Will the ship sail without you?

Question

You're on a cruise with your partner. The ship's stopped at a port-of-call. You got back but your partner didn't. What should you do? Will the ship sail if everyone's not on board?

Answer 1

The ship has a schedule to follow.  It is announced BEFORE docking and AT docking that the cruise ship will leave as scheduled.  Here's a catch:  if your partner is on a sanctioned excursion/tour (approved by the ship tour desk), the tour guide calls his/her office to notify the ship and the ship will wait until the tour group returns to the dock.  If your partner is not on a sanctioned tour, he gets to wave and take pictures as the ship is moving out to sea.

Answer 2

my wife and i were on a cruise this past February and were on an excursion through the cruise line. one of the 2 outboard motors of the tour boat broke down and the 40 of us on the tour were 45 minutes late getting back to the dock where we found the ship's tender was waiting for us to take us to the ship (Norwegian Sun)  which was still anchored off shore....since it was a cruise line sponsored excursion. otherwise, if we booked the excursion on our own, it would have been up to us to find our way to the next port of call to meet up with the ship.

Answer 3

On our last cruise we were a few minutes out from the port, when an announcement was made. "Please welcome the latecomers on board." A small pilot boat pulled up and two people jumped on. Everyone cheered and jeered. Similar to when someone drops their tray in the school cafeteria. By the way they had to pay for the pilot boat's services. Not cheap.

Answer 4

if they are on an excursion done by the cruise company then the ship will wait until the group have returned. also in rare circumstances (eg if the ships schedule is not so tight and the captain thinks he could make it to the next port in time they might wait a while until the person returned. or if the passenger has a very good reason for being late they would also wait.) if the ship sails without them then the passenger would have to make their own arrangements to meet up with the ship again in the next port.

the captain might accept if the passenger is late for them to meet up with the ship out at sea on the pilot boat which goes out from the port to pick up the pilot (thats the person that works in the port who helps the captain guide the ship in and out of the port, so someone has to go out to pick him up when the ship has passed out of the port, into the sea)

if you get on but your partner doesnt you should go to the pursers desk and tell them your situation. if you both get stuck make sure you have the ships phone number or the port authorities number in your phone to tell the ship.

Answer 5

Yep, just like the others have said, the ship will wait if you are on a ship-sponsored excursion but if you were just out having a couple of drinks at a bar and lost track of the time, you are out of luck.  The ship will sail.

I was on the Celebrity Constellation sitting on my balcony and saw that happen in Panama.  As the ship's gangway had pulled in and the ship was starting to move, a passenger was running and waving on the pier for the ship.  He got left behind.

The ship has to keep a schedule.  The passengers are told what time to be back on board - usually at least a half hour before sailing time.