Left behind on RCCI Shore Excursion

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks QM2 Cruiser.:D ...helpful to know that as my parents are booked on the QM2 for sept...Canada/NewEngland....and with lots of ports they were getting a bit anxious.

 

They are just on way home from the Splendour....no ship tours this time;)

 

Liz

 

Did they have a good time on Splendor?

[mcca2]

Liz,

 

Thanks for the heads up. I just came upon your post today. So glad your folks got back to the ship OK. That must have been an unpleasant experience for them.

We are headed out on the Jewel next year with some older family members, so will be sure to keep a close watch on them.

 

We are sailing on the Mariner on Ocober 30. When are you going?

 

Kate.

[Elizanessie]

I think they enjoyed the Splendour(mum has been on it before but not stepdad)...and this time they had my brother and family for their first cruise...and they are now addicted to cruising....now if I can just get my brother to try the bigger ships maybe I can get him to try the Caribbean:D It was very hot though on the Med...but by all the texts I have been getting they all had a ball:D

Kate ...we are with the Reali-Tini group on the 16th Oct:D and only two months on tuesday till we leave the UK for the US.(a week in Orlando etc first)...getting excited now.:D Will let you know how we get on on the Mariner.

Liz

[DD]

Liz has been around the board for a while, is not new to cruising and is very supportive in general. To think that she is being less than honest, or that is reporting bad information just does not make any sense to me at all. She did not report something horrific, did not appear to embellish and is, in general someone you can rely on. I 100% believe what she is posting here and that is not because I am stupid and believe that every bad experience posted is 100% true. My "bull Poo" meter is set to "high" and just does not ever go off with anything she ever posts.

 

Thanks for posting that. As I read the thread, I thought the same thing. I can't believe anyone would question her story. Any time a post that's negative or even slightly less-than-stellar is posted, someone questions that integrity or memory or veracity of the poster. That's not necessary.

 

Even the best company in the world occasionally performs sub-par. Why is it so difficult for someone to believe that, on occasion, their favorite cruise line, or its agents, could err?

[xpcdoojk]

Thanks QM2 Cruiser.:D ...helpful to know that as my parents are booked on the QM2 for sept...Canada/NewEngland....and with lots of ports they were getting a bit anxious.

 

They are just on way home from the Splendour....no ship tours this time;)

 

Liz

 

Hi Liz

 

Good to see you around.:)

 

I don't think your folks should be too worried about being left behind in New England or Canada. Not that they couldn't get left, but that the terror of being left behind in these places would not be nearly as bad. They speak the language, and the people there would take care of them. :D

 

jc

[pcur]

HA!! The people in New England and Canada would ADOPT them..... :D :D

 

Hiya, Liz!!!

[CanuckCruizer]

Liz,

 

I can imagine the fear and stress your parents felt - left standing there...in Russia...as a similar thing almost happened to us...

 

We just got married in the Caribbean while cruising this past April. We are not elderly (just turned 40) and quite able to get ourselves where we are supposed to be and like your Mum, are never late. We were on the Coral Princess and went on a Princess excursion to the ruins in Belize. The tour was a disaster from start to finish - tour was not described accurately by Princess - a much longer bus ride than stated, less time to explore, only 10 minutes for an included lunch that was served to us, scary busdriver driving SO dangerously - you get the picture. We even had to pull over on the side of the road for over 1/2 hour to change buses to get a new bus ( a long story...). Anyway, after the LONG drive to get to the ruins, we were told at the last minute that we had TEN TO FIFTEEN MINUTES to climb them (Princess told us we would have one hour). My husband is obsessed with ruins and said he wanted to try and climb up. I told him to make sure he came down in time. He ran up the steps and I started videotaping him. Others from different tours (I don't know if they were other ship's tours or private tours - as a matter of fact, we may have been the only ship there that day - I can't remember) went up and maybe one or two people from ours. We did have a few elderly people on our tour, so there wasn't too many that went up and I guess a lot of people were waiting around to leave as they had no interest in climbing them. My husband had just got up there and the female tourguide says that we are leaving now. Luckily, I was in the vicinity to hear her (as she didn't move from where she was standing or yell or anything). I ran up to her and told her that the ten to fifteen minutes were not up yet for climbing (it had only been about five or six minutes) and that my husband was still up there. She told me "You better find a way to get him down, honey, 'cause we're leaving right now!" I told her she couldn't leave before the allotted time and that a member of her group was still up there and she just looked at me and said "I told you we're leaving now - with or without you!" I asked her how I was supposed to get him down - like was there an easier way up for me to take (it was only about 105 degrees and I do have a bad leg after all and I basically would not have made it up there alive especially with all the camera equipment I was carrying!) and she never answered me and walked away! It was at least 15-20 minutes before the scheduled time to leave! I panicked and starting calling his name (of course, he couldn't hear me because he was on the top of the ruins!). I tell you - there was about 2-3 minutes when I wasn't sure what to do - I knew I couldn't climb up to get him. Luckily - he got too hot, didn't quite make it to the top and had the sense to come down early! We had to run to meet the bus. This woman, by the way, never ONCE did a head count and we were on and off the bus several times. We had no stickers or identifying markers either. I just gave you a few of the highlights - but if anyone has ever been to Belize - you would know why I wouldn't want to be left there! The whole problem was this tourguide was running late (because of the bus mishap and traffic) and wanted to do "double time" to get back to the ship so she wouldn't get in trouble for having a late tour. The tour cost $89 US each and was a total waste of time and money as we were so rushed. I was never so relieved to get back on a tour bus in my life!

 

I have been on over 16 cruises on Princess, RCCL, Celebrity, NCL and another Russian cruiseline (don't ask!) and have taken many shore excursions and I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a sticker or had to show identification at any time before, during or after the tour. I have even wondered why they give you tickets for shore excursions as no one ever asked to see them! I have seen guides do head counts but I must say I have seen many a "loose" head count done - LOL. You definitely have to be on the ball and get back earlier than they say. I have been on many tours where one couple or family have held up the entire tour because they were late and we had to wait, so some guides must count properly and know that people are missing.

 

I am very glad that your parents made out allright and are home safe and sound.

 

For all those non-believers out there that think that this type of thing COULD NEVER happen on RCCL or any other cruiseline, you are just lucky people that have never run into any problems. I actually know one person that was left behind off a cruiseship and had to pay to get back themselves, so these kinds of things DO HAPPEN.

CanuckCruizer

[ShamrockFL]

I posted earlier on this thread saying we were going to Russia with Celebrity and because we were with a group of 20 or so who we "knew", we were glad that couldn't happen. Wrong!! My wife was sick on our second day in St. Pete so I was alone with the group - (is that possible - to be alone with a group!!). At the end of the day we were in the Hermitage and our guide gave us 30 minutes of free time to wander and meet back at the same place to head back to the ship. I got back at the appointed time to find no one I knew in sight. I waited about 20 minutes, all the time keeping my eye very closely on a Celebrity tour group, thinking that if all else failed I would hook up with them and be rescued. Eventully one of the people in the group came back to our meeting place to get me. They had all been back 5 minutes early and our guide (Red October) did a head count, found she had the right number and headed out for the bus. When they got to the bus she was 1 short. She apparently had counted the wrong person in the Hermitage, who of course had then gone on his merry way. I was getting a little concerned since this was our departure evening. As one of the earlier posters said - "we're not elderly - in our 40s" - I'm not elderly either - only late 60s, but I survived! One thing was certain, that Celebrity tour group wasn't getting out of the Hermitage without me!!!:D

[colette5479]

Hey there Liz! I've missed you! Email me girlie!!:p :D :) ;)