Beware!! Westerdam Capt. Waits for noboby

[jtl513]

Back to the OP, what I don't understand is that the sail time was 5 pm. Why did the captain leave early?

There could be many reasons, some of which have already been mentioned. The Capt is perfectly within his rights to leave one minute after all-aboard time if he wants to or needs to.

[Copper10-8]

"Sheeple" I like that, is it in Wikepedia?

 

......................................

 

Sheeple (a portmanteau of "sheep" and "people") is a term of disparagement, in which people are likened to sheep.

It is often used to denote persons who voluntarily acquiesce to a perceived authority, or suggestion without sufficient research to understand fully the scope of the ramifications involved in that decision, and thus undermine their own human individuality or in other cases give up certain rights. The implication of sheeple is that as a collective, people believe whatever they are told, especially if told so by a perceived authority figure believed to be trustworthy, without processing it or doing adequate research to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them. The term is generally used in a political and sometimes in a spiratual sense.

 

[DaveOKC]

I used to travel alot on business, probably over 2000 flights in all. I have seen times where the plane was held for passengers, to the ire of others who were in a hurry to get to the next stop.

 

Several times, due to connection problems, I have just missed my flight, even to the point where the plane was still at the gate but they would not let me on. Was I pissed off, sure, but I was never mad at the departing pilot as he was doing his job to stay on time. You just shake it off and go about your business. The OP in this case clearly need to grow up.

 

DaveOKC

[Texas Tillie]

"Sheeple" - my fanny!:eek: It's more obvious than ever that the OP is a ME person - the world does revolve around HIM!! I'd suggest that this person should never have to travel with those of us who don't think the the world revolves around us.:D

[sail7seas]

sometimes left of the gangway. It all depends on which way the ship is facing.

 

 

:d lol.......

[Tampa Girl]

We were on the Oceania Nautica and just after leaving Kusadasi, the captain made an announcement for people to look over the starboard side. A small boat pulled up and a couple climbed up a ladder onto the ship. Everybody clapped and then the captain announced that $1000 charge was being put on the couples' shipboard account. His point was made and nobody who was there will ever forget it.

Another time, we were in Costa Rica and the potato farmers went on strike and barricaded the road after some of the tour buses left Limon (Princess Cruise). Everybody else was turned back, but the three buses that had passed continued on. Upon return, the road was still barricaded and the cruise line had to borrow small boats to float the passengers past the barricade on a river some distance away and then buses picked them up on the other side of the barricade. The ship was supposed to leave at 5pm and wound up waiting in port until 10pm. Something to be said for taking ship's excursions instead of venturing out on your own in certain ports.

We also carry a copy of our front passport pages and we actually scanned them into our computer and emailed them to ourselves and never deleted the email. I also have a copy of the scanned pages on my iphone. It won't suffice for a passport, but makes getting a replacement easier.

 

 

Benita - How do you put a scanned copy on the IPhone? That is neat!

[Shelbyjane56]

We have been on quite a few cruises, and half of the time there are the drunks who miss the ship or they are running sideways to make it back to the ship on time, sorry for what you went through, however you werent even drunk and couldnt make it back on time! We have only seen one couple come back when we were leaving San Juan, a tug boat docked with the ship and they got the couple back on the ship, dont know if they paid $$ or if it was because they had just gotten married but in any case they were lucky! Always get back 30 or more before the ship is to sail!

[Max2003]

As a side point to this very interesting thread, it would be wise that we all think about what we would do if , for whatever reason, we missed the sail away. Several have mentioned a copy of the passport would be helpfull as well as credit cards and cash to get to the next stop to re-board the ship. A friend of mine had the key passport page copied, folded in half and laminated to about the size of a credit card to keep in his wallet. The minute that ship leaves without you Plan B better be ready.

 

There are also sources of assistance in addition to the Port Agent. I am reminded of services like the AMEX Global Assistance Hotline---

 

https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/dom/us/en/feefreeservices/pages/globalassist_allccsg_shareddetails.do?vgnextoid=24c615ab025ed010VgnVCM10000084b3ad94RCRD&vgnextchannel=3c830da9846dd010VgnVCM10000084b3ad94RCRD&name=globalassist_allccsg_shareddetails&type=intbenefitdetail

 

which might make the ordeal a lot less stressful. I am sure there are other similar services. This would be a good thread to post other thoughts on planning for this kind of mishap.

