Passengers Late Again!!

[HarpHarp]

For those who take a Pacific Coastal cruise, nothing can be more exciting or treacherous than the pilot transfer in Astoria.

 

[LrgPizza]

Why wouldn't it have been successful?

 

The pilot boat must make a transfer. That of the pilot from the ba to the pilot boat

 

It stands to reason that the transfer of the pax from pilot boat to ba would also be successful

 

You said the pax made the pilot boat right?

 

Are you suggesting the pax were physically unable to climb on to the ba?

 

That is could have been too difficult?

 

My take and I wouldn't think otherwise is that since they made the pilot boat they made the ba.

Oh, good. Even though you quoted me, several others reported to state the obvious to you.

 

It does stand to reason they made it on the ba, and I assume they did, too. I didn't say anything to imply otherwise, but anyone with half a brain can tell you it's not automatic. For instance, I know for a fact my 75 year old mother would look at that ladder and say, "No friggin' way!"

 

I was hoping it was successful and assumed that it was. I have no clue why my post got your panties in such a bunch, but your issues are really of no concern to me.

[newmexicoNita]

Why do other people care who misses the ship? And why do people on here seem to take such great joy in something that sucks for another human being? I just don't get it. There could be a million reasons why people are late. And even if the reason is just plain old stupidity, why delight in it?

 

Don't take things so seriously..It is just a subject that comes up from time to time, like when someone is airlifted. We are human and yes, do talk about these kinds of isues. Where are you getting the idea some enjoy seeing this happen? Making a few clever comments isn't saying we enjoy watching a person in distress. As for a million reasons for missing the ship: unless there is illness, the responsibility does fall on the passenger. It almost happened to us once, the tour ran way over. Had we been stranded, we would have still acccepted the fault as our own. We learned the hard way, plan tours in the AM and allow a few hour leeway.

[sfaaa]

Is there a law against people laughing at things they find funny or amusing? It's a free country and their right. Your approval is neither sought nor required.

[sfaaa]

Medical research shows laughing is a great form of stress relief and good for your health. Only a miserable fool would deprive himself/herself a good laugh on a cruise.

[LrgPizza]

I can sympathize, offer support, but also laugh at the misfortunes of others, and I laugh even harder at my own. That's actually a pretty healthy trait, and it sucks for those of you who don't possess it. It could be why I'm much happier in general, and able to still love my life even in the face of adversity. Try it some time.

[gymbomb]

Well isn't it also 1hr ahead of east coast there so maybe there is some confusion about what time it is and they confused local with ship time...

 

 

I have no experience with Breakaway, but I have never been on an NCL ship where ship time and local time were not the same. In fact, I am pretty sure I have never been on any cruise where they were not the same (although I know that does sometimes happen).

Edited August 29, 2015 by gymbomb

[persephoneo]

I've watched "Mighty Ships" and watched the Harbour Pilots climb on a rope ladder to the ship, and I don't know how they do it. I'd be terrified! I don't know if I could do it. I'll make sure to be on the ship in time!

[DebJ14]

I have no experience with Breakaway, but I have never been on an NCL ship where ship time and local time were not the same. In fact, I am pretty sure I have never been on any cruise where they were not the same (although I know that does sometimes happen).

 

Cruises out of Texas have that issue. Texas (and the ship) is on Central time but Cozumel is now on Eastern time, so the times don't match.

[broberts]

Is there a law against people laughing at things they find funny or amusing? It's a free country and their right. Your approval is neither sought nor required.

 

Curious logic. People expressing an opinion by laughing are free to do so but those expressing a different opinion are not?

[LrgPizza]

Curious logic. People expressing an opinion by laughing are free to do so but those expressing a different opinion are not?

 

 

Why wouldn't they be? The post you quoted says nothing of the sort.

[em-sk]

For those who take a Pacific Coastal cruise, nothing can be more exciting or treacherous than the pilot transfer in Astoria.

 

 

When I was on the Jade some time back in Astoria the pilot repelled from the helicopter into the haven area.

[islandgirl70]

Can someone please explain to me what a pilot boat is and why they have one?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Can someone please explain to me what a pilot boat is and why they have one?

