JUST Home from Crown ! They DO leave passengers behind !

[Waynetor]

I was on the same tour in Fiji that Peggy was on. Tour included several small boats touring on a river and one of them ran out of gas holding everyone up. Fortunatley the bus diver drove like a crazy man to get us back.

 

My one real close call was in Puerto Rico. We diverted there instead of going to Dominican Reb. to side step a huricane so I had nothing planned. I took one of those tours they sell off the dock. I asked if it would be back by 3 as we had all aboard by 3:30 and was assured it would be. Turned out the tour was scheduled to go to about 5pm. Everyone else on the bus was from another ship not leaving until 8pm. Once the driver started to realize time was getting tight and I was starting to panic, the driver broke about every traffic law there is to get me back to the ship at 4 before continuing with the others. He even called the port to let them know he was on the way (not sure if that got to the ship). I was fortunate a medical situation held the ship up and it did not sail until after 5.

[cruiseryyc]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

 

You have got to be kidding!!! The ship runs on a schedule, they pay to stay in port a specified amount of time - if passengers are late, that's their problem not the ship's captain. Passengers are specifically told what time to be back onboard and it's their responsibility to be back onboard, this group got what they deserved.

[Treven]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

I totally disagree. The pax take it upon themselves if they go off on their own, not on a ship's tour, and they don't get back in ample time, that's just too bad.

 

You feel the ship's captain did a poor job because he left at the scheduled and posted time? The only poor job was done by the group who must have felt the scheduled departure time didn't apply to them. Well, evidently the departure time didn't apply to them.

[john_galt]

I've seen people left at St. Thomas. It was sad.

 

The wife had never been to Cozumel. I took her up on deck and got us a couple of chairs from which to watch the running of the drunks. She thought it was hilarious! Lot's of drunks with balloon hats. We shot some great video. :)

 

There was a Carnival ship docked beside us and many the the most impaired boarded the Carnival ship. Some had difficulty determining which ship to try and board! :eek:

[refman]

I totally disagree. The pax take it upon themselves if they go off on their own, not on a ship's tour, and they don't get back in ample time, that's just too bad.

 

You feel the ship's captain did a poor job because he left at the scheduled and posted time? The only poor job was done by the group who must have felt the scheduled departure time didn't apply to them. Well, evidently the departure time didn't apply to them.

 

i totally agree, not to mention that thousands of others seem to get back on time and why should the rest of the passengers be held up for a few that are irresponsible.

[Doug R.]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

 

Be still my bleeding heart!!!:rolleyes: It is called personal responsibility, something that seems to have become increasingly lost these days. :mad: Also consider that late departure or re-docking may cost the cruise line much money. Go ahead and wear the Captain's ear out, brave soul, and have fun getting home after being put off the ship at the next port. :eek:

[Ethel5]

be still my bleeding heart!!!:rolleyes: It is called personal responsibility, something that seems to have become increasingly lost these days. :mad: Also consider that late departure or re-docking may cost the cruise line much money. Go ahead and wear the captain's ear out, brave soul, and have fun getting home after being put off the ship at the next port. :eek:

 

Wonderful post. BRAVO.

[BugsyCruiser]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

 

Ah yes... so the Captain and ship have a schedule to stick to and every passenger knows the ship leaves at a set time but he should wait because some passengers decided that time meant nothing and they could just come back whenever they want.... sorry, doesn't work that way. The captain is not doing it to be mean, but he has a schedule that he has to stick to. And by the way, if you chewed out the Captain? You'd have plenty of passengers chewing you out

[davekathy]

You have got to be kidding!!! The ship runs on a schedule, they pay to stay in port a specified amount of time - if passengers are late, that's their problem not the ship's captain. Passengers are specifically told what time to be back onboard and it's their responsibility to be back onboard, this group got what they deserved.

 

We agree.

[tothemall&beyond]

Yes it happens. Two years ago on the Ruby TA the captain left 2 people in Venice' date=' 2 at another port and our last stop but crossing the Atlantic the Arozes he left 4 people. We stay aboard and did the Caribbean on the Ruby and he left someone at every port. The Captain left right on time at every port.[/quote']

 

We were on that cruise and watched the two women running to catch the ship in Castello (Venice) as the ship pulled away from the dock. Couldn't believe it. But then it happened in two more ports. Crazy. Can't remember the third port... but I remember so well the 2 couples' names being called in the Azores. Heard they had the nerve to try to sue Princess for not waiting for them. They were just lucky a Carnival ship was coming a few days later and scooped them up. It's a long swim...

