Will a cruise ship leave without you?

Picture this: You’re having such a good time at Senor Frog’s with your new friends and that third margarita that you lose track of time. Or maybe your tour bus gets stuck in traffic on the way back to the ship, which is something totally out of your control!

You're probably wondering whether a cruise ship will wait for you or not. Missing your cruise ship and getting stranded in a foreign port is one of the top concerns of first-time cruisers, and while the chances of the ship leaving you behind are low, it does happen.

Here's everything you should know about how cruise lines approach this situation and what you can do to avoid being left behind by your cruise ship!

The bottom line is that cruise ships are allowed to leave guests in port

If your ship is scheduled to leave at 5:00pm from Cozumel, you won't return at 3:30pm to find the ship sailing away. If, however, you showed up at 5:30pm, you might find yourself left behind, while everyone's watching Mexico disappear into the horizon from the pool deck.

Cruise ships will leave passengers behind, within reason. While you have a small buffer between the all-aboard time and the actual removal of the gangplank, you don’t want to push your luck.

What happens if the excursion that I booked through the cruise line runs late?

If you’re booked on a ship’s excursion, the cruise ship will always wait for you. Tours are scheduled to arrive back with plenty of time, but traffic, medical emergencies, or other unexpected events can cause the tour busses to arrive late.

Cruise lines convince passengers to take their tours instead of independent ones by promising to never leave passengers behind, so they will always wait for the last tour bus to arrive before setting sail.

If there's some unexpected event that causes you to be unreasonably late back to the ship, the cruise line will make all the arrangements and cover all costs in order to get you to the next port of call.

There's a chance you could be left behind if you book an excursion through a third party. Let's talk about it

Every time you leave the ship in port, a sign will be posted by the gangway giving the all-aboard time. That’s the time you need to be back on the ship.

It's important to note that the time posted is based on the ship’s time. If it is different than the local time in port, it is your responsibility to be back on the ship by the posted time and to keep track of the time difference.

When you return to the ship, your key card or RFID device is scanned, so the ship’s officers know exactly which passengers are onboard and which are still in port.

If the all-aboard time has passed and a few passengers are missing, the crew will call your room or make announcements over the loudspeaker asking you to call the reception desk. This is to make sure there wasn’t a system error and that you’re actually on the ship.

If the crew determines that passengers are actually missing, the captain has a decision to make. How long can he afford to wait before sailing away, leaving those cruisers behind?

Cruise ships might be charged more in docking fees if they stay late in port, and a delayed departure might require the ship to sail faster to the next port, burning through extra gas. If the ship requires a pilot onboard or an escort out of the channel, those workers might not have wiggle room in their schedule.

Depending on all these factors, the ship might be able to wait or it might not. It’s not a risk you want to take.

If you are planning on going off on your own in port, make sure that you book a tour that returns a few hours earlier than the all-aboard time. This will give you some wiggle room in case there is traffic or some other unexpected event.

How late can you board a cruise ship?

You can board a ship as long as the gangway is still in place. If the captain knows passengers are missing, he’ll leave it up as long as he can, but once it’s been pulled back into or retracted from the ship, you’re out of luck.

Once that hatch is closed, it won’t open again, not even if you come sprinting down the pier. This is why it is so important to aim to be back onboard the ship a little bit before the all-aboard time, as this will help ensure that you won't accidentally miss the gangway by even a minute or two!

It is a favorite pastime of many cruisers to watch for and cheer at pier runners, which is the name for passengers who arrive back at port late and run toward the ship in the hope that the gangway is still in place. Whether or not you show up in time to get on the ship or not, your mad dash will not go unnoticed and might be filmed and posted online.

A TikTok posted by @gentlesteveinva documents two pier runners in Grenada. At the beginning of the video, they're seen running down the pier; however, they slow down when they realize that there's no hope of them getting on the ship. You can see how distraught the female is when she's met by port agents!

What happens when a cruise ship leaves you?

If the unthinkable happens, you’re responsible for either getting yourself back to the ship or back home, if that was the last port of call. In the Caribbean, you’ll need to arrange for an interisland flight to the next port of call.

