4 people left in water snorkeling excursion

[SingingPixie]

Royal Caribbean is the operator at Labadee. Certainly they should have done a head count. In what way should the snorkelers been more aware? I have been on dozens of these and the excursion has a watcher not only on the boat but in the water. What snorkelers do is look at fish and corel. About all snorkelers are going to be aware of other than that is where the boat is located. The exursion personel screwed up.

 

Exactly that. Obviously their primary focus would have been on what they were seeing underwater, but a small part of their attention should have been reserved for knowing where the boat/group was at all times. They shouldn't have been out of sight/earshot for long enough that the boat was able to leave without them.

 

I'm not saying that the tour operator didn't screw up by not doing a headcount/roll call- they absolutely did- just that the snorkelers should have been taking care of themselves as well.

[EVALUATOR]

Apparently it is the responsibility of the snorkelers and divers to make sure they are tied to the excursion boats before entering the water.

 

If they do not get back on board and untie the ropes on time, the excursion operators can charge extra for the water skiing on the return to the port.:eek:

[knight2096]

Exactly that. Obviously their primary focus would have been on what they were seeing underwater, but a small part of their attention should have been reserved for knowing where the boat/group was at all times. They shouldn't have been out of sight/earshot for long enough that the boat was able to leave without them.

 

I'm not saying that the tour operator didn't screw up by not doing a headcount/roll call- they absolutely did- just that the snorkelers should have been taking care of themselves as well.

 

Sorry but thats NOT the way you made it sound in your first post. The excursion people screwed up bigtime. For all you know these people may have just had their head in the water and wham the boat was gone.

 

Its NOT as hard as you think. There is a video of a woman on a snorkling excursion shown on shark week every year. It shows people screaming at the top of their lungs to a woman thats about to get eaten by a great white shark. She never hears them until it is to late. She is not far from the boat or the people yelling at all. Rough water can mask sound easily.

[Langley Cruisers]

WOW! The OP said that the excursion boat left them out in the open water and a glass bottom boat brought them back. OP NEVER saild the Allure left the people behind!

 

Not WOW. That was my first thought too, until I started reading the posts. The initial post was a little confusing, IMO. Gee. :(

[SingingPixie]

Sorry but thats NOT the way you made it sound in your first post. The excursion people screwed up bigtime. For all you know these people may have just had their head in the water and wham the boat was gone.

 

Its NOT as hard as you think. There is a video of a woman on a snorkling excursion shown on shark week every year. It shows people screaming at the top of their lungs to a woman thats about to get eaten by a great white shark. She never hears them until it is to late. She is not far from the boat or the people yelling at all. Rough water can mask sound easily.

 

Maybe, but if the excursion was big enough for four missing people not to be noticed, it would have taken a while to get all of those people back on the boat. Divers are taught to check several things at regular intervals, even when they're fascinated by the scenery- they check in with dive buddies, check air and depth gauges, make sure they have their bearings in relation to the boat and other divers. Snorkelers have fewer things to keep track of, but the same principle applies.

[knight2096]

Maybe, but if the excursion was big enough for four missing people not to be noticed, it would have taken a while to get all of those people back on the boat. Divers are taught to check several things at regular intervals, even when they're fascinated by the scenery- they check in with dive buddies, check air and depth gauges, make sure they have their bearings in relation to the boat and other divers. Snorkelers have fewer things to keep track of, but the same principle applies.

 

Look you can see it anyway you want, but the Excursion people screwed up peroid. They had a job to do and they did NOT do it. They know people are having fun and some are NOT paying attention like they should. If the excusion personal does not know that, then they are idiots.

[Don Pedro]

Based on limited data the conclusion placing most of the blame on the tour operator appears most likely. However, if several boats were depositing snorkelers on the same reef it is possible that some people got on the wrong boat. Good headcount but wrong people.

 

Having personnaly logged several thousand scuba dives I can attest that, while not a common occurence, this occassionaly happens. A major contributing factor is that almost any boat will appear much different when looking up at it from the water than it did from the dock. It is relatively easy for a snorkeler to get confused.

 

Good tour operators will do their best to minimize this type of problem by making their boat and staff easily recognizable to the snorkelers. And by using some type of color code to identify the snorkelers that belong on their boat.