[cherylandtk]

But, how would they fly without a passport?? Just use another i.d. ??

It is my understanding that a passport is needed to fly between the two. Perhaps two of them carried passports ashore? It is hard to know how it was handled without speaking directly with those involved.

[Pam in CA]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

There are a number of reasons why this sometimes can't be done. Schedule is one, which people have mentioned, but more important are tides, other ships waiting to sail because sometimes one ship has to sail before another can, and pilots. The harbormaster has control over which ship sails at what time, not the Captain, and if a ship fails to sail, the pilot might be reassigned to another ship and yours will have to wait even longer for a pilot to become available. A ship's sailing is not like pulling out of a parking space but is carefully orchestrated to take into account tides, currents, other ships, etc. Sometimes, the Captain has no choice and since it's the passenger's responsibility to be back on the ship on time, regardless of what has happened to them, the ship can, and will, sail. Or, are you saying that it's OK for two irresponsible people to cause the ship's sailing to be delayed and possibly have to miss or cut short the next port and the Captain should inconvenience all of the other passengers who were responsible?

[PathfinderEss]

Passengers being left at the dock happens more then you think. Thanks for the information Dennas

[Coral]

It is my understanding that a passport is needed to fly between the two. Perhaps two of them carried passports ashore? It is hard to know how it was handled without speaking directly with those involved.

 

I have read this in several places.

 

If it appears a passenger is going to miss the ship, the ship sends security or hotel management to the cabin and search and obtain the passports (even opening the safe) and then they give the passports to the port agent. The port agents then look for the passengers when they arrive at the port and help them make arrangements to catch the ship at the next possible port.

 

I have read that several ports will not let the ship leave the port until the ship has verified that they have the passports and have turned them over to the port agent or have verified that the passports are not in the cabin.

[NitaBcruising]

We were late once, in Venezuela! :eek: However, it was a ship's tour, and the return time changed to an hour earlier, and our driver hadn't been informed. We got back by the original time, an hour late. The shop waited for us! Not a place I would've wanted to be stuck!

 

Thanks for posting, enjoying this thread! :D

[Bucky3]

One time, we were on the Star from Sydney to Los Angeles. In Fiji, we were on a bus with about 60 very fun and crazy cruise critic roll call friends on a tour NOT purchased through the ship. We were about 10-15 minutes late when we finally arrived back and had to dodge our way through the military marching band to board. It seemed as if the whole ship was on that side watching the band and we had many shouts, laughing and clapping from the other passengers. We just kept telling ourselves that certainly the ship would not sail off without that many passengers...... but we will never want to cut it that close again!!!

Peggy

 

Peggy - Was that the Star Fall '09 cruise? If so, we were two of those along with other cc roll call members cheering you all on as you boarded! It was a kick watching you all dodge the military band members as you raced for the ramp! We did that cruise b/b so for us it was SF to Sydney to LA - that was a wonderful cruise.

 

We watched a little fishing boat race three people out to catch the ship when leaving a Mexican port one time a few years back. When I saw they didn't put out a platform and those people had to climb a rope ladder to get onboard , it was plenty enough to remind me NEVER to be late for sailing!!

 

Bobbie

[cherylandtk]

Coral, that is how I understand it works as well. It was noted earlier in this thread that two passports were found in the cabin. I was replying to Dennas, who wondered how all four could fly from Curaçao to Aruba, but we do not know if any had taken passports ashore or even if they all had passports. It is probably now fair to assume so, since all four were in Aruba the next day.

[J & G]

If they were on the dock and the captain could see them he should have waited or at the least launched one of the rescue craft. If not on the dock then go ahead and go, but to leave them is just plain wrong and the captain should be ashamed of himself, and if I saw him anyother time on the crusie I would make sure he knew what I felt about the poor job he did and how little he felt about the saftey of his customers on the dock. He would have a rather worn out ear to be sure........:eek:

 

Really?? Seriously?? Are you just saying that to keep this thread interesting?

 

The comment about the "Running of the Drunks" was pretty interesting in itself.....:D:D We've watched that phenomenon in Coz and Key West for years.....and cheered them on, but now we have a name for it!

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Had a great cruise. LOTS of FUN. Loved the food and pretty much loved the whole trip. No complaints at all. Crew great, very attentive.

