Two people just got left behind as Harmony sailed away

[gerif]

Also, once the lines are in, if the ship comes back to dock, they get to pay docking fees again.

 

And in many ports, they pay a per hour fee to dock, so staying late costs money.

 

No, they do not want to strand passengers, but there is a limit.

We were just leaving Bermuda once. I was relaxing on the balcony as the ship pulled out when I suddenly realized it was going in reverse. Heard people shouting and saw two young girls - appeared to be teens - running toward the ship with shopping bags. First time I ever witnessed something like this. Guessing they had hysterical parents on board. Bet it cost them plenty.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

One more thing to add.... Always turn your Cell Phone settings to set the time Manually, not Automatically. Then set your cell phone to the correct time (ships time) and it won't update to local time.

 

+1 this is what I always do. When I board I make sure my phone and ships time are the same and turn off all automatic updates. TIme zone, etc.... Never had a problem ( that way it does not change my smart watch either)

[mollyeilis]

One more thing to add.... Always turn your Cell Phone settings to set the time Manually, not Automatically. Then set your cell phone to the correct time (ships time) and it won't update to local time.

 

 

 

I have had a phone randomly change its setting to go auto. Thankfully hubby’s Android did not do what my apple product did.

 

So. Regular watch, set to ship time.

 

Even when I’m on a sailing where ship time is local time. (Good use of those Invictas Dh made us buy!)

 

 

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[wilmingtech]

Another trick if you are taking your phone is to set a timer for a set amount of hours.

 

So if you get off the ship at 10am and the All Aboard is at 5pm. Set a 6 hour timer to go off an hour before the all aboard (4pm).

 

Then it doesn't matter what time it is or where you are and what time zone. You will know exactly how long you have to enjoy your stay in port without having to do the math. It certainly helps if you are intoxicated. The timer goes off and you walk toward the ship.

 

-Sean

[Pellaz]

Even a regular watch can sometimes betray you.

 

I was at CocoCay back in 2010 and, unbeknownst to me, my watch somehow lost an hour while I was out at the snorkeling area and rafts, pretty far from shore. (Excellent snorkeling, BTW.)

I noticed the noise from the beach had diminished quite a bit, but my watch showed I had another hour and a half to last-tender. I asked the lifeguard out there and he said "You'd better hurry back, mate. Last tender is in about 25 minutes." (He was from Australia.)

THAT was a very fast, rough swim back to shore, but I made it onto the last tender. :halo:

[CanadaRob]

Another trick if you are taking your phone is to set a timer for a set amount of hours.

 

So if you get off the ship at 10am and the All Aboard is at 5pm. Set a 6 hour timer to go off an hour before the all aboard (4pm).

 

Then it doesn't matter what time it is or where you are and what time zone. You will know exactly how long you have to enjoy your stay in port without having to do the math. It certainly helps if you are intoxicated. The timer goes off and you walk toward the ship.

 

-Sean

 

This is actually a good 'hack' for not being a dock runner

[Flatbush Flyer]

Do you think someone really threw their passports to them? I thought the process was if you aren't on board and the ship is leaving that a staff member searches your room for your passports and the passports are waiting on shore with a staff member that will escort you to somewhere (airport or something). I thought you weren't completely abandoned but rather the ship leaves and someone is left to bring you where you need to go to somehow find your way home.

 

 

 

Is this the case...or do they ever truly leave you on your own? Not saying most of the people don't deserve to be left on their own. But, for the times when it wasn't in their hands to be late I would hate for them to not have passports and just be stranded there with no clue where to get to help.

 

 

In your cruise documents, including whatever daily port briefing docs you may receive, you will find contact info for the ship's "port agent" (a local company or one of its branch agencies), which is contracted to provide all sorts of shoreside services necessary to keep the ship on schedule and without loose ends on land.

It is the port agent who will deal with the errant passengers (up to a reasonable point without further remuneration).

If you ever find yourself in a position where you will probably miss the ship, job #1 is to contact the port agent ASAP so that the wheels can start turning on getting you your passport and, if possible, other "must have" items like medications.

 

 

 

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[SweetsugarNL]

There can be a difference and you have to pay attention. I was once on a Freedom cruise that stayed on Eastern Standard time for the entire cruise. St Thomas and St Martin were on Atlantic time, which is an hour ahead. It was confusing. Always have a real watch. The time on cell phones and other devices doesn't necessarily match the official ship time, which is the only time that matters.

Thank you!

[soremekun]

This is excellent and worth the read. My advice, go to post #403 as the whole story is summarised their

Thanks for the suggestion. Good read.

 

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[YoHoHo]

Here's a link to that post. Well worth reading. After a lot of early posts by others, the OP gets into the details around post #165.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Good read.

 

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Being as the link to the informative post is a couple of pages back I'm including it here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2118638&page=21

Edited November 23, 2017 by YoHoHo

[soremekun]

My family and friends' plan: Be back on the ship two hours early. If you can't find me on the island, don't look for me. I will be on the ship and will assume the same about you. We all agree to it each time.

 

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Edited November 23, 2017 by soremekun

[Mar y Sol]

Never heard of a Captain “waiting” for late passengers! Seen quite a few people being left behind!

 

 

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[Garavar]

Being as the link to the informative post is a couple of pages back I'm including it here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2118638&page=21

I don't want to necro a thread but I really want to know did he Tip Alfred?

 

I would have given the guy $100 but it doesn't sound like he did. Next person missing the ship at Nassau won't be getting much help from Alfred.