 

The trick of course is to not repeat the OPs mistake!!

[LoraJ]

Sounds like the OP did not want to be a Sheeple and spend every second of his vacation in Aruba. Maybe the wife and kids weren't with him because she decided to be a sheeple and be on board on time.

 

I have seen boats bring out left behind guests all the time. Wonder if this option was given to the OP or if he was just too busy blaming the captain to be able to work something out.

[luvs2travl]

Exactly!!! And not all the peolples were on board!!! Maybe one of the herd get's it???

 

I think the "herd" here on CC 'gets it' and evidently the other 1350+ passengers that WERE on board by the scheduled time "got it" - including your wife and kids, by the way, so perhaps you should address the lack of intelligence, compassion, and the your totally nonsensical argument back at yourself.

 

If you have indeed taken 10 previous cruises, (which is rapidly becoming in doubt here :rolleyes:), then you would KNOW the difference between "All passengers back on board by 4:30PM" and "Departure time is 5:00PM" . Exactly WHAT about those two statements don't you get??? Departure time for a cruise ship is the same as departure time on any other mode of transporation, HELLO??? There is nothing misleading what-so-ever by that statement. Heck - one poster here was even kind & patient enough to post a picture of a sign, typical of one at the end of every gangway on every cruise ship, as a point of reference for you. And you still say that no one "gets it" but you??? Puh-leeze!

 

D-e-p-a-r-t-u-r-e time means the ship is away from the dock, gone bye-bye, making waves, and saying "Adios" to those on shore (including you!) that didn't understand what "BE BACK ON BOARD AT 4:30PM" meant.

 

This is not rocket science, for goodness sake. And YOU are the one, sad, misguided person here that doesn't get!! SO - put on your "big boy pants" and suck it up!! :mad:

[jtl513]

A friend of mine had the key passport page copied, folded in half and laminated to about the size of a credit card to keep in his wallet.

That copy would help get him a replacement when he can get to the nearest US Embassy, but is otherwise useless. I carry a copy on cruises too. It stays on the ship, and the passport goes with me whenever I am in a foreign country.

[Benita]

Benita - How do you put a scanned copy on the IPhone? That is neat!

 

I emailed the scanned copy to my email address. The photo is then on the iphone. I then hit the reply button on the bottom (curved arrow to the right of the trashcan). On the screen that pops up, click "save image" and the scanned passport will be "deposited" in your photos. You can always email the photo back to your email address and print it out.

[Tricia724]

"Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other." (Benjamin Franklin)

 

And sometimes not even then....

 

I would have felt some sympathy for the OP if he had been a "victim" of unforseen delay....accident, weather, road conditions, etc....and since he didn't state anything like that, it seems like he created his own problem.

 

A few years ago, we came very close to missing the all-aboard. We booked a private fishing charter in Cozumel, and just when we were getting ready to head back to the shore, the motor conked out. There were four of us, and we all sat around and stared at each other quietly for quite a while as the boat people frantically tried to get it going. Three of us had our passports, credit cards, and extra money....one did not. (No, it wasn't me.) I figured we were heading for quite an adventure. And just like in the movies, they got it going and we got back to the ship with little time to spare.

 

BUT, we knew it was our responsibility to get to the ship in time, and I fully expected that the ship would have sailed without us if we were late. I wouldn't have been happy, but I wouldn't have blamed anyone but ourselves.

[localady]

Exactly!!! And not all the peolples were on board!!! Maybe one of the herd get's it???

 

Sounds to me, like you really pulled one here with the family.....:rolleyes:

I can only imagine that your wife is/was furious with you! :mad: Perhaps that is why you came here looking for some backing....

 

You screwed up, so you need to take responsibility and stop blaming others :rolleyes:, something I try to teach my boys daily....

[doctork]

An earlier post here (I am not going to go back through all posts to find the one) delineated the costs of a "departed" ship (it is untied) returning to the dock to let a late passenger board. In my quick math, the charges totaled about $30,000 for Aruba, or ~$15 - $20 per passenger, depending on whether there were 1,250 or 2,000. Personally, I wouldn't care to have to ante up another $15 - $20 in an "emergency assessment" myself because someone didn't bother to return on time.