Princess Cays, Curacao and Aruba. I LOVED Aruba. Enjoyed a lovely day at Palm Beach, near the RIU Palace, where we rented chairs and an umbrella.

 

OKAY, so after a nice day in Curacao, everyone is due back to ship at 9:30. Ship to depart at 10:00. Right around this time, we hear "the call" of 4 girls names from two cabins, one on Aloha deck and one on Emerald Deck. About 10 min later, we hear the same 4 names and then again around 10:00. Lots of folks are talking amongst themselves and others, wondering if these 4 girls have made it back on board. We happened to be out on the Promenade during this time, admiring Curacao at night and wanting to see a night-time sailaway. People are now gathering out on the different decks to see if they are coming back. NOTHING. Now of course, the talk is really ramping up. Around 10:10 or 10:15 I will say, the pilot boat unties the heavy cords and the ship starts to back away from the dock. A friend in out group starts YELLING, "I see them, I see them, they are running to the ship !" At that point you can really hear people from the ship all starting to see them too and yelling different things. We see three of the 4 running up the concrete docks, the 4th held back a bit... whether she just couldn't keep up or felt "it was too late" she missed the boat, or, perhaps got very upset and just stopped? We don't know. Needless to say, it was heart-wrenching seeing these girls standing there watching the boat pull away. NO, the ship did NOT go back.

 

I did ask two mornings later, at the shore excursions desk where two women were working and not waiting on anyone, (Pursers desk was crowded and I didn't want to bother the folks hard at work....) if they made it to the ship. YES they did, they flew from Curacao to Aruba the next day and got on the ship. It's a short flight.

 

I have NEVER seen this happen before and hope I never see it again. I'm sure it was an awful feeling for the girls, thank God there is a hotel right there and perhaps they stayed there. I also heard from another employee that two passports were found IN THE CABIN so I am wondering how this factored into them getting back on board. I mean, they all did come back... pretty quickly, without two having passports with them.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share this with you all....... and thank Goodness for them, they were all safe. I hope they can laugh about it some-day....

 

There is this little thing called "rules". When people break them, there are consequences. I pay good money for my cruises and I am always early returning to the ship. Those who can't abide by the rules, are the ones who don't want the rules applied to them. They knew what time to be onboard. The captain was very generous to wait 15 minutes for them. (which is what Miss Manners recommends when waiting for guests) The captain did the right thing.

[caribill]

Being late is not the only reason to be left behind.

 

Two cruisers on our voyage last May lost their passports while on tour in Egypt (taking passports ashore was required).

 

They were not allowed to reboard in Alexandria because the next port required passports for everyone or the ship could not go there.

 

So the ship had to depart without them. They were able to get new passports issued in Cairo, flew to the next port, and rejoined the ship there.

[satxdiver]

I was on the Ruby when we left a couple in Curacao even after the captain delayed our departure for 30 minutes. They showed up 30 minutes after we left so I was told. The flew to our next port, St Thomas, and rejoined the ship. The status of having their passports, I have no idea. Funny thing was when we got ready to leave St Thomas, you guessed it, they were not on board again! The captain chose to wait 30 minutes again and this time they showed up just as he was about to let go the lines. I imagine they had their behinds chewed by an irate captain. Both times he announced on the loud speaker system that "he was a nice guy and was waiting".

 

On another cruise we left a newly wed couple in Cozumel, our last port, and they rejoined us in Galveston when we arrived to deboard. I am told that it is common to leave pax in Cozumel due to the heavy partying which I don't doubt (Carlos'n'Charlies).

 

To the poster that suggested the ship should drop one of its life boats and get them, that is not possible. It takes a lot of time, effort and man hours to drop the life boats and then to recover them. You know when the ship sails, be on it or make other arrangements.

 

One valid point is booking ship sponsored tours. If you are on their tour, it then becomes their problem to get you back on the ship in time. If they fail, they have to pay all your expenses and arrangements getting you to the next port to rejoin the ship. That includes airfare, food and lodging while off the ship. This is the really big plus in taking ship sponsored tours in that you don't have to be concerned with your return. I have been on several ships where the departure was delayed because a ship sponsored tour was late in returning and the ship waited.

 

On the other hand if you leave the tour for any reason, then you are on your own to get back in time or suffer the consequences.

 

My policy is to be onboard no later than 30 minutes before and prefer 1 hour. I too like to stand on my balcony when it is on the pier side and watch the theatrics of pax running for the ship. Great entertainment.

