Missing the ship from excursions

[Minnie368]

We are heading out on the Fantasy this Saturday with a tour planned for Jamaica booked outside of DCL. Still a little worried- only because it’s Jamaica and we’ll be over an hour of travel from the ship. We read a lot about people being afraid to book outside of DCL for fear of something happening and missing the ship, but I’ve never heard of anyone who actually did miss it. So I’m wondering- has anyone here or anyone you know ever missed the ship from an excursion? And I’m not talking about people who miss or almost miss because of losing track of time or forgetting all aboard time. I’m thinking of people who missed because of circumstances beyond their control.

 

[brewcrew]

Disney keeps track of who is on and off the boat by scanning your card when you leave/get back on the ship. If you are NOT on a Disney excursion, Disney does not know why you didn't make it back to the ship; they just know you arent on the ship. There is no difference between missing the ship because of something happening on an excursion (non Disney) and losing track of time.

My family took a Disney excursion in St. Marteen a couple years back (two Disney employees were on the excursion). The bus was late getting back to the ship due the traffic. Dont know who set it up, but police showed up and gave the bus a police escort back to the port. I dont think this would of happened if this was a non-Disney excursion.

 

[Minnie368]

Disney keeps track of who is on and off the boat by scanning your card when you leave/get back on the ship. If you are NOT on a Disney excursion, Disney does not know why you didn't make it back to the ship; they just know you arent on the ship. There is no difference between missing the ship because of something happening on an excursion (non Disney) and losing track of time.

My family took a Disney excursion in St. Marteen a couple years back (two Disney employees were on the excursion). The bus was late getting back to the ship due the traffic. Dont know who set it up, but police showed up and gave the bus a police escort back to the port. I dont think this would of happened if this was a non-Disney excursion.

Not sure why you explained that it makes no difference to Disney why you missed the ship. That’s obvious. I’m just wanting to hear if there are real stories out there of people who actually missed the ship for reasons they couldn’t control- trying to gauge how much of a concern it really is and how often it happens. The reason they missed the ship makes a difference to me because I’m not going to lose track of time, so those occurrences don’t matter to me.

 

[soniam]

We were on Celebrity last year on one of their excursions on St Lucia. We went ziplining. We had to take a boat to another place on the island and then take a van to the zipline. It took a long time. There wasn't any problems necessarily; things, like docking the little boat, ziplining, and waiting for people to hit the bathroom before getting on the little boat just took forever. The group actually got back to the boat about 15 minutes late. They held the boat for us. I don't think this would have happened if we had been on a private excursion. If it were an excursion not far from the port, I would consider doing a private tour. However, I don't think I would consider it on Jamaica, since the travel time is really long. Also, all of our excursions in Jamaica when we have docked at Falmouth have always taken 30 minutes to over an hour longer than it said it would.

 

[Sytrace]

We are heading out on the Fantasy this Saturday with a tour planned for Jamaica booked outside of DCL. Still a little worried- only because it’s Jamaica and we’ll be over an hour of travel from the ship. We read a lot about people being afraid to book outside of DCL for fear of something happening and missing the ship, but I’ve never heard of anyone who actually did miss it. So I’m wondering- has anyone here or anyone you know ever missed the ship from an excursion? And I’m not talking about people who miss or almost miss because of losing track of time or forgetting all aboard time. I’m thinking of people who missed because of circumstances beyond their control.

Whether you miss because you lost track of time or because you are on an excursion and are late getting back to the port (traffic, accident, transportation breaks down) the end result is the same and is irrelevant to the intent. If you use an outside company for excursions the ship will not wait for you. If you take one thru DCL and are on a bus with other DCL guests, they are going to hold the ship for you regardless of whether it is in your control or not. They will also be aware that you are on their excursion. If you take one outside then it is your responsibility to get back to the ship on time. Perhaps book an excursion with 2 hours built in for such situations and take the phone number of the ship to stay in contact with them in case of emergency so they are aware that you are delayed. Just an idea.

 

[Minnie368]

Whether you miss because you lost track of time or because you are on an excursion and are late getting back to the port (traffic, accident, transportation breaks down) the end result is the same and is irrelevant to the intent. If you use an outside company for excursions the ship will not wait for you. If you take one thru DCL and are on a bus with other DCL guests, they are going to hold the ship for you regardless of whether it is in your control or not. They will also be aware that you are on their excursion. If you take one outside then it is your responsibility to get back to the ship on time. Perhaps book an excursion with 2 hours built in for such situations and take the phone number of the ship to stay in contact with them in case of emergency so they are aware that you are delayed. Just an idea.

