Missing the Ship???

[TravelDiva88]

I enjoy watching the pier runners.

 

On our recent Breakaway cruise there was a couple

Left Behind. I had the joy of watching them scramble aboard from the pilot boat, up the super flimsy looking ladder into the ship.

[kcwingwalker]

On our second NCL cruise the Captain made it clear that he would not wait. His firm warning worked and we left a little early or on time for every port.

[sdmike]

Is that tour operator obligated in any way, shape, or form to get me to the next port if they cause me to miss the sailing? As you point out if the ship doesn't wait then the cruise line is obligated to get you to the next port. I doubt that a private tour operator is worried that much about online reviews that quickly get buried.

 

Our private tour operator in Ketchikan had a guarantee that if for some reason we missed the ship, they would pay to get us to her in the next port. It varies by company, but it can exist. As stated, these private companies make their money off the cruise industry. They work hard to know every time schedule and not screw something up.

[sparks1093]

Some tour operators will, in fact, commit to getting you to the next port if they cause you to miss the sailing. I believe that was the case with a Juneau whale watching excursion. They know this commitment is important to potential customers. I knew they would never miss the sailing because the expense of getting us to the next port was far in excess of what we had paid for the excursion.

 

Our private tour operator in Ketchikan had a guarantee that if for some reason we missed the ship, they would pay to get us to her in the next port. It varies by company, but it can exist. As stated, these private companies make their money off the cruise industry. They work hard to know every time schedule and not screw something up.

 

Good to know that some stateside operators offer this. If I were to book a private excursion I would definitely want to know what guarentee, if any, were offered.

[sdmike]

Good to know that some stateside operators offer this. If I were to book a private excursion I would definitely want to know what guarentee, if any, were offered.

 

In our example, Northern Lights Charter in Ketchikan (a fishing trip) guaranteed to get us on the ship. The only risk there would be maybe mechanical issues with the boat or something like that.

 

We made it in plenty of time

[weltek]

1. I book private excursions and have only once gambled on an all day that had high potentially for missing the ship (Lamanai in Belize--about an hour "cushion time" was all there was). We went in knowing that if anything disasterous happened (e.g., van or boat breakdown), it could end badly. We therefore brought our passports and were prepared. We (and another party on the trip) reminded the tour operator 3-4 times what time we needed to be back to port.

 

Luckily, our gamble paid off and there was no mechanical failure.

 

I'm positive the ship would've left without us, given what we've seen (pier runners).

 

2. It appears in Alaska tour operators provide more guarantees in covering transportation if anything happens. I assume that's because it's within the same state (no passport issues) and a van could be used (unlike in the Caribbean).

 

So, know that you are taking the risk and decide if it's worth the gamble. Always have a backup plan (e.g., make extra sure to bring your credit card and passport if you are concerned).

[Warm-Water Diver]

Is NCL more willing to wait for cruise passengers that are running late at the departure port?

 

I'm wondering because we are booked on the Breakaway and using our own transportation to the ship (Taxi) with a flight that's supposed to arrive at 11:58am / Departure is set for 3pm but NCL reps told me that if you registered online and had edocs you board as late as 2pm

 

I also asked the rep about it and said that you could call the 800 number to get customer service and request that they notify the ship that you are enroute but of course she could not comment on whether or not they would hold the ship for you.

[EaglesWin]

Is NCL more willing to wait for cruise passengers that are running late at the departure port?

 

I'm wondering because we are booked on the Breakaway and using our own transportation to the ship (Taxi) with a flight that's supposed to arrive at 11:58am / Departure is set for 3pm but NCL reps told me that if you registered online and had edocs you board as late as 2pm

 

I also asked the rep about it and said that you could call the 800 number to get customer service and request that they notify the ship that you are enroute but of course she could not comment on whether or not they would hold the ship for you.

 

You're cutting it close. What airport are you flying into?

 

You should check the on-time rating of that particular flight.

 

I think there is zero chance they will hold the ship for you.

[Warm-Water Diver]

You're cutting it close. What airport are you flying into?

 

You should check the on-time rating of that particular flight.

 

I think there is zero chance they will hold the ship for you.

