Beware!! Westerdam Capt. Waits for noboby

[castellina]

All aboard time is always at least 30 minutes prior to departure time. There is always a sign at the gangway which says you must be back on board at a certain time, i.e., 30 minutes prior which in your case was 4:30pm. There is absolutely no way you could not have known this.

[HeatherInFlorida]

My goodness! Are we all in agreement here? Or maybe I missed a post?

 

If the OP has cruised 10 times, then he should know that the gangway is always lifted at least half hour before sailing. So It's puzzling.

 

Time waits for no man. Lesson learned. Good for the Captain. I haven't the slightest sympathy. Some people have no respect anymore for time and believe that somehow they deserve exception to every rule.

 

You may not sail HAL anymore, but I'm guessing that you won't arrive late back to any ship either:).

 

One other point .... you say you were on a "recent" Westerdam cruise. The current itinerary calls for the Westerdam to leave Aruba at 11:00 pm, not 5:00. Maybe your cruise wasn't all that recent or maybe you just want to dust things up a bit?

[Taxguy77]

Every time a missing the boat thread comes up I wonder if the sales pitch for the line excursions is true. "If your tour is late we will wait for you"

Has anyone been late or been delayed due to a cruise line tour being late?

 

Yes. We were in Roatan the year after a severe huricane when the roads were still only partialy repaired and a cruise tour bus returning to the ship slid off the road. An anouncement was made that the ship was waiting so those of us onboard knew why the delay (nice touch). They waited until a second bus could bring the pax to the ship and be sure all were OK before they sailed.

 

We had gone to the other side of the island with another couple and told the cab driver to stay with us, NOT to come back later. We bought his lunch and he was happy. We were back at my usual time, one hour BEFORE boarding time, 1.5 or 2 hours before sailing time. It was so nice on the back side of Roatan, I wold have been mad if there had not been an annoucement of the reason for the delay.

[wrp96]

Every time a missing the boat thread comes up I wonder if the sales pitch for the line excursions is true. "If your tour is late we will wait for you"

Has anyone been late or been delayed due to a cruise line tour being late?

 

 

Yes. The claim is true. I have been on 3 cruiseline excursions that were late where the ship was held for us. One, on Grand Cayman, where as we left the dock on the final tender, a group of people (not on our excursion) ran up and tried to get us to come back - we left them behind.

[Maxiecat3]

Beware cruisers!!! I recently went on a cruise on the Westerdam and in the port of Aruba I was left behind with my wife and 2 kids begging the ship to wait a couple more minuites for me. When we booked this cruise the departure time in Aruba was 5pm but once we arrived it was announced the "All aboard time" was 4:30. The gangway was lifted at 4:41 as outlined in the ship log. What horrible service!! To sail early when a customer is missing from the ship?? I was 5 minutes too late. Granted I should have been more timely but mistakes, accidents do happen. My wife pleaded for them to wait, there was even communication from the port security that I was running to catch the ship and the Captain stated that he "waits for no one". I offered $1000.00 to lower the gangway back down ( the ship was still docked, just untied with gangway lifted) or even tender me out and again the Captain stated that he waits for no one. BEWARE!! Horrible service with no regard to passenger safety. Long story short my wife and 2 kids had 2 1/2 days at sea without me and I had to fly back to Ft. Lauderdale to meet them. Why would a ship sail early when passengers are missing?? This was my 10th cruise and I will never sail Holland America again. Even there corporate customer service was bad with a focus on covering there A$$ and backing the Capt. on his bad decision. Don't be late or this cruise line will leave you, no questions asked!!!

 

 

This was copied to a thread on the RCI board about someone who showed up at port on a Tuesday for a Monday sailing and wanted to blame RCI for the mix-up. Somebody wanted to know if those 2 were related. The best post, which I wish I could take credit for, was if he offered $1,000 to lower the gangplank, maybe the wife offered $2,000 to keep it up.

 

Gregg

[Krazy Kruizers]

Every time a missing the boat thread comes up I wonder if the sales pitch for the line excursions is true. "If your tour is late we will wait for you"

Has anyone been late or been delayed due to a cruise line tour being late?

 

We have been on a couple of tours that we had booked through the cruise line.

One was Cunard and one was HAL where the ship had to be held for us as the tour did not get back on time.

And a couple of years ago our captain came on the PA and anncounced that we were waiting for one more bus as it had gotten stuck in the mud in Puerto Chiapos.

So -- yes -- the cruise line will wait for shore excursions that are booked through them.

[Taxguy77]

In May 2009, the Zuiderdam's captain delayed setting sail from Vancouver for almost 45 minutes. Why? The ship's priest hadn't been cleared by Canadian officials so he decided to wait for him.

 

The Capt. is employed by the company.

The company is run by people, who live or die at the discretion of God.

The Priest is a spokesperson of God.

