Bus will miss ship departure in Costa Rica tonight!

[oakridger]

I’m currently on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Puntarenas Costa Rica. Just now the  Captain just came on and said that the torrential rains earlier have blocked many roads and one bus of 41 people is stranded!  He said they are now in a Marriott hotel and we will go ahead and sail so as not to miss our Panama Canal time slot on Wednesday. HAL is figuring out how to get them their passports and medications and they will be transported to somewhere currently unknown (Aruba?) to meet the ship!  The tour they were on was a rainforest and zip line tour. What a bummer!  It looks like HAL is scrambling to help. I’ll update when we hear more.  ~Nancy

[FOPMan]

Oof! We usually keep our passports in the cabin safe, but do take a copy ashore.

 

This is gonna be hard to solve.

[cruzn single]

How awful for those stranded.  Hope it can all be worked out in a satisfactory manner.

[oakridger]

Yes. Captain said we will leave a little late while they do the required immigration paperwork for the pax left behind. 

[pengu1n]

Wow, that sounds like a nightmare to get straightened out! I guess it's a good ad for taking a ship-sponsored tour though, how much worse people on their own!

[oakridger]

Fortunately all other pax and crew made it back!!!

[WriterOnDeck]

On the 2020 World about 20 passengers took a HAL land tour for 2 nights in Australia, planning to rejoin the ship in Darwin. Well, due to covid we skipped Darwin and got to Perth about a week later to fly home. Those passengers (including a friend of mine), were flown straight  to Brisbane and then back home, with only what they took on the short trip. Someone packed their cabins and left the luggage to travel with the ship to Fort Lauderdale (along with almost 3,000 other bags we left on board), but due to continued covid and then the ship (Amsterdam) being  sold, my friend did not get her luggage for 7 months (same with all of us, but at least we could take 2 suitcases home on the plane).

 

HAL takes care of you, but I've learned to travel with emergency meds regardless.

[Papa Yoda]

Ship security can open the safes, leaving late will also let them get that stuff ashore. 

 

We almost got left behind in Puntarenas - our tour return was late and the Veendam had to leave before low tide as the port is shallow.  We thought no worries, the Captain's wife was on our excursion.  She said, "Oh no, he'll leave us."

 

(but would leave a tender if necessary)

 

We made it back as they were singling up lines, we heard we had only 3 ft left.

[scubacruiserx2]

We're currently departing Punta Arenas on the NA ( about 2 hours late ) . Best wishes and our prayers to those left behind on the ships tour . 

Edited October 18, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

[Boatdrill]

How unfortunate those left behind won't be aboard to transit the canal (unless they can join the ship in Panama City).

On the other hand,  their unexpected layover may turn out well, and become quite a memorable adventure.

 

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by Boatdrill

[canadianbear]

2 hours ago, oakridger said:

I’m currently on the Nieuw Amsterdam at Puntarenas Costa Rica. Just now the  Captain just came on and said that the torrential rains earlier have blocked many roads and one bus of 41 people is stranded!  He said they are now in a Marriott hotel and we will go ahead and sail so as not to miss our Panama Canal time slot on Wednesday. HAL is figuring out how to get them their passports and medications and they will be transported to somewhere currently unknown (Aruba?) to meet the ship!  The tour they were on was a rainforest and zip line tour. What a bummer!  It looks like HAL is scrambling to help. I’ll update when we hear more.  ~Nancy

There is a person on FB, a 4* mariner, who is very, very upset as he was on this excursion.  Wish he’d post on here to know HAL is doing the best they can.  

[Boatdrill]

Does he say what his main complaints are ? Other than being left behind in Costa Rica...

[canadianbear]

Just now, Boatdrill said:

Does he say what his main complaints are ? Other than being left behind in Costa Rica...

He was very upset that the excursion wasn’t cancelled due to stormy weather.  Mentioned they were soaking wet and of course no other clothes to put on.  

