Missed the boat?

[mfs2k]

We’re booked on a cruise excursion sunset catamaran cruise which returns to our ship in Curacao just before departure. 
 

I read this on the excursion description:

 

”In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, we'll make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at the earliest opportunity with no expense to you.”

 

our next port is in Aruba the following day. 
 

What really happens when your excursion gets you back to the ship after it’s departed?

[canderson]

Since it's only 70 miles in the specific case you present, I would imagine your entourage would get an extra boat ride 😄.  Seems the most cost effective and expeditious approach.  You would most likely arrive long before your ship and be put up in a hotel for the night.

[Alakegirl]

because the two islands are so close, it’s likely that the ship would wait for you to return, since it would not cause them to be delayed in getting to Aruba.
 

Another possibility in this specific case would be that you would be taken to Aruba where a tender would meet you and transfer you to the ship.

[CaroleSS]

The tour operators make their living off tours and in these times of social media would get hammered should a group not get to the ship on time. They have a vested interest in you having a good time and back to the ship safely.

 

I'm sure the note is for legal reasons, but would certainly make me feel better booking with them. In any case, the likelihood of it happening is very small.

[canderson]

19 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

because the two islands are so close, it’s likely that the ship would wait for you to return, since it would not cause them to be delayed in getting to Aruba.
 

Another possibility in this specific case would be that you would be taken to Aruba where a tender would meet you and transfer you to the ship.

The latter depends upon whether the ship makes a 7 kt run so as to dock in the morning as would be expected by the Aruba port personnel.  

 

As for waiting, perhaps more likely unless dock overtime was an issue, in which case it might well depend upon whether it's a ship or private excursion while the meter is running.

[gerelmx]

if the tour is booked with Celebrity, the ship will wait for you

[shirazcruiser]

Is this a Celebrity or private tour company excursion.  We have been on quite a few ship sponsored excursions that arrived late with the tour guide maintaining contact with the ship.  The ship always waited for our bus to return.   On X website it says:  "Tour with peace of mind - Assured - Never Left Behind".  I've seen quite a few videos of the ship leaving behind passengers arriving late and not on a ship tour.  

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by shirazcruiser

[Alakegirl]

“never left behind” isn’t entirely accurate. Ships have been known to have unusal reasons to leave on schedule, tides, incoming weather, port disruptions…..

[C-Dragons]

31 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

Is this a Celebrity or private tour company excursion.  We have been on quite a few ship sponsored excursions that arrived late with the tour guide maintaining contact with the ship.  The ship always waited for our bus to return.   On X website it says:  "Tour with peace of mind - Assured - Never Left Behind".  I've seen quite a few videos of the ship leaving behind passengers arriving late and not on a ship tour.  

 

We've watched this happen at least twice from our verandahs on the ship.

The time it happened in Russia was pretty “interesting”. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by C-Dragons

[shirazcruiser]

5 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

We've watched this happen at least twice from our verandah on the ship.

The time it happened in Russia was pretty “interesting”. 

Thank goodness we were never late in St. Petersburg!

[C-Dragons]

4 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

Thank goodness we were never late in St. Petersburg!

One of the reasons we chose the cruise was the stop in St. Petersburg.

And we chose a ship's tour. 😉

Edited September 18, 2022 by C-Dragons

[shirazcruiser]

16 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

One of the reasons we chose the cruise was the stop in St. Petersburg.

And we chose a ship's tour. 😉

We have never booked a private tour after 40+ cruises out of fear we will be left behind. We know they're cheaper and more customized, but I would be anxious and always checking my watch which would ruin the tour for me.  One time we were in Monaco, France during the Grand Prix, a passenger missed their train and had to pay several hundred dollars for a taxi back to the ship.  

Edited September 18, 2022 by shirazcruiser

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, shirazcruiser said:

Is this a Celebrity or private tour company excursion.

Celebrity excursion. This is from the celebrity website. 

[CaroleSS]

We've all seen the "pier runners", but many of those are people who just lost track of time....shopping, drinking, etc.

