If somebody missed the ship

[sonnenstrahl]

Does it happen often? We booked our flight with Princess, hopefully we make it save and on time to Fort Lauderdale. But how is it in other ports,, I don't try to miss the boat,,,,PROMISE! :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

Many of us stick to the rule of getting into your embarkation port at least a day early. That way, you're not stressing out if your plane is late, if there's a lot of traffic, etc. You can have a nice relaxing night at a hotel, maybe get in a little shopping for items left behind or simply don't want to put in your luggage (wine, etc.), maybe get in a little shopping.

 

With some itineraries, you can run the risk of not only missing the first day of your cruise, but not be allowed to embark at a later port (the northbound Alaskan cruises out of Vancouver are an example as you'll violate the PVSA).

 

I don't want to miss out on any of the cruise. As well as not have to pay extra for a flight to the second port.

[beg3yrs]

If you're with Princess EZ Air you're in pretty good shape. With their Next Port Guarantee, even if the ship sails without you, they'll get you to the next port to catch up.

 

You're not likely to have to deal with the PVSA out of Fort Lauderdale either.

 

The likelihood of you missing the ship depends on lots of things. You must be arriving on the day of sailing if you're already concerned. The earlier you arrive the less likely you'll miss the ship. Later arrivals can be problematic as flight delays tend to grow over the day. However, with EZ-Air they are more likely to try to hold the ship as they know you're coming.

[Pam in CA]

If you're with Princess EZ Air you're in pretty good shape. With their Next Port Guarantee, even if the ship sails without you, they'll get you to the next port to catch up.

They will make every attempt to get you to the next port. It's never fully guaranteed. If you have to fly, you will have to have a passport. If the next port is a US port and the disembarkation port is the original US port you were supposed to embark in, you will not be allowed to fly as that would be a violation of the PVSA. Edited February 3, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Loonbeam]

And yes it does happen. We were told once that at least one or two cabins go empty every cruise due to no shows - missed flights, illness, etc. More so in the winter of course.

[Colo Cruiser]

During a port stop make sure you read the patter for (all aboard time/last tender back to the ship time) and read the placard as you leave the ship on the gangway. Have to be back onboard 30 minutes before departure in reg ports.

Take a photo of it when you are leaving. ;)

[iceleven]

They will make every attempt to get you to the next port. It's never fully guaranteed. If you have to fly, you will have to have a passport. If the next port is a US port and the disembarkation port is the original US port you were supposed to embark in, you will not be allowed to fly as that would be a violation of the PVSA.

 

Wouldn't it be fair if Princess paid the fine for the PVSA violation instead of just abandoning the guests? Is it even an option for the cruise line to pay the fine. It's not THAT MUCH money...or is it?

[Pam in CA]

Wouldn't it be fair if Princess paid the fine for the PVSA violation instead of just abandoning the guests? Is it even an option for the cruise line to pay the fine. It's not THAT MUCH money...or is it?

The cruise line cannot knowingly allow a PVSA violation any more than you can knowingly permit someone to break any law. There are repercussions. A waiver can be obtained for a medical or other emergency but as we all know, the government isn't very flexible when it comes to laws.

[DENNAS]

Does it happen often? We booked our flight with Princess, hopefully we make it save and on time to Fort Lauderdale. But how is it in other ports,, I don't try to miss the boat,,,,PROMISE! :D

 

YES< they do leave Passengers Behind !!

My Crown Cruise "Left Passengers Behind" Story... Originally posted APRIL 14, 2012:

 

 

Had a great cruise. LOTS of FUN. Loved the food and pretty much loved the whole trip. No complaints at all. Crew great, very attentive.

Princess Cays, Curacao and Aruba. I LOVED Aruba. Enjoyed a lovely day at Palm Beach, near the RIU Palace, where we rented chairs and an umbrella.

 

OKAY, so after a nice day in Curacao, everyone is due back to ship at 9:30. Ship to depart at 10:00. Right around this time, we hear "the call" of 4 girls names from two cabins, one on Aloha deck and one on Emerald Deck. About 10 min later, we hear the same 4 names and then again around 10:00. Lots of folks are talking amongst themselves and others, wondering if these 4 girls have made it back on board. We happened to be out on the Promenade during this time, admiring Curacao at night and wanting to see a night-time sailaway. People are now gathering out on the different decks to see if they are coming back. NOTHING. Now of course, the talk is really ramping up. Around 10:10 or 10:15 I will say, the pilot boat unties the heavy cords and the ship starts to back away from the dock. A friend in out group starts YELLING, "I see them, I see them, they are running to the ship !" At that point you can really hear people from the ship all starting to see them too and yelling different things. We see three of the 4 running up the concrete docks, the 4th held back a bit... whether she just couldn't keep up or felt "it was too late" she missed the boat, or, perhaps got very upset and just stopped? We don't know. Needless to say, it was heart-wrenching seeing these girls standing there watching the boat pull away. NO, the ship did NOT go back.

 

I did ask two mornings later, at the shore excursions desk where two women were working and not waiting on anyone, (Pursers desk was crowded and I didn't want to bother the folks hard at work....) if they made it to the ship. YES they did, they flew from Curacao to Aruba the next day and got on the ship. It's a short flight.