In Europe, you might be able to take a bus or train to the next destination. Plus, you’ll likely need to spend the night somewhere; finding and paying for that hotel stay is on you.

What if you’ve missed the ship, but don’t have a passport with you? Depending on where you’re stranded and where you need to get to, you might need that passport to board a plane or leave the country. If you're not carrying one, you must contact your country’s embassy or consulate to arrange for new documentation.

Should the cruise ship leave without you, you’re not entirely alone. The cruise line has a port agent in every port of call. That person has likely been alerted that you’ll be showing up at some point and is looking for you. The port agent is trained to deal with these situations and can help point you in the right direction.

Can you get off a cruise ship early?

Some travelers ask if they can use a cruise ship like a ferry. Instead of sailing roundtrip, they intend to take the ship to the first or second port of call, then get off and stay a while. In these cases, they want the cruise ship to leave them behind in port.

Disembarking a cruise ship early is possible, but whether it’s allowed or whether you’ll get fined varies depending on which port the ship sailed from and which port you’re disembarking in.

Cruises from the U.S. are subject to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), and you will be fined if you sail from one U.S. port to another without first stopping in a distant foreign port. In Europe, this isn’t a problem, as the PVSA only applies to sailings departing from the United States.

No matter where you plan to disembark in Europe, you must make sure that the destination does not have rules against you staying.

However, do not expect a cruise fare discount if you plan on sailing only half the cruise. The ship can’t sell your cabin for the other half of the voyage, so you’ll need to pay full fare even if you’re only cruising for half the trip. In other words, it is probably both cheaper and easier to plan a land-based vacation to the port you're interested in visiting for an extended period of time.

Exceptions to these rules can be made when passengers need to remain in port due to medical emergencies, have to leave a cruise mid-sailing to deal with an emergency at home, or get arrested in port. However, fees and fines may still apply.

What can I do to keep from missing the ship?

Most people do not have trouble returning to their ship in plenty of time for sail away. If you’re worried, though, take these steps, and you’ll be fine! You will be able to sit back, relax, and watch the ship depart with a refreshing cocktail in hand.

Set an alarm

Most people travel with their cell phones, meaning that you can put yours to good use! Set an alarm for the time when you need to start heading from the beach or town back to the ship. If you are worried that you won't hear it, put the ring volume to the highest level, or have each member of your travel group set an alarm. That way you’ll know when it’s time to head back!

Create a time buffer

Whether you’re exploring on your own or booked a tour through an independent operator, you can guarantee you’ll be back by all-aboard if you create a time buffer.

If the all-aboard is at 5:00pm, make plans to be back to the ship by no later than 4:00pm. That way, if you’re running late, you’ve got about an hour of wiggle room before you’re cutting it close. This means that you shouldn't book the latest tour time available. Sorry, you might have to sacrifice your sleep just a little bit!

Limit your alcoholic beverage intake

We’d guess that a significant fraction of folks who miss the ship have been drinking and completely lost track of time. If you plan to party in port, don’t go overboard. If you really want to take advantage of cheaper beverages, we recommend that you assign a “designated driver” to herd you all back to the ship on time.

Take a map of the port with you

Some folks miss the ship because they get lost and can’t find their way back. If you don’t want to use your phone in port (or can't because you don't have service), take one of the paper tourist maps from the ship or the tourism officials at the pier.

Mark out your route or, better yet, ask a local for directions. If you know how to get to and from the ship, you decrease your chances of getting lost and missing the ship.

Book an excursion through the cruise line

MSC-Excursion-Aix-en-Provence-MSC-Seashore.

The safest bet is to book a tour through your cruise line, especially if you want to travel to an attraction some distance from the port. You can see the sights without worrying about traffic or logistics. The ship will always wait for its tours to return before setting sail.

For instance, I booked a tour through MSC Cruises to visit Aix-en-Provence. It was a bit of a drive from where the ship was docked in Marseille, so I was glad that I did not try to navigate there on my own. While I do wish I had more time to explore the quaint town, I would not have enjoyed it if I was worried about getting myself back to the ship on time!