Don't miss all aboard

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, jakkojakko said:

And yet that cannot be found anymore! Ncl forcing CC to remove?

It’s still on the first page on NCL board, second thread from bottom.  It’s 24 pages long.  EM

[Sea42]

On our May cruise in Norway, at our Bergen port stop, the ship did wait about 20 minutes (?) for 2 people who were late getting back to the ship. It appeared they had been walking around town and not on a tour. We could see ship personnel watching and waiting for them at the port entrance. I will say both were walking pretty fast.

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, Wehwalt said:

There is a rather lengthy discussion on the NCL board that seems to be generating as much heat as light.

 

Which is not that unusual for that board!

[Wehwalt]

Even though the island is only thirty miles long, the fact that you're dealing with a not-very-developed African country screams for allowing ample time.

 

The up side is that the island is getting lots of publicity. Readership of the Wikipedia articles has tripled. Perhaps that will translate into increased tourism.

 

https://pageviews.wmcloud.org/?project=en.wikipedia.org&platform=all-access&agent=user&redirects=0&range=latest-20&pages=São_Tomé_and_Príncipe|São_Tomé

[syesmar]

3 hours ago, jakkojakko said:

And yet that cannot be found anymore!…

Here it is. If it was removed, it’s back up now. 

 

[TiogaCruiser]

So only ONE couple had a debit card with them? What about credit cards?

 

What in the world was the back-up plan of each of the others?

[lupaglupa]

I was on HAL in Alaska and asked a crew member about people missing the ship. I was shocked when she told me they had left someone behind at least once every trip that season. 

 

What stood out to me in this story is that the group included several people with medical issues. My husband and I would never be so careless as to risk being separated from necessary medications etc. We explore independently when we know we will be in walking distance of the ship. Otherwise we pay the money extra for a HAL sponsored excursion. It's just not worth the risk. 

 

Can anyone remember a news story like this about travelers missing a plane or a train or a bus? No one expects other forms of travel to wait for them!

[terrydtx]

Even the cruise line sponsored shore excursions are not guaranteed to always get you back to the ship. On our first HAL cruise on the Volendam a HAL tour of Costa Rico's capital city was delayed by mud slides and a full tour bus could not get back to the ship for 6 hours. The Captain said we could not wait for them to return as it would delay us getting to our next port 2 days later. We had friends on that tour, and it was a nightmare for them, getting to the next port to catch up with the ship. 

 

We rarely book any ship sponsored excursions anymore and book with several reputable tour companies that all have similar guarantees to get you back to the ship on time or pay to get you to the next port. Out of maybe 40 private tours done, we have not once been close to missing the ship sailing aways.

Edited April 3 by terrydtx

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, jakkojakko said:

And yet that cannot be found anymore! Ncl forcing CC to remove?

It's still there. Something like 25 pages.

[sandiego1]

Pls be aware that HAL may not be able to wait for a late ship sponsored tour. As others have written, they are things outside of the Captain’s control that dictate the departure time - tides, length of time to get to next port, dock/tender availability, Pilot availability (required in some ports), etc. 

 

HAL WILL leave with without passengers on a late tour if required. However, in that case, HAL will make the arrangements for them to travel to the next port.

 

We are extra cautious with our return time if the ship has many sea days after the current stop. For example, we definitely don’t want to miss the ship if we’d have to fly from French Polynesia to Australia!

 

Lessons:

• ensure YOU know what the departure time and be aware that sometimes, ship time is different than the current time on land (we had to keep this in mind in the Galapagos and other countries)

•bring a few days with of your meds on any day tour

•bring credit cards and debit cards

•tell your tour operator that you want to be back to the ship earlier that all aboard time and leave early if you are at a stop that is far away from the pier to account for traffic, etc.

•bring a copy of the port agent info on the tour. We take a photo of it AND take the card with us.

•bring some cash - US and local currency.

•have the entire itinerary with you so you know where and when the ship will arrive in the next ports.

•ensure that any travel buddies on your tour know that you will leave without them if they are more than a few minutes late. I am picky about who I invite on my independent tours. I only invite people that I know are prompt and respectful of other’s time. I’ve never had an issue.

 

 

 

 

[Riversedge]

We were on a RCCL cruise once when a couple was late.  They came running down the dock as we were pulling out.  The man dove off the dock and started swimming after the ship.  The pilot boat picked him up and his wife and took them to the ship.  It made for fun entertainment from the verandah.  (It worked if any of you need to try this….)
We do a lot of cc independent shore excursions.  There’s always a couple or two that will start harassing the tour guide continuously about getting back 2 hours into a 6 hour excursion.  