 

 

Local harbors and their approaches hold many challenges for mariners. Here in San Francisco, for example, there are multiple bridges to deal with, fog, tricky current and tide (as well as wind) demands (not to mention extreme shallows outside of the designated shipping lanes) that are critical factors to consider in course setting and docking. Pilots are experience, licensed master mariners whose sole job is to guide ships in both harbors and the approaches to them.

 

The pilot is transferred to and from the ship via a pilot boat at some point outside of the harbor approach. While not "replacing" the skipper, s/he takes on responsibility for providing directions to the helmsman and to the engine room to safely navigate whatever may be the local concerns.

 

Clearly, the most dangerous part of a pilot's job is joining the ship. Pilots have died in accidents making that transfer.

[RuthlessBoss]

Local harbors and their approaches hold many challenges for mariners. Here in San Francisco, for example, there are multiple bridges to deal with, fog, tricky current and tide (as well as wind) demands (not to mention extreme shallows outside of the designated shipping lanes) that are critical factors to consider in course setting and docking. Pilots are experience, licensed master mariners whose sole job is to guide ships in both harbors and the approaches to them.

 

The pilot is transferred to and from the ship via a pilot boat at some point outside of the harbor approach. While not "replacing" the skipper, s/he takes on responsibility for providing directions to the helmsman and to the engine room to safely navigate whatever may be the local concerns.

 

Clearly, the most dangerous part of a pilot's job is joining the ship. Pilots have died in accidents making that transfer.

 

I believe the pilot is trained to know the specifics of exactly what's going on under the water of his specific port and guides the ship in accordingly.

[NoahtheRed]

I believe the pilot is trained to know the specifics of exactly what's going on under the water of his specific port and guides the ship in accordingly.

 

Correct. Harbor pilots are the undeniable masters of their domain, so to speak. Every shoal. Every piece of underwater infrastructure. Every tidal anomaly. Every approach for every berth. They know their maritime territory better than most of us know our own houses.

 

Of course, this is all the hope. In some areas, there have been issues with pilots not being as well versed as one would think and ending up with boats stuck on otherwise well-documented reefs and afoul with channel boundaries.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Maybe NCL should move the departure time back to 5? :p

 

Yeah, that would be nice to get those extra two hours back, but in the meantime, people, know your reboard time, and bring a watch.

[jakesnana]

Am I the only one who finds it extremely heartless of NCL to purposely abandon it's passengers in Bermuda? We know the BA can make it back to NYC with less time since it used to stay in Bermuda till 5:00 PM. If they KNOW they have pier runners, why couldn't they purposely slow down their pace so that it WOULD be possible for the passengers to join the ship from the pilot boat, instead of wondering if they will make it?

 

Between the change in departure time from 5 PM to 3 PM and the fact that the passengers may not have advanced their personal watches by an hour, this leads to all sorts of possibilities why they may have missed the ship (never mind possible transportation issues on the island).

 

I find it deplorable that NCL would not even make an effort to recover it's passengers when they know that these passengers are making an attempt to board the ship. I will be on the Dawn in just over 7 weeks, but you can BE SURE I will be mindful of the time on Tuesday :)

[maywell]

Am I the only one who finds it extremely heartless of NCL to purposely abandon it's passengers in Bermuda? We know the BA can make it back to NYC with less time since it used to stay in Bermuda till 5:00 PM. If they KNOW they have pier runners, why couldn't they purposely slow down their pace so that it WOULD be possible for the passengers to join the ship from the pilot boat, instead of wondering if they will make it?

 

Between the change in departure time from 5 PM to 3 PM and the fact that the passengers may not have advanced their personal watches by an hour, this leads to all sorts of possibilities why they may have missed the ship (never mind possible transportation issues on the island).

 

I find it deplorable that NCL would not even make an effort to recover it's passengers when they know that these passengers are making an attempt to board the ship. I will be on the Dawn in just over 7 weeks, but you can BE SURE I will be mindful of the time on Tuesday :)

Leaving 50 passengers that were all on the same private excursion running super late - is kinda heartless. Leaving 2 out of 4000-something passengers - those 2 were really not paying attention to the time.