Of course the Capt. waited. :cool:

[innlady1]

We were in Curacao on the Noordam on February 20, and much the same scenario took place. We were in our stateroom when The CD came on the PA asking for Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so to call Guest Relations (or whereever it is those missing from the ship are told to call). All aboard was 4:30; sailaway 5 PM. Exact timeframe.

 

I went out on our verandah and watched below...the gangway was still in place, two officers standing at the bottom, arms folded (I wasn't close enough to see their unhappy faces ;) )....and down the dock came running a couple with a baby stroller!!!

 

How idiotic to do this, especially with children in tow!

 

I don't think you'll find sympathy here. No one I know EVER cuts it anywhere near that close. Personally, we're always on board at least an hour before all aboard.

 

Sorry, but it's your own fault. All aboard time is all aboard time. You were late...it's not HAL's problem.

[Taxguy77]

This was copied to a thread on the RCI board about someone who showed up at port on a Tuesday for a Monday sailing and wanted to blame RCI for the mix-up. Somebody wanted to know if those 2 were related. The best post, which I wish I could take credit for, was if he offered $1,000 to lower the gangplank, maybe the wife offered $2,000 to keep it up.

Gregg

 

I would love to have credit for line like that!:):D

[luvs2travl]

I would love to have credit for line like that!:):D

 

Me, too! ;)

 

If the OP's story is indeed true - and that's a big "IF" - I doubt HAL will be losing much sleep over his decision not to sail with them again. And, none of us will have to worry about waiting for him whenever he decides he wants to return to the ship! What's not to like here? :D

[Laurie S.]

Next time leave the bar earlier.

[GmaPajama]

We were in Curacao on the Noordam on February 20, and much the same scenario took place. We were in our stateroom when The CD came on the PA asking for Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so to call Guest Relations (or whereever it is those missing from the ship are told to call). All aboard was 4:30; sailaway 5 PM. Exact timeframe.

 

I went out on our verandah and watched below...the gangway was still in place, two officers standing at the bottom, arms folded (I wasn't close enough to see their unhappy faces ;) )....and down the dock came running a couple with a baby stroller!!! ....

We watched that day too, Sheila. They were the last of about a dozen latecomers. We could hardly believe it, as one after another came strolling along the walkway and through the tents. That final family, with the baby in a stroller, was just too much. What COULD they have been thinking?

[Cruisin'Lady]

Just to show the OP that HAL is NOT alone in leaving late passengers behind, watch this and turn your volume up.

 

Joanie

 

And yet here is another video that shows a canaval ship pulling back and letting a guy on...I think its just a matter of policy of the particular port and circumstances on whether one can get on or not.

[sapper1]

I think this is the first thread I have encountered wherein everybody is in complete agreement on a subject. Kinda nice.

 

I'll add my voice-----the guy has only himself to blame. We always make it a point to be either back on board, or in the immediate vicinity of the ship about an hour before the "all-aboard" time.

[funcorn]

One of my favorite things to do as we're ready to leave Cozumel is to stand on the deck just before the gangway is lifted (30 minutes before sail time) and watch all the people race from the bar near the dock and try to make it to the gangway in time to get on the ship. (just have to get that last drink in) It's not only passengers but sometimes crew. I'm not the only one who is standing there watching either. Sometimes it's pretty amusing. I'm sorry but I have no sympathy when the all-aboard time is announced numerous times and is even listed in the daIly paper. To expect to inconvenience 2000+ people just because you can't (or don't) choose to keep track of time is simply selfish.

[onthegogirl]

Every time a missing the boat thread comes up I wonder if the sales pitch for the line excursions is true. "If your tour is late we will wait for you"

Has anyone been late or been delayed due to a cruise line tour being late?

 

Yes. I was on a tour in Dominica when a woman just HAD to make a potty stop and was so whining and demanding that the guide complied. When she left the van three other passengers joined her. She and her husband held hands and slowly made their way to the facility. I can still see her sauntering back to the van as if she had all the time in the world. That made us about 15 minutes late. The ship waited. I made sure that the tour desk understood that it was not the guide but the passenger who delayed us. That was the first time I had this happen. Hope it's the last.

[jtl513]

Still wondering why the wife and kids are on board and he's not, I dreamed up this hypothetical scenario: they're all back on board on time initially, and he decides to run back to a shop and pick up a bottle of wine or something. He's warned at the gangway getting off that he doesn't have the time, but he goes anyway. When he does come back too late, the Captain decides to teach him a very expensive lesson ...

 

Or maybe the wife just had a whole lot more sense and took the kids back to the ship on time and left him in the bar!

