I missed the ship last week! Allure, at first port... what to expect...

[beerman2]

Thanks for Jacquelyn !

 

I've also watched many negative post that really are uncalled for.

 

To the OP your story WILL help others and to those complaining remember PATIENCE is a virtue.

[Wilda]

OP- thanks for posting your experience. I have picked up a great tip as a result of this thread....use my phone to take a picture of the port agent information before leaving the ship. I am glad to hear that everyone was safe. This must have been a scary couple of days for you.

 

 

I've been on CC a long time.

I stay away from controversial threads, and more often than not keep my opinions about other posters to myself. I tend to read a lot more than I post these days.

I'm sitting here literally shaking my head at the level of nastiness displayed here.

The OP is telling a story that unless you KNOW to be untrue, must be considered TRUE. Why on earth would he invest his time in creating a story like this if it weren't true?

I get that there are other people around here who play games, post only to increase their post count (because the award for the most posts on CC is a free cruise?) and generally stir the pot, but this thread shows no evidence of any of the above.

I usually read the nasty comments and move on - truth is, I half expect it now. I really wish people would be respectful of each other on here. I'm here less and less because it is becoming intolerable.

 

To the OP - sorry for the rant, but I really feel people are being unfair by accusing you of fabricating this story. I am interested to know how this situation was ultimately resolved and encourage you to continue your story in the hopes of helping someone else who may find themselves in the same, unfortunate situation.

 

Couldn't agree more. The level of nastiness on this thread (and the boards in general) is disappointing but unfortunately becoming all too common. Roll Call is about the only pleasant place to post nowadays and that's probably because you know you will be sharing the same space with the other posters for a week or so.

 

The OP had no idea what happened to his family. I can't imagine how "out-of-my-mind" worried I would be not knowing if everyone was alright, all by myself, at night, with minimal resources, in a foreign country. Yet people post that he is making this up, stringing us along, taking too long to tell his story, should have known better, enjoying the drama, should have known that he could have stayed at a better hotel, should have summarized in just 3-4 posts...the list goes on and on. I understand this is a place for people to post their opinions and that I may or may not agree with what is said but the attack mode has become really ugly on this site.

[harry0]

OP

Thanks for posting your story. We all should bring somthing away from this.

#1-Dont miss the ship!

[Cindy]

About the back of the cards...

 

Mariner April 2013 -- Emergency number on the back of the card.

Navigator April 2014 -- No emergency number on the back of the card.

Celebrity Constellation May 2014 -- Emergency number on the back of the card.

 

Hmm...the number on the back of the RCI card and the Celebrity card are the same. I think I will put that number in my phone just in case I ever have the misfortune to need it.

[hollon]

Thanks for all the information that you've given us, hope you continue the story. I have to say I'm a little bored of the story (not intended to sound rude or ungrateful) but I hope when the story comes to an end, someone will post a small outline of what to do incase this happens to any of us., use bullets, numbers, etc., to break it down for us - again, thanks.

Edited October 26, 2014 by hollon

[rusty nut]

This is a great post from the OP. We can all take something away from this invaluable thread, I know I will. Do I believe the OP's story? Without question! He seems to be a respected member, here, with a somewhat high post count. Like many members here, he has me riveted as his story unfolds. He certainly has a talent for captivating an audience. Yes, I believe his story.

However, there are a few questions that have been haunting me that no one else seems to be asking, so I'm just going to ask them.

 

1. According to their web site, the port in Nassau (Prince George Wharf) processes almost 3,000,000 cruise ship passengers a year, yet the port doesn't know what to do when a passenger gets left behind?

 

2. Does RCI not have any processes or procedures that deal with non-arriving passengers?

 

3. It seems to me that any cruise ship port in the world deals with this issue on a regular basis. How did the OP fall through the cracks? Why wasn't he processed through the system and given proper instruction on what to do?

 

Can't wait to hear the rest.

[Ocean Boy]

I wonder if this thread will help contribute to putting an end to posts from people who write about how they love being on the ship and watching the "entertainment" as runners try to make it to the ship at the last minute. None of us knows what put those people in that predicament. I never quite get how some people find pleasure in other people's misfortunes. But I suppose people like that will not be changed by a thread like this.

[My6Dogs]

This isn't a direct comment on the OP's saga, but just a piece of advice for anyone who reads this. Make a copy of your passport (the page with your photo/signature) and have it in a place where you can get it if you lose your passport. I have a scan of my passsport (and MrsPP's of course) sitting on my personal web server. I realize that this could be a major identity fraud risk, but here is what I've done to avoid that.