[canadianbear]

Further to this person on FB, looks like he’s removed his post probably because some were not very polite/sympathetic.  Hoping he will be ok once he realizes HAL is trying.  

[Beejay4016]

2 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

How unfortunate those left behind won't be aboard to transit the canal (unless they can join the ship in Panama City).

On the other hand,  their unexpected layover may turn out well, and become quite a memorable adventure.

 

 

I agree, it could be a real adventure - something to talk about for months to come with friends and family, not to mention hundreds of posts here on CC. And when they do rejoin the ship, no doubt they will be treated like celebrities.

[puppycanducruise]

That's quite an adventure for some.  I'm glad HAL is doing what it can for everyone.

[friendswithdave]

8 hours ago, pengu1n said:

Wow, that sounds like a nightmare to get straightened out! I guess it's a good ad for taking a ship-sponsored tour though, how much worse people on their own!

I expect the ship's response would be the same regardless of how the tour was sponsored. I don't see reason here to discriminate against a land-based tour where roads are literally washed out. 

[summer slope]

I wonder why, if the police could get through they couldn’t bring the guests back to the ship a carful at a time. 

[Destiny0315]

https://youtu.be/L0wNlN8WqnU

 

Link to You Tube video of some of the flooding in Costa Rica

[CruiserBruce]

24 minutes ago, summer slope said:

I wonder why, if the police could get through they couldn’t bring the guests back to the ship a carful at a time. 

Because maybe the police getting through was a high risk operation...not worth making multiple trips with innocent people? Maybe the bus was in a safe location, just couldn't get past the flooding. Making the ship with a dangerous, high risk operation IS NOT the priority. People being safe is.

 

Really, second guessing people at the scene from a 1000 (or more) miles away?

[SH55]

Mother Nature can often cause a change in plans and that flooding shown in the YouTube video above certainly shows that the people being safe in a Marriott is the best choice.  I can understand their disappointment but I don't think directing their frustrations at HAL is the right place.  I too have often shaken a fist at Mother Nature but have still appreciated the people around me that were working hard to make the situation better and keeping safety the priority.

[highscar]

@SH55 well said. 

[sndral]

4 hours ago, friendswithdave said:

I expect the ship's response would be the same regardless of how the tour was sponsored. I don't see reason here to discriminate against a land-based tour where roads are literally washed out. 

The ship leaving by a certain time such as the case here where there was a deadline for transmitting the Panama Canal or as a PP posted due to tidal limitations at a port then yes, the ship will leave irrespective of whether the late passengers are on a ship’s tour or a private one. Likewise delivering documents & the like to shore. My understanding was that w/ ship sponsored tours, the ship will wait for late returning tours absent unusual circumstances (indeed that happened on one of my ship sponsored tours - our bus made it back an hour after scheduled departure & the ship was waiting for us.)

The difference in this case would be on what happens after the ship leaves - I assume (but don’t know) that HAL is paying the Marriott Hotel bill of those 41 people & will arrange & pay for their transit to rejoin the ship as well as dealing w/ the paperwork involved. My understanding is those on a private tour would be on their own & have to pay their own expenses to get back to the ship.
I’m not a terribly experienced cruiser, though, & would be interested to know whether I’m correct in my assumptions about the differences in handling ship v. private tours in these situations.

[canadianbear]

A member of the FB group posted this:

 

The captain said the tour group all have their passports with them and will let us know when they are on their way to the ship. However, they were still at the Marriott hotel. And we will go through the Panama canal on time as scheduled. We made up the time during the night, and we were only 1 1/2 hours in leaving the port of Punta Arenas  in Costa Rica.

[albingirl]

I know some must be very unhappy about this turn of events. Total drag with no fresh clothing and feeling as though your knickers are in a twist. This is temporary,however. I am presently observing a true disaster here in Florida. It's all perspective. Hoping it's sorted soon for the travelers