 

I have NEVER seen this happen before and hope I never see it again. I'm sure it was an awful feeling for the girls, thank God there is a hotel right there and perhaps they stayed there. I also heard from another employee that two passports were found IN THE CABIN so I am wondering how this factored into them getting back on board. I mean, they all did come back... pretty quickly, without two having passports with them.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share this with you all....... and thank Goodness for them, they were all safe. I hope they can laugh about it some-day....

[Cruisin' Chick]

Wouldn't it be fair if Princess paid the fine for the PVSA violation instead of just abandoning the guests? Is it even an option for the cruise line to pay the fine. It's not THAT MUCH money...or is it?

 

So if some passengers couldn't be bothered to be back on the ship in time (for a port stay) or can't plan their travel so they get on the ship in time for embarkation, the cruise line should pick up the fee? Which means those of us who make sure we're on the ship in time end up picking up that tab at some point.

[caribill]

Wouldn't it be fair if Princess paid the fine for the PVSA violation instead of just abandoning the guests? Is it even an option for the cruise line to pay the fine. It's not THAT MUCH money...or is it?

 

It is not Princess' fault if the airline is unable to get the passengers to the embarkation port in time, even if the booking was made with EZAir.

 

With EZAir, by the way, the passenger selects the flights to be taken, not Princess.

[paul929207]

Wouldn't it be fair if Princess paid the fine for the PVSA violation instead of just abandoning the guests? Is it even an option for the cruise line to pay the fine. It's not THAT MUCH money...or is it?

Repeated deliberate violations of PVSA can result in the cruise line being banned from US ports.

[satxdiver]

Pax miss the ship quite frequently. We left a newly wed couple in Cozumel one cruise and they met us in Galveston two days later when we arrived from Cozumel. Cozumel with its emphasis on drinking etc frequently has pax left behind. Take your passport though as you will need it to fly back to the US.

 

Funniest story though was a cruise to the southern Caribbean out of Puerto Rico. Captain waited for an extra half hour in Curacao for a couple who I later learned showed up at the pier a half hour after we had left. They flew to St Marteen and rejoined the ship two days later. Nothing new here of course. However as we were about to leave St Thomas, the captain again waited half an hour for a late returning couple. Just as we were about to leave a taxi screeched to a halt in front of the ship (lucky no long pier), the doors flew open and out popped the couple running for the gangplank as they were starting to remove it. Yep you guessed it - it was the very same couple we left in Curacao! I hope the captain gave them a nice talk over this. The next port was Puerto Rico and our disembark.

 

Sometimes the port is in a different time zone than the ship so don't rely on any timepiece you see on shore as it may not be the same as ship's time!

[fishin' musician]

If you're with Princess EZ Air you're in pretty good shape. With their Next Port Guarantee, even if the ship sails without you, they'll get you to the next port to catch up.

 

Hopefully it's not a transatlantic! :o

[alexspepa]

Pax miss the ship quite frequently. We left a newly wed couple in Cozumel one cruise and they met us in Galveston two days later when we arrived from Cozumel. Cozumel with its emphasis on drinking etc frequently has pax left behind.

 

 

 

Cozumel is the ultimate in pier-runner watching...my favorite port where I never get off the ship.

[gacruisergal]

caribill, you stated that passengers select their flight through Princess EZair, not Princess but, Princess certainly allows those flights to be booked! If however, your flight times are changed and they are going to make the connection difficult, you can call Princess and change the flight or call the airlines direct and see if they will work with you. We had this situation on a flight from Savannah, connecting in Atlanta on to Rome. The Savannah flight times were delayed and we now did not have the 50 minutes for a connect in Atlanta for a transatlantic flight. Delta was more that happy to change my first flight to an earlier time so we would have time to make the flight out of Atlanta.

 

I check the flights daily and if the times change, I am on the phone immediately to rectify the problem if needed.

[Pam in CA]

caribill, you stated that passengers select their flight through Princess EZair, not Princess but, Princess certainly allows those flights to be booked! If however, your flight times are changed and they are going to make the connection difficult, you can call Princess and change the flight or call the airlines direct and see if they will work with you. We had this situation on a flight from Savannah, connecting in Atlanta on to Rome. The Savannah flight times were delayed and we now did not have the 50 minutes for a connect in Atlanta for a transatlantic flight. Delta was more that happy to change my first flight to an earlier time so we would have time to make the flight out of Atlanta.

Princess is merely the booking agent, same as if you used Travelocity or Expedia. As long as the connection is legal and the scheduled flight arrival time gives you enough time to get to the port, it's allowed. It's your responsibility to get to the ship on time. That's why experienced cruisers plan to arrive the day before the cruise if flying and what a good TA would recommend.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

During a port stop make sure you read the patter for (all aboard time/last tender back to the ship time) and read the placard as you leave the ship on the gangway. Have to be back onboard 30 minutes before departure in reg ports.

