[EastCoastDawg]

Originally Posted by Kelevision

Cruise ships leave people all the time.

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.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

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.

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

[ThirdOfFive]

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]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

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

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.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

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

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

[Kelevision]

Originally Posted by EastCoastDawg

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.

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.

[dtennent]

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!

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by JerryLBell

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.

Explore!

[jimdecastro]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Should the cruise ship have waited for them??


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

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.

[Lyarham]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Should the cruise ship have waited for them??


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

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

[Normal]

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.

[merrymini]

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.

[NoMo50]

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."

[crash]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

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

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.

[crash]

Originally Posted by EastCoastDawg

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.

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.