 

1.The page isn't linked anywhere, the only way to get to it is type the URL directly

2.Once you get to that page (which also has my eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions) you have to enter a username/password.

3.The files are not called "Passport scans" (or anything like that), they have innocuous sounding names.

4.The scans themselves are PDF's and that is password protected (with a different password than the one for the page)

 

I realize that most of you don't run your own webserver, but something like Dropbox or evernote could substitute for step 1 can you create password protected subdirectories on Evernote or Dropbox? I suppose you could create a DB or EN account named something like "PonyPlayer911" and use it only for these sorts of things.

 

I don't know how or what the OP did to get a passport (or even if he did), but I have to think that having a copy of your passport would make it easier to replace.

 

Dropbox would work for this just fine. The only thing I would add is to ENCRYPT the files before placing them on Dropbox.

 

Mike

[jennywren46]

Butting in again. I've found some old cruîse compasses and as well as port agents it also shows the address and phone no of U.S. embassy I've checked most of my old ones and there all the same format

[gaiamother]

Loving your story, sorry this happened to you:(. Some people can't help themselves with their nastiness!

[Cindy]

This is a great post from the OP. We can all take something away from this invaluable thread, I know I will. Do I believe the OP's story? Without question! He seems to be a respected member, here, with a somewhat high post count. Like many members here, he has me riveted as his story unfolds. He certainly has a talent for captivating an audience. Yes, I believe his story.

However, there are a few questions that have been haunting me that no one else seems to be asking, so I'm just going to ask them.

 

1. According to their web site, the port in Nassau (Prince George Wharf) processes almost 3,000,000 cruise ship passengers a year, yet the port doesn't know what to do when a passenger gets left behind?

 

2. Does RCI not have any processes or procedures that deal with non-arriving passengers?

 

3. It seems to me that any cruise ship port in the world deals with this issue on a regular basis. How did the OP fall through the cracks? Why wasn't he processed through the system and given proper instruction on what to do?

 

Can't wait to hear the rest.

 

I'm guessing from your questions you haven't been on many cruises. Passengers missing the ship is really quite rare. RCI's process/procedure (and that of all cruise lines) is:

 

1. Make it known that they leave as close as possible to the advertised time. They will always try to hold the ship if missing passengers are on an excursion purchased through the cruise line, but independent passengers are responsible for getting themselves back to the ship.

 

2. Start calling for missing passengers after the all-aboard time.

 

3. Wait as long as possible.

 

4. Leave when directed to by the port authority or when it becomes unreasonable (from a cost or schedule perspective) to continue to wait.

 

5. All aboard times are published and announced. I've heard many captains tell passengers to make sure they have a camera to take a picture of the back of their departing ship if they are late returning in a port.

 

I can remember waiting a L-O-N-G time for some passengers in Cozumel a couple years ago. We were watching from a balcony, and there was a lot of back and forth between the Bridge and Security via walkie-talkies. Finally, a good 90 minutes after our scheduled departure, the missing drunks came staggering down the pier. They boarded, and the gangway was barely pulled in and we were off.

 

We spoke to the captain the next day during a bridge tour. He was most displeased, and shared with us how much the late arrivals cost the ship in fuel to get us back to Galveston on time. He also said the passengers were given "alternate accommodations" until they had sobered up enough to discuss things with the captain!:eek:

[geocruiser]

I never thought of carrying the US Embassy 's phone number with me. Here is a link to the Embassy where you can get the phone numbers to the Embassy in the country in which you are traveling to.

 

http://www.usembassy.gov/index.html

[RARcruise]

I never thought of carrying the US Embassy 's phone number with me. Here is a link to the Embassy where you can get the phone numbers to the Embassy in the country in which you are traveling to.

 

http://www.usembassy.gov/index.html

 

Thanks good ok info to have for any reason you are in another country.

[Member123]

Kifhngr,

 

Would you be so kind as to repeat or enlighten me (in case you did answer this question and I managed to miss it... although I've been reading your posts very carefully)...

 

How did your son reboard the ship without his Sea Pass card? I am under the impression, and I may be misinformed, that one of the reasons you were waiting for your son and friend at Atlantis is that you were in possession of their backpacks and, therefore, thought you had their IDs and information that would allow them back on the ship. Am I correct? Was your son registered with the Teen Club on board?

