The cruise industry is more popular than ever, after taking a major hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. J.P. Morgan, citing research from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), reported that some 35.7 million passengers would sail in 2024. 

These floating mega-hotels cater to all sorts of travelers. Some are very family-friendly, and some more adult-oriented, with activities ranging from gambling to educational lecture series. Indeed, a fair amount of retirees nowadays are opting to call a cruise ship home, since a luxury liner can be a safe, quality, and cost-effective independent living alternative.

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But (and it’s a big one): Cruise lines tend to have stringent schedule policies. Passengers who go ashore may risk getting stranded (for days!) if they fail to return to port on time.  Learn this cruising essential intel to avoid any mishaps.

The Saga of the Late Eight

In March 2024, South Carolina couple Jill and Jay Campbell were eight days into a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) vacation along the African coast. They, along with six fellow passengers, went ashore to the island of São Tomé. Although the excursion wasn’t organized by the cruise company, none of the travelers (including a pregnant woman and an elderly man with a chronic illness) felt they had cause to worry. 

Then, toward the end of the tour, a seemingly minor issue occurred that would make the group late getting back for departure. The tour manager reached out to alert the vessel, so everyone was relieved to see the ship in port when they ultimately arrived. The Coast Guard even brought the tardy tourists up to the liner—yet the group wasn’t permitted to board.  

The saga of the Late Eight, who were left stranded, made headlines as they frantically raced to rejoin their cruise.

Thus began a six-day nightmare that had the travelers—dubbed “the Late Eight” in the press—racing by bus, plane, and ferry across several countries in an attempt to reconnect with the ship at a subsequent location. They’d taken very few belongings ashore, so found themselves without such essentials as medications, money, and clothing. As the only people who’d brought a credit card, the Campbells put everyone’s mounting bills on their tab. 

What’s more, while stranded, the castaways encountered Julia Lenkoff, who had been on a NCL-sanctioned tour. Lenkoff suffered a stroke while on the island. A misdiagnosis snafu at a local hospital left her wandering about in a confused and injured state until taken into the group’s company. They helped Lenkoff contact her family in the U.S. to arrange for safe transport home to California. It would still, however, be days before they finally made it back onto the ship.

This Can’t Be Common…or Can It?

Alas, the Late Eight wasn’t an isolated case. In fact, a mere month later, in May 2024, Utah couple Richard and Claudene Gordon, passengers on a NCL Mediterranean cruise, took a private tour to explore the city of Granada. Unfortunately, a rain storm was slowing their return to port, so Richard contacted family members who’d remained aboard. They then alerted the crew—only to be told that the ship would not wait. When the octogenarian Gordons made it to port about 45 minutes past departure time, the liner was gone. Along with ship, their medication, eyeglasses, hearing aid batteries, and phone chargers disappeared, too.

When the passenger returned to port, the ship was gone, along with the passenger’s medication, eyeglasses, and phone charger.

Fortunately, the Gordons’ situation wasn’t as excruciating as that of the Late Eight. They simply lost sleep while dealing with last-minute lodging and travel reservations before meeting up with the ship two days later in Ibiza. Still, they considered the abandonment unnecessary. 

“I am a very experienced traveler and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises,” Richard told CNN. He added that the beginning of the cruise had been delayed by some 90 minutes and that for the next several nights, the ship was “at least a half-hour late from the dock. “So it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled,” he noted.

Cruising Essential Intel: If You’re Late, the Ship Won’t Wait

The Campbells, too, believe that the cruise line treated them poorly by following their rules “too rigidly,” Jill told TODAY. “I really feel that [NCL] forgot…that really the safety and wellbeing of their customers should be their first priority.”

Latecomers, sometimes called “pier runners,” can be subject to jeering and booing by those on-board.

