Ever Miss the Ship? We Did.

[Travelling2Some]

I'm a pretty intrepid traveler who's been to a fair number of weird places so this is my 2 cents . . . When staying in hotel rooms I leave my passport in the room safe unless required to carry it by the local government.  I usually take it with me and carry it SECURELY when leaving a ship.  The key word there is "securely". 

 

Tossing your passport in an open tote bag and leaving it on a beach or hanging it on the back of a chair in a restaurant is risky.  There is a world of difference between that and carrying it on your body.  I keep my passport and an extra credit card in a hidden pocket inside the front of my pants.  This inside pocket is has a zipper AND buttons over the zipper.  It would take ME several minutes to access it and I know where it is and how it works!  There are several companies that make such specialty travel clothing.

 

The reason I carry it with me most ports is because, unlike a hotel, the ship can and will leave without you.  We had an "out of the blue" medical emergency with one of our kids while in port years ago.  We had not taken our passports and were faced with the prospect of going to the hospital and missing the ship.  Ever since then I take my passport with me and carry it SECURELY.

[SeaShark]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

It is not so much losing items. It is that passports are targeted items by thieves. A thief is not going to snatch a tube of lipstick or a tampon from a bag, they are going after items that will make them $$$. 

 

Tourists are easy marks. They are not paying attention. They are too trusting. They have had too much to drink. They are of the attitude "how many times have I lost something at home". I live in Hawaii for a good part of the year. Every day in Hawaii,,, the good 'ole USA, tourists are specifically targeted for theft. There is a very high probability that they leave valuables in rental cars "to be safe" (which are very easily identified by company stickers). They leave bags on beaches while they swim. They hang handbags from the backs of chairs in restaurants. It is not someone losing something while walking through their local shopping mall,,, it is a target rich environment that professional thieves take advantage of.  

 

Perhaps a person should figure out how to carry a passport in such a way that a thief wouldn't know they had it. (IOW, look like the other tourists who left their passports behind).

[SeaShark]

7 hours ago, ronandannette said:

And here's a little hypothetical for you, in light of your mentioning your line of work: A diner gets up from the table to go to the washroom, across a clean, flat floor that should be easy enough to navigate. But they have carelessly allowed their shoelace to become untied and trip themself on it, faceplanting and knocking over a glass of water on their table. Completely their own fault, but also completely accidental. Do you simply glance at them and then look away? Or do you ask if they are OK and offer extra napkins so they can clean up the mess? It's obviously an embarrassing and painful situation for them, yet you certainly owe them nothing. Is this what you consider "customer BS", or something else entirely? 

 

How about a more realist hypothetical? Let's say a restaurant is only open until 11PM. You, as a customer, show up at the door at 11:15pm...thus you miss out on getting a table and getting served. If you then come back to the restaurant the next day, is the restaurant guilty of bad customer service if they fail to apologize to you for closing on time and asking you if you are ok?

Edited yesterday at 07:07 PM by SeaShark

[HowardK]

54 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

I'm a pretty intrepid traveler who's been to a fair number of weird places so this is my 2 cents . . . When staying in hotel rooms I leave my passport in the room safe unless required to carry it by the local government.  I usually take it with me and carry it SECURELY when leaving a ship.  The key word there is "securely". 

 

Tossing your passport in an open tote bag and leaving it on a beach or hanging it on the back of a chair in a restaurant is risky.  There is a world of difference between that and carrying it on your body.  I keep my passport and an extra credit card in a hidden pocket inside the front of my pants.  This inside pocket is has a zipper AND buttons over the zipper.  It would take ME several minutes to access it and I know where it is and how it works!  There are several companies that make such specialty travel clothing.

 

The reason I carry it with me most ports is because, unlike a hotel, the ship can and will leave without you.  We had an "out of the blue" medical emergency with one of our kids while in port years ago.  We had not taken our passports and were faced with the prospect of going to the hospital and missing the ship.  Ever since then I take my passport with me and carry it SECURELY.

I second this- I always take my passport with me when leaving the ship, as backup I even got a passport card as well. I also often wear travel type shirts with zippered pockets as well. 

Also, I always wear a watch and research time zones before I travel.

[graphicguy]

I am a different kind of person, I suppose.  I am more of a "I have the wherewithal to figure my way out of any issue I got myself into on a cruise."

 

But, I read in not only these posts, but others in the past, some people need to be monitored and reminded to "check your time, understand what ship time is, give yourself plenty of time to (dis)embark, here are the phone numbers to call if you get into trouble, call to check on me, make sure I don't get lost, make sure I am prepared to go out on my own when I leave the ship, etc".  I think there are plenty of those reminders posted everywhere, at least for me.  So, I don't feel the need for any of that.

 

There's plenty of evidence that some need to just stick to the excursions the ship sponsors. They tell you where to meet, when to meet, where to go, gather you up when you wander off, get you from the ship and back to the ship on time.  I don't know that they'd apologize to you if you're late and don't make it back to the tour.  But, there's a bunch of layers in place to make you sure you aren't late to the ship.

Edited 10 hours ago by graphicguy

[ronandannette]

18 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

How about a more realist hypothetical? Let's say a restaurant is only open until 11PM. You, as a customer, show up at the door at 11:15pm...thus you miss out on getting a table and getting served. If you then come back to the restaurant the next day, is the restaurant guilty of bad customer service if they fail to apologize to you for closing on time and asking you if you are ok?

That's a decent comparison, actually. If a diner mentioned having arrived a little after closing last time, perhaps the host/waiter might say something like "Oh, sorry you missed us. We're glad you're here tonight". Or instead just a dead-eyed stare and "May I take your order?". Which one do you think would make the customer feel more valued?

