Vacationing family stranded in Bahamas

[jimbo5544]

if it was a Disney ship you'd know!:D

 

Bill

 

True enough....will always remember the first time I heard the Disney ship horn blast....

[dan40]

And your point is:confused: Aren't we all going by what the article said:confused: Otherwise this would not be a conversation:rolleyes:

 

To quote that world renowned sagacious scholar,

 

"You guess is as good as anyone's."

 

Make that youR guess. Not a world renowned typist!:D

[Kurbanfan]

To quote that world renowned sagacious scholar,

 

"You guess is as good as anyone's."

 

Make that youR guess. Not a world renowned typist!:D

 

Actually I wasn't guessing anything........I just quoted what the article said......

If I had to guess........well it doesn't really matter now does it:D

[jimbo5544]

Actually I wasn't guessing anything........I just quoted what the article said......

If I had to guess........well it doesn't really matter now does it:D

So I guess your not going to guess???

[Kurbanfan]

So I guess your not going to guess???

 

LMAO!!! What would be the point:confused:

[Baystate]

When I was on the Paradise about six years ago I remember that it was time for the ship to leave La Romana in the Dominican Republic and they just kept calling this one woman's name over and over. They held the ship for about an half hour, but she never turned up. It was dark by then and I just prayed that nothing had happened to her.

[smileyone]

We took the dolphin encounter/Atlantis on our cruise in April. We boarded a bus with about 30 other people. There were several buses. When we got to Atlantis, we were told that buses would be leaving every 30 minutes and we had to chant what time the final bus would be heading back to the ship. We were told that no matter what, we had to be on that final bus. We could arrange our own transportation but we were on our own. We were walked thru the buildings of Atlantis by a tour guide and reminded again what time the final bus ran. There were two tour times set (I think it was 9:30 and 12:30). We were divided into groups of less than ten and put with a trainer. There were probably six groups. Each group spent time with their own dolphin and then at the end, all the groups came together to watch all the dolphins perform a few tricks with each other. After that we toured Atlantis and took one of the earlier shuttles back to the boat. I would assume that if you actually made the final bus, then the boat would wait if that bus was held up by traffic but I believe the final bus was at least an hour or more before sail time.

[beccadoby]

2 families on a "tour." The report does not elaborate on this strange 'fact'?

 

The 'tour bus' took them back to the ship that wasn't there????

.

 

 

AS I said earlier, we have done this type of excursion.

 

I am sure there are more than 2 families that took the tour.

BUT

the tour buses leave every 30 minutes.

All the people from Glory who took the excursion took an earlier bus like they should have. Not everyone on the excursion takes the same bus coming back to the ship.

 

When the people got on the bus, that was a bus that was taking people back from several excursions.

Atlantis beach day, Atlantis aquaventure, and the ones who booked dolphin excursions at Atlantis.

 

So in other words, the poeple who were on the bus with them were from other carnival ships and all from different excursions.

 

Make sense now? Hope that helps

[scubagirrl]

I guess I am wondering like everyone else how come there were only two families. However, why was there a tour bus there to take them back to the dock. If they had missed it, they would have had to get back to the dock on their own.

 

Candi

 

edit

[DragonMouse]

I'm not sure if it's only "carnival" the tour busses support. We were just there last week. There was another couple of ships there.

 

When we went through the "beep-ding"...it seemed like it registered your sign and sail that you had both left and "returned". 4:30 is 4:30...But I guess if you still see a "shuttle" then you figure you're still good. Quite a few unanswered questions. How late were they? Did they skip the previous shuttle because it was "full"?

 

They MUST have had some kind of "cover up" I can't imagine walking around the atlantis with just a swimsuit. I know my swimsuit top is just like a tank top but I wore a pair of shorts over my swim shorts. My boys wore tee shirts over their swim trunks.

 

Maybe they were told by the excursion host that the "last shuttle would leave at 5:00" (despite the fact the ship was going to leave at 4:30). Unfortunately I've seen a handful of excursions that actually state this. Doesn't mean you'll make the boat...it does mean the last shuttle to the dock will be at 5:00....Maybe they thought since they got started late they'd be leaving late. I figure MOST people would NOT take the chance and they'd be back "on time" anyway. I wish they'd give us an "overnight" in PORT. The two couples were probably watching each other out of the cornor of their eyes waiting for the other to make the final move toward the shuttle.

 

Seems like after everybody "beep-dinged" they'd know who was NOT on board and a simple research would have said they are on a "sponsored" excursion. Alas...sponsored or not...Carnival shouldn't have to be "baby sitters". I'm betting there was a little miscommunication with the excursion. Personally I'd be happy if I didn't have to PAY to get home.

 

But people. Quit playing this "I don't need a passport" loophole game. If you can afford to cruise you can afford the security of a passport. Even if they had a photo copy of their passport the embassy could have helped them. We don't PLAN for things to go wrong but sometimes they just do. In Freeport we had one gal that had to be taken off the ship. I have no idea WHY but we were watching out our window it was right in front of the ambulance. Hopefully she had a passport or that would probably really suck trying to get home. I felt bad too because I didn't see any family members with her. They did make a few announcements just before we took off so HOPEFULLY someone made it to her and we just missed seeing them.

[SmogMonster]

It's mzloolue, no need to shout:)

Yes I do think so.

