Captain’s Decision: After Missing Embarkation Day, Cruiser Shares Process of Getting on Board

Cruisers spend months planning the perfect vacation at sea, but what happens if you miss the ship before the sailing even begins?   Where do you even begin?

That’s exactly what happened to a passenger who recently shared a candid look at their experience on Reddit after missing embarkation day for a British Isles cruise on a Carnival ship.

Here’s what other cruisers can learn from their experience—and how you can be ready for a situation in which you hopefully will never find yourself.

Missing Embarkation Day

“Due to poor planning we missed embarkation day. It was a stressful 24 hours before we got the green light to meet the ship in Cork, but we made it,” the traveler shared.

The cause? Same-day flights with tight connections and unexpected flight delays.

We often recommend on Cruise Fever that getting to the port at least one day ahead of the cruise is not just a good idea, it’s practically a must.

One lesson stood out that the cruiser said made the whole process easier:

“Save any notifications of flight delays,” they emphasized. “Being able to show proof of flight delay is extremely helpful when asking permission for meeting the boat at the next stop. I deleted mine, but luckily someone else in our party had them.”

Another cruiser echoed the sentiment in the comments: “Moral of the story… Do NOT fly in the day of.” 

Getting On Board

Getting permission to rejoin the cruise at a later port isn’t a guarantee. The original poster explained that the process involved “speaking to multiple people over a 24 hour period” and only getting a breakthrough after reaching a supervisor by email. “Don’t be afraid to ask for a supervisor, I wish I had lol,” they wrote.

Another commenter added practical advice: “Have travel insurance. Although we booked our flights through Carnival there was always a chance we still could not be allowed on board… Don’t give up. Enjoy the time at the hotel while waiting to get onboard.”

It’s worth noting that Carnival’s policies—as confirmed by the OP—leave final approval up to the ship’s captain: “What I learned is that it is up to the discretion of the ship’s captain. So that is why having the proof of flight delay really helped us get permission to meet at the next port,” they explained.

Documentation and Customs

If you’re ever in this situation, make sure your paperwork is in order. “Make sure you have all your boarding documents and passports. Two of the folks traveling in our party forgot their printed boarding documents and it held everything up when trying to board and it was an unnecessary stressor,” the traveler wrote.

Customs can be trickier if you board later. “Since we missed all the passport verification during the first daily day, we had to do everything on debarkation day. We were asked to come to a different location far earlier than the rest of the ship to have passports verified and we were not eligible for express check out. Nothing terrible, just an inconvenience.”

Bottom Line

• Never fly in the morning of your cruise embarkation—give yourself a buffer day.
• Keep physical and digital copies of all travel documents and proofs of delay.
• Purchase cruise travel insurance for extra protection.
• Communicate early and persistently with the cruise line.
• Know that boarding at the next port is up to the captain’s discretion and may not be guaranteed.

 “The key is to let [the cruise line] know as things happen so they’re aware you’re gonna meet them,” one comment reminded everyone.

In the end, the traveler summed it up perfectly: “Customer service was incredibly helpful in an incredibly stressful situation. I hope no one ever has to go through it, but if you do, I hope this is helpful.”