Cruise Passenger Misses Ship and Asks for Help Online; Cruise Community Doesn’t Hold Back

No one takes a cruise and purposely misses the ship, and yet it happens all too often.  As someone who likes to be back on the ship with plenty of time to spare, it’s hard for me to understand the mindset of a cruise guest who pushes the envelope and cuts it as close as possible.

A recent social media post highlighted just what regular cruisers think of the “no-shows”.  We all understand emergencies happen, and not being able to return back to the ship on time can happen to anyone.  But in most cases, it’s the obvious things that people fail to remember.

A cruise passenger on a Royal Caribbean ship in Jamaica took to Facebook to ask for help.  The post stated, “Help!!! I just got internet access. I missed the ship. What should I do?”

Then a reddit cruise community picked up the post, and with over 185 comments to the post, they didn’t hold back on what they thought of the situation.

One user even said, “”The first thing I’d be doing would not be asking for help on Facebook, goodness.”

According to one comment on our Facebook page the passenger had “one too many” and ended up falling asleep on the beach.

Read more: How to never get left behind on a cruise

The “Tough Love” From Other Cruisers

After reading through the comments, it was fairly obvious that many had little sympathy for the situation.  Most offered a reality check to the stranded passenger who was left behind after sailing on Oasis of the Seas.

Their reactions highlighted the core rules of cruising.

• The Planners: This group of cruisers expressed their disbelief that someone could miss the ship. As one Reddit user put it, “I still don’t understand how people can miss getting back on the boat. I mean I get how, just personally I could never. Too paranoid.“
• The “Rules”: For others, the issue was a clear violation of a fundamental cruising rule. Another user offered a simple mantra: “Rule 1: Don’t miss the boat Rule 2: Don’t fall off the boat. It’s that simple.”

 The Voice of Experience

Seasoned cruisers chimed in with practical, and also blunt, advice based on their own experiences and knowledge of cruising.

• The Logistics: Some commenters detailed the next steps for the passenger, focusing on the procedures the cruise line follows. They pointed out that the crew would likely remove some of the passenger’s belongings and passport, leaving them with the port agent. As one explained, “Their stuff was probably removed from the ship and their passport is with RCCLs agent there. They will need to fly to next port of call or home…. On their own dime.”  Others mentioned that only the passport and medications would be left with a port agent.
• The Passport: The importance of having travel documents was mentioned over and over again. Commenters stressed the difficulty of international travel without a valid passport.  And this is another reason why in most international ports you should just take it with you.  One user mentioned a scene they witnessed in Bermuda: “They were very dismayed to see their luggage on the pier and they ran over to speak with our ship’s crew who just directed them to the port agent.“

The passenger is responsible for any and all costs to meet up at the next port or fly home, depending on the situation.  These last minute travel plans can be very expensive, which is another reason we recommend having cruise travel insurance.

“It Could Happen to Anyone”

While the majority of responses leaned towards holding the passenger accountable, a few comments offered a more understanding perspective.  They admitted that sometimes stuff just happens that you never could plan for in a million years.

One user recalled, “I almost missed the boat a couple months ago coming back from a beach excursion because there was a double homicide on the route that had traffic backed up for miles.”

Another agreed, saying, “On our way back to the cruise port there was a major accident that shut down the road in both directions. We barely made it back to the ship on time. Just saying that some might be late for things they can’t control.”

The Bottom Line

Being on time is a big deal when it comes to cruising.  You might be late for everything back home, but you don’t want to carry that same mindset into your next vacation at sea.

As one user aptly put it, “Jamaica is the last place I‘d want to be left.”

While unforeseen events can happen, the primary responsibility lies with the passenger to be back on board before the scheduled departure time. The cruise community, it seems, has little patience for those who miss the ship, especially when it’s completely preventable in most situations.