Question from my spouse....

[nokidz]

When you are in a port, like nassau, has the ship ever left someone behind? Or in other words, what happens if passengers do not get back to the ship in time to depart? How long does the ship wait? Does it? Spouse is curious...I guess so am I.

 

[WDWLVR]

The ships have definately left people behind if they aren't on the ship in time. If someone isn't logged in as being onboard at all aboard time they will start paging. The ship will wait a bit but not for any set time. We've seen a few people running down the dock past the time we should have left.

It is clearly posted when you leave the ship what time you are due back on board and it is your responsibility to be on time.

 

[mmouse37]

Yes, the ship WILL leave passengers behind. They give ample time in ports and always have the times to be back onboard posted at the gangway and on the daily Navigators. It is up to the passengers to make sure they are back to ship in time.

It costs the cruise line tons of money to stay in port longer than scheduled and they will leave. It has happened many, many times.

Sometimes a pilot boat will bring the passengers out to the ship in the harbor but in most cases the people will find they own way to the next port to meet the ship (at their own expense).

some of the reasons are just lost track of time or some indulged too much at the bars!!!

 

[Dizzyworld]

In 2001 a CM told me that DCL is charged $10,000 for every minute they use the port unscheduled. I don't know how true that is, but I guess it would be expensive.

 

[JeannieH]

We waited an hour for a family in St. Thomas. We had sailed 10mins before they were seen shouting from the quay to "stop the ship"!Guess some people just DONT read instructions! Everyone else managed to get back onboard in time: they had to get a small boat to bring them alongside the ship. The ship has to sail on time, as each day is carefully planned and time is crutial. Obviously in an emergency, things are subject to change - but this was just plain stupidity on the part of the family concerned. In future, I hope they take notice of what they are told by the Captain!

 

[CraftyMouse]

The only time that the ship will definitely wait is for a DCL excursion that doesn't make it back in time. If you do excursions on you own make sure you get back before the "All Aboard" time posted in your Navigator.

 

[nokidz]

in other words, bring a watch.....

 

[Mozart]

I know someone who got left behind by RCCL in Cozumel. She and her husband got separated. Once it started getting real late in the day, he assumed that she would head back to the ship, and she kept looking for him in port until it was too late.

In each port, there is an agent who specifically is there to help people when their travel plans go wrong. This agent helped my friend catch up to the ship in the next port, and get word to her husband that she was okay.

It was very, very expensive though. The only way she could catch up was to charter a plane. It ended up costing them about $2,500. Travel insurance would not cover this since it was her fault.

 

[tvguy]

The only time that the ship will definitely wait is for a DCL excursion that doesn't make it back in time. If you do excursions on you own make sure you get back before the "All Aboard" time posted in your Navigator.

This is one of the big selling points of buying your excursions thru the ship instead of on your own.

 

[professorandmom]

I did see posted on DIS a problem where the parents missed the boat and the children were in the lab/club....I think the ship went back (perhaps someone remembers the details)

Barb

 

[Ourtwoprincesses]

Bring a watch, make sure it is set to the right time, make sure you know what time to be back on the boat, and be sure you and your spouse has working cell phones in case you get seperated!!!

Sue

 

[jrabbit]

On Disney, the Ships Time is the local time. On the Eastern cruise if you don't set your watch to the correct time you will think that you have an extra hour on shore.

SET YOUR WATCH when DCL gives you the notice that the ships time is changing!!

 

[Disney Lover Linda]

I'm sure they have left people at a port but they do try very hard not too. When we were in St. Thomas during our Christmas cruise 2005 our push off time was 4 p.m. (it just happened we were the only ship in port that day) About 3:30 they started calling out names over the loud speaker to contact a CM. The list dwindled down to 1 name. My DH and I decided to go up to deck 10 to watch the push off since it was such a beautiful day. At 4 p.m. they sounded the Mickey Horn but we didn't push off. They called out the single name again and asked she contact a CM immediately. About 5 minutes later they sounded the horn but not Mickey Horn. They sounded 2 long loud "HONK, HONK"! About a minute later I saw one of the golf cart like cabs come speeding down the long dock to the ship. A women with multiple shopping bags hopped out and I saw a make shift plank layed down and she boarded the ship. About a minute later we pushed off. We got a good chuckle out of it but I bet she was in hot water with her family and the ship!

 

[jhannah]

On the other end of the equation, one time when we arrived in Nassau there was a family of four with their luggage sitting on the dock waiting. They had missed the ship in Florida!

 

[auntsue1]

I know someone who got left behind by RCCL in Cozumel. She and her husband got separated. Once it started getting real late in the day, he assumed that she would head back to the ship, and she kept looking for him in port until it was too late.

In each port, there is an agent who specifically is there to help people when their travel plans go wrong. This agent helped my friend catch up to the ship in the next port, and get word to her husband that she was okay.

It was very, very expensive though. The only way she could catch up was to charter a plane. It ended up costing them about $2,500. Travel insurance would not cover this since it was her fault.

Wow! I'm glad we've always made it a point to be on time!

 

[mmouse37]

I know someone who got left behind by RCCL in Cozumel. She and her husband got separated. Once it started getting real late in the day, he assumed that she would head back to the ship, and she kept looking for him in port until it was too late.

In each port, there is an agent who specifically is there to help people when their travel plans go wrong. This agent helped my friend catch up to the ship in the next port, and get word to her husband that she was okay.

It was very, very expensive though. The only way she could catch up was to charter a plane. It ended up costing them about $2,500. Travel insurance would not cover this since it was her fault.

This is an excellent point.....the ship's agent in each port is listed in the daily Navigator....so it is a great idea to have a copy of the naviagator with you when you go ashore. This way...in case there is a problem you have the address of the ship's agent and you can contact them for help.

 

[jonesing]

Bring a watch, make sure it is set to the right time, make sure you know what time to be back on the boat, and be sure you and your spouse has working cell phones in case you get seperated!!!

Sue

And remember this: DCL USES LOCAL TIME!!!!

So be sure to set your watch accordingly! In fact, they make an announcement that time has changed! When we were in St. Thomas some woman was pestering the bus driver about the time. Well he told her the time but she wouldn't listen---she wanted to know the time on her ship!!! Evidently some of the other cruise lines keep fake "passenger time" on board ship so as to not confuse the poor pax who don't know how to account for time changes!!!

Yep, you guessed it! She was an hour off and her ship was sailing at that very momemnt!

 

[Ears]

This is why we usually book excursions through the cruise line. The only times we don't are if it's something close enough we can always walk back from or don't need an excursion for anyway (like Atlantis or shopping).

 

[BoardwalkBabe]

Don't rely on local time -- follow the ship's time when instructed. While in Cozumel last month, they stressed over and over to set your watches to ship time and forget about local time because they were not the same and you'd miss your ride if you didn't.

 

[kbuckley]

On the other end of the equation, one time when we arrived in Nassau there was a family of four with their luggage sitting on the dock waiting. They had missed the ship in Florida!

That's funny! Maybe not for them but it is kind of funny.