Edge Late Leaving St Maarten Due To Late Returning Passengers

[RICCruisers]

Several FB posts about seven passengers not returning to the ship. They are about 90 minutes+ late. Hopefully they are found safe. 

[tallnthensome]

At 89 minutes they should have been left on the pier we they deservingly belonged. 

[RICCruisers]

Just saw Edge leaving the port 4 minutes ago. It will be interesting to find out more about what the delay was for. 

[RoamingRetirees]

Normally, yes, they would be left behind. I'm guessing in these times they can't do that.

[1025cruise]

If they were on a ship's excursion, they wait.

[Fouremco]

Just now, 1025cruise said:

If they were on a ship's excursion, they wait.

Not always, but they will if they can.

[hcat]

Port is well known for folks being late..many are left behind.  Lots of traffic, accidents and miscalculations....

 

On our last trip, the driver on our ship's excursion never returned to pick us up ( a small group of 12)  from our beach club outing....,,some bs story.  We contacted the port  agent who then contacted X and vendor,  A new van was rented and dispatched...ship would have waited but we made it back ok by a hair..... Many others not on  ship's excursions were left behind that day!

 

 

[El Crucero]

About 5 years ago, DW and I along with another couple from Kent, England rented a car in Nanaimo, BC for a day excursion on our own.  This was on a Friday and we didn't realize it was a 3 day Canadian holiday, - Sat. to Mon.  We got caught in horrific Friday afternoon holiday traffic and we realized we were not going to make it to the ship on time!  Fortunately, I had the emergency number for Celebrity in Miami and called them.  They said they couldn't make any promises but they would notify the Captain of the ship.  After turning in the car, we arrived at the ship 20 minutes late, waving our arms and running like hello.  We scrambled aboard sweating and out of breath and they literally pulled the gangway up behind us.  The ship gave a toot and the thrusters were activated and we were away from the dock.  The security staff at the top of the gangway was laughing and said,  "I see someone needs a drink.......in the Martini bar!"  We all went to the silent disco that night and frankly we probably overdid the martinis a bit, a lot.

 

We were very embarrassed and truly sorry that we inconvenienced so may people.  To all those who have ever had to wait for late arriving passengers, we sincerely apologize.  No more rental cars for us in an unfamiliar port.  We learned our lesson the hard way.

[travlr21]

7 minutes ago, El Crucero said:

About 5 years ago

On the Infinity? Did you go to Butchart Gardens that day from Nanaimo? If so, I think we spoke to either you or the other couple that evening. It sounded quite harrowing to us.

 

Three years ago the couple in the suite next to us never made it back to the ship when we left Bermuda. Their butler (a very chatty fellow) had to pack everything up, security got their passports out of their safe and left them with the port. Forever curious  to know what happened to them.

[jcpc]

18 minutes ago, travlr21 said:

On the Infinity? Did you go to Butchart Gardens that day from Nanaimo? If so, I think we spoke to either you or the other couple that evening. It sounded quite harrowing to us.

 

Three years ago the couple in the suite next to us never made it back to the ship when we left Bermuda. Their butler (a very chatty fellow) had to pack everything up, security got their passports out of their safe and left them with the port. Forever curious  to know what happened to them.

What a small world..........I was also on that sailing and that very chatty fellow was my butler too.  He told me there was lots of drug paraphernalia in their cabin!!!   I believe he said they were on their honeymoon (older gentleman with a younger wife, if memory serves me correctly!) 

[ItsADryHumor]

2 hours ago, RICCruisers said:

Several FB posts about seven passengers not returning to the ship. They are about 90 minutes+ late. Hopefully they are found safe. 

Glad it wasn’t a huge deal and that they’re safe.
 

Full disclosure: nothing makes me quite as happy as watching folks drunkenly rush down the pier in Cozumel. I get back on board and find a prime spot just to watch this event, which I wish was an Olympic sport. 

[Cruising Princess]

Interesting...just saw on MarineTraffic that the Edge was hauling a_s at 21 knots!  

[roxette]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

If they were on a ship's excursion, they wait.

The cruise line make sure you will get on the ship in next available/possible port at their expense if you take a shore excuersion with the cruise line. It is not always posible for the ship to wait. 

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Not always, but they will if they can.

In the current travel environment, where passengers wouldn't have the prior health authorization and/or evidence of recent enough COVID tests to stay in Sint Maarten (and would also need COVID tests to fly back to the US), I think it's more likely than ever that the ship would wait for passengers on a Celebrity excursion.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, travlr21 said:

On the Infinity? Did you go to Butchart Gardens that day from Nanaimo? If so, I think we spoke to either you or the other couple that evening. It sounded quite harrowing to us.

