miss the ship -what you do?

[kitkat343]

We've always booked private tours and never had any problems making the boat. If you are cautious, I'd advise you to consider: lots of independent reviews on trip advisor (from people who have posted multiple reviews, ideally with pictures from different locations all over the world), how much distance you will be traveling from the port to the excursion, and how much time you will have between your tour's expected arrival time and when the boat is scheduled to depart.

 

If you are really worried, another option might be to contract an independent private tour. We book private tours since we are traveling with a toddler, and don't want to take the risk of ruining anyone else's tour if our kid gets tired and cranky, but the other advantage is that you have a lot of control over what time you return to the ship. We booked one risky tour - Go with Gus- in Guatemala because there weren't many other independent options despite someone's posting on cruise critic that they almost missed their boat. I was willing to take the chance since it was a private tour, and I'd explained ahead of time that we needed to return a bit earlier for my son's nap. Gus was helpful and responsive via email while planning, and the tour was excellent and we returned to the ship at exactly the time we wanted to.

Edited January 28, 2015 by kitkat343

[skrodle]

I would add that depending on the line to retrieve your passport and get it to the port agent is at best iffy. You will find it very difficult to get transportation from Grand Cayman or any where else outside the US without it. I would never leave the ship in a foreign country without my passport.

 

When we did our Grand Med Cruise, we had to turn our passports over to the cruise line, it wasnt until about day 8 or 9 we were not able to retrieve them from the pursers desk. So sometimes you have to leave the ship with out your passport.

 

also, I am not sure if this has been said, but two of the independent operators we used offered guarantees on getting you back to port in time or paying for your transport to next port. One we used in Belize for cave tubing had been in business for 10 years and never had to live up to this guarantee as they had a 100% success rate for getting pax back to ship. We had a longer tour, a better smaller tour, and didnt have to carry our inner tubes!! There were several pax on a Princess tour along side us who paid twice as much and were on the same bus back with us.

[caribill]

 

On my upcoming Sea of Cortez tour, I've booked a tour with an operator highly rated on Trip Advisor for $65. Princess is selling the same thing, only a half-hour shorter, for 120.

 

What tour? Sounds like it might be one I would like to take?

[AZbeachboy]

If you do a search on Cruise Critic, you will see MANY threads on this topic.

 

First, if you are on an independent tour, you are responsible to get yourself home, or to the next port.

 

Second, a look on YouTube will see several videos showing people running for the ship as it sails away, so it definitely happens. But, in your searching of the Cruise Critic boards, you will find very little evidence this has happened on a private tour. Instead, you will find alcoholic beverages are probably the most common denominator. And people just wandering on their own. Not on private tours.

 

Third, a private tour vendor realizes their business depends on having people back at the ship on time. Some vendors even promise to pay for your expenses to catch up with the ship if they cause you to miss the ship.

 

Lastly, VERY few people who have actually missed their ship come on here to discuss it. Not sure why??? ;)

 

The are embarrassed or do not want to admit it.

[Aus Traveller]

We have often booked independent tours. When the tour operator asks us what time we have to be back at the ship, we quote a time either half an hour or even an hour earlier than the real 'all-aboard' time.:)

[AZbeachboy]

We always consider how difficult it would be to get back to the ship if we have a problem. Traffic and distance are big considerations in whither we take a ship excursion of not and we have never had a problem.

[Wehwalt]

I also almost never take a ship's tour. I don't want to be on a tour paced at the slowest ninety-year-old on a bus with 46 other people on a tour with no flexibility. I'll do it myself or with others, thanks.

 

I will, though, do "on your own" excursions, where Princess drops you in a place, say Florence, with the bus going back at a given time.

 

As for distance and time, I am always thinking in terms of available taxis to get me back to the ship. But if you think you might be late, call the port agent immediately. The ship doesn't want you to miss it either.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Wehwalt

[donaldsc]

I got a fantastic deal on some shore excursions in Grand Cayman, by booking on our own rather that with the ship. Now one of my wife's sisters is telling her horror stories about people missing the ship afterward. she wants us to cancel and book with the ship.

anyone actually miss the ship, and what did you do?

 

I would tell my wife to stop talking to her sister. Seriously, while it is impossible to say that the problem never ever occurs, it is not something that you need to worry about.

 

DON

[pompeii]

DH and I always take independent excursions also and have only had an issue one time. We were in Halifax visiting a little fishing village with an ind. tour operator (very highly rated on TA.) Not sure why, but our ship was leaving port a couple of hours earlier then most ships that call at that port, ie 4pm instead of 6pm. Our driver was totally unaware of that, even though I let them know when I booked the trip. After lunch dragged on much longer than it should have and we were all outside looking around the little town, I reminded our driver that our all aboard was 3:30. He didn't believe me, and called his dispatcher to check. He got off the phone somewhat panicked, said "we gotta go!" and rounded everybody up in a hurry. We arrived back around 3 or so, but if I had relied on him to get us back in time, we might have missed the ship.

