What to do if you're left behind in a port and miss the boat???

[BengelaCruisers]

Please share your stories of being left in a port...what did you do? Did you catch back up w/the ship? How much did that cost you? Can you catch up with the ship by boat or do you have to wait til it's next port? Are there any instances where the ship reimbursed you for missing part of the cruise (like, for an emergency in port?)

[cb at sea]

Sorry--no story! Have never gotten myself "left behind"!!!!!

The ship will NOT reimburse your for your lack of timing! It's totally YOUR responsibility to be on the ship 1/2 hour prior to leaving a port. If you miss the ship, it's YOUR fault!

 

If you take a ship's excursion, then THEY are responsible for getting you back to the ship on time.

 

If you miss the ship, you can hire a boat, catch a plane to the next port....swim...(not really!) or just go home!

[uppitycats]

Please share your stories of being left in a port...what did you do? Did you catch back up w/the ship? How much did that cost you? Can you catch up with the ship by boat or do you have to wait til it's next port? Are there any instances where the ship reimbursed you for missing part of the cruise (like, for an emergency in port?)

 

If you are on a ship sponsored excursion, the ship will wait for the whole excursion to get back to the port and board.

 

If you miss the ship for any other reason -- you forgot the time, you didn't pay attention to "ship time" vs. "shore time", you got into an accident, you got into a traffic jam, you got detained by the police, you..

 

whatever reason,

 

you are solely responsible for yourself. It's not likely that they'll let you hire a boat to "catch up" to the cruise ship, but you could rent a car, get on a train, get on a bus, get on a plane, whatever it takes to meet the ship at the next port all at your own expense.

 

On one occasion I did see some late passenger "hitch a ride" on the small vessel that goes out to the ship, picks up the port captain and returns him/her to shore...but that was an exception.

 

Otherwise -- you'd better be there one-half hour before the ship is scheduled to leave..or sooner...or be prepared to find your way to the next port.

 

(And a good reason to carry your passport with you as you leave the ship. If you ARE detained for any reason, it's really helpful to have that passport to arrange your transportation either to the next port..or home.)

[Toto2Kansas]

What do you do? You jump up and down and scream and yell at the ship (it won't do you any good, but it might make you feel better).

 

Seriously, check out UTube, there are several videos of the ship just feet from the pier with passengers missing it and the video shows the frustration on their faces. The ship will not wait for you if you are either shopping, drinking, on an independent tour or just lost your watch. If you miss it, you pay for the flight to catch up to it. And hopefully you will have your passport with you so this is possible. Good Luck!

[TrentS]

Are there any instances where the ship reimbursed you for missing part of the cruise (like, for an emergency in port?)

 

Are you kidding? If you miss the ship you have major problems and they're YOUR problems, not the cruise lines! Not only will you will not get reimbursed, but missing the ship will cost you a lot of money, and if you don't have your Passport, credit card and a lot of cash with you, more hassles than you'll ever want to deal with!

 

Don't even think of cutting it close, be back on board AT LEAST 1 hour before departure. And don't forget those little islands frequently have major traffic jams!

 

I've seen people left on the dock while the ship is still AT the dock. Once the gangway is pulled and they start letting lines go that's it unless you have a very sympathetic captain.

 

I've also seen people go out in the pilot boat and climb the rope ladder to get onboard... I've seen this from land as well as from onboard ships... I've also seen people begging the pilots to take them out and seeing them told NO as well. The times I have seen the pilots take people out a good deal of cash changed hands first.

[ehfl]

Why would I want to miss the boat? What's the logic in having such poor planning that you miss the boat having a lot of expense and agravation?

[cherylandtk]

Please share your stories of being left in a port...what did you do? 3 young adults, missed ship in Cozumel. Passport of one on ship, BC's of the other two on ship. Did you catch back up w/the ship? Nope How much did that cost you? Over $5000 and two weeks time stuck in Cozumel Can you catch up with the ship by boat or do you have to wait til it's next port? Not done in this case. Are there any instances where the ship reimbursed you for missing part of the cruise (like, for an emergency in port?)Nope,nope and nope. That sort of thing might be covered by trip insurance, but it depends on the emergency. It is definitely not a cruiseline obligation.

Only a few firsthand posts in the last couple of years, most recent last month, details noted above.

[critterchick]

If you are on a ship sponsored excursion, the ship will wait for the whole excursion to get back to the port and board.

 

If you miss the ship for any other reason -- you forgot the time, you didn't pay attention to "ship time" vs. "shore time", you got into an accident, you got into a traffic jam, you got detained by the police, you..

