JUST Home from Crown ! They DO leave passengers behind !

[Nomsayin]

We kept wondering if they were VIP's or something.

 

VIP: Very Inconsiderate Person.

[Pam in CA]

No problem going around in China without a guide. However, China does not want people left ashore who were supposed to sail although the visa needed to stop in China on a cruise ship is the same one to arrive by plane.

 

Russia in St. Petersburg requires all ship passengers who do not have a visa to only be ashore with a licensed guide. Russia does not have this requirement in Vladivostok.

I agree. You can be completely on your own in China, no problem. To add to what Bill said, Sochi, Russia (site of the 2014 Winter Olympics) also requires a guide with you 100% of the time. You can't even head to a bathroom without a tour guide. I sure hope they loosen up before the Olympics or it'll be a very unpleasant experience for Olympians and spectators alike.

[tothemall&beyond]

Unfortunately this won't be any good to you if you miss the ship. You have to have your real passport to travel. Maybe it would be better to take the real passport with you and keep the copy on the ship.

 

The cruise line will always go into your cabin to find your passports and leave them with the port agent. We each carry in our money belts full-size color copies of both of our passports that I've laminated with packing tape.

[pablo222]

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

 

Princess will try to land their documents.

[DENNAS]

Princess will try to land their documents.

 

Thanks, I had no idea.

I heard that two passports were found in the cabins, I have to wonder if the other two girls had carried them off the ship then..... since I heard that all 4 made it back onto the ship the next day, in Aruba.

[NitaBcruising]

Might I draw your attention to this hilarious video taken from Navigator of the Seas:

 

It brings a new meaning to the phrase 'walking the plank' :D

 

 

Loved it! Thanks for sharing! :D

[RET_REF]

On Sunday, we were told by the caretaker on Princess Cays who lives and works there year round for Princess that thus far this calendar year (2012) Princess ships have left 23 people behind who either fell asleep or set out on their own to explore the private island. It turns out that they had to pay $150 in cab fares to an airport in the Bahamas and then pay for a flight to St. Thomas where they then have to pay for another flight to fly back to Florida. So when they say be on the last tenders at 3:30 PM or you WILL be left behind its very true. And it will be a rather expensive lesson learned!

[Smokeyham]

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:

 

Princess is paying for the services of the line handlers, tug boats, pilots, etc. by the hour so it is perfectly reasonable that the Captain should leave on time.

 

The passengers on the dock are adults, and need to take responsibility for their own actions.

[lynwar]

Gee, I just saw that video, too. That plank looked awfully narrow to me, and I'm not a big person. I'm not that "leap of faith" person like in the Indiana Jones movie. I would have been the first one to elect catching up somewhere else. I have had to get off a ship to the shore on just a visit somewhere-not cruise related. The ship was in port but there was still that space between the ship and the dock. No gangway!! LOL. It was a BIG STEP. No, I did not look down!

 

Thanks for the video. It reinforces my reserve to always get to the ship on time!!

 

Lynne

[buckeye82]

One evening we sat down to dinner with a gentleman at our table after a day in port. Grinning sheepishly he told the group about how he had managed to board the wrong Princess ship! When he could not get into "his cabin" he flagged down a cabin attendant, who in turn flagged down a supervisor. They realized that he was on the wrong ship. Of course by then the ship had just left port. He got to ride in the pilot boat back to the dock where he was escorted to the correct Princess ship! It was amazing to us that his ship's card worked on another boat. That was quite a while ago. I bet that doesn't happen anymore!

[RickEk]

One evening we sat down to dinner with a gentleman at our table after a day in port. Grinning sheepishly he told the group about how he had managed to board the wrong Princess ship! When he could not get into "his cabin" he flagged down a cabin attendant, who in turn flagged down a supervisor. They realized that he was on the wrong ship. Of course by then the ship had just left port. He got to ride in the pilot boat back to the dock where he was escorted to the correct Princess ship! It was amazing to us that his ship's card worked on another boat. That was quite a while ago. I bet that doesn't happen anymore!

 

Back in the day (pre 9/11), I'm told that if you were on a Princess ship, you could tour any other Princess ship that was in port at the same time... :)

[notentirelynormal]

Back in the day (pre 9/11), I'm told that if you were on a Princess ship, you could tour any other Princess ship that was in port at the same time... :)

 

Yup, that's true. We used to do that once in a while when we knew a specific crew member was on board the other ship.

[donaldsc]

. Needless to say, it was heart-wrenching seeing these girls standing there watching the boat pull away. NO, the ship did NOT go back.

 

.

 

Why should we feel sorry for them? They know what time they were supposed to be back. Everyone else made it.

 

Serves them right.

 

DON

[DENNAS]

Why should we feel sorry for them? They know what time they were supposed to be back. Everyone else made it.

