Do not blame the captain if you are not in time for the departure of your cruise ship when going on your own organized trip

[Cornelis]

 On a regular base you can read stories of guest who miss the sailing time of theyr cruise ship and start blaming teh captain and cruise company through socail media

Some times you read that they blame the cruise company in not waiting for them. But that is wrong. It is your own responsibilty to be back in time on board, and always consider as we always do to be back at least one hour before sailing time. You have to understand that the ships are sailing under a tight sailing scedule. When the ship is not arriving in a port on its scedule there can be long delays before the ship is moored and guests can go ashore.  So there is one advice book your tours on the ship which are organised by the cruise ship itselves. I know on shore many may people are waiting to give you an excursion for less money but this can end in the disaster of missing your  ships departure time. They al promise we will be back in time but as a cruise guest you do not know the local situation on roads etc. It is your own risk doing a local tour, never the captains one. One example : we took once the train from the port to Rome. On the way back it was complete Italian chaos on the station , it was nearly impossible to find the right platform and gave a lot of stress. Yes it was cheaper as the coach from the cruise ship, but for us it was a lesson learned. Make the best out of your cruise but keep the ships clock in your brains all the time when ashore.😃

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Cornelis I think the captain shouldn't be at fault if guests aren't on time! It's not the responsibility of the captain to force guests to be on time. That would be an unrealistic expectation! The captain already has enough responsibility, and the responsibility of punctuality for every guest would be a wild assumption. All guests should give themselves enough time to get back to the port. It oftentimes takes longer than expected, and my rule of thumb is getting back two hours before departure. If something goes wrong, you at least gave yourself a buffer of time. It's always nice to book an excursion through the cruise line because you know the line will wait for the guests to arrive back on the ship. If you book your own excursion, as you mentioned, you can't expect the ship to wait for you. You are responsible for you! No one else should be held responsible for your choices/actions. Do you typically book your excursions through the cruise line or on your own? 

[LukeJ]

No the captain is certainly not at fault, he has an itinerary of his own to stick to and should t be dictated by the lateness of passengers. People are aware of the times that is required to be back on board,and if they miss that time, whether it's their fault or not, then that's not the captain's problem. We are all responsible adults and shouldn't be pushing your luck when it comes to the time. If we are due to leave by 3:00, then personally I'd like to be going on board the ship 2:20 the latest to give myself plenty of allowance.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ Some cruise guests really feel entitled enough to have an expectation that a ship would wait on them. Unless it was an extremely rare emergency, I don't think an entire ship filled with tons of guests and crew members would wait up for me due to my own error. I'm glad you agree with me here! I'm sure if I was in this circumstance I would be so upset, but it's unfair to place the blame on another person. Giving yourself enough time in case of incidentals is key. You have to plan accordingly.

[LukeJ]

I don't understand how some people's minds work sometimes. If that's the time the ship is leaving, then that's the time it's leaving. I hear daily people and their attitude, well they will have to wait because I'm doing this. No, sorry, the world shouldn't work like that. We have been given a time for a reason, and if you don't abide with that, then I will smugly be waving at you as you stand on the port. Too many entitled personalities in the world today. No manners or care. If I arranged to meet someone, I'd rather be an hour early than 10 minutes late. It's bad manners.

[3Sisters]

@Cornelis That's so unfair to the captain! People need to grow up and take ownership of themselves. Clearly, I also get irritated by this. How can one person be so self-centered to ignore the needs of the hundreds, potentially thousands, of other people onboard? I don't think a captain should wait for tardy guests. It's unfair to the rest of the guests onboard. If you were on the other end you would understand. Yes, it would be a disappointment to be left behind, but you didn't make it. That's life! 

[Emrys]

On 5/3/2024 at 3:18 PM, Cornelis said:

 On a regular base you can read stories of guest who miss the sailing time of theyr cruise ship and start blaming teh captain and cruise company through socail media

Some times you read that they blame the cruise company in not waiting for them. But that is wrong. It is your own responsibilty to be back in time on board, and always consider as we always do to be back at least one hour before sailing time. You have to understand that the ships are sailing under a tight sailing scedule. When the ship is not arriving in a port on its scedule there can be long delays before the ship is moored and guests can go ashore.  So there is one advice book your tours on the ship which are organised by the cruise ship itselves. I know on shore many may people are waiting to give you an excursion for less money but this can end in the disaster of missing your  ships departure time. They al promise we will be back in time but as a cruise guest you do not know the local situation on roads etc. It is your own risk doing a local tour, never the captains one. One example : we took once the train from the port to Rome. On the way back it was complete Italian chaos on the station , it was nearly impossible to find the right platform and gave a lot of stress. Yes it was cheaper as the coach from the cruise ship, but for us it was a lesson learned. Make the best out of your cruise but keep the ships clock in your brains all the time when ashore.😃

Well said @Cornelis and thanks so much for posting. Always important to keep track of ship time, especially in a port which you're not so familiar with. Always good to book a tour through the cruise line too.