~ Who has seen Runner's / or Been One ?

[Tiggertastic]

First baltics trip the pilot boat brought out 4 people at Copenhagen and they climbed the rope ladder. We've done over 50 cruisers and play it safe and normally do our own trips but at Christmas last year we wanted to do St. John from st thomas, for once we selected the ship tour and thank god we did. We were docked at crown and celebrity constellation at havensight. At St. John there was great confusion, 1 tour guide for 2 ferries and 2 cruise ships and people got on the wrong ones. Not us but 45 minutes late leaving as the guide had 12 missing, then stopped at havensight to drop off celebrity guests who were on the wrong one. The ship was supposed to go at 4pm, at 5pm we were just crossing from havensight. A cruise excursions staff member shouts 'any of you on this ship' we all shouted 'yes' she got on the radio then said 'run'. She was met with 'hell no' from lots of people. 'Your guide cocked this up'. But oh my we had to run. We ran straight to the shore excursion desk for a piece of our mind on the 1 guide, 8 tours, 2 cruise ships, too busy eating ice cream to direct anyone issue

 

 

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[JLvacation]

we love watching the runners also, but it really hits when you see someone actually left behind. Then it is not funny anymore. We watched a couple miss the ship in St Lucia a year ago April. Saw the woman collapse on the dock. They could actually touch the ship they were so close but it had already pulled out. Yes, I know it is their own fault, but my heart went out to them. Found out the next day it cost them $1300 to fly to the next port.

~ Ouch $ 1300 and that was just for 2 ~ so for 4 not to mention hotel and food / beverages till the ship arrives to get back on ! ~

 

 

Can anyone tell me where this thread was moved to ?

 

Have a nice day !

 

J.L.

[frank808]

My son and i make it a point to watch for poer runners every chance we get. The best is at cozumel because the run to the ship is pretty long.

 

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[Bette And Bill]

~

Can anyone tell me where this thread was moved to ?

 

Have a nice day !

 

J.L.

 

It is under Boards/Cruise discussion topics/ask a cruise Question.

 

If I find a thread I like, I go ahead and bookmark it. That way I can find it again

[Milwaukee Eight]

It is under Boards/Cruise discussion topics/ask a cruise Question.

 

 

 

If I find a thread I like, I go ahead and bookmark it. That way I can find it again

 

 

How do you "bookmark" a thread of interest.

 

Thanks

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

On Norwegian Sea at Cozumel years ago - we were about to pull out - an hour after another NCL ship left - and there was a couple yelling and arguing with staff about how they should be allowed to board since the ship they missed was also NCL, so they refused to believe that NCL wasn't obligated to take them aboard.

 

We would have been going back to Houston, while I suppose the other NCL ship would have been returning to Miami - and may not have had any empty space - but then people who miss their ship probably are not firing on all cylinders and can be assumed to think fuzzily.

[DirtyDawg]

Never been a runner for a cruise ship but I ran through airports a couple of times to catch a flight. Most of those were late arriving connecting flights, not hanging out in the airport bar. But the first time was while going to Europe on a high school trip, many, many years ago. After we had checked in, and found our gate a buddy and I went exploring. You know when you're late for boarding when you hear your names over the PA system and when you step onto the jumbo jet they hit your behind closing the door. :o

[Essiesmom]

This thread seems to be very similar in context to this other current thread...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2492434

[mollyeilis]

We have heard people over the years cruising , how as long as you book threw the cruise line, they will wait !

 

 

 

Private excursions / Sorry about your luck :D

 

 

It's not as clear cut as that. Thinking of it as being the line's responsibility to get you to the ship is better. Sometimes that means holding the ship. Another time it might mean getting you to the ship further down the, er, ocean.

 

I imagine how far away the excursion is, how long the ship will have to wait (and pay more port time), if people on the excursion have passports for a flight, etc, all play into it.

 

On Norwegian Sea at Cozumel years ago - we were about to pull out - an hour after another NCL ship left - and there was a couple yelling and arguing with staff....

 

 

An hour late, yikes.

 

 

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[Rogueperson]

I have to say i have partaken the pier runner show fairly often. It kind of turned on me on my grandeur cruise in 2014.

 

So pretty much, we were in cozumel, I think. I was with my family sitting in the atrium. At about 10 minutes before debarkation, i excused myself to my ritual. I saw a pair running for the ship. They made it easily and I think they were the last ones.

 

So i get back to where my family was and there's one of my stepdaughter's friends she met onboard. So my wife asks me if there were any runners and I reported that I saw two but they made it. My stepdaughter's friends immediately asks if they were wearing x (i can't remember what she asked). I said no, they weren't, and she starts tearing up and getting really angry at the same time. It turns out that her father and brother had not made it back, and the crew had come by the room asking for their passports because they were looking for them and they were not back on board yet and they wanted to prepare to leave their documents onshore so they could pull out. She wasn't angry at me, but at her family because she knew they would do something like this.

 

Yep, felt bad there, but the golden lining to the story, we saw her later that evening, and it turned out that the pair i saw running back to the ship WAS her father and brother, so all's well that ends well.

[Blondilu]

There were 4 people being paged at departure time on an Alaskan cruise. 2 showed up and were met at the gangway by a very stern looking fellow, I would not have like to be them. The ship then left and we never learned the fate of the other 2.

 

Even reading these stories makes me nervous. Once on our British Isles cruise we got back just about 15 minutes before the tour buses, exactly like our driver had promised. I was happy it worked out so well, but worried the whole ride back. Don't really like cutting it so close.

