4 people left in water snorkeling excursion

[sherilyn70]

February in Labadee was my first time snorkeling ever... I had no idea what to expect so we made a point of taking the arawaky tour because it was small. As a first time snorkeler I made sure to always stay with the guide but even that was disorienting for me at times. I had no idea where the "boat" was most of the time because there was so much else I had to focus on. With only 10 of us on the excursion it would have been very hard to not notice someone was missing. I would have been terrified to be left in the middle of the ocean... I was already in enough shock realizing that we were jumping of a boat in the middle of nowhere to do the activity since I had read so many stories about doing it from beaches at other destinations. :)

[TXSAIL]

We had one dude in Jamaica that swam about 300 yards from the boat by himself. You could barely see the nut, but the guys on the boat spotted him as we were about to leave.

[Charles4515]

We had one dude in Jamaica that swam about 300 yards from the boat by himself. You could barely see the nut, but the guys on the boat spotted him as we were about to leave.

 

The good snorkeling excursions I have been on had a spotter on the boat with a whistle. If any of us was going too far away they would blow the whistle.

[packedandready]

I don't know any details so can't add anything. But, I can't imagine how scared I'd be if I looked up and my boat was gone.

 

I guess I'm paranoid...whenever I snorkel I'm always looking around to located the distance and direction I am from the boat. I generally try to see how many have have gotten back on the boat...don't want the captain to think everyone is there and leave early.

[ausofte]

this thread was like playing that game gossip where someone starts a "rumor" and it's whispered from kid to kid until the last one says it aloud, and it is of course hopelessly jumbled and wrong after going through so many people. Except we could all read the original story. If being left in the water on an excursion weren't so horrifying to me, I'd probably be laughing at the lack of reading comprehension. Perhaps there should be an "Intro to Cruising" board where people learn what boat and ship mean. oh, wait...

[golf43]

I was on that ship last week also. I did not realize that happened. I remember the cruise director saying that if you are on a Royal Caribbean excursion they will wait for you. This is Royals private island. Maybe the people who got left behind will tell their story on here.

[jarz85]

I was on that ship last week also. I did not realize that happened. I remember the cruise director saying that if you are on a Royal Caribbean excursion they will wait for you. This is Royals private island. Maybe the people who got left behind will tell their story on here.

 

Have you read the posts in this thread? It was the snorkel boat that left them, not the Allure.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

this thread was like playing that game gossip where someone starts a "rumor" and it's whispered from kid to kid until the last one says it aloud, and it is of course hopelessly jumbled and wrong after going through so many people. Except we could all read the original story. If being left in the water on an excursion weren't so horrifying to me, I'd probably be laughing at the lack of reading comprehension. Perhaps there should be an "Intro to Cruising" board where people learn what boat and ship mean. oh, wait...

 

 

I remember it being called The Telephone Game.

 

So many on here call ships boats :eek: and its easy to confuse anyone.

 

Leave it to CC to (I am included!) to screw it up. ;) :p

 

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[3happyferrets]

On our first snorkeling trip in Nassau we had what we thought was a funny experience. Several of us were still snorkeling and the boat moved away. Guide was in the water with us and said they were just repositioning. But this one lady on the boat started screaming that they were leaving us behind. She and others were so upset that when we got back on the ship, we found the whole excursion had been refunded to our account. Now we thought she had been WAY over reacting and laughed about it and felt bad for the refund because we had a great time. But maybe she had an experience like this. Scary.

[d4nigirl]

One of the first things you learn as a teacher is to count heads and do it continuously on a field trip. So sad.

[tallyho8]

Maybe they were "buddied up". Two of them left behind may have buddied up with the other two. :eek:

[circuitrider]

People keep saying they should have used the buddy system. Four people...could have been two pairs of buddies. Maybe they even buddied with each other (you buddy up in pairs, and then two pairs buddied up for extra protection). This isn't just one or two people, but four. Scary, will keep an eye on this thread to get the whole story.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Sure the tour operator was at fault. How they couldn't see 4 people left behind snorkeling is beyond me. They wern't divers!

 

As in any situation you have to be aware of your own surroundings. Any time out off a boat or on from shore, we keep an eye on how far we are from our partners, the shore, or the boat.

 

I think the movie someone refered to was "Open Water"? AKA Worst nightmare :eek:

[johneeo]

Is this not standard with all snorkeling excursions?

 

Obviously not.

[bplazo]

And then the airport transportation left them, then the airline left them. They have been left so much they just changed from Republicans to Democrats.

 

 

quote]

 

:eek::) Too, too funny! Thanks for a great laugh.

 

I guess I did not get it.

[sherilyn70]

I guess I did not get it.

 

Seems you never do get sarcasm. :)

 

They were just exagerating the rest of the story further out like so many people before had started.

[surreymum]

Has this story been verified yet or is it just an urban (or should I say ocean) myth. I am wanting to take my family on a snorkelling excursion on our FOS cruise later this year and want to know what measures RCI are putting in place to prevent this happening. If I left a child behind on a school trip I am sure I would be fired.

[PLEIKU68]

Can't imagine how those people must of felt when they saw the ship sail away!! If that were me, I would of been out of my mind!!!! :eek:

 

We have not been to Labadee in like forever (10 years or more) ....does the ship blow its horn when its departing? Maybe they should??? Not sure if that would of even helped them, probably not.

 

I feel bad for them, it sounds like RC didn't do a thorough count of returning passengers.

 

 

***

 

Read the OP, they did not miss the ship. They were left in the water by the tour operator.:eek:

[Snorkel Dawg]

Has this story been verified yet or is it just an urban (or should I say ocean) myth. I am wanting to take my family on a snorkelling excursion on our FOS cruise later this year and want to know what measures RCI are putting in place to prevent this happening. If I left a child behind on a school trip I am sure I would be fired.

 

 

 

Kids are left on school busses in the Chicagoland area all the time.

Just watching the nightly news proves it. :(

[surreymum]

Yes I understand the difference between a ship leaving passengers behind and an excursion boat leaving people in the ocean while snorkelling. The consequences of leaving people in open water are terrifying which is why I was trying to find out if it had actually happened and if so what RCI were doing about it.

[gelo7]

Wow...

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Read the OP, they did not miss the ship. They were left in the water by the tour operator.:eek:

 

 

You are correct....like many others, I misread or miss understood the post and thought the ship left them not the tour boat.

 

 

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[sailingawaysoon]

I'd hate to be stuck in Labadee once all the ships are gone. Sounds like a survivor episode.

[Mach1]

Some of the comments on this thread are so out of bounds! I feel bad for the people who go left behind it would have been scary and terrifying. But I think we all understand it was not the CRUISE SHIP, but the EXCURSION BOAT that left the 4 people behind. No compensation is required by the cruise ship. It was the tour operators that had the problem counting.

It is a lot like the movie “Open Water” after watching that show it makes me think twice about snorkeling or going to far from the group. They did do a head count, but from some reason a couple of people went back in and were counted again.

We just don’t know the full story yet, and I’m sure this is not the only time an excursion has left someone behind. Sad to say :(

[golf43]

Have you read the posts in this thread? It was the snorkel boat that left them, not the Allure.

 

I know. I was just saying that if you are on a royal C. excursion they will wait for you. Guess I should have also said if you are not on a Royal C excursion they will not wait for us. Sorry just needed to clarify my statement.