Not the view you want in Bermuda...

...at 3:10pm on Friday, as the ship pulls away from the dock.

This afternoon there were three or four groups that arrived as the ship was preparing to leave. This group of three arrived a couple minutes after the door was closed.

A passport may come in handy at a time like this.

Haha. I love pier runners. I hope someone on board took pics/video.

Swim forrest swim!!

Definitely hope they have passports and can get a flight home..................not the way to end a vacation.

Hope all goes well for them

WOW!! I missed that, pardon the pun. I did see a couple get back at 3.00 pm and make it back on board and then they pulled up the gangway immediately after they boarded.

I did see a couple get back at 3.00 pm and make it back on board and then they pulled up the gangway immediately after they boarded.

Yeah - it appeared they were rather eager to close the hatch after that last couple. Previously, as each late-arriving party entered, there was another in sight that they waited for.

There was one couple that made it on board that took a nice leisurely stroll along the pier as the lines were being hoisted up behind them. Based on the cheering from above, I almost suspect there was a rally cry to leave them behind.

Kudos to the webcam operator. Introduce yourself next Wednesday and I'll buy you a drink. :)

Yikes, and it is the final day of the Cup Match--like a national holiday--hope they will be able to find a hotel room.

If there was a passport in the cabin, it will be left on the dock for those who missed the ship. Well, with the port authority person...not just lying on the ground!

If there was a passport in the cabin, it will be left on the dock for those who missed the ship. Well, with the port authority person...not just lying on the ground!

I watched from the time the last people ran to the ship right up to the time the ship was out of the harbor. I didn't see any passports being given to the last few who made it and saw no passports leave the ship before it closed up and left.

Maybe the pilot will bring them back if they were on board. Could have missed it.

I see lots of folks just making it back with seconds to spare and find it hard to imagine that the crew goes through each of their cabins to search for passports in the final moments before a ship leaves a port.

bosco

Last year these two guys were late, but Faithful the tug took them out to the ship and the Captain let them board. Sometimes he won't deem it safe!

I wish those two ladies left in Bermuda the best. Maybe they should have paid more attention to the time. They were there for three days...sheesh.

Happy Sailing, Robin

I have a friend who I have yet to let cruise with me because she is perpetually tardy.

I feel nothing but empathy for these ladies. They were only 11 minutes late on recently altered itinerary. I hope they can find a way back to the ship.

Since NCL just changed the departure time to 3pm from the 5pm original time, I wonder if all those people just didn't know. I'm sure it was in the daily but this kind of change should be something that gets announced over the PA several times and then maybe also on a separate sheet of paper delivered to your stateroom.

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Since NCL just changed the departure time to 3pm from the 5pm original time, I wonder if all those people just didn't know. I'm sure it was in the daily but this kind of change should be something that gets announced over the PA several times and then maybe also on a separate sheet of paper delivered to your stateroom.

 

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In addition to potential announcements and papers I know that in previous cruises there was a sign that is pretty hard to miss that says what time to be back on-board. I used to see it when leaving the ship going through and scanning the card at security. This has been true even on the Bermuda cruises that I have been on even though we are in port multiple days.

This change was made last week when I was on the breakaway. It was handed to us in a flyer at check in, in the daily, on the announcements and a sign leaving the ship on Friday saying to be back by 2:30!

This exact thing has happened on cruises regardless of what time the ship leaves the dock, regardless of what dock/port it's at and regardless of how long pax have had at said port.

There are always, "pier runners" and those pax already boarded seem to take great pleasure in letting them know that their fool-hardy actions may cost them large.

It's unfortunate and really reminds one to check the all aboard time and make certain to be there with time to spare.

Funny? no, not really IMO, just poor common sense.

It is quite fascinating to view it from the "other side" and see how much stress it causes for the crew.

We were invited to the bridge for sail away in Bermuda on Summit about five years ago. The Captain had directly invited us and I think that he regretted this as he was trying extremely hard not to scream at, well, everyone!!!

Departure time had passed and they had real problems reconciling the Sea Pass "scanned in" records versus the "scanned out" .... it's not as precise as you would think for any variety of reasons.

The crew has to really stress as to whether the passengers are truly missing or whether they're onboard and not responding to the millions of overhead announcements.

After about twenty minutes, they "reasonably" determined that people were on board and we left. The Captain and officers were visibly running and discussing scenarios of how long they could wait before running into fuel/navigation/weather and who knows what other kind of problems.

The decision to leave is most definitely NOT taken lightly on the bridge.

I really feel that in today's "me" society with its extensive social media coverage, the more that it gets out that yes, the ship actually WILL sail without you and NOT wait, the more people will behave themselves.

It is quite fascinating to view it from the "other side" and see how much stress it causes for the crew. <snipped>

 

The decision to leave is most definitely NOT taken lightly on the bridge.

 

I really feel that in today's "me" society with its extensive social media coverage, the more that it gets out that yes, the ship actually WILL sail without you and NOT wait, the more people will behave themselves.

So true, totally agree.

It is quite fascinating to view it from the "other side" and see how much stress it causes for the crew.

 

The crew has to really stress as to whether the passengers are truly missing or whether they're onboard and not responding to the millions of overhead announcements.

 

The Captain and officers were visibly running and discussing scenarios of how long they could wait before running into fuel/navigation/weather and who knows what other kind of problems.

 

The decision to leave is most definitely NOT taken lightly on the bridge.

What a great perspective. Thank you!

I wonder how many others made the same mistake and showed up even later than the 3 women...

bosco

Keep in mind its not always the Captains call. In Bermuda the Pilot Captain will be on the bridge to take the ship out. He has a schedule to

The crew has to really stress as to whether the passengers are truly missing or whether they're onboard and not responding to the millions of overhead announcements.

True. On the Gem in June they kept announcing three names in the minutes before we left Nassau. I don't remember the exact time we left port, but it was either on time or just a few minutes late.

At the "meet the officer's" gathering the next day I asked the captain if we'd left three passengers behind in Nassau. He said the three names were a father, mother and daughter. The system didn't show the daughter as being on board.

He said no one missed the ship, the problem had been the daughter's card not being scanned when she returned to the ship with her parents.

In Bermuda the Pilot Captain will be on the bridge to take the ship out.

Many think the harbor pilot is in charge when entering or leaving port. It's not true. The senior officer on the bridge is ALWAYS the one piloting the ship and in control. The harbor pilot is there to offer guidance if needed, but let's face it -- the ship crews have entered and exited these ports hundreds of times, they know what to do.

There's only one place in the world where the pilot is in charge, and that's the Panama Canal. The ship doesn't even use its engines when navigating the Panama Canal -- it's pulled by tractors at all four corners.

Info I got on the Gem in June from the captain was that one port where they heavily rely on the harbor pilot is New York City. Not to pilot the ship, but to be a traffic cop and help clear the way for them. He said the NYC harbor pilots are in constant communication and keep the ship traffic from backing up and having to wait.

Interesting, the Captain of the Gem said when the pilot captain is on board he plays second fiddle. Doesn't really matter, just make sure your on time and onboard

While the Captain of the ship is always in overall command of the ship the "conn" or navigational duties are handed to the harbor pilot.

This is some interesting information.

http://floridapilots.com/wordpress/?page_id=47

Sometimes the return scan might not appear. Years ago, when I was on the Majesty in Bermuda, I thought that I scanned back in when returning to the ship.

A short while before departure time I heard my name called, and I had to phone back and tell them that I was indeed onboard. We left soon after.