 

We're flying United nonstop from Chicago O'Hare to LaGuardia. Believe it or not that is the earliest available flight out of Chicago and I grabbed that because I had to use frequent flier miles

[Solandria]

YES.....My step daughter's mom left Skagway alone several years ago on another cruise line. This lady (I call her my wife in law) is a HOOT and to hear her tell it you would be laughing so hard you would be crying.....

 

She realized that her husband was NOT on the ship and decided to make the best of it. They had gone on this cruise for a week of togetherness since she lived in Houston and he lived in Florida - [long story short is she worked for NASA' date= transferred to the Cape and met him, married, transferred back to Houston, leaving him with his business behind.] LONG distance marriage makes for great vacations evidently. ;)

 

So, since she wanted to enjoy his company even in his absence, she went to dinner with a large picture of him they had taken on the ship, and put it in the seat next to her. Everyone asked "Where is he?" "Why do you have a picture there?" She told them he was left behind. Then she went to the show, which happened to be a comedian that night. She sat in the FRONT row with, you guessed it, his picture in the seat next to her. This made great fodder for the comedian that evening and he even had her up on the stage with the pic of missing hubby. All evening long she carried this pic along with her and made the folks around her aware that he was not there.....

 

Meanwhile back on shore.....

Dear Hubby realizes he has missed the boat when he comes out of the bar and sees the ship waaaaaaaaay in the distance. Well, the shore personnel (forget what he was called) who take care of 'lost' folks invited him into the office, they calmly enjoyed a cup of java and the guy commented on how well he was taking all of this. "Well, might as well just make the most of it." he says, not knowing that wifey is doing the same on board. So he got a ride to the underwear and tooth brush store, enjoyed a night in a hotel there, caught a small plane to the next port, and rejoined the other passengers getting back on the ship the next afternoon. Funny thing was, he didn't know that he would be so famous on board again. People bought him drinks, welcomed him back, waved and called his name asking how the accommodations were in Skagway, and such.....for the rest of the cruise!

 

It sure turned out well for both of them as they were enjoying the notoriety the rest of the trip!

 

 

Great story, made me LOL Thanks for sharing.. what a great way to make the most of an unfortunate situation :)

[hpecorari]

We're flying United nonstop from Chicago O'Hare to LaGuardia. Believe it or not that is the earliest available flight out of Chicago and I grabbed that because I had to use frequent flier miles

 

Can you change the flight to arrive the evening prior? The change fee would be cheaper than you having to fly out to the first port to meet the ship. NY traffic can be a nightmare and that's not counting if there are any traffic jams/accidents or if your plane does not arrive on time, it takes longer than you thought to get your luggage, etc. etc. etc.

 

Harriet

[Solandria]

Is NCL more willing to wait for cruise passengers that are running late at the departure port?

 

I'm wondering because we are booked on the Breakaway and using our own transportation to the ship (Taxi) with a flight that's supposed to arrive at 11:58am / Departure is set for 3pm but NCL reps told me that if you registered online and had edocs you board as late as 2pm

 

I also asked the rep about it and said that you could call the 800 number to get customer service and request that they notify the ship that you are enroute but of course she could not comment on whether or not they would hold the ship for you.

 

I watch NCL ships in port all the time, they consistently leave at 4pm. You could probably set your watch to it. I'm not sure at what time they stop allowing boarding of the ship though.

[softsands]

Most people would not mention it on here if this happened to them. They would get crucified. There is not much sympathy on here for this sort of thing. Folks actually admit to watching the "dock run" as a sport!:eek:

 

I'm not ashamed to admit it. Hey, I screwed up, read the wrong depart time and missed that puppy. I refused to run to the ship as it was already untied. I knew the chances of them backing up were slim to none...Well, in my case, none. No way would I give anyone the satisfaction of watching me sprint for the ship - rather a pier-stroller-see-you-at-the-next-port-don't-miss-me-too-much posture.

[Rusty Aligator]

On our second NCL cruise the Captain made it clear that he would not wait. His firm warning worked and we left a little early or on time for every port.