[caribill]

 

One valid point is booking ship sponsored tours. If you are on their tour, it then becomes their problem to get you back on the ship in time. If they fail, they have to pay all your expenses and arrangements getting you to the next port to rejoin the ship. That includes airfare, food and lodging while off the ship. This is the really big plus in taking ship sponsored tours in that you don't have to be concerned with your return. I have been on several ships where the departure was delayed because a ship sponsored tour was late in returning and the ship waited.

 

 

When we were on Princess in St. Peterburg, we were on a non-Princess tour.

 

Traffic was a mess and it was approaching the time we were supposed to be back on board. We saw a Princess tour bus behind us and just encouraged our driver to stay ahead of it.

 

We did make it back within a few minutes of the time we were supposed to be onboard, but the ship had to wait almost three more hours before the last Princess tour bus arrived.

[contentsam]

During our cruise from Sidney to LA, we were left behind in New Zeland. We took a ship sponsor tour, which included an overnight stay, picking up the ship the next afternoon at 5. Because of of high seas, the ship could not dock. We found out in the morning and the tour did continue for that day. Then Princess put us up for two additional night, with food, paid our air transportation to Sidney (I even got miles) to catch the ship. We also had a floral arrangement and bottle of wine in our cabin welcoming us back from the Captian and crew. THERE IS AN ADVANTAGE OF TAKING SHIP'S SPONSOR TOURS. The passengers, said we were the lucky one, because the seas were fvery rough. The disadvantage, we only packed enough clothes for overnight.

Sam

[hansi]

Had a great cruise. LOTS of FUN. Loved the food and pretty much loved the whole trip. No complaints at all. Crew great, very attentive.

Princess Cays, Curacao and Aruba. I LOVED Aruba. Enjoyed a lovely day at Palm Beach, near the RIU Palace, where we rented chairs and an umbrella.

 

OKAY, so after a nice day in Curacao, everyone is due back to ship at 9:30. Ship to depart at 10:00. Right around this time, we hear "the call" of 4 girls names from two cabins, one on Aloha deck and one on Emerald Deck. About 10 min later, we hear the same 4 names and then again around 10:00. Lots of folks are talking amongst themselves and others, wondering if these 4 girls have made it back on board. We happened to be out on the Promenade during this time, admiring Curacao at night and wanting to see a night-time sailaway. People are now gathering out on the different decks to see if they are coming back. NOTHING. Now of course, the talk is really ramping up. Around 10:10 or 10:15 I will say, the pilot boat unties the heavy cords and the ship starts to back away from the dock. A friend in out group starts YELLING, "I see them, I see them, they are running to the ship !" At that point you can really hear people from the ship all starting to see them too and yelling different things. We see three of the 4 running up the concrete docks, the 4th held back a bit... whether she just couldn't keep up or felt "it was too late" she missed the boat, or, perhaps got very upset and just stopped? We don't know. Needless to say, it was heart-wrenching seeing these girls standing there watching the boat pull away. NO, the ship did NOT go back.

 

I did ask two mornings later, at the shore excursions desk where two women were working and not waiting on anyone, (Pursers desk was crowded and I didn't want to bother the folks hard at work....) if they made it to the ship. YES they did, they flew from Curacao to Aruba the next day and got on the ship. It's a short flight.

 

I have NEVER seen this happen before and hope I never see it again. I'm sure it was an awful feeling for the girls, thank God there is a hotel right there and perhaps they stayed there. I also heard from another employee that two passports were found IN THE CABIN so I am wondering how this factored into them getting back on board. I mean, they all did come back... pretty quickly, without two having passports with them.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share this with you all....... and thank Goodness for them, they were all safe. I hope they can laugh about it some-day....

 

 

I can never understand why people feel the need to wait till the last minute to get back on board. Heaven knows, they are given enough reminders. I certainly wouldn't laugh about it. I'd be devastated. Okay, it was an inter island flight in this case, but what would have happened if it was a transatlantic crossing?:eek:

[Treven]

I've been late getting back, only once and it was a ship-sponsored excursion. It was my first cruise too, in Hawaii. We were the last tour to get back, but as it was a ship's tour we had a ship waiting for us (about 8 or so of us) when we got back; we got caught up in traffic that the driver hadn't anticipated.:rolleyes: I wonder what it would cost the tour company to get all of us to the next port.

 

7 years later I'm still not real comfortable taking non sponsored excursions, although on my next cruise, in June to Alaska, I'm taking two excursions semi on my own.