[jakkojakko]

17 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

It's still there. Something like 25 pages.

Thank you. I did an extensive search going pages back to where I knew I saw it last and it wasn't there. They must have put it back up again.

[terrydtx]

This morning Fox News had a short mention of the incident, but they made it sound like it was NCL's fault. The fault lies purely with the people on the private excursion. It is no different than when an airliner closes the cabin door and gets ready to pulls away from the gate, they will not return to get a late passenger.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

This morning Fox News had a short mention of the incident, but they made it sound like it was NCL's fault. The fault lies purely with the people on the private excursion. It is no different than when an airliner closes the cabin door and gets ready to pulls away from the gate, they will not return to get a late passenger.

According to the media, it is always the fault of the cruise line when something goes wrong.

[mcrcruiser]

We feel sorry for those that the NCL sho[ left behind ;however ,it is the resonsinility of each pax to be on board before the ship is scheduled to sail . We are sure this is covered in the contract that every passenger must sign 

[syesmar]

4 hours ago, jakkojakko said:

Thank you. I did an extensive search going pages back to where I knew I saw it last and it wasn't there. They must have put it back up again.

It’s still visible at the link in my last post. However, it has been recently locked so it won’t stay on the front pages much longer.

Edited April 4 by syesmar

[Horizon chaser 1957]

There was an interesting discussion about waiting for passengers at an Ask The Captain session on the 2023WC. He told us that’s it’s not company policy to wait for non-HAL tours, but… A certain amount is up to the captain’s discretion. If it is a large group, they aren’t too far out, and they call the ship or port agent, they will usually wait IF the port agent allows it. If it’s a small group and they don’t hear from you, or you overstay your time at Senor Frogs, your passport will be waiting for you at the empty pier. His personal cutoff was 10 people, all things being equal. And if the Port Authority needs the berth for an incoming ship, or just wants to flex their muscles, or the tide is only favourable for a short window, then all things are not equal.

From the articles I’ve read, it was 8 people. When someone noticed time was short, the guide assured them he’d have them back in time. Instead of insisting they cut and run for the ship, they carried on with the planned agenda. And indeed, their passports were waiting at the empty pier. NCL had them fly to Banjul, Gambia on their own dime. Banjul is a tricky port to get into, with sandbars and tides that can ground a ship if tackled at the wrong time. We have sailed there twice, and were able to actually get in once. The NCL ship was unable to get into Banjul to pick them up. At that point, NCL footed the bill and responsibility to get them to Dakar.

Edited April 4 by Horizon chaser 1957

[Mary229]

  The world is not a theme park.  There is no lost a found for adult children, there is no one who thinks you are all that special.   I have no mercy on  or sympathy for those that want to hold up thousands of other peoples’ travel plans so they can get one more picture.  Get to the ship on time. 

Edited April 4 by Mary229

[ellieanne]

7 hours ago, Mary229 said:

  The world is not a theme park.  There is no lost a found for adult children, there is no one who thinks you are all that special.   I have no mercy on  or sympathy for those that want to hold up thousands of other peoples’ travel plans so they can get one more picture.  Get to the ship on time. 

I agree, mostly. Sometimes even the best plans get a bit waylaid. On one of our stops in Sydney, NS, a group on a tour was held up due to a massive accident that closed part of the road back to the port. Obviously not their fault, and even if they could get to an alternate route, they would be late back, despite having left with plenty of time to make it back before all-aboard time. The group contacted the ship and the ship waited over 45 minutes for them. That's fair, and it didn't have a significant impact on getting to the next port.

 

There are degrees and there are reasons. In Boston, there is not much leeway, because port operations are controlled by Logan Airport, so the time is tight and the ship leaves. In Sydney, NS, the port is smaller and there is a bit more leeway about coming & going time. However, it would have been perfectly reasonable to assess the late passengers with any over-time fees charged by the port. (For the record, I do not know if that happened, but it would be a reasonable thing for the ship to do.)

It's not always the passengers' fault, but that does not mean it is not always the passengers' responsibility.

[Haljo1935]

10 hours ago, Mary229 said:

  The world is not a theme park.  There is no lost a found for adult children, there is no one who thinks you are all that special.   I have no mercy on  or sympathy for those that want to hold up thousands of other peoples’ travel plans so they can get one more picture.  Get to the ship on time. 