[easyboy]

How do you "bookmark" a thread of interest.

 

Thanks

 

 

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I bookmark them using my browser.

You can use the iPhone's feature to bookmark.

[herbanrenewal]

We rented a car in Saint John, New Brunswick to go to Fundy National Park. It was beautiful and almost no one was there other than us and a single tour bus from the ship that we saw once during the day.

My travel friend was sure the time to be back on the ship was an hour later than I thought, but neither of us brought the information with us.

As we headed home we realized that the easy directions to get out of town were not the same as how we needed to get back to the car rental place. The map we used didn't tell us about one way streets and construction. The GPS didn't have the local detours. We stopped twice to find directions to the car rental place that was just down the street from the pier. As it turned out we weren't more than a mile from where we wanted to be but it took time to return that darned car and get back to the ship. Luckily we always plan to be back at least an hour before the ship's deadline, although that hour was forfeited by not having the correct boarding time! We were boarding exactly at the last minute. And a ship tour was even later.

 

This was too close for comfort for me. Lesson learned - not only ask how to get out of town at the car rental place - get directions BACK to the car rental that includes locally known construction.detours.

[Velvetwater]

We have mistakenly been pier runners without needing to be :D

 

We were in Amsterdam with our new found US friends and had found a great microbrewery after already having various local apertifs. We thought the ship left at 4pm and after our fun realised it was now 3.40 so we run like crazy through Amsterdam including a toilet break at a starbucks where we buy a espresso to get to the loo and get to the ship around 4pm dead on. When we get there see a sign that says 'sail away 5pm' and theres a massive queue to get back on the ship. Ran like idiots for nothing. :)

 

We have seen Pier runners a few times:

 

 

-lots of Pier runners in Corfu but we left with everyone

-A family in WarneMunde who got ont he ship to lots of cheers to which the kiddies waved like they were celebrities.

 

Whenever we have done an multiple Italian port run we have heard names announced after sailing. I think these people were spending evenings it Italy though and taking a very good train to the next port.

[AmeliaAtSea]

How do you "bookmark" a thread of interest.

Thanks

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Commenting on a thread will subscribe you to it. You can subscribe without commenting by clicking on Thread Tools. Check for new posts in your subscribed threads by clicking on your Cruise Critic user name, and then click on Subscribed Threads.

[gooch47]

We watched a taxi boat come tearing up to the dock in Venice. Two people got off but the ship was about 10-12 feet from the dock already. It did not go back for them.

 

To add insult to injury, we watched the captain of the taxi boat get pulled over by a police boat, probably for speeding.

[donaldsc]

A s far as I am concerned, if the departure is 4:30, the ship should leave precisely at 4:30, even if some drunken sot is running as fast as he can down the pier. If I can get back on time, so should everyone else. If I am late for whatever reason, I deserve to be left behind.

 

DON

[Milwaukee Eight]

Commenting on a thread will subscribe you to it. You can subscribe without commenting by clicking on Thread Tools. Check for new posts in your subscribed threads by clicking on your Cruise Critic user name, and then click on Subscribed Threads.

 

 

Yes. I knew how to subscribe , I just thought "bookmarking" a thread was something new.

 

Thanks

 

 

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[Brigbound]

Embarking from Amsterdam 22 May and wondering how fast the running will be.

[rtfnl]

I've never been a pier runner but the opposite when my dad had to get off of the ship due to his dialysis supplies "not being" delivered. It is very painful watching the ship leave you.

 

A few years ago about 9 people in my group were the last to board in San Juan. There were 2 separate groups. We were watching from our balcony and noticed the family of 4 briskly walking along side the ship while the workers motioning to them to hurry and after they boarded which was not thru the reg. gangway another group of ours were seen trying to jog to the ship. Funny thing is none of them drink. I don't know what the family was doing as to why they were late. The other group was at the casino in San Juan. One of the ladies was winning. We still tease them to this day.

 

My fear is the cruise this year I have A LOT of young adults and first timers and we going to Cozumel. I hope none of them become pier runners.

[squick64]

we watched the captain of the taxi boat get pulled over by a police boat

 

 

Just for a second, I was reading that as the captain racing back to the ship. That'd be memorable. (I'm assuming they don't even get off, generally.)

 

 

I was in a late ship excursion once. I'd be surprised if that excursion was ever on time--it was trying to do too much in the timeframe. If I'd been on my own, I'd have probably needed medical attention from the panic, but as it was a ship excursion, I was totally calm. Plus we had 3 or 4 buses of people, so it wasn't just a few people being late.

 

 

I'm one of those people who'd never do a non-ship excursion for this reason, unless it was a tour that was so nearby we could basically walk back if we needed to--or if it ended hours before departure.

 

 

I've generally not watched the runners. When I get back on, I go do whatever--change, get a beer, whatever. However, I have been known to watch the dock workers here and there. Once, there were these two guys working on the lines, and one had the line right behind the other guy, such that if he stepped backwards, he could trip and fall. I think everyone watching had this in the back of their minds as we watched. Sure enough, the guy stepped back, not knowing the line was there, and landed on his butt. There was a huge and entertaining eruption of applause from that side of the ship.

[callmebetty]

We were in Nassau a few years back. A couple was walking, or more appropriately weaving, their way down the pier with yard long drinks in hand. A golf cart comes to get then and the guy faceplants off the back. The girl somehow managed to grab his drink as he fell and then she fell over. It was both tragic and hysterical because the entire side of the ship was watching and let out a collective gasp.