A reminder to stick with ship tours in remote places

[edgee]

https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/03/30/garden-city-couple-claims-cruise-line-abandoned-them-african-island/

[clo]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/03/30/garden-city-couple-claims-cruise-line-abandoned-them-african-island/

Yikes! I have a friend who was JUST there. I don't know how they were. Tagged him on FB.

 

[FlyerTalker]

So, if they were off on their own, how does it jive with:

 

"We’re told seven American passengers and two Australian passengers were left on the island.

The Campbells say a number of those passengers are elderly with one having a heart condition, one a paraplegic as well as a pregnant woman. They say one of the elderly passengers suffered a concussion, multiple injuries and amnesia while on a Norwegian Cruise Lines-sponsored tour of the island."

 

So one of those left was on a NCL tour?  And we had a paraplegic on their own excursion?

 

Doesn't pass the sniff test, IMO.  There's more to this story.

 

 

Edited March 30 by FlyerTalker

[Snaefell3]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

There's more to this story.

Methinks there's *less* to the story:  Folks missed the all-aboard time for various reasons, and the Campbells are blame-shifting about their miss.

 

Little realized facts:

• If notified, it's the Master's discretion whether to wait (and he wants happy pax).

• Beyond that, all "cruise sponsored" gets you is ship-paid travel to rejoin.

 

On a cruise to New Zealand, ship's tours to Queenstown chased us up a fog-bound coast for three days before rejoining at Picton.  On another, we waited an extra 30 minutes for a couple not on a tour, but who called from a delayed train -- the CD made sure we knew the ship was looking out for us.

[edgee]

Not true. A ship sponsored tour means the ship will wait regardless. I assume your example in NZ relates not to a ship sponsored day tour, but an overnight excursion catching up late to the ship at a different port. Ship sponsored responsibility to get to next port normally applies to a delay getting to embarkation not a delay returning from a day tour.

[FlyerTalker]

9 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Methinks there's *less* to the story:  Folks missed the all-aboard time for various reasons, and the Campbells are blame-shifting about their miss.

 

The more I was referring to was the likely follow-on that they are just blaming the ship.

 

15 minutes ago, edgee said:

Not true. A ship sponsored tour means the ship will wait regardless.

 

I wonder if you can show me that in black and white in the terms and conditions of your cruise contract.

 

Especially since the Oceania website specifically states (bolding mine):

 

Oceania Cruises accepts no liability or responsibility, whether occasioned by railroad, motor coach, private car, boat, aircraft or any other conveyance, for any injuries, damages, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be caused either by reason of defect through the acts or defaults of any company or person or in carrying out the arrangements of the cruise or cruise tour as a result of any cause beyond the control of Oceania Cruises. Guests specifically release Oceania Cruises from any and all claims for loss or damage to baggage or property or from personal injuries or death, or from loss or delay arising out the acts, omissions or negligence of any independent contractors, such as air carriers, hotels, shore excursion operations, restaurateurs, transportation providers, medical personnel or other providers of services or facilities. All arrangements made with independent contractors are made solely for the convenience of guests and are done at the guests' own risk.

 

 

And be sure to read Section 11, Para i in the cruise contract, found here:

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2023-11/oceania-guest-ticket-contract.pdf

 

I'll wait for the confirmation of "the ship will wait regardless".

 

 

 

 

 

[Snaefell3]

21 minutes ago, edgee said:

Not true. A ship sponsored tour means the ship will wait regardless.

Uhhh... No.  The ship will wait a lot longer since the Master has to figure rejoin costs into his balancing, but not "regardless".  In cases of sudden civil unrest, etc, he may even have to abandon all ashore irrespective of all-aboard times.

[edgee]

9 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Uhhh... No.  The ship will wait a lot longer since the Master has to figure rejoin costs into his balancing, but not "regardless".  In cases of sudden civil unrest, etc, he may even have to abandon all ashore irrespective of all-aboard times.

Uh, yes except possibly for Civil unrest, weather emergency, sudden orders by unreasonable power hungry local authorities...extreme extreme extreme examples...borderline relevancy at best. Okay, how about in nearly all situations, the ship will wait for a delayed ship sponsored tour...much less likely for delays passengers encounter while on their own.

[PhD-iva]

The moral of this story is GET TRAVEL INSURANCE! 

[edgee]

18 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

The more I was referring to was the likely follow-on that they are just blaming the ship.

 

 

I wonder if you can show me that in black and white in the terms and conditions of your cruise contract.

 

Especially since the Oceania website specifically states (bolding mine):

 

Oceania Cruises accepts no liability or responsibility, whether occasioned by railroad, motor coach, private car, boat, aircraft or any other conveyance, for any injuries, damages, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be caused either by reason of defect through the acts or defaults of any company or person or in carrying out the arrangements of the cruise or cruise tour as a result of any cause beyond the control of Oceania Cruises. Guests specifically release Oceania Cruises from any and all claims for loss or damage to baggage or property or from personal injuries or death, or from loss or delay arising out the acts, omissions or negligence of any independent contractors, such as air carriers, hotels, shore excursion operations, restaurateurs, transportation providers, medical personnel or other providers of services or facilities. All arrangements made with independent contractors are made solely for the convenience of guests and are done at the guests' own risk.

 

 

And be sure to read Section 11, Para i in the cruise contract, found here:

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2023-11/oceania-guest-ticket-contract.pdf

 

I'll wait for the confirmation of "the ship will wait regardless".

 

 

 

 

 

Practically speaking, the ship will wait regardless. There are always going to be very very exceptional situations such as examples I cited above. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Practically speaking, the ship will wait regardless.

