4 people left in water snorkeling excursion

[cmhmarine]

Sometimes I think reading cc makes me lose brain cells.......

 

I work as a dive master on a BOAT in the FL keys. We occasionally have snorklers on board. I have a few thoughts on what was posted so far......

 

1. Reef snorkeling spots here in key west are about 6.5 miles off shore, don't know about labadee, but aprox. 30-35 min boat ride would yeild similar results. I know it did not happen in the keys, and there are closer spots to kw to snorkel, I'm using this as illustrative. Swimming back may not be an option.

 

2. I'm surprised how much of the safety briefing is ignored, by both divers and snorklers.

 

3. If their spots are like ours, we tie up right on top of the site, no need to go on magellans great oddessey, which brings me back to to point number 2, not listening to the brief. I know in this case we don't know details, I'm just expanding on some ideas based on my experience.

 

This thread should fade away, unless there is any truth to it...

[ksuds]

Initiate the "buddy check" system into future excursions?

 

Only works as long as the 4 "buddy's" aren't the ones being left behind.

[BillOh]

Fresh off the Allure today

4 people left in water snorkeling excursion while on a a Royal Caribbean excursion while we were in Labadee they boat left without them and were alone in the open water for at least 20 minutes before being spotted by a glass bottom boat tour.

 

I will also post a mini review later today or tomorrow of our cruise.

 

 

 

I sense an ABC movie of the week coming! I wonder how far from land they were. The only snorkeling I have done in Labadee was from shore.

[BillOh]

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

 

The OP said the BOAT left them, not the ship.

[BillOh]

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!

 

Reading comprehension seems to have dropped a bit :) I doubt this make a big enough story to make the news media, hope we can get some actual facts. Now if there is a reason expect compensation, I think this ranks up there?

 

"Did IQ's suddenly drop while I was away?" Ripley from Aliens

[SingingPixie]

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.

 

It is true that if an entire excursion is late returning to the ship, if that excursion is sponsored by RCI than RCI will take the responsibility of getting you on board- either by delaying the ship's departure, or by transporting you to the next port of call. If you're on a privately-booked excursion (which doesn't exist in Labadee), you're on your own. That doesn't have much to do with this occurrence, though.

 

In the case of both privately-booked and cruiseline-sponsored excursions, it is reasonable to expect the excursion operator not to leave you- whether you're in the middle of the water, climbing up a ruin, shopping in town, whatever. Excursion operators should ensure that they return with everyone they left with (and most have safety measure, such as roll calls and head counts, in place to prevent things like this from happening).

 

That said, as a customer on these excursions you should watch out for yourself- don't stray too far from the group, make sure you keep an eye on time, etc. While you should expect not to be abandoned by the group, it is almost entirely within your power to prevent this from happening- by knowing what is going on around you. Being on vacation doesn't mean you can totally check out from monitoring your own personal safety. You also need to operate within the conditions of the tour. If you're given time on your own and are supposed to meet up at a certain time and place, do so. While I wouldn't advocate that a snorkeling boat should leave guests behind for not returning as scheduled (since leaving them would be dangerous and they have few options to return on their own), I wouldn't fault a land-based tour (like a shopping excursion, etc) for doing so.

[BillOh]

The lack of reading comprehension on this thread amazes me :rolleyes:

 

They were left in the water by the excursion boat. Twenty minutes later another excursion spotted them and got them out of the water. I'm sure they got back to the Allure safe and sound, and more than a little angry.

 

There is NO excuse at all for an excursion boat to leave anyone. They should do a head count at the very least. When I'm on scuba excursions, with an operator doing things properly, they don't just do a head count but they also do a roll call.

 

Agreed and an excellent point. I know when I did a scuba excursion in St Thomas, there were other tour operators from other ships/resorts nearby, it might be easy for a person to get back onboard the wrong excursion boat. I've never taken a boat to snorkel at Labadee. Its also possible people from other excursions may have been nearby and they didn't see their boat leave. Hoping as I read through this there is more facts.

[BillOh]

Headcounts are good but with people moving around the boat they are not always accurrate.

 

That was the best thought out response so far (#32) but I will disagree somewhat with this one small point. From your description, you probably have done more of these than me, but I do remember on my last one the tour operator asked everyone to sit down and not move while he did the head count roll call. This clearly demonstrates why.

[Mac303]

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.

 

This alleged incident occured at Labadee, which is an island that is controlled by RCCL, there are no private excursion tour operators that can be used on Labadee, hence if this abandonment is true then the cruise ship ie: RCCL would be responsible.

[BillOh]

Not based on my experience of snorkeling in Labadee. We were nowhere near land. There is no way I could have swam back to shore had I been stranded at our spot.