I think that it is odd that whenever I have heard about passengers being left behind it's been Glory.

 

And I've been on cruises in which the ship has left early due to weather or other problems, but Glory is the only one I have been on that has sailed early without an explained reason.

 

Sorry Mzloolou, I didnt mean to shout at you. I mistakenly thought your username was in all caps so I typed it that way. :)

Now back to the debate...

[Essiesmom]

When do you suppose they will 'find' Cruise Critic and make their first post blasting their treatment by Carnival? EM

[mzloolue]

Sorry Mzloolou, I didnt mean to shout at you. I mistakenly thought your username was in all caps so I typed it that way. :)

Now back to the debate...

 

At this point I am anxiously awaiting news of the next people left on the dock, as long as it is not me...or DD#2:eek:, to note which ship it was.

 

And Essiesmom, it would be very interesting if those folks showed up here.

Wouldn't we all like to hear their story first hand?

[cwiggy]

Please, please, please,(fingers crossed) if I have to be "stranded" somewhere, let it be the Bahamas!!

As a side note, with the whole ID carrying issue, it is highly recommended to carry a photocopy of your passport and not the original on the excursion. These are considered much more valuable now a days to thiefs and thugs than taking some cash or a watch. At the very least, carry a photocopy of it on the islands!!

[dan40]

AS I said earlier, we have done this type of excursion.

 

I am sure there are more than 2 families that took the tour.

BUT

the tour buses leave every 30 minutes.

All the people from Glory who took the excursion took an earlier bus like they should have. Not everyone on the excursion takes the same bus coming back to the ship.

 

When the people got on the bus, that was a bus that was taking people back from several excursions.

Atlantis beach day, Atlantis aquaventure, and the ones who booked dolphin excursions at Atlantis.

 

So in other words, the poeple who were on the bus with them were from other carnival ships and all from different excursions.

 

Make sense now? Hope that helps

 

We rarely take a ship tour, always use locals instead. But on the ship sponsored excursions we have done there was never a mixing of pax from other ships, even the same line's ships, and never with people from competitive ships or local tours. It has always been a 'certain' bus and driver that was "your" bus and driver. No catch as catch can. But I never saw a law that says it must be that way. But it would be abnormal.

 

 

On another aspect of this:

 

Believing anything reported in the news by any media IS A GUESS!

[Megnolia]

If they would have emailed John Heald's blog he would have sent a helicopter in to rescue them.

 

 

The one bright spot in this thread! I love it :)

[SmogMonster]

Please, please, please,(fingers crossed) if I have to be "stranded" somewhere, let it be the Bahamas!!

 

As a side note, with the whole ID carrying issue, it is highly recommended to carry a photocopy of your passport and not the original on the excursion. These are considered much more valuable now a days to thiefs and thugs than taking some cash or a watch. At the very least, carry a photocopy of it on the islands!!

 

I have always wondered about this. Is a photocopy of your passport acceptable to get on board an airline or do anything else? It would seem that with all the new homeland security stuff going on, a photocopy of a passport would not suffice.

[SmogMonster]

If the arguement to carry a photocopy instead of the origianl is that a thief cant use a photocopy, then it would follow that you can't use a photocopy either! What am I missing here?

[Kurbanfan]

If the arguement to carry a photocopy instead of the origianl is that a thief cant use a photocopy, then it would follow that you can't use a photocopy either! What am I missing here?

 

I would think a copy will have all your info in case you need it........

[CorvetteLady]

We rarely take a ship tour, always use locals instead. But on the ship sponsored excursions we have done there was never a mixing of pax from other ships, even the same line's ships, and never with people from competitive ships or local tours. It has always been a 'certain' bus and driver that was "your" bus and driver. No catch as catch can. But I never saw a law that says it must be that way. But it would be abnormal.

 

We did the Uxmal tour from the Fantasy, we had to wait for passengers from the Ecstasy to join us, and we returned sooner because the Ecstasy left port before the Fantasy.

[cathyoo]

I would think a copy will have all your info in case you need it........

 

I would think you need the actual document.. otherwise I'll leave my passport at home and just carry a dozen photocopies. I am Miss "lose my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders" according to my mother.

[Kurbanfan]

I would think you need the actual document.. otherwise I'll leave my passport at home and just carry a dozen photocopies. I am Miss "lose my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders" according to my mother.

 

Yes you need the actual document to fly home......but the question was why people bring a photo copy;)

[cathyoo]

If they would have emailed John Heald's blog he would have sent a helicopter in to rescue them.

 

 

LOL very loudly. made my day...

[cathyoo]

Yes you need the actual document to fly home......but the question was why people bring a photo copy;)

 

Just call me confused.. I know a lot of folks say they never take their passsport off the ship cause of possible theft. I've been considering this not because of theft but because of my canny ability to misplace unattached items. So if I am stranded with my photo copy I'll know all the information on my passport but still be just as stuck? Smart but with no way home?

[Kurbanfan]

Just call me confused.. I know a lot of folks say they never take their passsport off the ship cause of possible theft. I've been considering this not because of theft but because of my canny ability to misplace unattached items. So if I am stranded with my photo copy I'll know all the information on my passport but still be just as stuck? Smart but with no way home?

 

LOL! I was just guessing why people took a copy.....myself I don't take either:p