Take a photo of it when you are leaving. ;)

 

Make sure your watch is on ship time too:D:D

[sonnenstrahl]

""""That's why experienced cruisers plan to arrive the day before the cruise if flying and what a good TA would recommend."""

 

This is all fine,,,,, but if you not retired and want to make the best out of the money and time, so that we can retire one day too! :rolleyes:

[beg3yrs]

""""That's why experienced cruisers plan to arrive the day before the cruise if flying and what a good TA would recommend."""

 

This is all fine,,,,, but if you not retired and want to make the best out of the money and time, so that we can retire one day too! :rolleyes:

 

Before we retired, the overnight red-eye flights were another option that reduced the risk of being too late to make the ship. Yes, we were more tired than usual, but we maximized our money and time while reducing the risk.

[Hlitner]

Have to laugh when I see folks say "Princess EZ air will get you to your next port." The first 6 days of our next Princess cruise are days at sea so wonder if they would hire a helicopter to get us to the ship :).

 

So lets get serious here. Common sense goes a long way in the travel world (some of us like to call it "Travel Sense"). Do you want to put your cruise investment into the hands of the airlines and depend on them to get you and your luggage to your port on time? The airlines are not very reliable these days (especially in the winter) and folks need to take that into account, or risk ruining your own vacation. This means always getting to a port (or very close to your port) at least 1 day in advance. That additional time will usually (not always) allow you to get to the port if your flight is late or even cancelled. If your luggage gets "lost" by the airlines there is also a good chance it will catch-up to you before your cruise.

 

As to the "retired" argument, one needs to try hard to work around job requirements. I recall one cruise, when DW and I were both working, where I picked her up a work, drove 2 hours to a larger airport, and jumped on a late flight...all so we could get to our cruise port 1 day early. It was not very convenient to do this, but it gave us some additional peace of mind. And waking up in a hotel within sight of our port (and it was Port Everglades) was worth the hassle.

 

Hank

[Cruisin' Chick]

Have to laugh when I see folks say "Princess EZ air will get you to your next port." The first 6 days of our next Princess cruise are days at sea so wonder if they would hire a helicopter to get us to the ship :).

 

So lets get serious here. Common sense goes a long way in the travel world (some of us like to call it "Travel Sense"). Do you want to put your cruise investment into the hands of the airlines and depend on them to get you and your luggage to your port on time? The airlines are not very reliable these days (especially in the winter) and folks need to take that into account, or risk ruining your own vacation. This means always getting to a port (or very close to your port) at least 1 day in advance. That additional time will usually (not always) allow you to get to the port if your flight is late or even cancelled. If your luggage gets "lost" by the airlines there is also a good chance it will catch-up to you before your cruise.

 

As to the "retired" argument, one needs to try hard to work around job requirements. I recall one cruise, when DW and I were both working, where I picked her up a work, drove 2 hours to a larger airport, and jumped on a late flight...all so we could get to our cruise port 1 day early. It was not very convenient to do this, but it gave us some additional peace of mind. And waking up in a hotel within sight of our port (and it was Port Everglades) was worth the hassle.

 

Hank

 

I've always had a limited number of vacation days compared to some people (like my hubby), but that increases the desire to have each day of the vacation meaningful. So if we're going on a cruise, but because we don't plan in that extra day or half day before the cruise, and things go south, that will mean scurrying to catch another flight (and as a white knuckle flyer, adding on more flights...) and spending $ on that flight and perhaps a hotel room in the next port. And hoping that the ship makes it to the next port. To me, going on a cruise means getting on the ship as early as possible. A day or two later...now I'm missing out on much of my cruise.

[RickEk]

The issue with the northbound Alaskan cruises bothers me, so I checked with a friend at Princess. If you book ezair and there is a flight delay caused by the airline or weather, Princess will get you to the next port (even a US port) and absorb the PVSA fine. If you mess up and miss your flight, you're outta luck.

[Pam in CA]

""""That's why experienced cruisers plan to arrive the day before the cruise if flying and what a good TA would recommend."""

 

This is all fine,,,,, but if you not retired and want to make the best out of the money and time, so that we can retire one day too! :rolleyes:

Even when I was working two full time jobs concurrently, I always made sure I either took a late night flight the night before and stayed overnight or I took another day. While bad weather is worse at some times of the year, it can happen at any time plus most flights from even warm-weather airports such as LAX can experience fog or the plane coming in is delayed by weather elsewhere. After being caught in a surprise snowstorm years ago that closed every airport between Atlanta and Boston for over 24 hours, I leave as little to chance as possible. That cruise, I was flying in a day before the cruise and still not only missed sailaway but had to fly to Martinique the next day to catch up with the ship.

[KruzPrincess]

I had a ship sail without me. It wasn't any fun. It wasn't a winter cruise, so I thought I was safer traveling the same day. There was just a ton of problems that happened. Fortunately, the airline paid to get me to the next port, but that was a couple days into the cruise. I got to the ship 20 minutes before it sailed from Cozumel. It was a nightmare. I always fly in a day early. I just booked a March cruise and that's the snowiest time of year here, so I'm going in two days early. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about vacation days anymore, but I always went in a day early even when I had limited vacation days.