 

How long was the port visit in Nanaimo? Butchart Gardens is about a 2 hour drive each way from Nanaimo. It takes at least 2 hours to even come close to seeing the garden properly.

[keesar]

3 hours ago, RICCruisers said:

Several FB posts about seven passengers not returning to the ship. They are about 90 minutes+ late. Hopefully they are found safe. 

 

Are you sure they are passengers?  When we were delayed last year, it was because we had to wait for crew members to return.

[Seany527]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Not always, but they will if they can.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard that a ship doesn’t wait for passengers on a ship sponsored shore excursion. Can you share more details?

[RICCruisers]

There was no indication from the FB posts that they were waiting for a ship excursion to return. It was indicated that they saw passengers being escorted off the ship. No information about why they left. Hopefully someone will have more details. At this point it could involve anything from a injured or sick passenger to one that got lost or some totally different reason. I don’t want to jump to any conclusion. Hopefully all passengers are healthy and safe. 

[travlr21]

28 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

How long was the port visit in Nanaimo?

 

From another app that list my cruises and itineraries, looks like it was 7AM to 5PM. And we were in Victoria the next day. We were scratching our heads about it back then.

[Blackduck59]

1 minute ago, travlr21 said:

 

From another app that list my cruises and itineraries, looks like it was 7AM to 5PM. And we were in Victoria the next day. We were scratching our heads about it back then.

 

There are interesting things to see closer to Nanaimo than Butchart Gardens, especially if you were here in Victoria the next day. Even from Victoria harbour it is about 30 - 45 minutes to the Garden depending on traffic. From Nanaimo I would head north through Coombs and check out Cathedral grove, there are some truly magnificent old growth trees there.

What does this have to do with the topic of the thread you ask? I have no idea.

[bEwAbG]

25 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

This is the first time I’ve ever heard that a ship doesn’t wait for passengers on a ship sponsored shore excursion. Can you share more details?

 

There are costs involved in keeping ships in a port past the scheduled departure time and port staffing or incoming weather may also require that the ship leave rather than wait. 

 

This is from the FAQ in the Celebrity shore excursion brochure:

 

Is it possible to miss the ship?
Any number of unforeseen circumstances may contribute to a tour’s delay and cause a guest to miss the ship. However, Celebrity Cruises guarantees return to ship for all guests on Shore Excursions booked through Celebrity Cruises, at no expense to the guest.
 

So they may not always wait but instead get you to the ship at the next port.  If there is a sea day in between ports, then you'd miss a day of your cruise.  If you miss the ship at the last port, then you would be sent back to the origin port. 

[RICCruisers]

The latest FB post from a passenger onboard Edge indicated that after speaking to some crew members it appears there was some type of medical emergency and the passengers escorted off the ship were part of the traveling party that had the emergency. He felt they may or may not get any additional information. 
 

Again, hopefully this turns out OK and everyone returns home safe and healthy. 

[Fouremco]

11 hours ago, Seany527 said:

This is the first time I’ve ever heard that a ship doesn’t wait for passengers on a ship sponsored shore excursion. Can you share more details?

Celebrity likes to use the "Never Left Behind" phrase for its shore excursion advertising, which many interpret to mean the ship won't sail without you. But as others have explained, it simply means that they won't leave you stranded at the port, as they'll transport you to the next port to meet up with your ship. Whether or not your ship will wait for you depends on a number of factors, including port regulations and schedules, additional port fees, the number of passengers who are late, weather, and the whims of the captain. 

 

That said, the ship will usually wait long enough to reboard the delayed passengers, so you'll seldom read about such incidents on CC.

[zitsky]

I've only taken a few cruises.  But I mostly book excursions with the ship.  Not getting stranded is a big benefit.

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

I've only taken a few cruises.  But I mostly book excursions with the ship.  Not getting stranded is a big benefit.

That's what the cruise lines love to hear!

 

We almost never take ship excursions and have never missed our boarding time. With a bit of research, it's easy to find reputable tour providers whose excursions are less expensive and often smaller in size. And in some cases, the same company provides the same excursion to the cruise line, but the cruise line inflates the price.

 

There are also companies like Shore Excursion Group that broker excursions. They tend to be better quality and cheaper than ship excursions, though more expensive than excursions booked directly, and they offer the same guarantee as the cruise lines for not leaving you stranded.

 

Booking a ship excursion is very easy, and ideal for those unwilling or unable to take the time to research alternatives. But private and DIY excursions are well worth exploring if you are so inclined.