#4 – Book your shore excursions with the cruise line.
If you book your shore excursion through your cruise line, whether online or onboard, the cruise line will communicate and work with your excursion leaders to locate you and return you to the ship prior to departure. Earlier this year on my Eurodam cruise, my excursion booked through Holland America Line returned late, but the ship knew we were going to be late and held the ship for us. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive to book through the cruise line, but it’s much less expensive than arranging transportation to your next port of call.
*Note: Some third party excursion companies also guarantee communication with the ship if your expected return to the ship is delayed.
#3 – Bring some form of identification with you ashore.
This is a tricky subject that has been debated across cruise boards everywhere: which form of identification should I bring ashore? At the bare minimum, you should bring a driver’s license or other photo ID. Some ports (Cozumel for me once) occasionally ask for guests returning to the ship to display a room key and photo ID. Most cruisers agree that a passport is your safest bet, as it is required if you would need to leave the country for a medical emergency or even trying to catch up with your ship. Carrying your passport ashore does present some risk though. My advice would be to bring a copy of your passport ashore, because it will most likely satisfy port security and depending on which country you are in, it might be sufficient to use in the case of needing to leave the country.
#2 – Don’t Leave your ship without money or a cell phone.
Unless you are walking within a few minutes of the ship, you should always carry some money on you while in port. Depending on the country and where you are going, if you suddenly find yourself stranded in a port, you don’t want to be left penniless. This is another tough item to give advice on, but I suggest that you only bring enough money for what you might spend in port and a little extra in case of an emergency. Secondly, make sure to bring some sort of way to communicate with either the ship, emergency services, or even relatives if you become stranded. Before leaving the ship, make sure to find out the port services number or even the number to dial the ship. Many cruise lines will print emergency phone numbers and consulate addresses in the daily schedule.
#1 – Stay on ship’s time.
Some cruise lines operate on a single time zone throughout the entire cruise. That could mean that you are docked in Bermuda, but still running on New York time. If this is the case, make it a priority to set your watch, cell phone, or other clock to the ship’s time. Misunderstanding over ship’s time is a consistent factor for “missed ship” cases. If the posted departure time at the gangway states 5:00 pm, the ship departs at 5:00 pm ship’s time, even though it may be 6:00 pm in port. Some cruise lines do change ship’s time as you enter a new time zone, so ensure you adjust your watch or cell phone to the new time zone you have entered. Always watch the time and make sure you’re on time, if not, it could cost you time, money, and your entire vacation.
The (Very) Lucky Ones
The Not So Lucky Ones
7 replies on “Don’t Be A Pier Runner – Tips & Videos”
I agree with booking through the cruise line. While in Costa Maya we were late returning and since we booked through the cruise line they held the ship for us. They practically drove us to the end of the pier!
Glad you made it back without a major problem, Costa Maya can be a tricky town to fly out of!
While I agree with most of the points in your article, you could not be
more wrong about the facts in #4 – only book shore excursions through
the cruise line!
We’ve been booking shore excursions through an
independent company for more than 11 years. Cruise Planners has a
contract with one of them and our 800+ agents have booked thousands of
shore excursions through them and no one has ever missed a ship or been a
‘Pier Runner’.
The people who do miss the ship or are ‘pier
runners’ are; 1) almost always on their on and not on any organized
shore excursions, 2) usually drunk and lost track of time, or 3) did not
set their watches to ship time, as you mentioned.
In fact, I’ve
been involved in travel for over 25 years before becoming a cruise
specialist 11 years ago and I’ve never had or heard of any passenger
missing a ship when they’ve booked through a reputable independent shore
excursion company.
I’ve had extended personal conversations
with several captains about this very issue and the number one reason
people are left in port is due to a lack of communication. They have
told me that they never want to leave anyone in port, but in the absence
of communication, they do not have any choice in the matter.
Independent
shore excursion companies, like Shore Trips as an example, know this
and know how to get in touch with the ship should problems arise. Also,
if anything ever should happen where passengers do miss the ship, the
company has insurance and methods in place to insure the passengers are
taken care of and transported to the next port of call, all at no
expense to the passenger. Although in the case of Shore Trips, Julie
Carp takes great pride in being able to report that this has never
happen in the tens of thousands of excursions their company has sold.