 

whatever reason,

 

you are solely responsible for yourself. It's not likely that they'll let you hire a boat to "catch up" to the cruise ship, but you could rent a car, get on a train, get on a bus, get on a plane, whatever it takes to meet the ship at the next port all at your own expense.

 

On one occasion I did see some late passenger "hitch a ride" on the small vessel that goes out to the ship, picks up the port captain and returns him/her to shore...but that was an exception.

 

Otherwise -- you'd better be there one-half hour before the ship is scheduled to leave..or sooner...or be prepared to find your way to the next port.

 

(And a good reason to carry your passport with you as you leave the ship. If you ARE detained for any reason, it's really helpful to have that passport to arrange your transportation either to the next port..or home.)

 

I would say that you have a better chance of the ship waiting for you if you're late coming back from one of their excursions, but that's not guaranteed. Sometimes the ship is compelled to depart by the port authority. But I do believe (it's never happened to me) that the line will take care of getting you to the next port to catch up with the ship.

[Toto2Kansas]

I would say that you have a better chance of the ship waiting for you if you're late coming back from one of their excursions, but that's not guaranteed. Sometimes the ship is compelled to depart by the port authority. But I do believe (it's never happened to me) that the line will take care of getting you to the next port to catch up with the ship.

 

Actually, if booked on a ships excursion, the ship will not leave without you. It will wait for hours if necessary until all passengers booked on a ship excursion have been returned.

This does not include those excursions where you are dropped off in town and make your way back on your own, I am talking about water excursions or bus excursions, in other words, groups. There is never a worry, the ship will not sail until these excursions have returned. It is one reason why many passengers are not comfortable booking private excursions, as with them, there is no guarantee if returning late. ;)

[Denny01]

There can be a cruiseline agent in the port. Usually listed in the Daily or you'll get the info from the Port Authority as you stand there watching the ship sail.

 

They can assist with info and so on, but are not responsible for providing funds or tickets and so on. They will contact the ship which is for the ship's info and doesn't help you except maybe let your family/friends know you are alive, stupid but alive.

 

Understand they can be helpful since they've probably seen this occur before.

 

That's why if it's an excusion that I have no control over somehow getting back on my own due to a breakdown (boat tour for example), I take the ship excursion.

 

Also, look at the next port before you either decide to cut it close or take an private extended out-of-area tour. How easily is it to get to? Took the S American cruise. After an Argentinian port, the next was the Falklands. Don't even think about trying to get there directlly from Argentina. You'd have to just go to the next port, or head home. And you'd miss what is many times the best part of a cruise. I cancelled going to a Paleo museum I wanted to go to because it was 50mi away. Didn't chance it.

 

You also get fined for missing the ship once aboard. Along with all the other expenses and hassle.

 

Now that we've given you horror stories - notice no one has come on and told a personal missed-the-ship story - could be because of embarrassment? But if someone did, you know it would be told in a way that it's always someone else's fault and they are victims and no one helped them out of their prediciment. In some cases, true, in most.....right, terrible how you were abused.

 

Example: my daugher and very new son-inlaw met friends on St Thomas and joined them accross the island. Friends told them they'd get them back in plenty of time. Realizing these people (and DH) weren't really watching or caring about cruise time, she got them a taxi and headed back. At rush time on the Island. Stuck in traffic - finally got out of the taxi and ran the rest of the way. We were on our balcony and watched them run onto the pier in time and on board. My daughter realized then she was married to someone she would have to 'take care of'.

 

I'm always amazed at the stories of people who miss the initial sailing, much more common. The cruise is in the winter, they are flying our to Chicago, or another winter city and they fly the morning of the cruise. And surprise surprse, those darn airlines are so imcompetent, they didn't get me to the port city in time. So they saved a few bucks on a hotel stay and miss the sailing and somehow join the cruise and spend the rest of the cruise telling their story. Don't bother, everyone is thinking the same thing. Why cut it so close? For sailings and port calls.

 

Denny

[John Bull]

How easy it is to meet up with the ship at the next port is obviously pretty important. New York to Southampton is a tiring swim, Livorno to Naples may be expensive & embarrassing but it just means a long drive in the same country, a hotel bill, and an embarrassing explanation.

 

I take certain sensible precautions:

 

Whatever the transport back eg train, I aim to catch one an hour earlier than the last possible.

