Cruise ship leaves passengers stranded on African island
 

Should the cruise ship have waited for them??


Eight passengers stranded on African island after Norwegian cruise ship left without them

SOP for most cruise lines as I understand it. If the ship sells shore tours and you're on one of them the ship will wait if you're late returning. Private tours--you're s___ out of luck. Happens frequently. No sympathy here. They knew the rules.

The other end side of that coin--if the cruise line sells you transportation anywhere along the line the ship will wait for you even if you're late. We were departing Miami on an RCCL ship (Can't remember which one...Navigator, maybe?) and two passengers flying in from somewhere on the east coast on a flight arranged by RCCL were delayed because of weather. The ship waited nearly two hours in port for them. They finally showed up, leaving port at about 7 PM rather than 5 PM.

My question would be, why would people pay money to go to Africa?

Curiously few details on the coast guard trying to get them back. It says they weren’t allowed to board. Was the ship already moving? If it was still docked the cruise ship should have let them board. If not it was likely a safety issue. Personally I think the ship should wait a reasonable time for latecomers if it doesn’t interfere with timing of the next port. But still people should know that booking private excursions is risky.

I have often wondered about the legality of this. The ship's tour is usually double the cost of doing the exact same tour privately, so they're making a huge profit. By scaremongering ahead of time (at the port presentation they always mention leaving private tours behind) they are coercing a lot of passengers into paying double. Without that leverage they would sell a lot fewer tours.

We avoid ship's tours because getting 50 old people off and on the bus takes considerably longer than getting eight on and off a minibus. Plus, with fifty people there are always a few that get back late and delay the tour even further, resulting in less time spent at the attractions.

We have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time as the third party tour companies know that their survival depends on maintaining a good track record.

Should the ship have waited? No. The people knew the schedule. If the ship arranges the tour then they are obligated to make it work because it is their own tour. In my opinion, it’s like going to the theatre. They start the play on time whether or not everyone who bought tickets are there.

No, the cruise ship should not wait for them, as long as that was well publicized. Public transportation has to operate on schedules. There are many people who don't listen or don't care and expect tolerance. Let them learn the hardware. Was on a river cruise last year and that happened and cost a couple we knew 100 Euro. They were lucky the River Cruise ship stopped at an interim point to pick them up. Note, they were very prompt for the rest of the cruise.

Because they can?
Africa is a marvelous continent full of widely varied cultures, marvelous scenery and adventure.
You might just as well ask, "Why would people money to go anywhere?"

All true. We also used private tours. We were lucky and never had a problem. Many take the same gamble but are not so lucky. As fore the cruise line raking in extra money, that is the reason they exist. First and foremost, to make as much as they can.

My wife and I spent 3 weeks in Namibia and 2 weeks in Rwanda and it was the most amazing experience of our lives. We would go back to either country in a heartbeat but we have only so much time and money and so many other places in the world (including other African countries) we want to experience.

You obviously have never been. Africa is a very big continent. I’ve been 3 times now and would go back in an instant if it were less expensive. The most magical place I’ve been.

All cruise ships will leave you. They wait for nobody. That’s why you always book your excursions through the ship. IF they had booked through the ship, the ship would have to wait. They booked independently and weren’t back on time. Cruise ships leave people all the time.

the Africa comment stole the spotlight, from the Original post..

You need to add, "Unless the people who are late had bought their tickets direct from the theatre manager, in which case the show will start when they arrive and everyone who bought their tickets through an agency will be kept waiting".

Nope!!!

They know the rules…. If you take a private excursion, then you assume the risks of being late.

What little sympathy I would have for these cruisers in their predicament was lost when they acted like total asshats by doubling down and going all over the media trying to paint the cruise line as the bad guy.

I have been on over 50 cruises and on only four did people get left behind. The captain will usually go out of his way to get everyone back on board or else the cruise line risks bad publicity.

If you are likely to be late you should call the emergency number and give an estimate of your arrival time. Often, the itinerary will have enough slack built in to allow the captain to delay departure for an hour, although tides etc. can negate this.

With the amount of money I have saved by going private rather on ship's tours I could easily finance getting to the next port of call many times over.

Good point. Some folks seem to think that the world revolves around them. A good dose of reality can be a healthy thing.

Lost so far in the discussion is the fact that cruise ships are often on a pretty tight schedule getting from one port of call to another, scheduled docking times and fees, etc., and delays can mean not only lost time but added expenses for the line. RCCL has provisions (as I assume do most if not all of the other cruise lines) for passengers delayed through no fault of their own when using RCCL - arranged transportation. This, from their web page:

Guests who miss their cruise due to travel delays can contact the Emergency Travel Team (ETT) to discuss their options going forward. In specific situations, when the guest has the proper documentation, it is possible to join the cruise at the next port of call, but all options must be discussed with ETT.

If you miss the departure of your trip due to carrier-caused delays or other covered reasons, Royal Caribbean Travel Protection Program package of benefits reimburses you for additional accommodations, meals and "catch-up" transportation expenses. Otherwise, you are responsible for any expense incurred to meet the ship at its next port of call. For this reason, many guests find it is easiest to arrive a day prior to sailing and stay in a hotel the night before to avoid any possible delays.

In other words, if you pay for some part of your travel through RCCL and a delay causes you to miss your departure (no ship will wait forever) and depending on the circumstances they'll get you to the next port of call where you can meet the ship.

jacksonla
 

I was so lucky to have lived in South Africa for 5 years and getting to travel to 16 other African nations multiple times working for our government at the US embassies. If you have the funds try to go and experience the people, animals and majesty of this mighty continent.

Because it’s a lot more interesting than spending one’s entire day on TOTV.