Personally,
we never do shore excursions offered by the cruise line unless it’s the
only way to do what we want to do. But in our 45 cruises and dozens of
shore excursions, plus based on the experience of our more than 2700
clients around the world, I have absolutely no hesitation in
recommending independent shore excursion companies. I always suggest
doing your homework and using a major company, but the experience they
offer is so much better than that offered by the cruise lines. While
the price may be the same, it usually is less expensive, plus the
vendors used are often much better, more enjoyable, more accommodating,
and always less crowded than the vendors the cruise lines use.
I
could give dozens of examples of where the independent companies are
just overall better and provide a much better product, but I let my
clients’ approval speak volumes about something that you obviously are
not very familiar with.
One other thing you failed to mention in
your article is that passengers should always take the daily newsletter
with them when going into port. Specifically, the information about the
local port authority contact information. If they ever get into a
situation where they’re going to be late or need assistance, this
information can be invaluable when trying to get in contact with the
ship.
And lastly, not only do I recommend carrying a copy of your
passport, but I also recommend scanning a copy of your passport, credit
cards, and other important documents, then emailing a copy of them to
yourself. That way, should you somehow lose all the hard copies of
documents or need any of the information, you can get it from your email
account and even print it if needed.
Pete
Hi Pete,
The fact of the matter is that the cruise line will wait for their shore excursions to return. For many cruisers, the peace of mind this provides is much more valuable than saving $10. You mentioned communication, and the cruise lines are able to communicate with their shore excursions, therefore guaranteeing a waiting ship. Also, I did mention finding the port’s and ship’s contact numbers in case of a delay, that was #2. All it takes is a traffic jam for a reputable shore excursion company to bring back their guests too little too late.
-Mike
The cruise lines do not do their own excursions – they contract vendors just like the independents do. And the cruise line is not always able to communicate with their vendors, just like the independents. But the vendors do know how to contact the ship and keep in communications with them when problems arise, just like the independents. And if a shore excursion is late, the ship will wait no matter whether it’s a cruise line excursion or an independent excursion because the vendor is in communication with the ship.
And it can often be MUCH more than $10! We took a helicopter/dog sled excursion in Juneau. Price the cruise line wanted; $450 per person! Price we paid; $325 per person!! I would not call a $250 difference minor.
We wanted to do a motorcycle tour of Aruba. Princess wanted $355 for the two of us. I contacted the Harley dealer in Aruba; their price $155 for the two of us!! There were 5 other couples on the tour with us. 4 of the couples booked it through the dealer and paid $155 – the other 2 couples booked it through Princess and paid $355. And you know what? We were on the exact same tour – all 6 couples with one tour guide! Gee, guess who not only paid $200 more but were extremely irritated with Princess??
Yes, there are people who feel more comfortable and secure booking with the cruise line. That’s fine for them. But there are other ways to book excursions that are often much better and just as secure! It’s irresponsible to insist that booking excursions through the cruise line is the only safe way to do it. Besides, I’ve heard of several situations where people have been robbed while on cruise line excursions. Thieves target these because they know they are from a cruise and the people have alot of money. While there have been a few minor instances, independents are just not targeted. So from that perspective, the cruise line excursions can sometimes have unwanted results that are not as prevalent as independent excursions.
The thing is that booking with a reputable independent company is just as reliable and safe as booking with the cruise line. Since the
overwhelming facts show that missing the ship just doesn’t happen with avgood independent company, your arguments are moot at best.
Plus, independent companies are almost always more flexible with the details of the excursion, including where they’re going, how long they’re going to stay, changes in times, etc. Whereas the excursions offered by the cruise line are very regimented, hardly ever allow variances, and herd people like cattle. That’s one of the biggest complaints I hear from people.
And as for thieves targeting cruise line excursions, yes, they are
targeting tourists. But they know certain excursions are full of cruise passengers, which is why they target them more than independent excursions.
And as for refunds, all reputable independent shore excursion companies offer 100% refunds when a port is missed by the ship. This is standard throughout the industry and not just with the cruise lines.