 

So it will wait for you.

 

Until it doesn't.

 

Some people prefer urban legend.  Some prefer the black letter of reality.  Everyone can make their own minds up.  I'll just say "better to read the fine print in advance, than reading it later"

 

 

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Practically speaking, the ship will wait regardless. There are always going to be very very exceptional situations such as examples I cited above. 

But for how long?  1 hr, 2 hrs, 5 hrs?  What if the tides require the ship to depart?  I don't think it's as simple as they will wait regardless.  The devil is in the details.

[edgee]

1 minute ago, 1985rz1 said:

But for how long?  1 hr, 2 hrs, 5 hrs?  What if the tides require the ship to depart?  I don't think it's as simple as they will wait regardless.  The devil is in the details.

Very few examples out there of folks being left, in any case, AFAIK. Other than one cited in this thread above, I do remember an example of a ship being ordered out of a port in the middle of the day during a port stop in Charleston, SC. I believe it was  a HAL ship..reasons were paperwork non compliance of some sort. The ship returned a few hours later, however.

[edgee]

9 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

So it will wait for you.

 

Until it doesn't.

 

Some people prefer urban legend.  Some prefer the black letter of reality.  Everyone can make their own minds up.  I'll just say "better to read the fine print in advance, than reading it later"

 

 

Reading the fine print can be helpful in managing expectations.Question for this issue is how will reading fine print change one's behavior? Need to consider likely practical application of the fine print, not just the content. 

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, PhD-iva said:

The moral of this story is GET TRAVEL INSURANCE! 

Gonna quibble.  Get the insurance coverage you need.  Lots of risks are better to self-insure, and you may well find you are already insured for others.

[Kay S]

So has it been confirmed or not that this was a ship-sponsored excursion?

[edgee]

8 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

Gonna quibble.  Get the insurance coverage you need.  Lots of risks are better to self-insure, and you may well find you are already insured for others.

Self insuring or only partially insuring for the cost of the cruise is certainly a reasonable choice, especially if one has some coverage through a credit card. Limits of credit card insurance include pre existing condition limitations and not being  high enough to cover the full cost of the cruise. However purchasing coverage for overseas medical and medical evacuation are important. In the situation referred to at the top of this thread, I wonder whether travel insurance policies would provide coverage in a sufficient dollar amount to cover literally being stranded on an island in a remote part of the world.

[willidc]

7 hours ago, Kay S said:

So has it been confirmed or not that this was a ship-sponsored excursion?

 

Hard to determine since we have conflicting information from passengers not making all aboard time vs NCL statement. I know who I believe.

 

From personal experience, we have returned to the ship late three times (beyond sail time) on Oceania tours since 2012 in Saint Tropez, Sri Lanka, and in Vietnam this past Feb(due this time to an entitled shopper), and the ship did wait.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

40 minutes ago, edgee said:

literally being stranded on an island in a remote part of the world.

 

I guess you don't consider having flights to Ghana, Gabon, Togo, Angola and Lisbon as ways to end being "stranded". 

 

It's not like they were stuck there with Gilligan.

 

 

[Hlitner]

Tough plight for those folks.  Fifty years of extensive cruising and we generally do our own thing in ports.  Getting back on time

is our responsibility and we do not expect ships to wait.  We often have a Plan B on how to catch up if we miss the ship, but this has never happened.  As to cruise ship excursions they are fine for folks who like being led by the hand along with 50 of their friends.  
 

Travelers make their own choices within their own comfort level.  This is not a right/wrong issue but simply what world travel is all about

 

Hank

[DrHemlock]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

As to cruise ship excursions they are fine for folks who like being led by the hand along with 50 of their friends.  

Yes, and doesn't "Simply More" make them ever so much more desirable?  (Ugh....)  🤨

[Acrusa]

Before the turn of the century we where on the Royal Viking Sky docked In Shanghai. There was a ships tour by train and train broke down with about 30 passengers. We waited 6 hrs for there return. Left the port at 11 pm instead of 5 pm.

As Arthur Former always said the ship will always wait for ships tours

to return. 

[EJL2023]

8 hours ago, Kay S said:

So has it been confirmed or not that this was a ship-sponsored excursion?

There is a thread on the NCL site here and a few people onboard have posted. They say 7 of 8 were on private excursions.  The lone person on an NCL excursion was an 80 year old lady who was injured on her excursion and had to be hospitalized it would appear. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, DrHemlock said:

Yes, and doesn't "Simply More" make them ever so much more desirable?  (Ugh....)  🤨

Argh.  Simply More with O, HIA with HAL, etc.  Cruise lines are trying to push folks into booking their overpriced overcrowded excursions.  They are a big profit center.  We play the game but would prefer zero excursions.  It is one reason why Seabourn is our current favorite lines.  Here we are on the O Vista and they have already cancelled excursions and make it impossible to book future excursions.  Go figure.

 

Hank

[Charles4515]

13 hours ago, edgee said:

Not true. A ship sponsored tour means the ship will wait regardless. I assume your example in NZ relates not to a ship sponsored day tour, but an overnight excursion catching up late to the ship at a different port. Ship sponsored responsibility to get to next port normally applies to a delay getting to embarkation not a delay returning from a day tour.

The cruise line wants you too believe that they will wait regardless to sell their overpriced excursions but it is a delusion to believe that. A bunch of times there have been threads where the cruise line didn't wait. They will try but common sense would tell you they can only wait so long. They will get you back if you booked through them. I rarely book the cruise lines excursions but I do for excursions that are distant from the port. So I do agree with the advice to book with the ship in remote places.