Well, I am also a "dock watcher", but in my case, it was just the opposite of missing the ship,....it was NOT getting off the ship. It was the late 70's on either the Carnivale, or Mardi Gras returning to Boston from Bermuda. In those days, cruising was fairly new to the boston area, and the system was really, well...NO system. I was standing in line, waiting to get off, and the line was from the stern ,...all the way to the bow. And it was sept, I was hot, and probably half loaded........no, I was loaded. Well, I decided that the line was tooo long, and I would go back to my cabin and have a drinky-poo, or two and relax till the line was gone. Yeah.....when I woke, I looked out my 10" porthole to see Graves Lighthouse along side. Yep, we were underway, heading to ??? (I found out later it was heading to Charleston) Well, I calmly walked up to the purser's office, and asked how to get off the ship. (it gets better) After the initial shock of seeing a dreaded left-over pax, decisions had to be made. I didn't want to go to S.C., and they didn't want me on the ship. You know what comes next, don't you? Yes,...the call to the pilot boat. Along comes the PB, lines are thrown, and out comes the bosun's chair, not the ladder, which I couldn't climb if I was even half sober. (the end is near) Down, I go with my bag in hand, on the boat safetly to the pilot's room. A decision was made to drop me off at a public landing, near my home. Of course, I'm not happy with that, so I ask to use the ship to shore radio to call my buddies at the local yacht club. I'm SURE that they will pick me up, yeah.....Well,.....it's time to end all the fun and games. The PB drops me off at a public pier not too far from a relative of mine. I don't know why they were in a hurry to dump me, I even offered them a drink from my travel bar. So,.....I guess the morale of the story is.....Don't be late getting to the ship, and don't be late getting off. I'm sorry that the story was so long, but was really a time that will stay with me forever, and it happened on the Funships.:D

[EaglesWin]

We're flying United nonstop from Chicago O'Hare to LaGuardia. Believe it or not that is the earliest available flight out of Chicago and I grabbed that because I had to use frequent flier miles

 

I can't figure out what flight you're on (674?), but you can use flightstats .com to look up the on-time rating.

 

I've done taxi from LGA to the pier before. It takes about 45 minutes with traffic. I would not feel comfortable with this plan, but you can always fly to Orlando if you miss it.

 

@Solandria: Breakaway leaves at 3 pm. Other NCL ships leave at 4 pm. And they do leave promptly. There is a lot of marine traffic in the river and harbor and these ships are on a schedule.

[bean24]

I can't figure out what flight you're on (674?), but you can use flightstats .com to look up the on-time rating.

 

I've done taxi from LGA to the pier before. It takes about 45 minutes with traffic. I would not feel comfortable with this plan, but you can always fly to Orlando if you miss it.

 

@Solandria: Breakaway leaves at 3 pm. Other NCL ships leave at 4 pm. And they do leave promptly. There is a lot of marine traffic in the river and harbor and these ships are on a schedule.

 

You are correct about the Breakaway leaving at 3 instead of 4. The only problem is if the OP missed the ship that can't fly to Fl to catch up because they would be boarding in one port and disembarking in another without a distant foreign port, so they would be violating the Jones act which comes with heavy fines. OP I would change to the day earlier if at all possible

[Barb Nahoumi]

Well, I am also a "dock watcher", but in my case, it was just the opposite of missing the ship,....it was NOT getting off the ship. It was the late 70's on either the Carnivale, or Mardi Gras returning to Boston from Bermuda. In those days, cruising was fairly new to the boston area, and the system was really, well...NO system. I was standing in line, waiting to get off, and the line was from the stern ,...all the way to the bow. And it was sept, I was hot, and probably half loaded........no, I was loaded. Well, I decided that the line was tooo long, and I would go back to my cabin and have a drinky-poo, or two and relax till the line was gone. Yeah.....when I woke, I looked out my 10" porthole to see Graves Lighthouse along side. Yep, we were underway, heading to ??? (I found out later it was heading to Charleston) Well, I calmly walked up to the purser's office, and asked how to get off the ship. (it gets better) After the initial shock of seeing a dreaded left-over pax, decisions had to be made. I didn't want to go to S.C., and they didn't want me on the ship. You know what comes next, don't you? Yes,...the call to the pilot boat. Along comes the PB, lines are thrown, and out comes the bosun's chair, not the ladder, which I couldn't climb if I was even half sober. (the end is near) Down, I go with my bag in hand, on the boat safetly to the pilot's room. A decision was made to drop me off at a public landing, near my home. Of course, I'm not happy with that, so I ask to use the ship to shore radio to call my buddies at the local yacht club. I'm SURE that they will pick me up, yeah.....Well,.....it's time to end all the fun and games. The PB drops me off at a public pier not too far from a relative of mine. I don't know why they were in a hurry to dump me, I even offered them a drink from my travel bar. So,.....I guess the morale of the story is.....Don't be late getting to the ship, and don't be late getting off. I'm sorry that the story was so long, but was really a time that will stay with me forever, and it happened on the Funships.:D

