A video has been circulating on social media showing a couple of pier runners that were left behind at the port of Bari last week.
What made this incident more interesting was the pleas shouted by the guests, who were late making it back to the MSC Splendida.
The ship had already raised the gangway and started to move when the couple arrived at the port.
The man shouts, in Italian, “Is the captain there, please? Captain, wait for us please! You can do it if you want to!”
Of course, it isn’t possible for a ship to stop and reverse in such a manner, and for the ship to wait for them would have messed up the schedule, putting their next port arrival time at risk.
In rare cases ships may wait for passengers once they have departed, if they are able to secure a tender boat to get there. But usually when anyone is this late back to the ship, they’re getting left behind.
I am very sorry for the episode. They tried to ask the ship to turn back or at least to stop operations. Obviously it is impossible for cruise ships that have limited times and are also very expensive operations.
President of the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea
I’ve made a video of some pier runners before – it’s been viewed over 30 million times on Instagram! See it here:
On my latest cruise on Fred. Olsen’s Bolette, a couple also missed the ship in one of the ports. We thought that they had been left behind, but later learned that they had been able to hitch a ride on the pilot boat and rejoin the ship just after it set sail! Very lucky!
Related Posts:
- MSC Cruises Ships by Size, Age and Class
- Why Are MSC Cruises So Cheap?
- The 7 Cheapest Cruise Lines (In Order)
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
The Cruise Of Your Dreams? New Grand Voyages Revealed
Holland America Line has officially announced two epic itineraries for 2027: the Grand World Voyage and the Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, both setting sail from Fort Lauderdale’s Port…
Oversold Cruise – Would You Take Any Of These Three Offers?
Passengers booked on the Allure of the Seas for its 24th April sailing out of Civitavecchia (Rome) are being offered a surprising opportunity to rethink their plans – and walk…
Cruise Line Cancels Voyage With Just 24 Hours’ Notice, Leaving Passengers Reeling
A three-night cruise to Zeebrugge was abruptly cancelled just one day before departure, leaving dozens of would-be passengers scrambling. P&O Cruises called off the sailing of its 25-year-old ship Aurora…
Guests Complain Over Pullman Bed Issue (I Had The Opposite Problem!)
A recent guest on a Princess Cruises ship was left frustrated by a policy surrounding the use of Pullman beds in their cabin. The guest took to social media to…
When I took a cruise on NCL and booked an excursion through them the bus was a hour late in getting back to the boat. They waited for us and this one of reasons they encourage you to book tours through them. Apparently they can wait.
They were probably told before they got off that they could make it back in time, if they wanted to. The purpose in the captain not listening to their pleas is not to teach them a lesson, but to thank each and every customer that made an effort to get back on time. They obviously thought their seeing more of the port was more important, they now have far more time to enjoy the local sites.