The Late Eight didn’t get much sympathy from their shipmates, however, and online reactions to the group’s ordeal were particularly cruel. And it’s not just those marooned who are maligned. Cruisers in jeopardy of missing their departure—known as “pier runners”—are subject to jeering and booing by those standing at the rail as they pantingly hoof it toward the gangway.  

Avoid Abandonment for a Truly Bon Voyage

Cruises aren’t for everyone. Between the situations described above and disease outbreaks that can occur onboard, even the most adventurous traveler might prefer to remain a landlubber. But for some people, cruising is an ideal way to see the world.

One perk: The more loyal you are to a particular line, the more perks you accrue. “My first cruise was to Alaska in 2012 and I’ve been on two cruises a year ever since,” says Brooklyn, New York, hairstylist Rose Mckeon, who prefers Princess Cruises. Having reached the top tier as an Elite passenger, she receives an array of benefits. Among them: priority boarding, paid airport pickup, gifts in her cabin, the “Captain’s Circle” cocktail party, and a 10 percent discount on goods bought onboard.

One major plus for cruising: You unpack your luggage once, and you’re in a different place every day.

Still, the point of travel is to experience a variety of new countries and cultures. That’s what Mckeon appreciates most about the convenience of cruising. “You unpack your luggage once, and you’re in a different place every day,” she explains. 

Of course, going ashore can mean the risk of pier running. After all, a cruise line’s policies aren’t arbitrary—there are good reasons for sticking to a departure schedule. Another vessel may be due to pull into that slip, for instance, or workers on the dock may be changing shifts.

Smart Cruise Strategies 

So how can cruisers keep from being stranded? And what should you do if despite your best efforts you’re left on land while your ship sails away?  Here’s some cruising essential knowledge.

• Know and follow the rules. Read and understand the contract, which can be (ugh!) a multiple-page, single-spaced document in eight-point type. Or simply remember the adage experienced cruisers live by: “If you’re late, the ship won’t wait.”
• Take an authorized tour. Yes, excursions organized by the cruise line can be pricier than private ones, and they may not expose you to as much authentic local culture. But most cruise lines will wait for passengers who are on a tour organized by the company. If researching your own excursion, ask the vendor about guarantee policies before you book.
• Bring necessities ashore. Traveling light while sightseeing is important, but you’ll want to have travel documents, a credit card, tech necessities (like a phone charger), and medical musts handy should you get stranded.
• Don’t rely on travel insurance. Travel insurance is always a smart idea. That said, delay or missed-connection coverage usually applies to large carriers (like airlines) and covered reasons that cause policyholders to miss their departure. “An excursion supplier not getting you back to your cruise in time is typically not covered,” Meghan Walch, director of product at InsureMyTrip, told USA Today.
• Give yourself ample time. Whatever the scheduled departure, plan on arriving back at port about an hour before, just to be on the safe side. Set an alarm reminder to keep you on track. Also be sure your watch and/or phone are set to ship time—your all-aboard time will be that of the ship, which may be different from that of your tour destination.
• Snap a picture of the port. “There’ll be a sign with the number of the slip and the address of the port,” Mckeon says. “If anything were to happen while ashore where people don’t speak English, you can show that picture. That way, they’ll know how to help you get back to the ship.”

If You’re Late, the Ship Won’t Wait

Mckeon has come to rely on these tips after a close call in Norway years ago. “We were visiting a sculpture garden in Oslo and were told where and when to meet the bus going back,” she recalls. “I was on my own, taking pictures. When I got to the meeting place there was no bus and no one else from my tour.”

Don’t forget: When cruising punctuality is paramount!

The tour was sanctioned by the cruise line, so the miscommunication didn’t freak Mckeon out. However, she certainly didn’t want to be late. After searching in vain for the bus and familiar faces, she approached a van driver. “I was lucky that he spoke English. He called a cab for me,” she says. “I got back to the ship with ample time and just as I was going aboard, the bus pulled up.” 

Bottom line for those who choose to cruise? Punctuality is paramount. Don’t be late or you could literally miss the boat!