 

This isn't an idle question on my part. We do travel with our grandson, at times, and I can't even imagine the stress of this incident for you. We had a MINOR, not even stressful but just annoying, incident where we were supposed to gather at a place for the kids to do something as a group and this father had coupons for his kids. After long minutes waiting for his arrival, my son-in-law went to look for him and... he'd just forgotten! You know, some people are just more responsible and tuned in than others. And, this guy was a nice guy that you really like to be around, so it's not about a jerk personality by any means.

 

I know that relating our own personal experiences isn't helpful, on this thread. I just wanted to chat with you so that you'd understand I'm not being confrontational with my question. I sincerely am following this thread so that I can formulate a scenario to follow if I ever find myself in this situation... on either end. Like, would Captain Johnny have thrown me in the brig if I staged a sit down on the gangway? (being a child of the 60s just never goes away! tongue-in-cheek thought)...

 

If I haven't understood the finer details of your story, please correct me. I appreciate the time you're spending doing this...

[time4u2go]

This is a great post from the OP. We can all take something away from this invaluable thread, I know I will. Do I believe the OP's story? Without question! He seems to be a respected member, here, with a somewhat high post count. Like many members here, he has me riveted as his story unfolds. He certainly has a talent for captivating an audience. Yes, I believe his story.

However, there are a few questions that have been haunting me that no one else seems to be asking, so I'm just going to ask them.

 

1. According to their web site, the port in Nassau (Prince George Wharf) processes almost 3,000,000 cruise ship passengers a year, yet the port doesn't know what to do when a passenger gets left behind?

 

2. Does RCI not have any processes or procedures that deal with non-arriving passengers?

 

3. It seems to me that any cruise ship port in the world deals with this issue on a regular basis. How did the OP fall through the cracks? Why wasn't he processed through the system and given proper instruction on what to do?

 

Can't wait to hear the rest.

Not sure what specifically you mean by your points:

#1 - When you say "the port doesn't know what to do when a passenger gets left behind" who/what exactly are you referring to as "the port"? There was a port agent there that told him exactly what to do.

 

#2 - RCI does have a process. They page the passenger repeatedly, and wait as long as they can for the passenger. What else would you suggest they do?

 

#3 - They didn't "fall through the cracks", they missed the ship. What exactly do you mean "processed through the system"? And he was given proper instruction on what to do, by the port agent.

 

You have all these general complaints, with fancy-sounding words, but you haven't offered any specifics as to what exactly you mean, or what you think could/should have been done differently.

Edited October 26, 2014 by time4u2go

[ahecht]

There are procedures in place in case someone's seapass is lost or stolen in port. The security kiosks can look up passengers by name and display their security photo.

[marci22]

OP you're a good writer. I feel like I was there.

 

It's been helpful in terms of getting me to think about what I would do/what should be done if that were to happen to me.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your story.

[chickadee1]

I never thought of carrying the US Embassy 's phone number with me. Here is a link to the Embassy where you can get the phone numbers to the Embassy in the country in which you are traveling to.

 

http://www.usembassy.gov/index.html

 

Guess I will go by the Cruise Compass info as 3 of the places I am going, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Grenada, do not list embassies!! Or better yet, I will try my hardest to be on the ship when the horn blows!!

[reallyitsmema]

Guess I will go by the Cruise Compass info as 3 of the places I am going, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Grenada, do not list embassies!! Or better yet, I will try my hardest to be on the ship when the horn blows!!

 

There probably is not a US Embassy on those islands. I just checked the cruise compasses for my recent NE/Canada cruise and information for the US Consulate's office is listed for our Halifax and St John, New Brunswick stops. Both stops list the office in Halifax, so there isn't an embassy there either, just a consulate office.

[GalCruzer]

This makes me think about our upcoming cruise when we will be in Mexico and going on an excursion. However I did book through Carnival itself (not sure who OP booked through, if there was any) but we will be there 9-5 and the excursion is 9:15-4:15 :eek:a bit close. But Carnival did say we wouldn't "miss the boat". So that does put me at ease yet does make you think about things.

 

:)

[danp]

There are procedures in place in case someone's seapass is lost or stolen in port. The security kiosks can look up passengers by name and display their security photo.

 

We never take our passport on shore.What we did was made a copy of the passport and on the back we have an emergency number for a contact and all a list of all of our Meds[we are senior citizen]

[slk230red]

Just looked at my card from our August 2014 sailing on the FOS.

No phone numbers.

only

"For your security, you will be asked to show this card at the gangway, when re-boarding the ship and when making purchases throughout the ship.

Please keep this card with you throughout the cruise.

If lost, notify the Guest Relations desk immediately."

 

I just went through my seapass cards and the first one that has the number on the back was FOS May 29, 2011. All of mine since that date has the number.

