Two people just got left behind as Harmony sailed away

[mollyeilis]

Coming late to the party, but here are my thoughts:

 

 

 

- Surely no one threw passports across water. That would be a stupid choice.

 

 

 

And yet the poster saw it happen.

 

Although senility has set in, I recall reading somewhere that if a cruise ship is more than a certain amount of time..still in port, the cruise line is charged $$$$ in penalties and fees. Can anyone clarify?

 

 

Absolutely.

 

All the ships I have been on have kept local time. I could imagine it would be confusing with two times. Clocks are adjusted overnight to the time in the next port.

 

 

Having the ship change time is confusing in and of itself.

 

During a late October cruise we met a couple from England who were all off kilter with time. One, I believe that they had just changed to standard from daylight saving time at home. Then they flew to Florida. Then we were changing times on the ship at least once.

 

The problem for them with the ship time change was that they got their Compass and read it that might. Got confused that the info on it was for the following day, and changed their clocks THAT night. So they were an hour off on top of the jet lag etc etc.

 

I came across them at the gym looking for a class that was either an hour prior or an hour later, and was able to hopefully explain it. Thankfully it was a sea day.

 

We were on an excursion and our bus broke down. Since it was a ship sponsored trip, they had to wait for us. We still ran down the pier and apologized to everyone. We were not even officially late.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

They wouldn’t have had to hold the ship. But they did since you weren’t late. :):)

 

Why apologize and run if you weren’t late?

 

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)

 

 

Dh didn’t like how long our Bernard’s tour took, that’s for sure, and got nervous to almost the same degree as you did.

 

We had booked a certain tour with a certain time to it. He was scheduled to go with us but ended up with a migraine. When we got to the checkin area they were gracious about it, then squeezed us onto a bus that wouldn’t have been ours if Dh had been with us, as we were the last two in the van with no room for another. And the tour we were on was two hours longer than what we had booked. The tour guide said that I wasn’t correct but he wasn’t actually listening to me.

 

The cruise took up the whole port day and we were just in time for me to feel safe about being on time to get onboard. BUT I’d had other shopping plans in the port, which would have been doable if the tour had been the time I had booked.

 

I didn’t have the ability to contact Dh and the poor guy had to keep getting up to call down to see if we had boarded etc because he knew the length of tour I had booked and my plans and how early I liked to be back onboard.

 

And we didn’t even enjoy the tour (rare dislikers of Bernard’s tours in SXM).

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

> Daylight saving

 

This got me this year. Some things do it automatically so I am never sure if I need to adjust.

 

My Symphony cruise is round trip Barcelona with ports in France, Spain and Italy. I assume the whole cruise will be Central European Time.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Turtle05]

Apparently this differs by cruiseline....I'm mostly Loyal to Royal, but I'm taking a Princess cruise to Alaska so I can see Glacier Bay. I have an excursion that ends at 8:15 PM and port time is until 8:30. The Princess site states this about their excursions:

One very important feature of taking an excursion organized by Princess is that we closely monitor the departures and returns of all excursions. Therefore, our ships do not sail until all of our organized excursion transportation has returned, so you can be assured that you won't miss the ship.

[not-enough-cruising]

This is really is new to me. I cannot think I have ever been on a cruise where a passengers run for a departing ship. All the ships I have been on have kept local time. I could imagine it would be confusing with two times. Clocks are adjusted overnight to the time in the next port.

 

Do people really boo and hiss if they see somebody running for the ships? To me it seems very impolite, unpleasant and unnecessary? I cannot see that somebody running for the ship is likely to effect the arrival time at the next port which is often only a few miles away.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

Interesting

 

I have never been on a ship that changed “ship time”, they have always stayed on the time of the port of origin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Interesting. My experience is rather limited. Cruises from the UK to the rest of Europe or Norway. The clocks were put forward and back by an hour to Central European Time CET. Usually on the first and last night. Cruises in the Mediterranean where the departure, ports and arrival destinations are all on CET. The whole cruise is just nice and easy on CET. I have done east and west transatlantic on QE2 and QM2. Those required a time change most nights. It wears after a few when going east.

 

My last transatlantic flight left London at 10.30 and arrived in New York at 8.45. I managed two breakfasts and two lunches that day. I could not face dinner.

 

I have yet to cross the international date line.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Ocean Dancer]

Interesting

 

I have never been on a ship that changed “ship time”, they have always stayed on the time of the port of origin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

As your cruise critic name suggusts.........

[Pellaz]

Myth:

-

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....

 

--Except when they don't have to, and a boat BRINGS THEM OUT TO THE SHIP.

Skip to 2/3rds through this video for the interesting part.

Even with a police escort a whole bus-full of people got left behind. They reboarded, rope-ladder and all. (The video is blocked from embedding.)

 

[BillOh]

Interesting

 

I have never been on a ship that changed “ship time”, they have always stayed on the time of the port of origin.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I haven't been to Cozumel since 2015, but I was there on Freedom in 2015 and they changed their time to match the port, I assume to help people get back on on time as Cozumel and partially the Senor Frogs there seems to be the big place for port runners.

 

I stopped reading every post after about #75, but I will always keep the compass with the local port person's phone number on it since the Captain of Oasis mentioned, they will consider waiting if they know you are coming. That certainly might have helped the guy who got left behind in Nassau.

[waterbug123]

Since it was a ship sponsored trip, they had to wait for us.

 

Not true. They have the choice to wait, and possibly pay extended dockage fees, or sail and cover the costs of getting those pax to the ship at the next port.

[not-enough-cruising]

As your cruise critic name suggusts.........

 

 

 

I suppose that since all of my cruising has originated from the southern US and restricted to various Caribbean itineraries, I have had no exposure to the “ship time change” thing.

 

I look forward to the day when I can travel more extensively and will certainly be prepared for this “phenomenon”

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tiger belle]

 

 

During a late October cruise we met a couple from England who were all off kilter with time. One, I believe that they had just changed to standard from daylight saving time at home. Then they flew to Florida. Then we were changing times on the ship at least once.

 

The problem for them with the ship time change was that they got their Compass and read it that might. Got confused that the info on it was for the following day, and changed their clocks THAT night. So they were an hour off on top of the jet lag etc etc.

 

I came across them at the gym looking for a class that was either an hour prior or an hour later, and was able to hopefully explain it. Thankfully it was a sea day.

 

 

sounds very much like us on our cruise out of miami this past october...cruised to western caribbean where some countries were on daylight savings time and others not...plus we crossed time zones, and this particular ship (ncl escape)--unlike others I've sailed on--did switch times a couple of times on board...then I did the same thing one night while reading the schedule for the next day and at first adjusted my watch that night instead of waiting until the next night...it was all very confusing, and the first time I've ever experienced that on a cruise

[NavarreCruiser]

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....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

A number of years ago we were on 2 different RCI cruise ships that came to a complete stop about 30 to 60 minutes after departing a port. We stayed stopped for 10 or 15 minutes. We were told that we stopped to allow passengers to get back on the ship from a local port runabout boat that caught up with the ship. I have been to numerous ports locals were waiting in small boats by the dock hoping for late pier runners that they could charge a ridiculous amount of money to catch up with the ship.

[rukkian]

--Except when they don't have to, and a boat BRINGS THEM OUT TO THE SHIP.

Skip to 2/3rds through this video for the interesting part.

Even with a police escort a whole bus-full of people got left behind. They reboarded, rope-ladder and all. (The video is blocked from embedding.)

 

 

That has me a little unnerved and know if my wife sees that we will not be doing our excursion in March. This is the first time we have booked outside the cruise line and it is a long drive (blue hole in Jamaica).