 

I always have a Plan B - even an expensive Plan B, usually a taxi - in case things go pear-shaped. This usually precludes relying on a ferry late in the day since other options such as taxis & buses have poor sea-going capabilities - though if you have a ticket for the same ferry as the ship's excursion you can feel pretty relaxed.

 

Where possible, I try to include somewhere close to the ship at the end of my day ashore - beach, shopping, local sight-seeing. Then a delay heading there means I just curtail or miss out that stop. Easy in the Caribbean, a morning sightseeing & afternoon at a beach near the ship. Not so easy Civitavecchia-Rome since there's so much to see in Rome.

 

I always carry contact details of the ship's local agent, as printed on ship's news-sheet. If I miss the ship, agent can take the worry & make arrangements, even tho I never voluntarily carry my (original) passport. But it'll be very expensive.

 

The rare occasions when folk miss the ship it's usually alcohol-induced, or mixing up on back-on-board times or sailing times (be a lot easier if it was 5.30 and 6pm everywhere!), or mixing up ship's time & local time, or a failure to allow a sensible margin for delays.

 

We usually go ashore independently, never even come close to missing the ship. Famous last words? :)

 

Happy cruisin' to all, good luck to those who leave their brains on board.

 

John Bull

[MrsPete]

In this question, PREVENTION is 99% of the answer. It's very, very easy not to miss the ship. Wear a watch, know what time the ship's going to sail, and don't cut it close. I'd say be back on board a full hour before sailing time. The fear over missing the sailing from a port is really vastly over-blown. If you use common sense, it's just not going to happen.

 

I remember reading only two posts on this board from people who'd actually missed the ship. One was a daughter who described how her elderly parents were with a ship's excursion and they were left behind in a shop or something while the rest of the group returned to the ship without them -- no one realized they were missing until they got back to the ship, and then they had no idea where to search -- in a herd-sized group like a ship's excursion, this sounds very possible. The other was a young couple who neglected to pay attention to ship's time vs. island time.

 

If you do go the extra mile and get yourself left behind, you should go to the port authority. The ship's captain will've already let them know that a passenger has been left behind (they keep track when you leave/reboard, and they announce your name about 100 times in 30 minutes over the loudspeakers). It'll be trouble and expense -- quite possibly it'll cost as much as your whole cruise -- but the port authority will know what you need to do to get back to the ship or to get home. Since distances and countries vary widely, there's no way to generalize just how bad the situation would be.

[MrsPete]

I take certain sensible precautions . . . Whatever the transport back eg train, I aim to catch one an hour earlier than the last possible . . . I always have a Plan B - even an expensive Plan B . . . Where possible, I try to include somewhere close to the ship at the end of my day ashore . . . I always carry contact details of the ship's local agent, as printed on ship's news-sheet.

Common sense -- much, much better than fearfulness over the possibility of missing the ship.

 

I'd add one more thing: I don't get overly ambitious about port travel. For example, the ruins near Cozumel are just not a reasonable distance away from the port. Whether you're going on a ship excursion or a private trip, that trip is something like 4-5 hours of travel (using multiple forms of transportation) and only a short stop at the ruins themselves. It's just not a good option for a short cruise stop. It's better to choose something a reasonable distance away; this lessens the chances that you'll have to use that Plan B.

 

Things do go wrong. Last month -- July 3 to be exact -- I was checking into a cabin at the very, very wonderful Grand Canyon National Park, and I overheard a very, very angry man whose large family couldn't check in because he'd foolishly made his reservations for June 3. Again, common sense and double-checking everything can prevent these things. The vast majority of problems ashore are situations like this one -- preventable. (I don't know what happened to them -- there was no other hotel nearby the North Rim, and being the holiday weekend, everything was sold out.)

[chipmaster]

Please share your stories of being left in a port...what did you do? Did you catch back up w/the ship? How much did that cost you? Can you catch up with the ship by boat or do you have to wait til it's next port? Are there any instances where the ship reimbursed you for missing part of the cruise (like, for an emergency in port?)

 

The few stories posted here always have included 3 elements 1) Bad luck, weather, mechanical or other freak situation 2) Poor planning; trying to do too much in port and 3) Poor judgment on port day.

 

If you mind item 2 and 3) you will be fine in port whether you DIY or take private.

 

All the posters who say take the ship have some truth to their recommendation. But if you take the ship tours expect to pay 2x what you would going private and see less and pay far more. There is a reason the ship pushes this myth as their take on their excursion is between 50% and 70% of the total payment.

 

Be smart with planning, have realistic schedule in port, be mindful of situation in port and you'll be safe and watching sailaway from the ship.