[Pam in CA]

Beware cruisers!!! I recently went on a cruise on the Westerdam and in the port of Aruba I was left behind with my wife and 2 kids begging the ship to wait a couple more minuites for me. When we booked this cruise the departure time in Aruba was 5pm but once we arrived it was announced the "All aboard time" was 4:30. The gangway was lifted at 4:41 as outlined in the ship log. What horrible service!! To sail early when a customer is missing from the ship?? I was 5 minutes too late. Granted I should have been more timely but mistakes, accidents do happen. My wife pleaded for them to wait, there was even communication from the port security that I was running to catch the ship and the Captain stated that he "waits for no one". I offered $1000.00 to lower the gangway back down ( the ship was still docked, just untied with gangway lifted) or even tender me out and again the Captain stated that he waits for no one. BEWARE!! Horrible service with no regard to passenger safety. Long story short my wife and 2 kids had 2 1/2 days at sea without me and I had to fly back to Ft. Lauderdale to meet them. Why would a ship sail early when passengers are missing?? This was my 10th cruise and I will never sail Holland America again. Even there corporate customer service was bad with a focus on covering there A$$ and backing the Capt. on his bad decision. Don't be late or this cruise line will leave you, no questions asked!!!

This is standard practice, regardless of the cruiseline. There are many reasons why a ship must leave on time and passenger safety has nothing to do with it (unless you attempted to jump onto the ship from the dock.) The harbormaster has a lot to do with what time a ship leaves because often, your ship must leave first in order for another to leave, the pilot is assigned to your ship for a specified period of time and if you leave late, the pilot gets off and the ship must wait for another one to be assigned. There are all kinds of repercussions to a ship leaving late. Sometimes, they have the flexibility to stay a little longer but not always.

 

You knew what time you needed to be back and you weren't, nor did you make provisions in case you might be late. Do the math. It's no one's fault but your own. Posting here isn't going to get you much sympathy. People are left behind all the time because as one ship's Captain said, "For the people who can't tell time..."

[momatibm]

Of course, :rolleyes: the family may have left him on the pier -- who knows --

 

one does have to wonder if the rest of the family was on the ship ----

[Essiesmom]

Joanie...Do you think he was on our cruise? Carolyn

[mikedw]

Don't be late, but I bet you did get a beautiful picture of the ship sailing out:) This reminds me of when I use to take the train everyday to DC. Every now and then they would put out notices that if you're not on the platform, when it's time to go, they will not wait. Every now and then you would see someone running from the parking lot yelling to the conductor for them to wait, but they had orders that they can't. Always a good laugh.

[BirthdayGirl30]

Just to show the OP that HAL is NOT alone in leaving late passengers behind, watch this and turn your volume up.

 

Joanie

 

Ugh, that video actually made me cry. I would be so freaked out if that were my husband and I!!

[madelinerose]

When we booked this cruise the departure time in Aruba was 5pm but once we arrived it was announced the "All aboard time" was 4:30. The gangway was lifted at 4:41 as outlined in the ship log. What horrible service!! To sail early when a customer is missing from the ship?? I was 5 minutes too late.

 

 

Someone help me, please. What am I missing here? :confused:

 

I'll be on Amtrak next week. I'll ask the conductor to wait for me. ;)

[Host Walt]

My story is a bit different.

 

We were on another line (Princess) and had a port call at Livorno with a Shorex to Pisa and Florence which we booked.

 

The day was nice until after lunch when we were hit with a rather hard and lengthy rainstorm. Bus time back from Florence was 3:00pm, and the boarding location was out in the open. There were 8 buses involved in that excursion, so to minimize the wait out in the storm, the tour company decided to load 'em up and move 'em out as folks were ready to board without regard to the originally assigned bus.

 

My wife and I were split up in the process so her bus pulled out as I boarded the next bus.

 

When my bus arrived back at Livorno, I boarded the ship and went to our cabin expecting to find my wife there. Nope. Went back down to dockside to find them making ready to sail.

 

I asked the Shorex lady whether all buses had returned from Florence; than my wife was apparently not on board. She said yes, that all buses were in and accounted for. She suggested that my wife may have gone to the rail to watch the sailing or somewhere else and not to worry.

 

I worried.

 

She then said we had to board as the horn was blowing. As we were walking toward the ship, a pair of headlights headed our way. It was the last tour bus that, somehow, was delayed by the rain. My wife was on that bus.

 

The Shorex lady was flabbergasted and heaped a ton of apologies on me and my wife. She acknowledged that, had I not approached her she would have already boarded and the ship mwould have been made ready to sail. She walkie-talkied the Captain telling him that she was no longer sure all the buses had returned and that she wanted to hold the ship.

 

It turns out it was the last bus but it caused the ship to be over an hour late in sailing.

 

Because our next port was Cannes, and because our Passports were in the cabin safe, we decided that we would always carry a color copy of the front pages of the Passport in our wallets for all future cruises just in case the ship leaves us behind and we need to get to the next port by passing through a border.

[luvs2travl]

Ugh, that video actually made me cry. I would be so freaked out if that were my husband and I!!

 

Then - don't be late....;):D!!! And, I'm sure you wouldn't. :)