 

The words "apology and apologize" keep getting used here. Perhaps you've misinterpreted me from the onset. I was not looking for an apology and have not once implied us missing the ship was anything other than our own fault. Something along the lines of "Oh, we're sorry that happened to you; are you doing OK?" is NOT an apology, just a simple expression of concern that wouldn't take any sort of over-the-top effort.

Edited 10 hours ago by ronandannette

[BirdTravels]

51 minutes ago, ronandannette said:

The words "apology and apologize" keep getting used here. 

 

Yes, the ship owed no apology. The ship should have detained the late passengers upon reboarding to ensure that they understood the importance of being on time. And the late passengers owed an apology to the ship and all of the other passengers on the ship for the disruption they caused. 

[SeaShark]

57 minutes ago, ronandannette said:

That's a decent comparison, actually. If a diner mentioned having arrived a little after closing last time, perhaps the host/waiter might say something like "Oh, sorry you missed us. We're glad you're here tonight". Or instead just a dead-eyed stare and "May I take your order?". Which one do you think would make the customer feel more valued?

 

Actually, neither. The customer is at fault here, and it is obvious that their little comment about their lateness is nothing more than fishing for sympathy. Just a way to make it all about them. These types of people are nearly impossible to please...they see themselves as a victim who is constantly looking to be "soothed". 

 

So...you were late the night before. So what? Why are you mentioning it at all? It isn't relevant to today's dining experience, right? 

 

Perhaps the server should say, "I recognize you, you were late last night, and since I couldn't serve you I made less money in tips than I would have if you would have been on time". Would you then apologize to the server for the lost income, or is it more likely that the server would be greeted with a dead-eyed stare?

 

57 minutes ago, ronandannette said:

The words "apology and apologize" keep getting used here. Perhaps you've misinterpreted me from the onset. I was not looking for an apology and have not once implied us missing the ship was anything other than our own fault. Something along the lines of "Oh, we're sorry that happened to you; are you doing OK?" is NOT an apology, just a simple expression of concern that wouldn't take any sort of over-the-top effort.

 

Why do you think the cruise line should be and/or show concern? Are you holding your fellow passengers to the same standard? How about the people in the cabins on either side of you? Should they be checking in since you "didn't show up last night"? Did you express your concern to everyone about the inconvenience and worry that your lateness caused? The people on the cruise ship are there to do a job and run a business, not to cater to your feelz. 

 

Look...I commend you for standing up and admitting you missed the ship by starting this thread. Many on these forums would not do the same. My only expectation is that you own your actions....which includes the fact that NOBODY needs to show any sympathy, empathy, or concern...if they do, then great, but if they don't you can't fail them for not doing so.

Edited 9 hours ago by SeaShark

[The Traveling Man]

On 9/27/2024 at 2:39 PM, kitkat343 said:

I understand that some passengers choose to carry take their passports on excursions.  I would not recommend that, but ultimately that is the passengers' choice. 

There seems to be a marked difference between US citizens and persons from other countries concerning carrying their passport at all times.  Many Americans keep their passport locked in a safety deposit box most of the time, retrieving it only when needed for travel.  They depend upon other forms of identification, such as a driver license, for everyday use.  Many persons in other countries, however, rely on their passport as their primary identification and carry it with them at all times.  I certainly can understand the advantages and disadvantages of each practice, but I choose to carry mine at all times.  YMMV.

[JSar]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

There's plenty of evidence that some need to just stick to the excursions the ship sponsors. They tell you where to meet, when to meet, where to go, gather you up when you wander off, get you from the ship and back to the ship on time.  I don't know that they'd apologize to you if you're late and don't make it back to the tour.  But, there's a bunch of layers in place to make you sure you aren't late to the ship.

That is a very good point. And personally, I do a combination of independent tourism, non-ship sponsored tour group, and cruise ship shore excursions. The cruise ship shore excursions are most ideal when the tour is going to be longer and/or further away and/or there are less convenient transportation options. And definitely ideal when you want to be brain dead and just follow along and not think about where you are going, how you are getting there, and when you are going to get back. The great part of the ship shore excursions is if for some reason the tour group is late back to the ship, the ship WILL wait for them. Even in non-cruise travel... tour goups are super easy and convenient and get you to/from without having to think. 

[lenquixote66]

We never missed a ship but we came very close.On our first cruise 51 years ago we ventured out to explore the area .We did not pay attention to the time until my wife asked what time we had to be back on the ship.I replied 4 PM.It was 3:15 and we were more than an hour away.We hitchhiked and got back just as the ropes were being untied from the ship.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

On 9/27/2024 at 9:16 PM, PATRLR said:

Please tell us exactly where this happened - other than those countries that require you to carry it (e.g. China, Malaysia come to mind.  Russia I believe is another one)

 

we have been to Russia twice and they,eptout passports.  Whenwereturnedtothe ship they were returned to us.itwas abit disconcerting to hand over your passport to a Russian immigration agent.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

On 9/27/2024 at 10:16 PM, PATRLR said:

Please tell us exactly where this happened - other than those countries that require you to carry it (e.g. China, Malaysia come to mind.  Russia I believe is another one)

 

we have been to Russia twice and they,eptout passports.  Whenwereturnedtothe ship they were returned to us.itwas abit disconcerting to hand over your passport to a Russian immigration agent.

When was that, and was it on a cruise? We were in St. Petersburg on a cruise in 2007. We just had to show our passports and something from the private tour group that acted as the equivalent of a visa.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Yes, both times was on a cruise 2003 and 2012

Edited just now by MagnoliaBlossom