Left Behind

[boards]

Assuming that all the people who pay extra for ship tours and if there are no medical emergencies, the ship should leave precisely on time, even if the laggards are running down the dock. Why should people be rewarded for nor wearing watches or not looking at them or being too drunk to see their watch?

 

Your mean!!!

[Folk Singer]

We haven't done the Alaska cruise yet it does look interesting.

[Folk Singer]

Cool. Thx for them detailed info.

 

good information.

[Folk Singer]

The second week in Juneau, Alaska, July 2014 saw a dense fog roll in during the afternoon. 43 passengers from the Zuiderdam and Westerdam were stuck on Mendenhall Glacier, dog sledding camps, and Taku Lodge when all flights were grounded. Six passengers spent the night in a dome emergency tent on Mendenhall Glacier; the Taku Lodge folks spent the night; and the dog sledders rode the dog sleds back to a pickup point point for an overnight hotel stay. Both ships left Juneau without the missing passengers.

 

For those on HAL-sponsored excursion, the local agent arranged for hotels, chartered aircraft to get pax to Skagway; and chartered a whale-watching excursion boat to chase-down the Westerdam just as we were leaving Glacier Bay.

 

One of those 26 passengers who returned to the Westerdam told me that seven passengers on their excursions were privately paying for their excursions and so were on their own to find their way back to their ship's next port.

 

One of the main reasons we always go with the Ship Excursions. Even if they are a little more.

[Folk Singer]

I will be a devouted ship excursionist going forward. Just not worth saving a few bucks IMHO and risk ruining a vacation.

 

 

 

Agree whole heartily.

[kazu]

HAL excursions are not exempt from being left behind. I do wish I could recall the thread of a couple of years ago about the 60 people left behind in Alaska, and treated pretty shabbily by HAL with regard to hotel, supplies and flights back to Vancouver. I wish the guy who posted all that was still reading here. It was factual, and briefly reported in our local paper. True, the ship put out to sea due to weather, but for the 60 people left behind it was a dreadful experience.

 

I remember that well Lizzie. I think it was a live thread, but I'm not 100% sure and there were a number of HAL excursion people left behind - not by choice of course, but their treatment was abysmal as I recall it and many were not happy campers.

 

Ironically, I recall a well written private tour company who has thousands of posts on the Ports of Call boards and they did miss the ship once, many many years ago - maybe 10 years +. Anyways, they put the people on the tour up in a hotel on their tab, meals on their tab and then drove them to the port. They also contacted the port, the ship and made all arrangements for the meet up at the next port.

 

Ironic isn't it?

[donaldsc]

Assuming that all the people who pay extra for ship tours and if there are no medical emergencies, the ship should leave precisely on time, even if the laggards are running down the dock. Why should people be rewarded for nor wearing watches or not looking at them or being too drunk to see their watch?

 

Your mean!!!

 

Perhaps. It might also just be that I have no sympathy for people who can not or will not follow instructions and who also feel that the world should wait for them. If they got left a few times in the course of their life, they might learn to change their ways. If they do not learn to change their ways, I guess that they should suffer.

 

I am sure that we all know someone who will be late for their own funeral. I know at least one person who suffers from this problem.

 

DON

[PatsyAnne]

I hope never to meet the ship's agent, which would mean all is not well

 

And I doubt Id recognize one at the gangway since I'm walking off or on the ship and not looking at the X-ray to see if anyone smuggled wine aboard

 

 

I don't know how to spot them either, but we met one on the tender into Geiranger and he was one of the nicest and most helpful people we met on that tour. We were lucky.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Essiesmom]

Mr Google got me this off another forum:

"JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska transportation officials say several dozen stranded cruise ship passengers found shelter and a ride from the state ferry Malaspina this week.

 

Brenda Hewitt of the state transportation department says the Malaspina was docked in Haines after it couldn't make it to Skagway because of the strong winds.

 

She says 68 tourists also were stranded there Wednesday since they couldn't make it back to their cruise ship in Skagway after traveling to Haines by water taxi.

 

The Malaspina took them on board and brought them back to Juneau on the ferry Thursday morning.

 

KINY says Princess Cruises footed the bill."

 

Coral, Golden and Diamond were in Skagway that day. This happened in Sept. 2011.

 

Here's the thread from a passenger onboard Zaandam of the same incident:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1487385

 

Found the thread from Princess board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1487031&highlight=passengers+stranded+in+haines

Post 151 tells the outcome.