I’m glad you expect the captain to go out of their way to upset the passengers who would like to depart and were back at the time scheduled. Entitled people are the worst. And in the the past 3 years alone I’ve been on 26 cruises. I also book private excursions but would never expect the ship to wait on me if I were late.

Many years ago, we were on a bus following the gold rush trail in Alaska. As we pulled into the first rest stop, we saw a man chasing a departing bus yelling and waving his arms. Our bus driver came on the PA and asked “What do you call someone who is 5 minutes late for the bus?” Answer : A hitch hiker. No one was ever getting back to the bus on that trip!

Explore!

The ship should not have waited. It is well publicized by when the ship leaves. I was on a Mediterranean cruise and the same couple was late three ports in a row. On the fourth port, we left on time. Curiosity got the better of me. I asked a crew member if the couple made it aboard and I was told they were not.

No, they shouldn’t wait. The world does not stop for people that are late.

Africa Yes, Cruise No
 

Africa is a resounding yes, but visiting via cruise line would be a resounding NO! I couldn’t imagine the number of cruise line controlled port of calls.

Private excursions will do whatever they want, take them at your own risk. By the way, two of my most spectacular vacations were in Africa, photo safari in Kenya and Egypt, thirty years apart. Fantastic.

The couple that was left behind at the African port got exactly what they deserved. Cruise lines make it abundantly clear, multiple times in multiple ways, what the "all aboard" time is. Everyone knows a couple just like those two. Always late for everything, forcing friends and family to bend schedules to accommodate them. In other words, entitled brats. The only way they learn their lesson is to teach them a hard lesson, and an expensive one to boot.

Also, what many may not realize is that cruise lines pay a LOT of money to tie up at these ports of call. Docking fees are charged based on many factors, not the least of which is the number of hours the ship is tied up alongside. Any delay in departure means significant additional expenses paid to the local port authority.

We had a Norwegian captain on a Royal Caribbean cruise many years ago with a great sense of humor. I can still hear him at one of our ports of call, in his thick accent, remindinding guests of the all aboard time. He said, "If you plan on being late back to the ship be sure you have your camera with you. That way, you can take a picture of the Serenade of the Seas as she sails away."

Really maybe the big 5 maybe Victoria falls or experiencing other cultures. My guess most people don’t just want to stay in Florida. There is a world outside the U. S. Get out and experience it.

I asked our private guide what would happen if we missed the ship and he said he would drive us to the next port. Now given this was in Rome and our next port was Milan it would have meant driving through Tuscany I sort of wished he would have missed the ship. He also said he had never missed a ship in his 10 years as a guide.

What is not mentioned here is the people were over an hour and 30 minutes late.

stupid question ,retiredguy.

Best point of the thread

I learned in Kenya, according to Masai Tribe guides, that all Kenyans were required to mask during Covid. Kenya’s Covid death and illness rate was much lower than our nation’s rate. They had previously experienced pandemics and were cautious understanding that Covid was new and unknown at the time. And that it could mutate. They wondered why our nation didn’t require masks (when one medically could of course) and were amazed at how we decided to go such a dangerous route when we could afford to take care of one another. Basically, ‘why we didn’t care for one another by choosing to mask for the good of all’.
I learned in Africa that migrants are leaving ancestral homelands because weather patterns have changed and they no longer can live the simple lifestyle that farming afforded.
I learned in Africa, that entrepreneurial small farmers, use their animals droppings to create energy with a simple barrel and pipe system and have self-sufficient energy.
I learned in Africa how cultures, religions, beliefs can co-exist. I saw feet-on-the-ground examples of belief where neighbor helped neighbor and kids lived simple happy lives, wearing school uniforms, with gratitude and without media and electronics. Still spinning a wheel down the road with a stick…these kids were lean and athletic.
A close relative, deployed, in eastern Africa learned from a man around a fire, sharing a meal, that sometimes basic humanity and want of peace, a reasonable possibility of education and to be able to make a living are shared desires all around the world.
I learned that westerners can be seen as ‘walking ATMs’ and we are considered to be from the land of abundance. Some of the Africans learned that we have poverty and ignorance in the United States and this country has kids who don’t have enough to eat here too.
Plus of course incredible wildlife and beauty and the opportunity to measure what is happiness, true wealth and observe how many of us here, with so much, fail to understand our privileges.

No
 

If you decide to save money on a local tour, that is the risk you take, and the cruise makes that risk abundantly clear. I find it very irritating when people try to blame someone else for their decisions. You took the risk, so accept the consequences.

Agree
Went on a safari with family and the whole trip was surreal. I was reluctant at first to go but it's definitely a major checkmark off of my travel bucket list. The people were amazing

Evidently the local coast guard took the passengers to the ship well before it needed to leave, yet after the 3 PM all aboard time. And the ship ignored all communication attempts from the coast guard. It likely would have been easier to board the passengers than go through the hassle of collecting and delivering their passports, then handling all the communication that followed. No disruption to the cruise either. I guess they wanted to make a point. But do you really want to be in the news for this reason? I guess if they figured it would encourage more people to take the ship's excursions it was a good business decision. I'm a platinum Latitudes member but will start cruising on Royal Caribbean instead of NCL from now on because personally I think it was a bad decision. And next time I am contacted by sales I will let them know.

You obviously have no idea why a cruise ship has to leave and arrive at a certain time, and you should definitely let the Sales people know why you will not be using them again, I am sure they will be really impressed.

:agree: Agree with the tour statement. No sympathy from me either. And on another note, the ships pay port fees for a designated time, thus determine the time to deport. So if a passenger is late, there may/could be a substantial penalty for not leaving on time. :spoken:

Allowing an exception starts a precedent. Something to consider.

We have been on Royal Caribbean cruises where we waved to people on the pier because they arrived after the ship had started out.