 

I loved reading your story. Nowadays they do a count before boarding the next group of passengers, and it must be zero Pax still on board. If it were me, and I had the time, I would have stayed on for Charleston. During that time, it might have been possible to pay on board for the extra cruise.

[kcwingwalker]

Well, I am also a "dock watcher", but in my case, it was just the opposite of missing the ship,....it was NOT getting off the ship. It was the late 70's on either the Carnivale, or Mardi Gras returning to Boston from Bermuda. In those days, cruising was fairly new to the boston area, and the system was really, well...NO system. I was standing in line, waiting to get off, and the line was from the stern ,...all the way to the bow. And it was sept, I was hot, and probably half loaded........no, I was loaded. Well, I decided that the line was tooo long, and I would go back to my cabin and have a drinky-poo, or two and relax till the line was gone. Yeah.....when I woke, I looked out my 10" porthole to see Graves Lighthouse along side. Yep, we were underway, heading to ??? (I found out later it was heading to Charleston) Well, I calmly walked up to the purser's office, and asked how to get off the ship. (it gets better) After the initial shock of seeing a dreaded left-over pax, decisions had to be made. I didn't want to go to S.C., and they didn't want me on the ship. You know what comes next, don't you? Yes,...the call to the pilot boat. Along comes the PB, lines are thrown, and out comes the bosun's chair, not the ladder, which I couldn't climb if I was even half sober. (the end is near) Down, I go with my bag in hand, on the boat safetly to the pilot's room. A decision was made to drop me off at a public landing, near my home. Of course, I'm not happy with that, so I ask to use the ship to shore radio to call my buddies at the local yacht club. I'm SURE that they will pick me up, yeah.....Well,.....it's time to end all the fun and games. The PB drops me off at a public pier not too far from a relative of mine. I don't know why they were in a hurry to dump me, I even offered them a drink from my travel bar. So,.....I guess the morale of the story is.....Don't be late getting to the ship, and don't be late getting off. I'm sorry that the story was so long, but was really a time that will stay with me forever, and it happened on the Funships.:D

 

Well worth the read.............thanks for sharing!

[MarlboroBell]

We're flying United nonstop from Chicago O'Hare to LaGuardia. Believe it or not that is the earliest available flight out of Chicago and I grabbed that because I had to use frequent flier miles

 

When you posted that in the East Coast forum back in August, we all said 'go earlier'. I checked and earlier flights to Newark were available even with the cheapest United frequent flyer miles. I said so on the thread.

 

I've checked again and they still are. Both of the two early-morning flights to Newark have availability using 12,500 miles (the lowest tier). United frequent flyer tickets can be changed, and the change fees are significantly less than the change fees on regular tickets. If you can't go the night before, I would strongly urge you to change your ticket to the 6am flight to Newark (UA 3523), which will give you one or two backup options in the event that something happens to that flight.

 

And I hope I get to see you on Breakaway! (And not see you running down the dock!)

[RickinNYC]

When you posted that in the East Coast forum back in August, we all said 'go earlier'. I checked and earlier flights to Newark were available even with the cheapest United frequent flyer miles. I said so on the thread.

 

I've checked again and they still are. Both of the two early-morning flights to Newark have availability using 12,500 miles (the lowest tier). United frequent flyer tickets can be changed, and the change fees are significantly less than the change fees on regular tickets. If you can't go the night before, I would strongly urge you to change your ticket to the 6am flight to Newark (UA 3523), which will give you one or two backup options in the event that something happens to that flight.

 

And I hope I get to see you on Breakaway! (And not see you running down the dock!)