 

Its one of those situations where the numbers of people being late makes a big difference, of should the captain even bother waiting past the schedule departure time....

 

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[Barb Nahoumi]

Well isn't it also 1hr ahead of east coast there so maybe there is some confusion about what time it is and they confused local with ship time...

 

We start watching around 1:30 at home. Many times too busy, and forget about it.

[NoahtheRed]

Am I the only one who finds it extremely heartless of NCL to purposely abandon it's passengers in Bermuda? We know the BA can make it back to NYC with less time since it used to stay in Bermuda till 5:00 PM. If they KNOW they have pier runners, why couldn't they purposely slow down their pace so that it WOULD be possible for the passengers to join the ship from the pilot boat, instead of wondering if they will make it?

 

Between the change in departure time from 5 PM to 3 PM and the fact that the passengers may not have advanced their personal watches by an hour, this leads to all sorts of possibilities why they may have missed the ship (never mind possible transportation issues on the island).

 

I find it deplorable that NCL would not even make an effort to recover it's passengers when they know that these passengers are making an attempt to board the ship. I will be on the Dawn in just over 7 weeks, but you can BE SURE I will be mindful of the time on Tuesday :)

 

Eventually you have to make a cut off, ya know? If they slow down for 2 passengers who were 30 minutes late, what about the passenger who's 45 minutes late? Do they slow down or do circles for the passengers that fell asleep on the beach and woke up an hour late? What about the passengers that now know they ship will give them a chance so they have an extra round of drinks at Maho Beach instead of getting a cab back to Phillipsburg to be on time?

 

Port scheduling is A. not cheap and B. not simple. Every extra minute costs more money (to the tune of thousands of dollars an hour). You aren't just keeping the cruise ship (and passengers) waiting, you've got a harbor pilot waiting too. What if he has to immediately go from one ship to another, or they have to pick up a pilot on ship A (that left on time), then catch up to another ship with a passenger who was late? In ports like St Thomas or Nassau, you can have 5-6 ships departing around the same time. Waiting for a handful of passengers can delay not just their ship, but the subsequent ones as well that now have to accommodate this change in schedule for the ship going slow.

 

If the ship says "We leave at 3", then plan accordingly. If you are on a non-cruise line organized tour or excursion, pad your return time in case of traffic or car troubles. It sucks getting left behind, but perhaps it'll be good motivation to be back in time, ya know?

 

Plus, I mean, yeah, it sucks. But it's not the end of the world. Most ports have representatives from the cruise line, or at least some kind of contact. Get to them and they'll be able to point you in the right direction to get things fixed. If you think its even a possibility, get the passport card thing too.

Edited August 31, 2015 by NoahtheRed

[jakesnana]

Eventually you have to make a cut off, ya know? If they slow down for 2 passengers who were 30 minutes late, what about the passenger who's 45 minutes late? Do they slow down or do circles for the passengers that fell asleep on the beach and woke up an hour late? What about the passengers that now know they ship will give them a chance so they have an extra round of drinks at Maho Beach instead of getting a cab back to Phillipsburg to be on time?

 

Port scheduling is A. not cheap and B. not simple. Every extra minute costs more money (to the tune of thousands of dollars an hour). You aren't just keeping the cruise ship (and passengers) waiting, you've got a harbor pilot waiting too. What if he has to immediately go from one ship to another, or they have to pick up a pilot on ship A (that left on time), then catch up to another ship with a passenger who was late? In ports like St Thomas or Nassau, you can have 5-6 ships departing around the same time. Waiting for a handful of passengers can delay not just their ship, but the subsequent ones as well that now have to accommodate this change in schedule for the ship going slow.

 

If the ship says "We leave at 3", then plan accordingly. If you are on a non-cruise line organized tour or excursion, pad your return time in case of traffic or car troubles. It sucks getting left behind, but perhaps it'll be good motivation to be back in time, ya know?

