I know that most people reading this are more into flying than cruising. So forgive me for oversimplifying, but for those who have never cruised before…when you stop at a specific island, or in a particular city, you have X amount of time and are warned to be back by whatever time. 5pm. 7pm. 10pm. Whatever they say. And just like when you’re on a plane, it’s game over once the cabin doors are closed, the same hold true for getting back onto your cruise ship.
Unfortunately, some cruisers recently found that out the hard way, which…happens. But it was the response of the ship’s crew that was kind of…questionable.
Two passengers from the MS Freedom Of The Sea, part of the Royal Caribbean line, were probably very angry, frustrated and disappointed as they arrived back at the dock on St. Maarten and saw their ship moving away from the pier just moments after their 5pm deadline.
The ship manifest would have alerted the crew of the missing passengers, and there’s no doubt they would have stayed for the cruisers for as long as they possibly could. But once they had to go, they had to go.
The officers on the ship’s bridge would have seen the two wayward passengers as they arrived, but since the ship was already in motion, their hands were tied.
Well, well, maybe only loosely tied, because one of the crew members suddenly pulled out a giant hand that said, “BYE!” and started waving it
PC: Facebook/Cruceros Puerto Rico
Man, that’s COLD!
When questioned, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Newsweek:
Our crew member was not directing her wave to our guests on the pier. She was waving at our sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, which was also in port and scheduled for departure. The gesture was one of respect and nautical camaraderie between crew members on two ships.
We regret the inconvenience our guests experienced due the late return to the pier. Guests are encouraged to be back by all-aboard time. Departure times are routinely announced onboard, posted in shipboard newsletters and at gangways to keep our guests informed at all ports of call.
So maybe they were passive-aggressively saying goodbye to the passengers that got left behind, or perhaps they were waving goodbye to the other ship. Who knows for sure?
What do you think?
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
5 comments
Funny either way. St. Maarten is oddly one of the best piers to watch for dock runners coming back late. Usually sister ships of the same company will sound horns at each other to say goodbye or hello so who really knows the intent. In my experience it’s usually people than are either clueless, drunk or both that miss ships. It’s not because they got tied up at the Diamonds International store on a big purchase. We have a saying when we cruise that we stole from a Love Like You Mean it Cruise, “We Love You But We Will Leave You”
I’m thinking it was humor at the expense of the passengers who couldn’t tell time. I think it’s funny as hell. Bet those people are on time for the next departure.
Do I see the middle finger being a bit longer than the others?
I’d go with the benign take. The crews on these ships often know each other and they routinely transfer between ships.
Plus, they wouldn’t have or take the time to create the cardboard hand for this one incident. Clever idea, though.
Our cruise left a couple in Bali: they were on a self-arranged tour that got caught in the horrible local traffic (the ship’s excursions were all accompanied by siren-blaring rent-a-cop cars to assist maneuvering the traffic). The ship left their stuff at the port authority after waiting as long as they could. Beware self-arranged tours.
Sorry but those people were MORE than just a couple minutes late. If the ship was sailing away at 1700. Then All Aboard was 1630. So they were 30 minutes late. These idiots deserve to have to foot the bill to get themselves to the next port.