 

I would also very strongly urge you to reconsider rebooking if at all possible. I live about a 15 minute drive south from LGA and I would never leave my apartment two hours prior to the ship departing. Sure, I know I'd likely make it with time to spare, but in your case, you're going to have to contend with traffic as well as the chance you're flight would be delayed. And in this day and age of air travel, there's a very good chance of that happening. Seems flight into LGA are delayed more and more frequently. We just had quite a few friends and family fly in to that airport for our wedding and every single one of them experience a delay of some sort.

 

Even a 15-30 minute delay can make all the difference in getting on the ship and being left behind.

[bguppies]

To the original OP, if you would like to see the Captain and crew deliberating leaving someone behind and having to navigate with port authorities to be allowed to stay even minutes late, watch the show, "Mighty Ships" on the Smithsonian Channel. (DirecTV channel 570)

 

The episode about the "Oasis of the Seas" maiden voyage, begins airing again on Sunday at 4PM and then again throughout the rest of the week.

(1 Sunday, 1 Monday, 1 Tuesday, 2 Wednesday, 1 Thursday and 1 on Friday)

 

During this episode if I remember correctly, they had stragglers twice on the maiden voyage.

They showed all of the behind the scenes deliberation about how long they would be willing to wait.

The 2nd time it was a Shiek who had the most expensive suite on the ship and a few other suites for his entourage.

They were really late and the Captain was trying his best to wait.

(he was ready to leave the steerage folk at the first port after just a few minutes.)

 

After they finally boarded, the show explained exactly how much extra it was going to cost the ship, to run the engines at 100% to make up the hours behind they had fallen on their itinerary. (I forget exactly, but it was a huge cost.)

 

Bill

[Warm-Water Diver]

Thanks to all for the advice regarding earlier flights etc. I didn't choose the EWR flights because:

 

1) fare to cruise port was much higher and longer duration

2) Never flew on an Embraer ER-170 jet / says they are not good in turbulence and are bumpier than other aircraft

3) Have to pay premium for transport to O'hare for earlier flights to EWR

 

That said we could fly out day before but then I have to contend with getting a hotel room that is close to port that doesn't cost an "arm and a leg"?

[sparks1093]

To the original OP, if you would like to see the Captain and crew deliberating leaving someone behind and having to navigate with port authorities to be allowed to stay even minutes late, watch the show, "Mighty Ships" on the Smithsonian Channel. (DirecTV channel 570)

 

The episode about the "Oasis of the Seas" maiden voyage, begins airing again on Sunday at 4PM and then again throughout the rest of the week.

(1 Sunday, 1 Monday, 1 Tuesday, 2 Wednesday, 1 Thursday and 1 on Friday)

 

During this episode if I remember correctly, they had stragglers twice on the maiden voyage.

They showed all of the behind the scenes deliberation about how long they would be willing to wait.

The 2nd time it was a Shiek who had the most expensive suite on the ship and a few other suites for his entourage.

They were really late and the Captain was trying his best to wait.

(he was ready to leave the steerage folk at the first port after just a few minutes.)

 

After they finally boarded, the show explained exactly how much extra it was going to cost the ship, to run the engines at 100% to make up the hours behind they had fallen on their itinerary. (I forget exactly, but it was a huge cost.)

 

Bill

 

Lesson learned- if you are going to be late make sure you have a bank account with a very large balance.

[hpecorari]

Thanks to all for the advice regarding earlier flights etc. I didn't choose the EWR flights because:

 

1) fare to cruise port was much higher and longer duration

2) Never flew on an Embraer ER-170 jet / says they are not good in turbulence and are bumpier than other aircraft

3) Have to pay premium for transport to O'hare for earlier flights to EWR

 

That said we could fly out day before but then I have to contend with getting a hotel room that is close to port that doesn't cost an "arm and a leg"?

 

All very true, however if you miss the ship what is your cost going to be?

 

Harriet

[time2cruise1]

Thanks to all for the advice regarding earlier flights etc. I didn't choose the EWR flights because:

 

1) fare to cruise port was much higher and longer duration

2) Never flew on an Embraer ER-170 jet / says they are not good in turbulence and are bumpier than other aircraft

3) Have to pay premium for transport to O'hare for earlier flights to EWR

 

That said we could fly out day before but then I have to contend with getting a hotel room that is close to port that doesn't cost an "arm and a leg"?

 

Pretty much pay a little more now or perhaps pay a lot more later. Your call