 

I wouldn't care to have my fare increased because HAL routinely accepts late passengers and pays those fees, which is what would happen if ships always waited for late passengers. HAL sponsored shorex usually cost more than similar tours booked independently, and I would infer that those added costs help cover the guarantees to wait if the tour is late, in addition to allowing extra profit of course.

 

I don't cruise as often as many of you (third HAL cruise coming up next Sunday, woo-hoo!), so from the veteran cruisers: does this make sense to you?

[Mary Ellen]

Has anyone been late or been delayed due to a cruise line tour being late?

I've been on HAL tours twice when the ship waited for our delayed return.

 

For the OP, I've been thinking about this. Have you considered limiting future vacations to car trips? Planes and trains won't wait for you either. You'll only have the flexibility you need if you drive yourself.

[sail7seas]

DoctorK:

 

Of course, you make sense. None of us wish to pay for someone else's carelessness in not keeping an eye on the time.

 

Yes, 'ship' happens but as responsible adults we place the blame upon ourselves when applicable and don't expect others to pay for our mis-steps.

 

Were OP in an accident or become suddenly ill, most of us would have a kinder opinion but still would not expect to ante up extra funds to pay for his sad situation. If he purchased insurance, that would be useful for that sort of circumstance.

 

This was carelessness from the information he has provided. (If there is more to the story, we don't know what it is.)

 

[catl331]

... so from the veteran cruisers: does this make sense to you?

Everybody that has replied on here makes more sense than the OP! :)

[Oceanwench]

What do you do if you are on a cruise line excursion and cannot be back that early? If all aboard at 4:30 means ALL ABOARD at 4:30, do those on cruise line excursions start throwing fits?!!! No...because there are exceptions to the policy and it appears to be somewhat in the captains discretion what to do. I am not saying that the OP is not at fault but when people keep saying that ALL ABOARD means ALL ABOARD, it is really not true. Cherie

 

Well, they're not going to post signs saying "All Aboard at 4:30 except for those who are on ship-sponsored excursions."

Because then you'd have people thinking that even though they were not on ship-sponsored excursions, they'd still be covered ...

 

It makes sense for HAL to delay departure when one of its excursions is late ... and no sense for HAL to delay departure when a lollygagging passenger is late.

 

This thread has been very entertaining. :)

[mnbruce]

Planes and trains won't wait for you either.

 

That's true most of the time, but returning home from our recent cruise the airlines did wait for us and another couple. We had arrived at the San Juan airport over two hours early,however sometime during our wait they had announced a gate change that we did not hear. To make a long story short they waited for us and waited another 10 minutes for another couple. We were quite embarrassed but rather than point fingers at us the airline staff treated us great and pointed out that they were more worried about what happened to us rather than leaving on time.

 

 

 

 

 

Were OP in an accident or become suddenly ill, most of us would have a kinder opinion but still would not expect to ante up extra funds to pay for his sad situation.

 

 

Actually to make things better for his family I would have no problems throwing in some money relieve their stress,especially if it was a result of an illness or accident. I would consider it money well spent.

[Oceanwench]

I don't believe in enabling another person's irresponsibility.

[IRL_Joanie]

You "sheeple" are missing the point! Yes I am to blame, no question about it. And for all your questions about what happened to me, that also doesn't matter as the ship or my wife did not know( accident, mugged, kidnapped, shot, drowned, or at the bar??) My question that no one seems to care or understand is why these cruise lines say that they will be in a port and "depart" at a stated time when I guess they know and we know that the time of true departure is either always a 1/2 hour early or at the Captains discretion. Why can't the cruise lines be honest and clear and state they will be in a port at 4:30 as opposed to 5:00. We the "sheeple" lose 1/2 hour of our vacation and even more because some of you paranoid/scared get on hours before "all aboard tome". So is it false advertising to say the ship "departs" at one time only to find out the "all aboard is different" What does the word "depart" mean in their brochures and advertising?? This is why I challenged the fact that the ship would leave before a published "departure" time even though not all passengers are on board. Yes the story is true the ship did change even the date we were to be in Aruba as well as the "departure" time (even though this time means nothing) from 11pm to 5pm. So should the cruise lines be honest with us and publish the fact that the ship actual departs at 4:30 is the true question. The problem seems to be cruise passengers are "sheeple" and are more concerned about eating with the "herd" Baaa! And for those that say they were watching and didn't see me running, that is because I was stopped/detained by Aruba port authority which was communicating with the Captain and ship as they were looking for me. I must say that my adventures and the experience getting back was far better than being at sea with rude and inconsiderate passengers of HAL. I just felt bad for my wife...She was stuck with you. I would be careful as KARMA could strike and this could be your story. My FAULT 100%. Live and learn. So why don't you posters use all this energy to change the cruise industry so they publish true departure times or at least wait until the published departure before they leave a passenger/customer behind. Time to be TRUE and accurate.