 

About the back of the cards...

 

Mariner April 2013 -- Emergency number on the back of the card.

Navigator April 2014 -- No emergency number on the back of the card.

Celebrity Constellation May 2014 -- Emergency number on the back of the card.

 

Hmm...the number on the back of the RCI card and the Celebrity card are the same. I think I will put that number in my phone just in case I ever have the misfortune to need it.

 

Good idea, I just put the number in my phone. Even my Azamara seapass card has the same phone number on the back.

 

Here's a picture of the back of my seapass card from the Enchantment 10/20/14 sailing.

[geocruiser]

Guess I will go by the Cruise Compass info as 3 of the places I am going, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Grenada, do not list embassies!! Or better yet, I will try my hardest to be on the ship when the horn blows!!

 

Yes, I saw that there were not a embassy on each Island. But ( for me) I think I will still carry the embassy number of the nearest Island to which I am on. I would think I called our embassy ( on a different Island) they could at least tell me what to do

[Iamthesea]

I usually carry my phone as a back-up camera. I'll continue to do so, but before we leave the ship I'll take a picture of the port agent's information. For some reason I never thought to do that before.

 

I can remember waiting a L-O-N-G time for some passengers in Cozumel a couple years ago. We were watching from a balcony, and there was a lot of back and forth between the Bridge and Security via walkie-talkies. Finally, a good 90 minutes after our scheduled departure, the missing drunks came staggering down the pier. They boarded, and the gangway was barely pulled in and we were off.

 

 

Cindy

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I think that I will do the same, but just in case my cell gets stolen, I may still have my paper copy. ;)

 

When my children were teens, we all went to Carlos & Charlie's in Cozumel (their idea, as DH and I had never heard of it. :rolleyes:) We had a good time, and a few laughs. My daughters ran into friends from the ship. When it came time for us to leave and head back to the ship (DH likes to be back onboard at least 2 hours ahead of time), our daughter's asked if they could stay longer with their new friends. That was a big NO! They were not very happy with us for the rest of the afternoon and evening, but we were not about to take any chances that they would not make it back to the ship.

 

Almost all the cruises that we have taken to Cozumel, Nassau and Aruba, have had late arriving or left behind passengers. We once left behind a couple and their child in a stroller. They came running up as the ship had just set sail. Once in Nassau, the ship was about to leave passengers when they learned that one of the couples had left their child in the nursery onboard. We had to wait for them to return. I guess that's one way to assure that the ship will wait. :D

 

Oh, and as for getting back onboard without a Seapass card... My niece lost a card in Jamaica, and my daughter lost a card to the ocean while walking up the gangplank on a windy day. We were sent to guest relations to get new cards and then brought them back down for the girls to board.

 

Looking forward to hearing the rest of this adventure. :)

[PompeySailor]

1- Always have a passport when you leave your country

2- Always make sure your passport has 6 months duration left on it

3- Always make copies of all passports for all your traveling companions

4- Always make multiple copies so all in your party have a copy

5- Place copies in ziploc bags and make sure everyone in your party has these

6- Make sure you take these copies with you when you leave the ship, always! Regardless if the cruise is closed looped or not.

7- Always arrange a meeting point in case of emergency

8- Always wear a watch

9- For the tech savvy, take a photo of your passport ID page, on your iPhone or electronic device or even camera.

10-Before you travel, write down all emergency contact numbers or store them on your phones. (We write all important numbers on the copies of passports)

11- ALWAYS GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. sorry, but people who travel without it really cease to amaze me. It should be mandatory IMHO.

(If you can afford a cruise you can afford insurance)

Don't care if I get flamed 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥for this, basic common sense.

 

By having all the above is not going to prevent an incident like the OP,s from happening, but will be very useful in the events that occurred afterwards.

 

This is just something we have always done when ever we leave the country, either by Ship or Plane. closed loop or not. It's easy, common sense and really in the big scheme of things with all the preparing people do for cruises 6 months to a year in advance, just another thing to add to the "to do list"

Way more important than show,dinner or drink package reservations IMO, when traveling.

 

Live by the 6 P,s

PLANNING

PREPARATION

PREVENT

PISS

POOR

PERFORMANCE

 

The OP has a story to tell and yes it is drawn out and could be made into a movie one day, but it highlights the fact that it can happen to you and does happen.

Hopefully OP gets (got) all worked out

 

And if I happened to have been in that same situation as the OP, my number one concern would have been for my DD and DW, and probably would of done exactly the same as the OP.

 

Happy Days!