NO — move on! Norwegian was spot on leaving passengers behind who were over 1 hour late. If NCL conceded, a precedent would be set & all entitled passengers would expect ships to wait for them. I’ve seen pier runners — those minutes late to board, chasing the ship as it sails out of port — and only once did a Captain stop, dropping a tender to get them. Bottom line — be on time! Pay for the cruise offered tours. Yes, sometimes pricey but missing a ship is VERY costly.

I'd probably do that too....if I was a teenager!

They know the rules and time to return. If they want to be one of the “entitled” who expect the ship to wait well………that’s a lesson learned very quickly.

Having been the president of a cruise line I will tell you that leaving on time from a port - any port - is critical. If a ship leaves late, there can be extra port taxes, extra expenses for the port crew - (sometimes at overtime rates) - extra fuel if the ship has to sail faster to it's next port, etc.

If it's a busy port you can lose your slot and have to wait until other ships leave the port.

And I might add shops and gambling cannot start until the legal limit is reached.
It throws the whole schedule off

And don't pull the greed crap on me. Running a cruise ship is like any business. It is about keeping to budgeted expenses.

How long should a ship wait? 15 minutes, 1 half hour, an hour, 1/2 hours, 2 hours?
The only one on the ship with this authority is the captain. And frankly his job is to make sure the ship runs smoothly and stick to the schedule.

True
This statement could/should be used on other active threads on TOTV!

Guess you haven’t been there! You have no idea what you’re missing! Wild life parks are unbelievable!

A passage attributed to Abraham Lincoln (or Mark Twain) comes to mind on occasion here..." Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt"

We are all adults, and i'm sure they had a smart phone with a clock on it. Why does everybody want to bend the rules ?

What if the bus breaks down or God forbid there’s an accident or medical emergency?

I'd wonder why anyone would ask such a question?

See post #49 ;)

They were an hour late.

My bad...post #47

Brilliant response.

The following inferences are now apparent:

An hour late is only determined after the departure had actually happened. The captain would never know exactly how late they would be whether it was 10 minutes or 10 years.

Also, if the ship had waited, they would be an hour late to their next “scheduled” port.

Inconvenience thousands and drive up costs, or charge the late arrivals their own penance for poor time management or unforeseen circumstance?

Why should thousands be late for a few? What about scheduled appointments, flights , departures for those working on being punctual?

The important issue here that nobody is looking at is this:
When this group of people were "no shows" at departure time, the captain had their passports delivered ashore to the authorities. If he had allowed them to board well after the scheduled departure time, they would have proceeded to their next destination without their passports. And withour their documents, how would they be allowed to get home?

The point being that they were not just a few minutes late. Late is determined by the scheduled departure time. It was not even close. If the captain delays departure, how long should he wait? Any grace time allowed will only be abused.

My main concern would be safety. I just read a story about a women who was killed by an elephant in Africa this week. There have also been kidnappings. I once went to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico and the bus ride from the airport to the hotel was on a winding ocean road with no guardrail. The tires on the bus had no tread. The beach had signs to stay off the beach at night because of muggers. Every time I have travelled outside the U.S., I have experienced substandard facilities and unsafe conditions, and I was always happy to get home. And, I don't trust cruise lines to be transparent about safety issues. I plan to stay in this country.

Ok...but you just named several other countries in different continents in this response. Your original comment was about one. If this one is your point, you might not want to go to Orlando, NYC or other US destinations either....crime is going on in those places as well and across the nation daily. Nobody questioned your choice to restrict your travels to TV proper so I don’t see the need for you to ask why others would want to do otherwise

I would not travel to high crime areas in the U.S. either. I didn't intend to create any controversy with my initial question.

Kinda seemed like it.

I've seen many a time that all excursions are sold out a month before the sailing. Only looked cause the offering price included $50 credit for any ship excursion. But none available.
So do the cruise lines make enough available to passengers or do many travelers have to go outside of what isn't there from a ship desk?

They sell out online because they’re refundable up to 24 or 48 hours before the date of the excursion. They have waitlist and if nobody cancels and the wait list is full too, they’ll usually hire another bus to fill. They also cost about 30% more for the exact same excursion you could book on your own BUT and it’s a big one, if you book with them and your late, they’ll wait because it’s on them and it’s a bus full of people. This particular port was a tender port. They weren’t even close to the time of last tender. I would never book an independent excursion where I’m traveling more than 30 minutes. If I can’t get an Uber back to the ship, I’m paying the extra and going with the cruise excursion. People get left all the time. These particular people weren’t even close to the time.

I have never seen an explanation of what actually happened. None of the articles state why they were late.

It appears that it happened on the island of Principe. That is a very small island. It is about 10 miles north to south and about 6 miles wide. I assume the roads are not great but if you can drive 10 mph, it shouldn’t take more than an 2 hours to go anywhere on the island. Using google maps, it appears that there are few roads but that most places are much less than an hour away from the main port.

Did the tour van have a flat tire or did they linger over lunch?
What time were they supposed to be back according to the ship?
Did they call the ship?
What time was the tour supposed to be back?
What time was the ship supposed to sail?
What time did it sail?

I saw that they have rejoined the cruise. I bet they will never be late again for a cruise!

Although most people agree with the ship’s decision, for those that don’t, do you feel that airlines and Amtrak should also wait for passengers?

I saw a girl who was on the ship post a video. She said the last tender was 3pm. Not only did the last tender full of guests get back to the ship, they realized the 8 passengers weren’t on board and sent a tender boat back to shore with their passports. Then the tender boat was loaded back on the ship, which was already in preparation to sail when they finally showed up. Also, it doesn’t matter. Book through the cruise line and pay the extra money, it’s called insurance.

Different beast.....if you haven't noticed in recent years, the airlines, not all....dont give a s*it!

Do you have the link?

It’s on TikTok so not sure if you need an account or not but here’s a clip. TikTok - Make Your Day

I would reword the title to “Passengers left themselves stranded on an African Island”. The ship, in my opinion, is a transportation vehicle, not a baby-sitter.

They charge extra for their own excursions, partly because they include a warranty to wait for you. People who book their own are not paying for this “extra” warranty but somehow expect it.

Hmmm....so the Fram oil filter people were on to something ...
Pay me now or pay me later! ;)

As I understand it the cruise ship delayed departure for one hour. The 8 people did not have their passports with them so the crew gave them to the shore person that would help them catch up to the ship. Ships usually sail at high tide which varies by port. We have also used both private and cruise ship tours and have never had a problem with either. We select private tours through the recommendations on Cruise Critic or an international tour company. Normany in 2025 and related places :)

I don’t have a TikTok account but I was able to see the video. Thanks for posting!

Bingo!

Getting left behind has its challenges no doubt. On a typical Caribbean cruise out of the U.S. for instance, chances are the ship is heading for another port on another island, likely a different country. You may not have your passport with you, if you brought one at all, since they are not required for Caribbean cruises. Trying to join another cruise ship going back to the U.S. port you departed from is not normally an option since they are closed loop cruises. Most likely you are flying back on your own dime, probably coordinating with the U.S. consulate to overcome any document deficiencies. Not fun or cheap I imagine.

other than going to see the animals, there's not much for me, unless of course my vehicle is overturned by an angry elephant. i would need a selfie with him in that case, :laugh:

Dittos here. not until i left the US did i appreciate all we have, & couldn't wait to get back home

Trying to go to Amalfi Coast.....can I buy your ‘miles’! ;)

I’ve been nearly all over the world and Africa 3 times. It’s without a doubt the most amazing place I’ve been. The animals were great but the people are who made my trips the most memorable. I feel sad for people who don’t travel.