Okay, so there’s a new debate that’s dividing the internet and I want to see where y’all fall on this hot-button topic.
I want to talk about the 8 passengers who were either “left behind” or “missed” their cruise ship. The wording depends upon which side you’re on. Some people say these folks were “left behind” and others say “Nope. They missed the boat.” What say you?
Let me give you the backstory in case you have a life and don’t follow the silly news as close as I do. There’s a Norwegian Cruise ship going around Africa and it’s full of passengers. Per their itinerary, they stopped at an African island nation that’s kind of off the beaten path. Everybody on the boat was like, “Let’s go see this place!” So they either:
Signed up for expensive excursions provided through the cruise line.
Signed up for (I assume cheaper) excursions provided by third parties.
Or they explored on their own.
No matter what they decided to do, everyone was warned NUMEROUS times both audibly and in writing that they MUST BE BACK on the boat no later than ONE HOUR before departure.
ONE HOUR.
“Got it??” the crew asked.
Everyone nodded and said, “Got it” and they took off to explore.
I don’t know how many people are on this boat, but every single person except EIGHT people made it back ONE HOUR before departure as they were instructed. Everyone managed to finish their sightseeing, snacking, and shopping before the deadline. Everyone but 8 dummies.
Whoops, I was trying to stay neutral, but I think you now know what side I’m on.
Anyhoo, the 8 finished their excursion late but the boat was there. They could see it. They were like, “Hey! We’re here! Open the door, let us on!” and the Captain was like, “Who this?”
The local coast guard took them out on their boat to the cruise ship and again the Captain was like, “Is there someone knocking? I can’t hear them.”
That’s when these folks lost their shit. They called customer service, they emailed, they ranted on social media, and still the Captain was like, “Nah. You’re late. Actions have consequences” and then he hit the gas and left them in his wake.
The people were like, “We’ve been abandoned!” and they started crying real tears.
But I don’t have any sympathy for these people. I’ve never been on a cruise ship, but I’ve got friends who are serious cruisers and what I’ve been told is the staff DRILL it into you that you will be LEFT BEHIND if you can’t get your ass on the boat by the deadline. There are dozens of YouTube videos devoted to just people running for cruise ships. Like I said, I’ve never cruised before, but even I know the boat will leave me if I can’t get my shit together.
How did these people think anyone would wait for them?
Now it’s time to guess the nationality of these 8 idiots. I’ll give you 3 guesses.
Did you guess American?
Ding, ding, ding.
Of course, they were American!
Actually, ONLY six of them were American. The other two were Australian. Get it together, Australia! You’re better than that.
They were late because they booked a third-party excursion and it ran late. Now, if you book an excursion through the cruise line and it runs late, the boat WILL wait for you.
Does that sound shady?
Yeah, it’s a little shady, but I guess that’s why you’re paying extra. It’s also why most people book through the cruise line. That way they KNOW they won’t miss the boat.
But for one reason or another, these yahoos didn’t do that.
So, the boat went bye and then they called the news and one of the women was like, “This is so unfair!” I’m paraphrasing here. The real quote is absolutely bananas:
“We truly believe that although there’s a set of rules or policies that the ship follows, they follow those rules too rigidly,” Ms. Campbell told NBC’s the Today Show on Tuesday.
She also said, “They really forgot that they are people working in the hospitality industry and that the safety is and the wellbeing of their customers should be the first priority and that should be placed first.”
“It was a basic duty of care that they have forgotten about. It does concern us.”
Are you kidding me right now? This lady really thought the entire boatload of people who followed the rules should wait for her sad sack ass to get on board. Go fuck yourself, lady.
I’d be so pissed if I got myself back on the boat on time only to find out we need to wait now for a group of assholes who didn’t plan well. No way. I ALSO paid thousands of dollars for this trip and I would like to leave on time.
I just don’t get it. I don’t see how this is the cruise ship’s fault. It’s like a plane. When they close the door, you’ve missed the plane. I don’t care if the plane sits out there for another 20 minutes, you missed the plane.
Now, some of the complaints were there were elderly people who needed medication and a pregnant woman in this group. They felt like they should not have been left behind because they have medical conditions. You know what?
If you’re worried about your medical condition, you should GET ON THE BOAT ON TIME!
I have a kid who now needs life-saving medication, you better believe he will be taking all his meds with him on his excursions AND getting on the boat on time. And unless the pregnant lady was in labor, I don’t think pregnancy counts as an emergency. She probably has months left before she starts dilating.
To me, this is just another example of Americans being trash travelers. We just suck at it. There’s a reason why the world kind of hates us.
Before you feel too bad for these folks, they managed to high-tail it to another port and catch their boat again after a couple of days. I hope when they boarded, everyone gave them a slow clap—and the finger.
Totally, 10000000% agree
I think the ship should've told those 8 to fuck off when they caught up at the next port, too.