 

Serves them right.

 

DON

 

 

Being there that day, I have two viewpoints. My logical side says I definately agree with you, YES, everyone else made it. They should have known what time to be back to the ship, PERIOD.

 

And, as I stated earlier, I did have a lively discussion with an older gentleman at the International Cafe basically telling him that we are ALL ADULTS and have to be conscious of the time. (He felt that Princess was at fault for having a late departure from a Port. Honestly, I would never have even thought of THAT one....)

 

But, ah gee, if ya have a heart, you might have just a little itty bit of sympathy. Just knowing their next 24 or so hours would be a nightmare........ cost-wise and logistically. Then add to that the fact that I have never witnessed folks staring at the ship from the wrong side. It was a sad sight indeed, although it did make for lots of interesting discussion for many hours of our trip !

[cjpoin36]

I have seen it at least 3 times. Everyone is told what time to be back and as you exit the ship there is a big sign telling you what time you must be back on the ship. There is no reason that the ship should wait or return to the dock for wayward passengers, unless they are on a ship sponsored tour. One time I saw the pilot ship pull alongside and two late passengers climbed up the rope ladder along the side of the ship.

[Matcodixon]

I absolutely guarantee that we will be back on board on time (a bit early, in fact) at every port on our Mediterranean cruise. As difficult as it may seem to be stranded on an island in the Caribbean, Getting stranded in a port on this cruise, with a real language barrier is even scarier (at least to me) :eek:

[Lynniepoo]

This is why DH and I book our shore excursions with Princess. It costs more and we willingly pay it, knowing that if there is traffic or some unforseen issue, the ship WILL wait for us. The extra money is worth the peace of mind while on vacation!

[JustinPlusLauren]

Wow, that would be crazy to see them running to the dock as the ship is pulling away...although you do have to be back on time and the ship will not wait! Why should thousands of passengers have to wait for just a few people, especially when it could take hours for them to return, who knows. I could see the ship waiting if it were a Princess shore excursion and there was some sort of reason why they were late (ie. a tour bus breaks down) and Princess knew how long it would take for the group to return. I'm glad to hear they at least caught up in Aruba! Glad to hear you had a fun cruise. We really enjoyed sailing on the Crown a few months ago!

[navybankerteacher]

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:

 

At what point will you acknowledge that a ship full of perhaps 3,000 passengers and maybe 1,000 crew should not have to wait for some incompetent or self-absorbed twits who can't meet their obligations?

 

Frankly, it is good that a few people get left behind now and then --- they make a good object lesson -- if no one ever got left behind because the ship would always wait for them, don't you think the number of late returners would soar?

 

As a passsenger, I would be inclined to fault the captain if he did delay several thousand people for the convenience of a few irresponsibles.

[RhondaPerr]

While I totally agree that people can be irresponsible and not heed the warnings of being back on time, I do have to say that sometimes Its beyond the persons control! When we were in Rome there was a wildcat taxi strike where the cab drivers blocked every route possible, got out of their cabs and left! Thankfully we had a great guide who knew amazing detours, but others were not so lucky! People who were not on a ships tour were delayed by hours getting back to the ship!

 

 

Another time there were people on a tour bus going to see the Pyramids in Mexico and the bus broke down! It was not the cruiselines tour, it was privately chartered by about 20 people! Again we ended up waiting hours beyond our departure time!

[JLC@SD]

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:

 

....this is good way to go about getting yourself tossed off the ship........:rolleyes:

[triviaplayer7425]

Some of you do not seem to realize that there is a strict schedule for a reason. I have seen people left on the dock, the schedule tells you all aboard at 6:00 p.m. so the ship can leave at 6:30p.m. Tides are a big factor. Sometimes there is a small window to get out of port.

I did ask one of the Captain's why he didn't wait for passengers and he said "When do you draw the line? If we give them 30 minutes, they will take an hour". Also, do you really think it is fair to inconvenience 2,000 plus passengers for 2 or 3 that cannot tell time?

[Pam in CA]

If someone goes on their own and something happens such as a strike, car breakdown, etc., that's the risk you take. It's unfortunate if that causes you to miss the ship but it's still your responsibility to be there on time, no matter what. You also assume all responsibility for your own safety. When you book a ship's tour, it's more expensive but the cruiseline takes responsibility for getting you back to the ship, even if it's the next day in another port. That's what you're paying for. The Captain has no obligation to wait for anyone leaving the ship independently.

[RickEk]

....this is good way to go about getting yourself tossed off the ship........:rolleyes:

 

My thoughts exactly... the Captain would be incredulous of this person's cheekiness... :)

[Treven]

My thoughts exactly... the Captain would be incredulous of this person's cheekiness... :)

I wonder if he'd be invited off at the next port, or before it? I've a pretty good idea what the captain would like to do! :-))