Has anyone ever been left behind by their cruise?

Question

We just came back from a cruise, and they were very clear that the ship would not wait if you weren't back in time from going ashore at their ports. So that made me wonder: Has anyone ever gone into port and been left behind by their cruise ship? Tell what happened!

Answer 1

Some friends we met on the ship we left in Ketchikan and had to pay their way to catch up with the ship in Juneau. They went on an excursion then did some shopping and decided to get afew drinks. They never missed the ship again. It costs them about $250.00 to take a seaplane.

Answer 2

We havn't personally, but on our first cruise, there was this guy who got there just as the ship was turning around and getting ready to head out to sea and he had to borrow a jet ski and then they let him on...it was kinda funny.....probably not for the guy though.

Answer 3

Every cruise I have been on (8), they have called someones name out that is missing, and this happens at almost every port too. I also have seen several times people barely make it back to the ship. Unlike one of the answers here, the ship does not wait for people. They have a schedule to keep and pull away usually right on time. You have about 1/2 lead way, but like I said, I have seen people miss it anyways. The only time a ship will wait is if an excursion that is part of the cruise ships group is late coming back. That is the hugh benefit of taking one of the ships shore excursions over going on your own.

Answer 4

TWO YEARS AGO WE WENT ON THE FREEDOM OF THE SEAS I LET MY TWO TEEN AGED KIDS ALONG WITH THEIR COUSINS AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE WE KNEW GO TO DO A ZIP LINE IN JAMACIA.  IT WAS A TOUR FROM THE CRUISE LINES THANK GOD THEY DID NOT RETURN UNTIL ABOUT 30 AFTER THE TIME OF ARRIVAL AND HAD TO RUN TO GET THE SHIP  IN THE MEAN TIME I WAS CLOSING THE FRONT DESK AND THEY TOLD ME THAT EVEN IF THE TOUR WAS FROMTHE SHIP THEY WOULD LEAVE AT THE TIME.  SO WHILE I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN LEFT BY THE CRUISE LINES BEHIND I AM SURE THAT IT HAS HAPPEN TO SOMEONE.

Answer 5

I am very careful not to allow this to happen to me.  Nonetheless, it has happened.  As the ship is getting ready to leave port sometimes you will hear names being called over the PA.  These are people the ship's records show are not on the ship and should be.  

My third cruise was a Mexican Riviera cruise.  The ship pulled away from the dock in Mazatlan.  Just before we began spinning so that the ship could leave, a family showed up at the dock.  The family was lucky that the ship had to spin, which gave the people time to get a pilot boat to bring them to the ship.  

Had the ship spun prior to docking, the ship would have just headed straight out to sea and the family would not have been able to make it to the ship.  The family would then have to get to the next port on their own and at their own cost.

Answer 6

It's never happened to us, but I've met a few people who were unlucky and missed the ship leaving.

We were on a cruise and met a couple from Jersey whose flight was delayed (luckily the flight was booked through the cruise line). They missed the ship departure, so the cruise line (NCL) put them up in a hotel and flew them out to the first port of call.

Another occasion was a girl who forgot her Passport so couldn't board the ship. She had to pay for her flight and transportation to the first port of call to pick up the ship.

We were on board watching them undock, gangway in and ropes off, moving out, when a taxi came speeding along the dockside with a couple who were late. The ship kept going.

They were lucky, they got a lift out to the ship on the pilot boat

and boarded when the pilot got off. (cost them a hefty tip)

The ship doesn't wait, once they pull the gangway and you're late, it's your problem as to how you get to the next port. Remember, that your passport and most of your money, are probably still on the ship.

You need to eat huge amounts of humble pie, to get the cruise reps to help you catch the ship up.

Answer 7

First off it can happen, This is one reason to not skip Insurance, it mostly happens because Air lines are late, I recommend that get there the day before and get a hotel near port, Insurance is cheap and will protect you.

Answer 8

me and my mom almost were.

lolz!

it was sooo funny.

i couldnt beleive it!

but that usaully won't happen.

waht they do is they

check your name off on a list using your key card when you leave.

check again when you get back on.

so technically it cant happen.

but i did recently read about a cruise ship tht kicked some ppl off on an island for "mutiny" whenm a crew member got sick and a port was skipped.

ppl werent happy.

but anyways.

yes.

it almost happend to me.

lolz.

its rare tho.

so i wouldnt be worrried.

Answer 9

The ship pays for a specific time in a port.  They have a slight overlap that they can wait for people (like when an entire bus of people participating in an excursion is running late).  However, if a person is really late than that person gets charged a huge fee (because if the ship has to wait, the port will charge them).  After a reasonable amount of time has passed, the ship will leave without that person.