 

I was waiting for someone to relate a Labadee specific experience. I did self guided from the shore snorkeling there. All of the other snorkeling excursions I've been on have been close to some land, but not land you could walk back to the ship. I could have easily swum to land, but it might have been land that Me, Ginger, Maryanne and the Professor would have to wait several seasons for someone to find us. Was this a 3 hour tour? A 3 hour tour?

[BillOh]

Some of the comments on this thread are so out of bounds!

 

 

Like this one! :p

[BillOh]

Fresh off the Allure today

4 people left in water snorkeling excursion while on a a Royal Caribbean excursion while we were in Labadee they boat left without them and were alone in the open water for at least 20 minutes before being spotted by a glass bottom boat tour.

 

I will also post a mini review later today or tomorrow of our cruise.

 

Please clarify, are you say YOU are fresh off the Allure today? (The day this was posted)

 

FYI, the OP's message history does indicate he was on this cruise, but his signature doesn't indicate it. I find this story fascinating, but getting the facts has been a little difficult, hope to hear more. No offense to the OP, just trying to get it straight.

[Hstergo]

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.

 

You have every right not to believe my story ... but simply put I have posted many times here I have nothing to gain by lying and I was on the cruise ship during the sailing in question.

[surreymum]

Hstergo - I am sorry I had no intention of accusing you of lying but was wondering whether this incident was something you had witnessed or whether it was a rumour onboard.

[bplazo]

Well, I think that I will just stick with snorkeling off the beach.

[sr5242]

Hstergo - I am sorry I had no intention of accusing you of lying but was wondering whether this incident was something you had witnessed or whether it was a rumour onboard.

 

I have to agree, I've googled and the only "article" about it I've found was this thread!

[nitlioner]

I have to agree, I've googled and the only "article" about it I've found was this thread!

 

Just because it doesn't show up on an internet search doesn't mean it didn't happen. It sounds like while this was a screwup from the tour operator, the 4 made it back to the ship and other than being pissed, are OK. I hope they expressed their displeasure to the appropriate staff onboard and were taken care of. I'm sure these type of "incidents", while unfortunate, do happen without ever making media headlines.

[ladybug1s]

Well I hope RC is held responsible since this is their owned excursion run by RC. Even though it was not the ship that left it was the boat. There is no excuse for this and I just hope everyone was okay and nothing happened to them. I would have been scared. Years ago we snorkled into Bat Cave , a boat excursion. And everyone went into a dark cave. So you could absolutely not see the boat as you were so far in a cave. Just saying.....there could have been huge rocks/ mountains in the water but don't know this area of water?

[fishfriendz]

Sometimes I think reading cc makes me lose brain cells.......

 

I work as a dive master on a BOAT in the FL keys. We occasionally have snorklers on board. I have a few thoughts on what was posted so far......

 

1. Reef snorkeling spots here in key west are about 6.5 miles off shore, don't know about labadee, but aprox. 30-35 min boat ride would yeild similar results. I know it did not happen in the keys, and there are closer spots to kw to snorkel, I'm using this as illustrative. Swimming back may not be an option.

 

2. I'm surprised how much of the safety briefing is ignored, by both divers and snorklers.

 

3. If their spots are like ours, we tie up right on top of the site, no need to go on magellans great oddessey, which brings me back to to point number 2, not listening to the brief. I know in this case we don't know details, I'm just expanding on some ideas based on my experience.

 

This thread should fade away, unless there is any truth to it...

 

What boat do you work off of in KW? My dad is a diver instructor and we spend several weeks each summer down there. And you are 100% right, people do not listen to the briefings. I cannot count the number of times we have had to wait for people to get back to the boat who cannot apparently tell time.

 

Jenny

[Hstergo]

Hstergo - I am sorry I had no intention of accusing you of lying but was wondering whether this incident was something you had witnessed or whether it was a rumour onboard.

 

My wife and I wasn't on the excursion but we spoke to the family that it happen to directly ...as a matter of fact I believe it was 2 sister inlaws and if I am correct theirs husbands.

[smoosh21]

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!!

 

 

Of course it is their fault. They should have swam back. :D

[CptSticky]

Well, at least the tour operator didn't take them to the wrong jungle where a guy was waiting with a gun and then..... Oh, never mind, that was a different cruise line.

[BillOh]

I have to agree, I've googled and the only "article" about it I've found was this thread!

 

I'm not surprised as this was probably pretty well contained inside of RC since it was their private area, their operators, and their customers. I have no problem with that as long as the operator was disciplined and steps were taken to prevent it from happening again. The industry certainly doesn't need another black eye right now. I am interested, just out of curiosity what the facts are. I hope to hear more, but will live if I don't.