 

Headcounts are good but with people moving around the boat they are not always accurrate. I would suggest to anyone planning a snorkeling trip to accept a bit of the responsibility by partnering up with a couple other snorkelers, knowing the name of your boat and paying attention to your snorkel guide.

 

I agree that the tour operator is ultimately responsible, but that doesn't do you one bit of good if you find yourself floating out in the gulf stream with schools of large fish nipping at your butt.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

In my opinion Royal staff screwed up big time on this and the guests who were left behind deserve some type of compensation for the dangerous predicament they experienced. At bare bones minimum, they should have the cost of their excursion refunded and I mean that is the barest bones minimum they should receive for this flagrant safety failure.

[RBKL]

Based on limited data the conclusion placing most of the blame on the tour operator appears most likely. However, if several boats were depositing snorkelers on the same reef it is possible that some people got on the wrong boat. Good headcount but wrong people.

 

Having personnaly logged several thousand scuba dives I can attest that, while not a common occurence, this occassionaly happens. A major contributing factor is that almost any boat will appear much different when looking up at it from the water than it did from the dock. It is relatively easy for a snorkeler to get confused.

 

Good tour operators will do their best to minimize this type of problem by making their boat and staff easily recognizable to the snorkelers. And by using some type of color code to identify the snorkelers that belong on their boat.

 

Headcounts are good but with people moving around the boat they are not always accurrate. I would suggest to anyone planning a snorkeling trip to accept a bit of the responsibility by partnering up with a couple other snorkelers, knowing the name of your boat and paying attention to your snorkel guide.

 

I agree that the tour operator is ultimately responsible, but that doesn't do you one bit of good if you find yourself floating out in the gulf stream with schools of large fish nipping at your butt.

 

 

We were recently in Labadee and as many posters have said RCI is the only tour operator since this is their private beach area. They only have one boat for snorkeling trips.

 

As a regular snorkeler I have experienced what you describe in many places but not here. Just one boat - run by RCI - who knows how many people should be on board.

 

It amazes me every time something goes wrong and people blame the victims. The Captain of the boat has the responsibility to account for everybody before departing. They left FOUR people behind. Not one, not two but FOUR. Not the snorklers fault. If they drifted too far away from the boat they should have been whistled back. Some people don't wear a watch when snorkeling but even those that do may not check the time.

[time4u2go]

Maybe, but if the excursion was big enough for four missing people not to be noticed, it would have taken a while to get all of those people back on the boat. Divers are taught to check several things at regular intervals, even when they're fascinated by the scenery- they check in with dive buddies, check air and depth gauges, make sure they have their bearings in relation to the boat and other divers. Snorkelers have fewer things to keep track of, but the same principle applies.

 

That's a pretty silly analogy. Divers have to undergo extensive training in order to dive. Snorkelers have to undergo NO training in order to snorkel. Last I checked, snorkelers only have eyes on their faces, and not on the top or back of their heads. It's ridiculous to think that they should have to simultaneously kept track of where their boat was while looking down into the water. Sorry, but this is NOT the fault of the snorkelers.

[travelplus]

RCCL I think owes the couple an apology, a huge amount of OBC and another chance to cruise with them. How stupid can a excursion be to leave their customers like this? All it takes is to count the manifest to see if they are missing.

 

Wouldn't the SeaPass computer alert the security agent if someone is not on board? Who is with a shore excursion? The security agent could also be reprimanded for not telling the captain to wait so he or she can call over to the shore excursion to see where the passengers are.

 

If this were me I would be on the phone with my layer and demand a full free cruise as soon as I get back to the disembarkation port and make RCCL pay to change my tickets. I did not get a full cruise because of their negligence.

 

I can see this happening if it wasn't a RCCL sponsored excursion. There was no excuse for leaving the passengers stranded with no way to call for help.

 

Labadee is a private island and there is no one living there. I'm sure these passengers had no cellphone with them. How do you call from Labadee in these situations?

 

I hope Adam Goldstien offers this couple huge compensation for pain and suffering, breach of contract, failure to provide services rendered, if they had health issues no medications etc.