 

So use independent tour operators, but also take responsibility for keeping an eye on the time. I don't fret over it all day but if I know there are two sets of eyes (mine and the tour guide's) keeping us on track, I can enjoy myself more!

[jak378]

Princess will send someone to your cabin to get the passport(s) from the safe if you will be missing. These documents are given to the ship's agent in port. They will give it to you

 

I really doubt the accuracy of this statement, but then, why would you leave your passport on the ship? That is like saying that you won't take a car out of the garage because it might get stolen. The primary purpose of a passport is to facilitate re-entry to the US, which is why most air carriers will not let you board without it.

[chrysalis]

I really doubt the accuracy of this statement, but then, why would you leave your passport on the ship? That is like saying that you won't take a car out of the garage because it might get stolen. The primary purpose of a passport is to facilitate re-entry to the US, which is why most air carriers will not let you board without it.

 

Sorry, but the primary purpose of a passport is to allow you entry into a country of which you are not a citizen.

 

Many people take a photo copy of their passport ashore, and leave the original in the safe. Where would you keep your passport if you were going on a snorkel excursion or to the beach to swim?

[Wehwalt]

When Princess keeps the passport, I am ashore with a copy of it and also my passport card. If I miss the ship, those will speed up the process of getting me a replacement at the embassy, I'm sure, as they no longer do that at the drop of a hat. I'm not even sure if they would give a passport or just papers to get me home. I'm tending more to do that at more ports and leaving the passport in the safe, as I trust Princess to go into the safe if I'm stranded ashore. The only time I've "missed the ship" (staying behind in Tahiti with a broken arm), I had it with me.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Wehwalt

[SteveH2508]

Bear in mind that quite a few of the cruise line tours may well be with the company that you are going private with. If there was an issue with getting back (e.g. a breakdown) the operator will likely have a back-up plan in place. The WORST reputation they could get would be to miss a ship - it would probably kill a large part of their business stone dead.

[AKman2495]

Bear in mind that quite a few of the cruise line tours may well be with the company that you are going private with. If there was an issue with getting back (e.g. a breakdown) the operator will likely have a back-up plan in place. The WORST reputation they could get would be to miss a ship - it would probably kill a large part of their business stone dead.

 

While that's true, things can happen even to the best operators.

 

When we went to Cozumel we took a ship's excursion to a maya site on the mainland. That entailed a 40 minute ferry ride-both ways. We got off the ship, but just after that, another cruise ship came into port and they closed the gangway while the other ship was docking. As a result we had to wait 20 minutes before we could leave for the main land.

 

The tour was great and long. We got a full day out if it-but with traffic, and other little delays, when we boarded the ferry on the mainland, it was departure time for the ship.

 

Having been on a ship's tour I knew they would wait. The ferry got us back and by the time we got to the ship, we were a hour late. But, she was there. The crew was glad to see us, but it was "hurry up and get on board!

 

If I was on a private excursion, I would have come bucket an empty dock.

[philv]

My first few cruises we always booked excursions through Princess for this very reason. I am still prone to do so for excursions that travel far from ship/port, like in Belize we went to some ruins that were literally half way accross the country, long drive and boat ride up a river. I wasn't going to risk not getting back in time. That said, we have been to some Caribbean destinations several times and I'm comfortable going off on own in some places. I've noted the taxis on some islands are very reliable, they don't even collect fare until return leg, and are totally tuned into the cruise thing. On our next cruise we have no worries about private taxis in St Thomas and St Maarten to get around.

[shepp]

Bottom line, making private arrangements, renting cars and driving off on your own is safe and done by many, barring any statistically highly unlikely event, with my guess the likelihood is no greater than the likelihood for a heart attack on the ship from overeating!!

 

Is that supposed to be encouraging? ;)

Edited January 28, 2015 by shepp

[shepp]

What tour? Sounds like it might be one I would like to take?

 

The one to Coronados Island. There are a couple of highly rated private operators operating the same excursion. We'll be there when the water will be kinda cool for snorkeling, and have easily arranged with the operator in advance for warm-enough wetsuits, something I doubt would have been easy/doable through Princess.

[caribill]

We have taken private excursions in ports as varied as Viet Nam, Alexandria, Aqaba, Lima, Aruba, St. Petersburg and Istanbul.

 

Never a problem getting back to the ship on time.