 

EM

Edited January 18, 2015 by Essiesmom

[sapper1]

My favorite is on our 2012 Veendam trip to Bermuda. Despite being docked in Hamilton for 3.5 days, we still had 4 people miss the ship that led at 1 p.m.. We saw them as we disembarked in NYC, as they were signing to get their luggage that was at the gangway.

 

They win the Darwin Award for sure.

 

I always thought Darwin Awards were given posthumously.

[busybiddy]

I think we were close to the last to board the Eurodam in St Thomas. We had gone to Sapphire Beach to snorkel and after a second trip into the water, when I realized how late it was getting I began waving and shouting for the kids (adults) to come in and pack up. We found a taxi fairly quickly but the driver didn't want to go to all the way to Crown so he dropped us at a grocery store and another driver came to pick us up. I was so anxious, and of course, at 4:00 the traffic was horrendous. We literally got dropped off at 4:27 and we ran into the gated area. As we approached the ramp, they lifted it up and pulled away the smaller ramp. I nearly fainted - I thought they were leaving even though it was just 4:30 and we were right there! As it happens, they were readjusting the ramp - they put it back in place and we got on. I looked behind us and saw a few stragglers.

 

I'm always on time but traveling in a group of 6 was more stressful - getting everyone to understand that they WILL leave without you!!

[knittinggirl]

I almost always take independent tours and I accept the very very slight risk that if I screw up or if the tour operator screws up, I get left behind. However, I also strongly believe that if you decide to take an independent tour or if you decide to drink too much or if you decide to spend too much time shopping - you should be left.

 

Assuming that all the people who pay extra for ship tours and if there are no medical emergencies, the ship should leave precisely on time, even if the laggards are running down the dock. Why should people be rewarded for nor wearing watches or not looking at them or being too drunk to see their watch?

 

Flame away.

 

DON

On private tours, one of the first questions asked is "what happens if we miss the ship?" Unless they say "we'll get you to the next port, we don't book. I've heard a lot of times, "you won't miss the ship, but we're not responsible for getting you to the next port.

[Lizzie68]

Mr Google got me this off another forum:

"JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska transportation officials say several dozen stranded cruise ship passengers found shelter and a ride from the state ferry Malaspina this week.

 

Brenda Hewitt of the state transportation department says the Malaspina was docked in Haines after it couldn't make it to Skagway because of the strong winds.

 

She says 68 tourists also were stranded there Wednesday since they couldn't make it back to their cruise ship in Skagway after traveling to Haines by water taxi.

 

The Malaspina took them on board and brought them back to Juneau on the ferry Thursday morning.

 

KINY says Princess Cruises footed the bill."

 

Coral, Golden and Diamond were in Skagway that day. This happened in Sept. 2011.

 

Here's the thread from a passenger onboard Zaandam of the same incident:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1487385

 

Found the thread from Princess board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1487031&highlight=passengers+stranded+in+haines

Post 151 tells the outcome.

 

EM

 

While this is about the particular storm, neither one of these threads is the story I recall. It was post by the husband whose wife had gone on the Haine's ferry excursion while he did something else, and that was the end of their cruise together.:( I doubt he sails HAL anymore as he was very upset with them, so likely will not read this.

[BeagleOne]

I always thought Darwin Awards were given posthumously.

 

They're given for taking oneself out of the gene pool in a particularly creative or stupid way...so they're mostly posthumous, but if someone were to injure themselves in such a way as not to be able to reproduce...which doesn't really bear thinking about!

[Copper10-8]

They're given for taking oneself out of the gene pool in a particularly creative or stupid way...so they're mostly posthumous, but if someone were to injure themselves in such a way as not to be able to reproduce...which doesn't really bear thinking about!

 

Remember, the gene pool has no lifeguard!

[POA1]

I always thought Darwin Awards were given posthumously.

It can be either Death or Self-Sterilization. The primary criterion is removal from the gene pool. Dead gets all the press nowadays.

[sapper1]

They're given for taking oneself out of the gene pool in a particularly creative or stupid way...so they're mostly posthumous, but if someone were to injure themselves in such a way as not to be able to reproduce...which doesn't really bear thinking about!

 

Ha ha ha---- I guess that would count as removing oneself from the gene pool. :eek:

[slabeaume]

I'm always amazed at the number of people who come back after the designated time and walk ever so slowly to the gate. I've seen that happen almost every cruise. I think a lot of people don't bother with when you're suppose to be back and just show up around the time the ship is suppose to leave. I've even seen the ship leave port only to be caught up to by a small motor boat and they opened up a door and helped a family jump across to the ship.