 

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[Turtle05]

I don't want to necro a thread but I really want to know did he Tip Alfred?

 

I would have given the guy $100 but it doesn't sound like he did. Next person missing the ship at Nassau won't be getting much help from Alfred.

 

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I'm not sure he had the opportunity. He had some cash that he had to use for certain things and a credit card, so I doubt he had a way of getting tip money.

[cruise47]

Had the same thing happen when someone I was cruising with had a tour bus break down in Vancouver causing her to be late. Almost made it the whole cruise without anyone knowing it was us. The water taxi was very expensive.

 

This is why it is good to take the cruise ship excursions. The Cruise ship will wait for you because they sponsor the excursion.

[jagsfan]

Never heard of a Captain “waiting” for late passengers! Seen quite a few people being left behind!

 

 

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I've stood on deck after the announcement that we were waiting for late arriving passengers. A taxi drove up the wharf, not to the terminal door. S couple got off, crew picked up their luggage, the taxi left, they all boarded and it seemed like seconds before we were sliding away.

Word on the ship was that they missed their connection on a flight booked through the cruise line. Don't remember what ship I was on.

 

 

 

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[mollyeilis]

I've stood on deck after the announcement that we were waiting for late arriving passengers. A taxi drove up the wharf, not to the terminal door. S couple got off, crew picked up their luggage, the taxi left, they all boarded and it seemed like seconds before we were sliding away.

Word on the ship was that they missed their connection on a flight booked through the cruise line. Don't remember what ship I was on.

 

 

 

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You just reminded me of our Adventure sailing last December. We waited for luggage to arrive. A decent sized family had come in to PR from a cold weather area and their luggage didn’t make it. So the luggage was being sent to meet the ship.

 

I felt so bad for them in their jeans etc!

 

I think it was st kitts, maybe, when the bags finally caught up. They announced that we were waiting on the small plane to get there and then for the van to arrive with the luggage. It was neat and very kind.

[Trainman-2]

One of my favorite videos...

 

 

B-yrsXsJmbw

[gerif]

This is why it is good to take the cruise ship excursions. The Cruise ship will wait for you because they sponsor the excursion.

They will TRY to wait for you but this is not always possible. They will bear all expenses involved in getting you to the next port.

[SRF]

This is why it is good to take the cruise ship excursions. The Cruise ship will wait for you because they sponsor the excursion.

 

Not exactly true.

 

They will wait some, but they still may leave you. But the cruise line is then responsible for getting you back on the ship, somewhere.

[phabric]

With Princess Alaska cruise from Seattle, the Vancouver port time is 7pm and departure is 11:59pm, if the ship stays until 12 midnight they are charged another port charge.

[emeraldcity]

Myth:

They don't throw Passports. Documents are left with cruise officials at the pier...

-

No speed boats or water taxis.

-

The most dangerous moment even for the Harbor Pilot is when he comes aboard.

They don't allow late passengers to enter the ship while it's moving. Too dangerous and liabilities. They have to re-board at the next stop....

 

 

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I actually saw them allow 2 people who missed the ship in Flam, Norway put on life jackets and get in the harbor boat to be brought on board by climbing a ladder. That was just this past August on the NCL Jade. Mind you, we had waited past sailing time for these people and one of the port authorities had been seen running into the tiny town to enter the few stores to see if he could find them prior to us pulling away. Before we left, paperwork was handed to someone from the port authority ... I suspect it was their passports.

 

Nobody seemed to feel any sympathy for the pair, because as the ship was pulling away from the dock and we saw them running in our direction, there were a great number of cat calls, and people taking videos of the pair. The overwhelming feeling was that they were thoughtless to have delayed the ship. The captain was asked at the Captains Corner (or whatever they call it on NCL) if there had been any consequences for the couple and he said there had been none. The general consensus of those I spoke with was that there should have been consequences.

[RNCheryl]

Could have happened to us in Nassau. DH was at a lunch meeting with a client, and I just spent about half an hour walking around. Sailing time crept closer and closer. He didn't answer texts or calls. I was literally shaking worrying that he would not be back on time. Of course, the passports were in the safe on board. I imagined him in a foreign country with no passport, trying to catch the ship at the next port. (a third country). Since then, the passports have been in my bag on all shore excursions (haven't done any snorkeling, etc yet)

 

We were on a Rhine river cruise and a couple missed sailing. They grabbed and cab and we pulled over to shore at a designated place to get them back on board. They were almost celebrities for the remainder of the cruise.

[Johnamac123]

Could have happened to us in Nassau. DH was at a lunch meeting with a client, and I just spent about half an hour walking around. Sailing time crept closer and closer. He didn't answer texts or calls. I was literally shaking worrying that he would not be back on time. Of course, the passports were in the safe on board. I imagined him in a foreign country with no passport, trying to catch the ship at the next port. (a third country). Since then, the passports have been in my bag on all shore excursions (haven't done any snorkeling, etc yet)

 

We were on a Rhine river cruise and a couple missed sailing. They grabbed and cab and we pulled over to shore at a designated place to get them back on board. They were almost celebrities for the remainder of the cruise.

 

You can confirm this with the Guest Services, but my understanding is the ship will leave your passport and wallet (assuming it is in your room safe) with the Port Authority before they leave without you. So always bring your cruse compass (with port authority contact information) and a copy of your passport when you go ashore.

[Garavar]

One of my favorite videos...

 

 

B-yrsXsJmbw

Really classy people go on Carnival it seems. Videographers should have probably muted their microphone.

 

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