I guess my original post is not clear because you’re the second one explaining to me that Disney doesn’t care why you missed the ship and that if I book outside of DCL it’s my responsibility to get back. I have no expectation that Disney would wait for me for any reason. I totally understand that. I’m just wanting to hear if there are real stories out there of people who actually missed the ship for reasons they couldn’t control- trying to gauge how much of a concern it really is and how often it happens. The reason they missed the ship makes a difference to me because I’m not going to lose track of time. I’m concerned about how often it happens that people miss the ship for reasons they can’t control to determine if booking outside DCL is worth the risk.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

On our Alaskan cruise we watched people running to try and get to the ship in time. Once the ship doors were closed they would not reopen them. We watched the people arguing with the dock personnel as we sailed away. And some regular cruisers at our table say watching people miss the ship is one of their favorite activities. So yes, they will leave you. The cruise lines face big fines if they leave the port late, from what I’m told.

 

[Sytrace]

I guess my original post is not clear because you’re the second one explaining to me that Disney doesn’t care why you missed the ship and that if I book outside of DCL it’s my responsibility to get back. I have no expectation that Disney would wait for me for any reason. I totally understand that. I’m just wanting to hear if there are real stories out there of people who actually missed the ship for reasons they couldn’t control- trying to gauge how much of a concern it really is and how often it happens. The reason they missed the ship makes a difference to me because I’m not going to lose track of time. I’m concerned about how often it happens that people miss the ship for reasons they can’t control to determine if booking outside DCL is worth the risk.

I apologize. I have had no experience personally in not booking a port adventure outside of DCL because I would be worried about the risk such as you are expressing concern about. I was once on an excursion in Mexico that our bus was delayed in traffic and we got back to port 15 minutes after the all aboard time. There were 20 of us on that bus and so it was not a worry that they would leave without us.

Alternately, in Puerto Rico one year, we saw a family of 4 ALMOST get left behind after they were delayed getting back to the ship. Their luggage was packed on the pier and waiting for them and the officers had lifted all but one gangway in preparation for us to leave. About 20 minutes after the last time they called on the public system for these guests...who do we see running for the ship but this family of 4. Another 2 minutes and they would have been left. At the end of the pier, we saw them get out of taxi and start running.
I guess if it were me and I were as concerned as you are about it, I would book the DCL excursions and leave the worry behind. Good luck with whatever you decide and happy sailing!

 

[aggiedog]

I can't speak to Jamaica, but I've done many, many non-cruise (DCL, MSC, Oceania) excursions and was never even close to missing the ship. I don't think it happens often, in the world of TripAdvisor, etc, as too many "they made me miss the ship" reviews would doom a company. I think you increase your chances of getting back to the ship on time if you 1.) choose a company that has a good reputation - do your research ahead of time,2.) plan on getting back 90 minutes before last call (hard to ensure on a larger group tour, admittedly. We do private tours as we travel as a large family group, so we can say when we want to be back), 3.) be a good tour participant - don't wander off and make the group late, and 4.) be realistic by what is possible in any given port.

That's not exactly what you were asking, but I really don't see many people posting about how a tour company made them miss the boat. I'm pretty sure the folks that miss on their own fault aren't going to post anyways. If you want a larger sample size, ask over on Cruisecritic. Or if you want more BTDT on if your particular excursion is likely to run late. LOTS of cruisers over there.

 

[Belle2816]

Some excursion companies will guarantee a return to your ship. If you haven’t already, check with them when you have a chance.

 

[Mommb]

As aggiedog pointed out, companies that cater to cruise ship passengers have a strong incentive to make sure their customers make it back to the ship on time. I haven’t done or looked into private tours in the Caribbean, but I have researched (and used) several companies that serve European cruisers, and I have not noticed any reports of people missing the ship due to excursions.

To help in the unlikely event you do run very late, be sure to carry with you the name and phone number for the ship’s agent in each port — it is listed in the Daily Navigator. As you know, there is no guarantee the ship can or will be held for you, but if you call to explain the unforeseen circumstances, it might increase the chances. At the least, it will avoid the onboard announcements looking for you if you’re not onboard. But again, it is very unlikely you will be late returning to the ship If you use an experienced company and plan a few hours of leeway before the embarkation time.