 

I'm not talking about someone who is still "in town" when the ship leaves, I am talking about pier runners, who are obviously late, but still trying to board the ship. In this particular situation, the ship CERTAINLY could have slowed the pace enough to ensure that the passengers would have had time to get to St. George and be on the pilot boat. I know this is not ALWAYS a possibility, but it definitely was in this case.

[NLH Arizona]

Am I the only one who finds it extremely heartless of NCL to purposely abandon it's passengers in Bermuda? We know the BA can make it back to NYC with less time since it used to stay in Bermuda till 5:00 PM. If they KNOW they have pier runners, why couldn't they purposely slow down their pace so that it WOULD be possible for the passengers to join the ship from the pilot boat, instead of wondering if they will make it?

 

Between the change in departure time from 5 PM to 3 PM and the fact that the passengers may not have advanced their personal watches by an hour, this leads to all sorts of possibilities why they may have missed the ship (never mind possible transportation issues on the island).

 

I find it deplorable that NCL would not even make an effort to recover it's passengers when they know that these passengers are making an attempt to board the ship. I will be on the Dawn in just over 7 weeks, but you can BE SURE I will be mindful of the time on Tuesday :)

They were late and NCL has a schedule to keep. They alert everyone via signs (as someone on the cruise has said), announcements and in the dailies what time to be back. How long do you think NCL should wait for late comers? Should it be 10 minutes, 45 minutes, 2hours, 4 hours?

 

It is the passengers' responsibility to be back to the ship on time. If they don't read the return time, wear a watch or carry their cell phone, then it is clearly their issue, not NCL's. This is not a widespread issue, as there are only a couple of those that meet the ship on some cruises, most cruises have no passengers missing the ship.

 

It is not always possible for passengers to join the ship by the pilot boat, as was described by the two young ladies and their mother's experience. They tried, but the seas were too rough, it had nothing to do with the speed the ship was going.

 

It is called personal responsibility and if a few don't have it and are late, then they have to suffer the consequences.

[biker@sea]

They were late and NCL has a schedule to keep. They alert everyone via signs (as someone on the cruise has said), announcements and in the dailies what time to be back. How long do you think NCL should wait for late comers? Should it be 10 minutes, 45 minutes, 2hours, 4 hours?

 

It is the passengers' responsibility to be back to the ship on time. If they don't read the return time, wear a watch or carry their cell phone, then it is clearly their issue, not NCL's. This is not a widespread issue, as there are only a couple of those that meet the ship on some cruises, most cruises have no passengers missing the ship.

 

It is not always possible for passengers to join the ship by the pilot boat, as was described by the two young ladies and their mother's experience. They tried, but the seas were too rough, it had nothing to do with the speed the ship was going.

 

It is called personal responsibility and if a few don't have it and are late, then they have to suffer the consequences.

 

NCL did not wait at ALL. The guest was at customs before the ship started to move. They were visible from the bridge for some time before that,running and waving the NCL beach towel flag.

 

I was one of the 223 viewers on the web cam that watch her leave @ 3:09 she leaves on time 3:12 and 3:11 the other two week I believe .

 

Zero tolerance for runner's.

.

Edited August 31, 2015 by biker@sea

[NoahtheRed]

I'm not talking about someone who is still "in town" when the ship leaves, I am talking about pier runners, who are obviously late, but still trying to board the ship. In this particular situation, the ship CERTAINLY could have slowed the pace enough to ensure that the passengers would have had time to get to St. George and be on the pilot boat. I know this is not ALWAYS a possibility, but it definitely was in this case.

 

When in port, ship movement is VERY closely controlled. There's a certain minimum speed that they have to maintain for control surfaces (rudder) to actually work without being affected by current or tide. Additionally, it's not like you can just put on the brakes. If there are tugs involved, it can be even tougher because now they have to change their whole dance too.

 

Stopping/slowing 150,000 tons of steel is no small thing. Of course, this even assumes the pilot can take you in the first place. I know that in some places, because of the amount of traffic, the pilot boats leave before the cruise ships so they can be ready to pickup the pilots and have them back. In St Thomas, I watched the same pilot boat pickup and drop off pilots for 3 hours while different ships left, never even coming close to shore. Even as we left and our pilot got off, it was off to do more.