Missing ship - in jail - what happens????

[CWcruisers]

I know a guy who got arrested for public urination in St Thomas, and of course he was drunk and mouthy. So they put him in jail, waited for the ship to sail, then let him out. He had to call home to mommy to get money wired.

 

Poor Baby.:rolleyes:

[salty dingo]

You should really leave your passport on the ship

So true. Despite what an earlier poster said, most folks are not going to be able to catch the ship at the next port. They will instead go straight home. The US has emergency procedures for people who need to come back home and the passport is lost or stolen, so it's not like you cannot go home.

 

The reasons for leaving them on the ship are because you are 1000 times more likely to forget your bag or have it stolen or pickpocketed than you are likely to miss the ship.

 

Hundreds of thousands of cruisers go to several ports, and only very rarely does anyone miss a ship. Only if you end up in the hospital, or are extremely irresponsible, will you have to contend with missing a ship.

[matj2000]

Do people really think that if they didn't have their passport they would be able to get back U.S. ? I cannot believe they are this nieve. Get a clue folks.......

[jeshghn]

I know a guy who got arrested for public urination in St Thomas, and of course he was drunk and mouthy. So they put him in jail, waited for the ship to sail, then let him out. He had to call home to mommy to get money wired.

 

Poor Baby.:rolleyes:

 

I would love to be a fly on the wall for that coversation! :D

[Fourseventeen]

thats why I keep a passport card and a book. I dont take my book off the ship but my card I keep in my shorts pocket when I leave the ship. It works as ID and as my passport should I need it...plus its waterproof.

[imsulin]

Do people really think that if they didn't have their passport they would be able to get back U.S. ? I cannot believe they are this nieve. Get a clue folks.......

 

I never bring my Passport with me on shore on Caribbean/Mexican cruises. I bring a copy, and I'm not at all NAIIVE. I DO bring my Passport with me while doing land travles in any foreign country. I'm on my fourth Passport. And you?

[Wolfie48]

Having just returned from a cruise filled with "Spring Breakers" I wonder what happens when -- drank too much in port and didn't make it back before the ship left. What happens when they get (sooner or later) back to dock and the ship is gone? Second question -- someone was arrested and jailed and missed the ship. ??? Just curious!:confused:

 

Unless jail is one of the new Carnival sponsored excursions the ship will not wait for you :rolleyes:

[Sargent_Schultz]

Yes, things happen. That's precisely WHY I always take my passport. Yes, it can be stolen or lost. So can a camera, purse, wallet, cash or credit cards. A passport is just one more valuable item that must be handled with a little common sense.

 

Common sense is leaving it on the ship. YMMV.

[kr8z]

I never take my passport off the ship. It stays in the safe until debarkation. Stupid? Maybe. I have absolutely no plan on missing my ship though. I will be back on board 1 hour or more before they tell me to be back on board. Of course I've gone through my wild 20's where I may have possibly gotten arrested in any port :rolleyes: Now I am old and mellow now so I think I can risk leaving my passport on board LOL

[nrdsb4]

Do people really think that if they didn't have their passport they would be able to get back U.S. ? I cannot believe they are this nieve. Get a clue folks.......

 

Of course a US citizen would eventually be able to get home. Just how long of a hassle it would be is the question. There was a tale told on the boards of a family who was disembarked in Nassau because the ship's doctor believed their infant needed to be hospitalized for an illness. The parents were furious, and told of being delayed getting home by a couple of days because no one in their family had passports. Several hundreds of dollars and a couple of days later, they all had passports and went home.

 

I don't know if their situation took so long because it happened on a weekend, or what the details were. But had they had their passports, their delay would only have lasted as long as waiting for an available flight.

[SueSea]

I never take my passport off the ship. It stays in the safe until debarkation. Stupid? Maybe. I have absolutely no plan on missing my ship though.

 

Does anyone ever plan to miss the ship? ;) Any one of a number of things could happen. You could have an accident, get mugged, or otherwise be detained. That's the problem--no one expects the unexpected. As unlikely the chance that these things will occur, it is important to know they can happen. You have to know the risks before you can make a sound decision.

 

The question of whether to carry your passport is similar to the travel insurance debate. If you don't have it and don't need it, you are fine. If you need it and don't have it, you'll pay the price.

[Dirtbleed]

We never planned on missing the ship. It was circumstances beyond our control. The port agent was completely useless and just wanted to go home for dinner. So if you think they are gonna hold your hand and get you home, wrong answer. We never would have been able to leave St Maarten and fly to St Thomas without a passport. They won't sell you a plane ticket without one. I don't recall seeing a US Consulute there either. So that leaves you trying to get proper documentation to leave thru the mail services. I'd rather leave my money on the ship than my passport.

 

PS: I've been on over 60 cruises, which means I've been in port some 200+ times. Only missed it once is a pretty good track record.

 

The photo is what the pier looks like in St Thomas at 4:55pm for a 5:00 departure. Took that picture walking up the gangway. We were very late coming back from the BVI. Last month on the Indy. San Juan was the next day so no pressure.

[Ken076]

thats why I keep a passport card and a book. I dont take my book off the ship but my card I keep in my shorts pocket when I leave the ship. It works as ID and as my passport should I need it...plus its waterproof.

 

the Passport Card you carry on shore won't get you on an airplane. ken

[DocF]

The people who advocate leaving one's passport on board when in port need to learn the purpose of a passport. If you carry it in a reasonably safe manner (passport case on a neck strap under outer garment) it is very unlikely to be stolen. The women and metrosexuals in your party should learn to not carry their purse in places where all tourists are viewed as rich Americans. We carry our passports, we carry them in safe places. We travel prepared.