 

Enjoy your excursions!

[livyordrem]

I went on a cruise with a singles group a number of years ago to the Canary Islands and Madeira (which are close together off the coast of Africa). After we left one of the Canaries (which is Spanish) to go to Madeira (which is Portuguese), one of the men reported to the group's leader that he didn't think his roommate made it back onboard. Sure enough he had been left behind on Madeira. He finally caught up to the ship back in the Canaries on disembarkation day when we got to hear his story.

 

While he was getting off the ship, he was helping a lady in a wheelchair down the gangway so he didn't see the sign stating the sailing time. He wandered around on his own and just assumed that the departure time was similar to the last few days. Wrong. By the time he got back to the dock, the ship was long gone. He ended up having to fly back to the Portugal mainland and land in Lisbon then back to the Canary Island to meet the ship just in time to gather his things and fly back to mainland Spain and then home! He could not fly directly into Madeira because it did not have an international airport. So instead of a couple hours it took a couple days. He had only a copy of his passport and none of his insulin for his diabetes. He looked pretty ragged by the time we saw him again!

 

Don't miss the ship

 

Sally

[Traveler353]

No matter what the guarantee says about the ship waiting for you if booked on one of their trips. They can only wait so long. They have very fine windows of time that they must clear the harbor. The fines can be much higher than paying for a few plane tickets to the next port of call. Only an act of god or outright stupidity should keep someone from missing sail away time.

[jocap]

And beware the 24 hr clock- we've just read of someone who missed their cruise because the TA said it left at 5.30, when it was 15.30. The departures of most transport inthe UK & rest of Europe is 24 hr clock, so that's important for trains and buses etc..-jocap.

[Capt_BJ]

I repost this every now and then and so sorry to those who recognize a story I still enjoy: It is a TRUE story:

 

Dateline...hmmm 1987....

 

I was Operations Officer on a Coast Guard Cutter working the Caribbean and we were making an R&R stop in Cozumel. Typically, we (@ 210 foot length) were snuk into a place on the pier between the revenue producting cruise ships.

 

About 6pm I was on on board and after speaking to the gangway watch, I went to the bridge to watch one of the adjecent cruse ships leave.

 

The cruise ship cleared the pier and headed away when I looked down from the bridge wing to see a lady with a shopping bags in either hand running down the pier. She got adjacent to 'my' ship, stopped, dropped the bags & stared at the empty pier the cruise ship had just left.

 

I called down, "Is there a problem?"

 

"My kids and husband are on that boat." It was now just a few hundred yards away from the pier.

 

"Wait there."

 

I picked up the bridge to bridge radio, "I have one of your passengers."

 

They couldn't come back to pick her up, but.....

 

I rounded up a boat crew, gave her a life jacket and launched our fast rescue boat. The cruise ship lowered the same ladder they use for the pilot and the wayward shopper and mother was rejoined with her family.

 

Somewhere there's a lady with a very special cruise story....my guys felt it was a great change to a boring duty day!

[cruiseryyc]

"The cruise ship lowered the same ladder they use for the pilot and the wayward shopper and mother was rejoined with her family."

 

Oh I would have loved to have watched her climb up that ladder with her shopping bags!!!!

[Essiesmom]

You might wonder who was more panicked....Her, or her husband! EM

[beachchick]

Actually, if booked on a ships excursion, the ship will not leave without you. It will wait for hours if necessary until all passengers booked on a ship excursion have been returned.

This does not include those excursions where you are dropped off in town and make your way back on your own, I am talking about water excursions or bus excursions, in other words, groups. There is never a worry, the ship will not sail until these excursions have returned. It is one reason why many passengers are not comfortable booking private excursions, as with them, there is no guarantee if returning late. ;)

 

This is not entirely true. There are times when the ship cannot wait for hours for a delayed ship excursion. If the port authority orders the ship out, then the ship must depart. When there are other ships using the port, schedules sometimes require that a cruise ship leave not much later than the scheduled time. When ships leave very late, there are often hefty fines from the port authority. As Traveler353 points out, those fines can be higher than the cost of transporting passengers to the next port to catch up with the ship.

 

The bottom line is that ships can only wait so long, even for the ship excursions. All the other passengers onboard have a reasonable expectation that the ship will make it to the next port within a reasonable time frame.

 

Passengers should never assume that the ship will wait for late ship excursions no matter what and no matter how long. It's simply not the case.

 

beachchick

[Philip217]

Since there is mostly speculation and guesswork so far on this post, I may be able to assist. I go through this drama every week - sometimes in every port on certain itineraries.