I think they took lessons from the Late Returners on my ill-fated K'dam Pearl Harbor excursion.🙄

Agree - Extenuating circumstances aside, get to the ship (or bus) on time.

[Will_Dieterich]

Ever so often it pays off to be sitting at a bar with a view of the port so you can see the pier runners.

[ellieanne]

10 minutes ago, Will_Dieterich said:

Ever so often it pays off to be sitting at a bar with a view of the port so you can see the pier runners.

This is one reason why I am out on the wrap-around deck at sailaway.

[VMax1700]

We had an exciting one in Livorno a few years ago.  After the usual paging a ship's whistling, we let go of the lines about 30 minutes late and were about 50 metres from the pier when a taxi four wheel drifted round the corner of the terminal and screetched to a halt!  An Asian couple alighted complete with shopping bags and stood there, arms slightly from their sides (with shopping bag in each hand) and mouths open.   Lucky for them, the Captain held the ship in position and they were 'tendered' to the ship on the pilot boat, to the amusement and applause of those on their balconies.

[Heidi13]

11 hours ago, ellieanne said:

I agree, mostly. Sometimes even the best plans get a bit waylaid. On one of our stops in Sydney, NS, a group on a tour was held up due to a massive accident that closed part of the road back to the port. Obviously not their fault, and even if they could get to an alternate route, they would be late back, despite having left with plenty of time to make it back before all-aboard time. The group contacted the ship and the ship waited over 45 minutes for them. That's fair, and it didn't have a significant impact on getting to the next port.

 

There are degrees and there are reasons. In Boston, there is not much leeway, because port operations are controlled by Logan Airport, so the time is tight and the ship leaves. In Sydney, NS, the port is smaller and there is a bit more leeway about coming & going time. However, it would have been perfectly reasonable to assess the late passengers with any over-time fees charged by the port. (For the record, I do not know if that happened, but it would be a reasonable thing for the ship to do.)

It's not always the passengers' fault, but that does not mean it is not always the passengers' responsibility.

 

When pax miss the all aboard time, I concur that it is not always the pax fault and it is always the pax responsibility to be back before the ship sails.

 

In the situation you noted, the Master elected to delay departure for customer service reasons, but almost every delay has a significant impact on the operating costs, with bunkers being the biggest. Delays may not have a significant impact to pax, but the additional costs quickly add up, which can be a significant impact the ship's operating budget, to which the Master must answer.

 

Therefore, in addition to port fees, pilot charges, longshoremen charges, tug charges, etc I'll suggest the ship should also assess a charge for the additional bunkers consumed, due to the higher speed required. This can be a very significant cost, as the last 1.5 kts of speed can required a 25% increase in fuel. Depending on the size of ship and speeds involved, the increased fuel costs can be tens of thousands of dollars.

 

If cruise lines assessed costs, it many cases, it would be cheaper for pax to make their own way to the next post, rather than pay the ship's delay costs.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

When pax miss the all aboard time, I concur that it is not always the pax fault and it is always the pax responsibility to be back before the ship sails.

 

In the situation you noted, the Master elected to delay departure for customer service reasons, but almost every delay has a significant impact on the operating costs, with bunkers being the biggest. Delays may not have a significant impact to pax, but the additional costs quickly add up, which can be a significant impact the ship's operating budget, to which the Master must answer.

 

Therefore, in addition to port fees, pilot charges, longshoremen charges, tug charges, etc I'll suggest the ship should also assess a charge for the additional bunkers consumed, due to the higher speed required. This can be a very significant cost, as the last 1.5 kts of speed can required a 25% increase in fuel. Depending on the size of ship and speeds involved, the increased fuel costs can be tens of thousands of dollars.

 

If cruise lines assessed costs, it many cases, it would be cheaper for pax to make their own way to the next post, rather than pay the ship's delay costs.

It seems NCL decided to pay these pax costs, I think setting a very bad precedent.   There is a cost plus there is an inconvenience to the majority of other passengers.  The lines pay for a shoreside team to address the needs of those left behind.  
 

 

 

I have been in a left behind situation which actually was on a cruise line excursion, I made the personal choice to be left behind with a shoreside agent instead of creating a huge inconvenience to others who had paid a substantial amount for this excursion.  I was in a remote area so I had carried a suitable level of funds, clothing and documentation. That is what adults do. PS I did not do it cheerfully but I did it and was able to resolve the situation to catch up.  I later addressed my dissatisfaction and was compensated 

Edited April 5 by Mary229