

It could happen to anyone because of traffic delays, forgetting the time, medical problems or problems with the local authorities. Just make sure you have your money, credit cards and most important your passport so that you can fly to the next port of call and meet the ship. It is at your expense of course.

I am surprised the captain wait more than thirty seconds the second time the same couple was late.

[davekathy]

I've read a ton on the St. Thomas board, but nobody ever replies back to me there LOL. So I appreicate your responses here on this board and will keep reading over there. I think I have all my details in terms of ferry times (on the hour) and taxi's and such. I just didnt' see much about the taxi's sitting at Red Hook to come back to the ship. Were there plenty for you to grab when you got the ferry back that afternoon to Red Hook??

 

From what I understand travel time between St. Thomas and St. Johns is about the same time no matter where you choose to leave from. Our dilemma is if we go from Red Hook we will have more over the road travel time and greater chances of heavy traffic issues. On the other hand if we leave out of Charlotte Amalie we will have some traffic concerns and a longer boat ride. As fast as my two fingers can type we are currently favoring the Charlotte Amalie option. But then again…

[markstudy]

I've read a ton on the St. Thomas board, but nobody ever replies back to me there LOL.

 

I just didnt' see much about the taxi's sitting at Red Hook to come back to the ship. Were there plenty for you to grab when you got the ferry back that afternoon to Red Hook??

 

LOL... you poor thing ;):D I know how you feel

 

Plenty of taxi's sitting at Red hook. The driver's know that a boat of about 150 people is going to be dropping-off passengers at a certain time, so its pretty simple for the drivers to make easy money :D

[Embracedbylife]

Awsome! I'm all set! I feel much more comfortable about the entire thing at this point. Appreciate all the info and I even found a ferry that goes from St. THomas to PR if the awful worst case event we get stranded - which we are certainly not planning on but being prepared for all situations. So i can't wait to see St. John and enjoy our time there! :p

[Bobed1927]

If you take a taxi to the beach (or elsewhere) arrange for the taxi driver to pick you up at a specific time to return to the ship. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER pay the driver until he brings you back to the ship. Not paying him until then is some insurance that he will be there to take you back to the ship.

[satxdiver]

I am surprised the captain wait more than thirty seconds the second time the same couple was late.

 

I was surprised he waited the first time! When I found out that he had waited the second time for the same couple, I was shocked. He must have been a truely really nice guy. I agree with you, I would not have waited a second too long since they already displayed a lack of responsibility. Let them fly again.

[paul929207]

I was surprised he waited the first time! When I found out that he had waited the second time for the same couple, I was shocked. He must have been a truely really nice guy. I agree with you, I would not have waited a second too long since they already displayed a lack of responsibility. Let them fly again.

I think if I was the captain, the second time I would have had my foot on the gas and the brake. Ready to release the brake when the clock struck sailing time.

[gooch47]

:D You sound so much like me.

 

We had a flight cancelled for a cruise out of Barbados a year or so ago. The new flight had us arriving only about 3 hours before the ship was supposed to leave. I had every eventuality mapped out. Ferry boats, airplanes, even private boats if it came to that. My husband calls is worrying. I call it contingency planning!

 

BTW, the flight was delayed a little but we made it to the ship on time.

[Embracedbylife]

Glad to hear it's not just me who is an over planner! :) I just don't want to be sitting waiving goodbye to the ship without a game plan - not that I ever plan on missing it, but things can happen! I live in NYC so i know that with traffic or an accident you can get stuck in 2 hrs of traffic to go 5 miles - it just happens! That's why we always take the ship's tour becuase they are obligated to take care of you. When you go on your own you are on your own! So we'll take the venture on our own and plan it out well and aim to be back on board for 4pm latest and the ship leaves at 6pm. That will give us 2 hours for traffic (leaving the beach at 1:30pm to catch the 2pm ferry) and another 2 hours leaway to gain. Should be ok, but you just never know! :)

[chloe kitty]

I was on a cruise last month where a woman was left in Turkey because she was late. She had to find her way to Istambul to catch up with the ship. When we left Tenerefe we heard that two couples had been left. Yes, there were announcements like many people mentioned.

As for ships tours, I agree that they give you "insurance", but it is not just the cost of the tour. Tours that we have experienced thru cruise critic were much better since we did not have to deal with bus loads of passengers, some slower than others. Also, we can plan to go where we want to go, and skip some known uninteresting places.

[paul929207]

I was on a cruise last month where a woman was left in Turkey because she was late. She had to find her way to Istambul to catch up with the ship. When we left Tenerefe we heard that two couples had been left. Yes, there were announcements like many people mentioned.

As for ships tours, I agree that they give you "insurance", but it is not just the cost of the tour. Tours that we have experienced thru cruise critic were much better since we did not have to deal with bus loads of passengers, some slower than others. Also, we can plan to go where we want to go, and skip some known uninteresting places.

No question, there are benefits to finding your own cruise rather than take a ship cruise. However, a big benefit of the ship's tours is that the ship will wait if you are late.

[westcoastguy]

if you miss your ship, find a speedboat, look at this information on the link, print this info, have them call the ship your on your way. The ship will stop out in the ocean where it is at and wait for you.

 

make sure you have $250 for the speedboat, if the ship as been gone more than 2 hours, your speedboat will cost you $500, if the ship is 4 hours away, it will cost you $800.

 

or you can charter a helicopter for $800 and land on your ship in 25 minutes, 125 miles or less

 

 

http://scanmaritime.com/frequencies.htm

 

 

or get on a Amercian Airlines or local airline have you fly to the next island port .

[Toto2Kansas]

if you miss your ship, find a speedboat, look at this information on the link, print this info, have them call the ship your on your way. The ship will stop out in the ocean where it is at and wait for you.

 

make sure you have $250 for the speedboat, if the ship as been gone more than 2 hours, your speedboat will cost you $500, if the ship is 4 hours away, it will cost you $800.

 

or you can charter a helicopter for $800 and land on your ship in 25 minutes, 125 miles or less

 

 

http://scanmaritime.com/frequencies.htm

 

 

or get on a Amercian Airlines or local airline have you fly to the next island port .

 

No helicopters land on Princess ships, no helipad. Only time I have seen a helicopter is when there is a medical evac, and they drop a basket and haul them up. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

if you miss your ship, find a speedboat, look at this information on the link, print this info, have them call the ship your on your way. The ship will stop out in the ocean where it is at and wait for you.

 

make sure you have $250 for the speedboat, if the ship as been gone more than 2 hours, your speedboat will cost you $500, if the ship is 4 hours away, it will cost you $800.

 

or you can charter a helicopter for $800 and land on your ship in 25 minutes, 125 miles or less.

 

 

Says who??