 

 

True and accurate, you really want true and accurate?? Well here it comes!!!

 

From the Westerdam Cruise Log:

 

Thursday, February 18 2010

Orangestad, Aruba

6:36 a.m. Safely docked

12:00 p.m. Weather: Wind 2knts, partly cloudy sky, 29 C/94 F

4:51 p.m. Undocked

Undocked does not mean departure from the port, it means when the ship is released/cleared by the authorities to leave a port. They have a specific time set by those same authorities that they must leave by or incur additional taxes and fees that WE the passengers YOU are forgetting about must pay!!

 

There is absolutely NO EXCUSE short of a medical emergency, for you not to have been on the ship prior to the 4:30 p.m. All abaoard.

 

For you to have come to these boards and lambast HAL and now us for your lack of timeliness is beyond the pale. You sir, deserve whatever you suffered in worry, headaches and money for your lack of common sense!!

 

By the way, your time line for when you supposedly got to the dock and time of ship sailing is still off!!!

 

You get no sympathy even now from me!!!

 

Joanie "PROUD to be one of the Sheepie's!!"

[sapper1]

You "sheeple" are missing the point! Yes I am to blame, no question about it. And for all your questions about what happened to me, that also doesn't matter as the ship or my wife did not know( accident, mugged, kidnapped, shot, drowned, or at the bar??) My question that no one seems to care or understand is why these cruise lines say that they will be in a port and "depart" at a stated time when I guess they know and we know that the time of true departure is either always a 1/2 hour early or at the Captains discretion. Why can't the cruise lines be honest and clear and state they will be in a port at 4:30 as opposed to 5:00. We the "sheeple" lose 1/2 hour of our vacation and even more because some of you paranoid/scared get on hours before "all aboard tome". So is it false advertising to say the ship "departs" at one time only to find out the "all aboard is different" What does the word "depart" mean in their brochures and advertising?? This is why I challenged the fact that the ship would leave before a published "departure" time even though not all passengers are on board. Yes the story is true the ship did change even the date we were to be in Aruba as well as the "departure" time (even though this time means nothing) from 11pm to 5pm. So should the cruise lines be honest with us and publish the fact that the ship actual departs at 4:30 is the true question. The problem seems to be cruise passengers are "sheeple" and are more concerned about eating with the "herd" Baaa! And for those that say they were watching and didn't see me running, that is because I was stopped/detained by Aruba port authority which was communicating with the Captain and ship as they were looking for me. I must say that my adventures and the experience getting back was far better than being at sea with rude and inconsiderate passengers of HAL. I just felt bad for my wife...She was stuck with you. I would be careful as KARMA could strike and this could be your story. My FAULT 100%. Live and learn. So why don't you posters use all this energy to change the cruise industry so they publish true departure times or at least wait until the published departure before they leave a passenger/customer behind. Time to be TRUE and accurate.

If we all subscribed to your theory and 2200 passengers all turned up at the same time--say 4:45 PM to board the ship, it would be hours late getting out of the harbour---or could miss the tide altogether and not be able to sail. What makes you so special that you can flaunt the rules? I am dying to know and I am sure a few others are as well. Please enlighten us.

[Oceanwench]

If we all subscribed to your theory and 2200 passengers all turned up at the same time--say 4:45 PM to board the ship, it would be hours late getting out of the harbour---or could miss the tide altogether and not be able to sail. What makes you so special that you can flaunt the rules? I am dying to know and I am sure a few others are as well. Please enlighten us.

 

Excellent!

Very well said.

 

I think that it's his sense of entitlement that has set many of us off ...

 

While the OP states it's a herd mentality, it's basically this: Most people here know the difference between right and wrong, and it's a cold hard fact that the OP was wrong. [He even admits such.]

[IRL_Joanie]

Exactly!!! And not all the peolples were on board!!! Maybe one of the herd get's it???

 

The HERD gets it!!! YOU DO NOT!!!!

 

Joanie