 

Doc:rolleyes:

[Mary Ellen1]

We never planned on missing the ship. It was circumstances beyond our control. The port agent was completely useless and just wanted to go home for dinner. So if you think they are gonna hold your hand and get you home, wrong answer. We never would have been able to leave St Maarten and fly to St Thomas without a passport. They won't sell you a plane ticket without one. I don't recall seeing a US Consulute there either. So that leaves you trying to get proper documentation to leave thru the mail services. I'd rather leave my money on the ship than my passport.

 

PS: I've been on over 60 cruises, which means I've been in port some 200+ times. Only missed it once is a pretty good track record.

 

The photo is what the pier looks like in St Thomas at 4:55pm for a 5:00 departure. Took that picture walking up the gangway. We were very late coming back from the BVI. Last month on the Indy. San Juan was the next day so no pressure.

 

What happened?

[poobears]

I always take my passport on shore. I won't set foot in another country without it in my possession, that's what I paid for it for. Otherwise I'd just cruise without one. Even my kids have passports.

[gonzo1124]

A spring breaker punched a security guard on a Carnival cruise we went on years ago. The San Juan police was waiting for him at the port to be arrested and put into jail. I imagine that once he posted bail, they'll send him back at his expense. I know that he was in custody at his cabin with security guards outside.

I guess that was not a "Fun Cruise" for him!

[MrsLeo]

They took someone to jail in Cozumel for a very minor hit on their back fender by another car (set up) and its a crime in Mexico so they had to pay $800 to get him out of jail. If its something like that, hopefully the guy had credit cards with him to fly home.

 

If you miss the ship, you are on your own to get home.

 

I am surprised that no one commented on this post. Always, Always Always, purchase the zero $$$ damage waiver when renting a car in Mexico. If you get in to a fender bender, you will not be able to leave the country until the damages have been settled. So for those of you who do not buy the zero damage waiver (I think it was $10-$20 on our last Mexican rental) because your own auto insurance covers you, that's fine, but you won't be going anywhere until until your insurance pays the damage. Personally I loath the thought of sitting in a Mexican jail in the meanwhile.

[Dirtbleed]

What happened?

We chartered a plane to go to St Kitts for the day. It was 1.5 hours late picking us up. And a beautiful day it was, we had the whole island to ourselves as there were no ships in port. There were 4 adults and 5 teenagers by the way. Ship was set to depart at 5:30pm. Even with the delay we were not more than 10 minutes late to the pier. Saw the ship leaving from the taxi ride from the airport. Uh Oh! Of course passports were in hand and needed for entry to St Kitts and back to St Maarten. 3 hotels rooms and 9 plane tickets later we were in St Thomas. Cruising is and adventure!

 

Even with St Thomas the next day(100 miles or so). RCCL had no problem pulling up the gangway and leaving with 9 pax unaccounted for. I don't blame them, but it took me 7 years before I did another RCCL ship.

[Dirtbleed]

We actually called the port agent from the taxi ride prior to 5:30 and said we were enroute to the ship. Not even sure if he notified the ship we were on our way. From the position of the ship at 5:30 from the taxi we could clearly see it left early. Once we saw the ship had left we just met the port agent at a local travel agency to arrange for the hotel and the flights. He wasn't there more than 5 minutes and he was on his way home for dinner. I clearly remember looking at the clock on the wall in the travel agency and it was 5:45pm.

[debster818]

We took the 4 night cruise and went to Ensenada. The only reaosn you would need you passport there I assume would be if you got into trouble. No one ever,,at the entrance to the dock area or the ship, ever asked for a picture ID. Our S&S card was all we needed.

 

Whne we returned to Long Beach I saw one guy in the cabin across and down the hall (3 cabins away) get taken off in handcuffs by the Customs officers and had heard 2 others from other floors were being taken away too. So you can get arrested even if you make it back home.

 

Could you just make a copy of your passport and carry that instead of the real thing?

[dan40]

A ship is scheduled to sail at 5:30. Can it delay that sailing time? Maybe, maybe not. It may incur a considerable charge for a delayed sailing. Will the late boarding pax be willing to pay that overtime charge? HIGHLY UNLIKELY!!

 

When the ship is scheduled to leave at 5:30, does the ship announce to the pax. "Kindly be back on board, oh about 5:29 or 5:35." NO, that is not what happens. They tell us, "The ship WILL sail at 5:30! Be on board NO LATER than 5PM." Sometimes they say we should be back on the ship at 4:30 for a 5:30 sailing.

 

Don't make it and blame the ship and the port agent,,,hmmmmm.

[Essiesmom]

Could you just make a copy of your passport and carry that instead of the real thing?

Of course, but it won't get you on a plane if you miss the ship. And what's stopping them from picking it out of your pocket...or getting it when they steal your purse? I never 'leave home' without my passport. I'm on #6. EM

[pjpu]

We actually called the port agent from the taxi ride prior to 5:30 and said we were enroute to the ship. Not even sure if he notified the ship we were on our way. From the position of the ship at 5:30 from the taxi we could clearly see it left early. Once we saw the ship had left we just met the port agent at a local travel agency to arrange for the hotel and the flights. He wasn't there more than 5 minutes and he was on his way home for dinner. I clearly remember looking at the clock on the wall in the travel agency and it was 5:45pm.

 

so was this the same as the 'ship time' ?

[fireofficer5]

We actually called the port agent from the taxi ride prior to 5:30 and said we were enroute to the ship. Not even sure if he notified the ship we were on our way. From the position of the ship at 5:30 from the taxi we could clearly see it left early. Once we saw the ship had left we just met the port agent at a local travel agency to arrange for the hotel and the flights. He wasn't there more than 5 minutes and he was on his way home for dinner. I clearly remember looking at the clock on the wall in the travel agency and it was 5:45pm.

Well at least he went to the TA with you.