What happens when your cruise ship leaves you behind?

Entertainment managers on cruise ships love to have their little joke. “Don’t worry if you are late back to the port,” they tell passengers on their first day on board. “You’ll get great pictures of us waving as we sail away.”

The problem is that missing your ship is not funny. All your belongings are on board and you have to catch up with it at the next port – at your own expense of course.

Cruise ship itineraries are planned at least two years before their sail date. They specify the time the ship arrives and leaves port. Passengers going ashore are asked to be back on board half an hour before the departure to make sure they don’t miss the boat.

It doesn’t always go to plan. Cruise lines rarely discuss things that go wrong, but one executive let on that there are instances every month where passengers miss their ship. And that is for just one line.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/what-happens-when-you-miss-your-cruise-ship-/