[SingingPixie]

I'm not saying it's the snorkelers' fault. I've said in both of my replies that the tour operator, who is employed by rci, obviously screwed up. My point is to those who will go out on similar excursions: you can never count on other people to be responsible for your safety, so take care of yourself and don't put yourself into a position that something like this could happen.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

(and it doesn't take much these days) :D

 

As Ricky Ricardo would say.....somebody has some ESPLAINING TO DO!! :D

 

***

[reallyitsmema]

(and it doesn't take much these days) :D

 

As Ricky Ricardo would say.....somebody has some ESPLAINING TO DO!! :D

 

***

I think the first explanation should be to travelplus about the location of Labadee.:rolleyes:

[time4u2go]

RCCL I think owes the couple an apology, a huge amount of OBC and another chance to cruise with them. How stupid can a excursion be to leave their customers like this? All it takes is to count the manifest to see if they are missing.

 

Wouldn't the SeaPass computer alert the security agent if someone is not on board? Who is with a shore excursion? The security agent could also be reprimanded for not telling the captain to wait so he or she can call over to the shore excursion to see where the passengers are.

 

If this were me I would be on the phone with my layer and demand a full free cruise as soon as I get back to the disembarkation port and make RCCL pay to change my tickets. I did not get a full cruise because of their negligence.

 

I can see this happening if it wasn't a RCCL sponsored excursion. There was no excuse for leaving the passengers stranded with no way to call for help.

 

Labadee is a private island and there is no one living there. I'm sure these passengers had no cellphone with them. How do you call from Labadee in these situations?

 

I hope Adam Goldstien offers this couple huge compensation for pain and suffering, breach of contract, failure to provide services rendered, if they had health issues no medications etc.

 

Uh, I think you misinterpreted the problem. They did NOT miss getting back on the ship. They were left behind in the water by their excursion boat, only to be picked up by another boat later. And this WAS a RCCL sponsored excursion, as are all the Labadee excursions.

 

And for what it's worth, Labadee is not an island. It is a peninsula off of Haiti.

[iuki]

If the excursion boat had people sign a sheet when getting on board, and signing NEXT to their name when getting back on the boat after snorkeling, the EMPTY signature space would definitely be a RED FLAG that NOT EVERYONE is back from snorkeling.

I just can't comprehend the incompetence of the excursion boat. :confused:

[bplazo]

Reminds me of that movie "open water". They did do a head count but somehow their was a screw up.

[TonyTAlabama]

Really confusing post. What ship left them? Obviously not "the ship" since Labadee is a private island....further clarification is really needed here.

 

sounds like they were snorkeling and got back on the wrong boat (glass bottom)

wonder how you can get that mixed up with the Allure! Must of had a Big Bottom!

[pipeye1]

Is this fact ? Or is it fiction ?

[Langley Cruisers]

Is this fact ? Or is it fiction ?

 

We assume it is correct since OP is not a new member and has posted before. I'm sure we'll hear more about it when they write their review. Oh, and let's not forget the people who were left behind on the excursion... I fully expect to see a new thread here about that from them! LOL :D;)

[time4u2go]

sounds like they were snorkeling and got back on the wrong boat (glass bottom)

wonder how you can get that mixed up with the Allure! Must of had a Big Bottom!

 

Huh?

[PH8]

wow! Its not like those snorkeling boats are that big and they have 100s of people on it.........every snorkel trip we have done,there has been a head count!

 

Can't wait to hear more..

[newbiecruiser09]

Hopefully this is just a confused poster. I cannot imagine dumoing the blame on the people that were left in the water.

Its not like they missed a bus!!!! They were in the middle of the OCEAN!!! LOL

I would have come out swinging!!

 

Yes I was confused. Thought they were left by Allure. Like the snokeling at Coco Cay where you go out on your own, not a boat that takes you ut into the ocean far away from shore. Never been to Labadee so thought the snorkeling was like at Coco Cay (where the people are responsible for getting themselves back into shore on time)

[BecciBoo]

I think the first explanation should be to travelplus about the location of Labadee.:rolleyes:

 

 

Heh heh heh heh heh...ROTFL!

Here maybe this will help : The arrow didn't print...but Labadee is up top about at the 2:00 position and it's not a peninsula either. It's just on the northern coast of Haiti with a bay.

 

The nation of Haiti, showing Labadee

Labadee (also Labadie) is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.[1]

The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola. The cruise ship moors to the pier at Labadee capable of servicing the Oasis class ships, which was completed in late 2009

[Big_G]

Allure has a glass bottom??? :D:D:D I guess the buddy system doesn't work so well when you leave all four buddies behind.