 

1. If you are on a ship's excusrion, you are guaranteed to get back to the ship. 99.99% of the time the ship will wait if the tour is delayed. 00.01% of the time (basically never), the ship will not be able to wait for any number of reasons and the Cruise Line's Agent will arrange to get you to the ship in the next port.

 

2. If you miss the ship for any other reason and you HAVE your passport with you: The ship will give your details and a photo of you to the Agent. The Agent will be telephoning Police, Hospitals, Hotels, Airlines, Car Rentals, etc, trying to locate you. All the while he will be standing at the entrance to the cruise terminal, hoping you will show up. He is also hoping you were bright enough to take your daily program with his contact numbers with you when you went ashore. As soon as he locates you, or you locate him, he will arrange to get you to the ship at the next possible port - at your expense.

 

3. If you miss the ship and DO NOT have your passport with you: The ship's Security Officer and a Hotel Officer will go to your cabin and try to find your passport in your safe, or hidden in your dirty underwear (happens quite often). They will give your passport to the Agent. The Agent will be telephoning Police, Hospitals, Hotels, Airlines, Car Rentals, etc, trying to locate you. All the while he will be standing at the entrance to the cruise terminal, hoping you will show up. He is also hoping you were bright enough to take your daily program with his contact numbers with you when you went ashore. As soon as he locates you, or you locate him, he will arrange to get you to the ship at the next possible port - at your expense.

[Toto2Kansas]

Since there is mostly speculation and guesswork so far on this post, I may be able to assist. I go through this drama every week - sometimes in every port on certain itineraries.

 

1. If you are on a ship's excusrion, you are guaranteed to get back to the ship. 99.99% of the time the ship will wait if the tour is delayed. 00.01% of the time (basically never), the ship will not be able to wait for any number of reasons and the Cruise Line's Agent will arrange to get you to the ship in the next port.

 

Exactly! The idea of missing the ship while on a ship sponsered excursion is so small, it isn't even worth mentioning. ;)

[Mary Ellen]

Exactly! The idea of missing the ship while on a ship sponsered excursion is so small, it isn't even worth mentioning. ;)

So, following this same logic - the odds of the ship sinking are even less - why do cruise lines bother with the life boat drill? ;)

 

I knew a lady once who got stuck in San Juan traffic returning to the ship after a night in the casino. The casino had a dress code and they were appropriately attired in formal wear. She and her DH had to get a ride out on the pilot boat and climb the rope ladder - he in a tux and she in evening gown/heels. This was back in the 80s and the memory of her vivid description has ensured that we are always back on board in plenty of time.

[chipmaster]

Since there is mostly speculation and guesswork so far on this post, I may be able to assist. I go through this drama every week - sometimes in every port on certain itineraries.

 

1. If you are on a ship's excusrion, you are guaranteed to get back to the ship. 99.99% of the time the ship will wait if the tour is delayed. 00.01% of the time (basically never), the ship will not be able to wait for any number of reasons and the Cruise Line's Agent will arrange to get you to the ship in the next port.

 

2. If you miss the ship for any other reason and you HAVE your passport with you: The ship will give your details and a photo of you to the Agent. The Agent will be telephoning Police, Hospitals, Hotels, Airlines, Car Rentals, etc, trying to locate you. All the while he will be standing at the entrance to the cruise terminal, hoping you will show up. He is also hoping you were bright enough to take your daily program with his contact numbers with you when you went ashore. As soon as he locates you, or you locate him, he will arrange to get you to the ship at the next possible port - at your expense.

 

3. If you miss the ship and DO NOT have your passport with you: The ship's Security Officer and a Hotel Officer will go to your cabin and try to find your passport in your safe, or hidden in your dirty underwear (happens quite often). They will give your passport to the Agent. The Agent will be telephoning Police, Hospitals, Hotels, Airlines, Car Rentals, etc, trying to locate you. All the while he will be standing at the entrance to the cruise terminal, hoping you will show up. He is also hoping you were bright enough to take your daily program with his contact numbers with you when you went ashore. As soon as he locates you, or you locate him, he will arrange to get you to the ship at the next possible port - at your expense.

 

Phillip since you go thru the drama often what is the percentage of casese were there was NOTHING the cruiser could have done? IE on shore and had planned to be back with lots of time but freeak situation consumed all the buffer. I'm not interested in tours 100km from port with plan to start back and make it in 2 hours that included poor time budget and poor judgement.