 

A reputable tour operator will check their watch for you, so you don't have to! We rarely book cruise excursions and have always made it back to the ship in plenty of time. We have heard stories onboard about tours getting caught in traffic and "sweating it out", but they made it back to the ship and were not left behind. One group said they were in touch with the ship and were told the ship would wait. Everyone has a vested interest in you getting back on the ship.

[mfs2k]

2 minutes ago, CaroleSS said:

A reputable tour operator will check their watch for you, so you don't have to! We rarely book cruise excursions and have always made it back to the ship in plenty of time.

perhaps a ship sponsored excursion catamaran sunset cruise has more potential for a delayed return. 

[dlh015]

18 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

perhaps a ship sponsored excursion catamaran sunset cruise has more potential for a delayed return. 

I'll let you know should that happen on the two I've booked in January 😁 (in fact, I'll let everybody who'll listen know...LOL!!)

[wineoclock]

2 hours ago, gerelmx said:

if the tour is booked with Celebrity, the ship will wait for you

We were on a Disney cruise several years ago. Every single tour in Corsica was delayed private & ship. I never worried after that excursion. All tours are trying to get back at the same time. One is delayed? I can pretty tell all are. 

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, shirazcruiser said:

We have never booked a private tour after 40+ cruises out of fear we will be left behind. We know they're cheaper and more customized, but I would be anxious and always checking my watch which would ruin the tour for me.  One time we were in Monaco, France during the Grand Prix, a passenger missed their train and had to pay several hundred dollars for a taxi back to the ship.  

Well, sure, poor planning is never a good idea. People who can't read train schedules should take ship's tours.

[mfs2k]

Most Cruise lines actively promote the policy of ship excursion guarantees vs off-ship tour risks if you don’t make it back in time means the ship will leave without you. 
 

it’s an effective scare tactic. 
 

ps. Sorry for the run-on sentence. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by mfs2k

[lola2013]

We are booked on a Celebrity sunset excursion in Curaçao in February…likely similar to your tour.  Beginning at 4:45pm for 3 hours should get us back to the ship with plenty of time for a 11pm departure…unless some timing has changed.  Eek…I don’t want to worry about missing the ship!

[NutsAboutGolf]

59 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Most Cruise lines actively promote the policy of ship excursion guarantees vs off-ship tour risks if you don’t make it back in time means the ship will leave without you. 
 

it’s an effective scare tactic. 
 

ps. Sorry for the run-on sentence. 

 

Yes however due diligence still must be done as there's both independent tour companies and on your own where you may be taking taxis to get to an attraction but may have difficulty getting a taxi back.

 

With that being said, most people who miss the ship tend to be drunk at a bar close to the ship and play the "I'll just have one more" game.

[GORDONCHICK]

3 hours ago, shirazcruiser said:

We have never booked a private tour after 40+ cruises out of fear we will be left behind. We know they're cheaper and more customized, but I would be anxious and always checking my watch which would ruin the tour for me.  One time we were in Monaco, France during the Grand Prix, a passenger missed their train and had to pay several hundred dollars for a taxi back to the ship.  

We don't have as many cruises under our belt as you do, but we've never booked a single ship excursion and wont if we can help it.  The only time I might consider one is if the time is too short in port or something like that.  We've never been close to being late!

[mahasamatman]

Just now, GORDONCHICK said:

We don't have as many cruises under our belt as you do, but we've never booked a single ship excursion and wont if we can help it.

 

Same here (we're only at 39 cruises). As far as we're concerned, there are very few reasons to take a ship's axcursion, and many reasons to either self-tour or book independent tours.

[mfs2k]

40 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Beginning at 4:45pm for 3 hours should get us back to the ship with plenty of time for a 11pm departure…unless some timing has changed.  Eek…

Yes. That’s the excursion we’re on too. Also departs at 430 for a 3 hour catamaran sail. The only difference is our cruise (10/26 Beyond) departs Curacao at 8pm so there’s a lot less room for error on our 3 hour cruise. (Singing Gilligan's Island theme song in my head).

[mfs2k]

2 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

Same here (we're only at 39 cruises). As far as we're concerned, there are very few reasons to take a ship's axcursion,

normally we don’t either but the $1,000 OBC was an enticement to book a cruise line excursion.