[IRL_Joanie]

Perhaps you are thinking of a group a couple of years ago...Two different ships, different cruise lines...The people were on an excursion from Skagway to Haines which involved taking the ferry to Haines. The weather got too bad for the ferry to get back to Skagway, and they were stranded in Haines. I think one group was on NCL, and maybe their ship treated them shabbily, or they were on an independent excursion. But a large number were on a ship that put them on an Alaska State Ferry the next day, and then a pane to the next port. One woman was distraught because her husband was left, and his medications were back on the ship. but he and the medications were reunited the next day. EM

 

Deleted

 

Joanie

Edited January 19, 2015 by IRL_Joanie

[casamariposa]

I know that there are exceptions but most of the people who get left are either drunk or they have just been so busy shopping that they lost track of the time. I find it difficult to feel sorry for them. The ship should leave precisely on time. If they get left, they might learn for next time instead of assuming that the ship will always wait for them.

 

DON

I've been cruising since 1959. That's a lot of cruising! I've seen an entire party of about six left behind on Cozumel. They were on a private tour and our ship couldn't wait for any length of time because of tides. We left an elderly man behind in St. Marten after waiting about 1/2 hour. He went out alone and his family was frantic. Probably got lost in town. We left a couple behind in Curacao. The pilot carried their passports back to shore to give them. There are several other instances I've witnessed. Some people don't realize that the ship can't wait forever!

[FredT]

For those so inclined, Cozumel is famous around the world for watching drunk, panicked partiers running down the dock trying to make their ship.

 

It may have something to do with the sun... or perhaps it's the "inviting" location of Senior Frogs at the head of the pier, but according to crew members on a couple different lines, Cozumel is THE location for missed ships and loud cheers (and jeers) urging these pasted partiers on faster and faster down the dock.....

 

Dont believe me? Just google " pier runner in cozumel " and click on video's"...

[sail7seas]

For those so inclined, Cozumel is famous around the world for watching drunk, panicked partiers running down the dock trying to make their ship.

 

It may have something to do with the sun... or perhaps it's the "inviting" location of Senior Frogs at the head of the pier, but according to crew members on a couple different lines, Cozumel is THE location for missed ships and loud cheers (and jeers) urging these pasted partiers on faster and faster down the dock.....

 

Dont believe me? Just google " pier runner in cozumel " and click on video's"...

 

 

Maybe it's those yard tall margaritas? :D

 

[Globaliser]

For those so inclined, Cozumel is famous around the world for watching drunk, panicked partiers running down the dock trying to make their ship.

 

It may have something to do with the sun... or perhaps it's the "inviting" location of Senior Frogs at the head of the pier ...

On my first Norway cruise, the ship didn't change her clocks during the cruise. So the CD was very clear in his announcements that morning that the last tender was at 5.30 pm "ship's time, not Carlos'n Charlie's time!"

 

I found a handy reminder: some of the ship's off-duty engineers, who got up at the appropriate time and walked to the tender dock. They were so drunk they could not speak, but they could still walk.

 

Those were the days.

[GeriatricNurse]

For those so inclined, Cozumel is famous around the world for watching drunk, panicked partiers running down the dock trying to make their ship.

 

It may have something to do with the sun... or perhaps it's the "inviting" location of Senior Frogs at the head of the pier, but according to crew members on a couple different lines, Cozumel is THE location for missed ships and loud cheers (and jeers) urging these pasted partiers on faster and faster down the dock.....

 

Dont believe me? Just google " pier runner in cozumel " and click on video's"...

 

Cozumel does have a VERY long dock/pier! :D

[Folk Singer]

I think we were close to the last to board the Eurodam in St Thomas. We had gone to Sapphire Beach to snorkel and after a second trip into the water, when I realized how late it was getting I began waving and shouting for the kids (adults) to come in and pack up. We found a taxi fairly quickly but the driver didn't want to go to all the way to Crown so he dropped us at a grocery store and another driver came to pick us up. I was so anxious, and of course, at 4:00 the traffic was horrendous. We literally got dropped off at 4:27 and we ran into the gated area. As we approached the ramp, they lifted it up and pulled away the smaller ramp. I nearly fainted - I thought they were leaving even though it was just 4:30 and we were right there! As it happens, they were readjusting the ramp - they put it back in place and we got on. I looked behind us and saw a few stragglers.

 

I'm always on time but traveling in a group of 6 was more stressful - getting everyone to understand that they WILL leave without you!!

 

Saw it happen before and reason we always book our excursions through the Cruise Line.