 

[soniam]

As aggiedog pointed out, companies that cater to cruise ship passengers have a strong incentive to make sure their customers make it back to the ship on time. I haven’t done or looked into private tours in the Caribbean, but I have researched (and used) several companies that serve European cruisers, and I have not noticed any reports of people missing the ship due to excursions.

To help in the unlikely event you do run very late, be sure to carry with you the name and phone number for the ship’s agent in each port — it is listed in the Daily Navigator. As you know, there is no guarantee the ship can or will be held for you, but if you call to explain the unforeseen circumstances, it might increase the chances. At the least, it will avoid the onboard announcements looking for you if you’re not onboard. But again, it is very unlikely you will be late returning to the ship If you use an experienced company and plan a few hours of leeway before the embarkation time.

Do you know where they are listing the port agent contact info, now that they don't automatically bring paper Navigators to your room anymore?

 

[elaine amj]

I usually go off on my own and always make it back in plenty of time (but I plan at least an hour before all aboard). So I never dreamed it could be a problem for us. Last cruise we were wandering through the shopping area in St Maarten only 10-15 mins walk from port. Our group started splitting up and before I realized it, my mother had wandered ahead.

30 mins before all aboard, I suddenly realized the time and collected everyone I could find together. My mother was the only one we couldn't find. I finally sent everyone else on ahead and proceeded to search. I was worried because my mother can lose track of time when shopping and I hadn't had the opportunity to issue clear instructions about all aboard, etc.

I went back and forth several times and finally gave up and went back to the ship, then asked to see if she had gone back on or not. Nope...she was not back in the system.

About 2 mins before all aboard I was frantically pacing near the fenced off area (after security but before the ship) when I see her casually strolling to the ship. What a relief!

Turns out I was right and she had not been paying attention to the time other than being vaguely aware it was getting close. She had NO idea she was cutting it so close!!!

After that, I told the ENTIRE group they each had to individually keep track of time (they were mostly relying on me to keep them on schedule).

Long story short, I much prefer to go off on my own rather than doing the ship's tour. Just build in buffer time and remember to keep track of time and you should be just fine.

 

[jeepnjudy]

In my many years of cruising we have only taken 1 excursion through the cruise ship with the rest being privately booked tours and have had no issues making it back to ship. As others have stated, we do our research, tend to pick companies that offer a guarantee if we miss the ship, and request we are returned to the ship at least an hour before all aboard time. We have seen a couple families left at the pier on 2 different occasions but I cannot speak to their circumstances regarding why they missed the ship.

 

[mevelandry]

Guests being late is so frequent that "Pier runners watching" is a thing.

And when guests miss the ship, you can usually see the images on youtube.

 

[starvenger]

I read a story on CC a couple of years ago describing someone missing the ship in Nassau. Very descriptive and very informative. Will have to see if I can find the link

 

[BrookeMQ]

I do tons of research before we choose our excursions. I don't like the ship excursions. Too crowded and usually too short. I like to book with outside companies. I have never read of anyone missing the boat because of their excursion. The only people who I have ever read missing the boat lost track of time , were too drunk to keep track of time, or got messed up between ship and island time, or members of the group getting separated.

The tour companies cant risk one bad review of someone missing the boat. Their business would be done.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Most of our cruises have been with DCL and it seems they are them most likely to hold at port for a guest. Yes, they say they will depart without you, but doesn’t seem too happen. Although I have not personally see a guest left, there is a video of a DCL guest being left behind in Nassau.

With Disney we have held at port past the depart time more than once with guest service paging overhead for guests. Most cruises do try to give you a little leeway but DCL seems to be the most lenient in that regard. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter, Once there was such a delay reboarding everyone, DCL tour or not, we left port almost 2 hours late.

A privately booked tour will have probably a few guests from the same ship. So even if you personally are late then others are too, and that increases the chance that the captain will delay departure. Not saying it will save you but it probably does buy you at least a few minutes. Whereas a group or couple just hanging out on their own is less of a liability to leave behind.

 

[starvenger]

I read a story on CC a couple of years ago describing someone missing the ship in Nassau. Very descriptive and very informative. Will have to see if I can find the link

I found the story. Follow the link

 

[Rvillediser]

We just got back from doing a DCL excursion in Jamaica, the tour guide pointed out that there is one main road that goes around the whole island (no viable side roads for detours). There was a hotel on this main road that had a remodeling sale going on, it took us more than double the normal hour to get to our destination.