So while booking excursions through the cruise line is definitely an
option for some people, booking through a reputable independent company is just as safe and reliable, plus it’s often less expensive, better managed, more enjoyable, and less restrictive. And since they do not miss the ship, again, your argument is moot.
It’s fine to post your opinions and recommendations in an article, but it does an injustice and an disservice to those reading the article by not advising that these are your opinions and recommendations based on very limited information and that there are other options that are just as good for those who would like to consider them. To insist that the ship will ONLY wait for those booked through the cruise line is not correct and provides wrong information to those not familiar with cruising and the many options available to them when it comes to shore excursions.
We spent 2 days touring St. Petersburg, Russia with an independent company. There were 10 of us in a brand new Mercedes Benz van. We not only paid much less than what the cruise line was charging, but since there was only 10 of us, we got to go places, see things, do things, and enjoy things not offered by the cruise line. Plus, we could gather around our tour guide for a more personal experience instead of being herded like cattle on and off a 45-passenger bus and having to wear headsets. I heard many many complaints from people who said the cruise
line tour was horrible. All we could do was smile since ours was
awesome.
I’m not saying one size fits all. To each their own and whatever they
feel comfortable with is fine. But what I’m saying is that there is
more than one safe option available and people should not be scared into believing there is only one option.
Pete
Pete, I’m sorry, but while there are a few reputable shore excursion companies involved in the cruise industry, the majority do not communicate with the ship. Many excursions are run by local companies that do not have direct relations with the cruise lines. This creates a communication breakdown, which can lead to the possibility of cruisers missing the ship. Booking through the cruise lines is my recommendation for cruisers, and I will continue to recommend this option if a cruiser is concerned about time and reliability of a particular excursion. Plus, if a port is missed, the cruise line will refund your shore excursion, whereas most independent vendors will not. Thank you for your input.
Hey there, Pete and Mike–
Mike–People will find this article quite useful. Glad to see you branching into features. Great videos!
So, Pete’s response was both interesting and informative to me as a travel writer.
I’m definitely stealing the idea of emailing scans of passport and other info to yourself.
What I also see in Pete’s response is a nudge to the question travel writers always have to answer before they write, which is: “Who is my audience?”
As a former newspaper travel editor, I would judge that a story about the “run of shame” (my twist) –how to prevent that disaster and/or deal with the consequences–would generally be read by novice cruisers, and cruisers with a few under their belt. Veteran cruisers tend to know that missing the boat is a bad thing; they’d skip this.
Mike gives that less-experienced set an important reality check, plus some excellent tips.
Had I written this piece, when it came to shore exploration, I would have written something like, “If you want to play it safe, stick with the cruise line’s [blah, blah]. . .If you do arrange for a private guide, tell that person you must be back at the ship an hour ahead of the actual time you must be on board.”
In other words, I would err on the conservative side in this piece. My topic is how to avoid missing the sailing. I feel responsible for my reader’s best possible understanding of the topic.
I wouldn’t have ventured into the gray area of private shore excursions, which an inexperienced traveler is likely to have trouble vetting.
That said, if I was writing another article, this time on shore excursions, I would have pointed out all the things Pete did–price, quality, etc.– and offered tips and resources for DYI. A single sentence– “Be absolutely certain the tour operator can return you to the ship on time”– would have covered it. In a shore exploring article, I’m not claiming to help save the reader from missing the boat, which gives me a lot more range for discussing how to explore on shore.
Like Pete, I wouldn’t waste a day in St. Petersburg on a mediocre shore excursion. Also like Pete, I would have hired the best guide in town. How to go about doing this is great info for readers. But it takes a bit of travel know-how. Clearly, 45 cruises and many years in the industry make Pete one savvy cruiser. I’m looking forward to more of his knowledge.
But back to Mike’s piece–this is what we call a “service piece” in journalism. Mike stuck with the focus of this story: How not to be clueless about ship departure. His tips are likely to prevent one of those too-frequent shipboard announcements, “Will Misti Schup please make herself known at the reception desk on Deck 3?”
When Mike writes about shore excursions, I doubt he’s going to give an exclusive Good Housekeeping Seal to the cruise line’s shore excursions.
Cheers, all-
Anne Chalfant