Luke Alsford
Published April 17, 2025 5:12pmUpdated April 18, 2025 8:38am
This is the moment hundreds of cruise ship passengers mocked and jeered a couple who were left stranded at a port.
Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Sea’s had departed St Kitts after waiting 30 minutes for two of their guests to get back on board.
It was every cruiser’s worst nightmare – the late pair were subjected to the teasing by other passengers as they rocked up just after the ship set sail.
Footage taken by someone on board another cruise vessel showed staff waiting for the two latecomers for more than half an hour.
The boarding ramp was then pulled in and Rhapsody of the Seas left the docks.
Moments later, a black golf caddy could be seen speeding along the pier towards the ship with the final two passengers – but it was all too late as the ship had already left.
The man and woman, whose identities are not known, were met with a chorus of jeers and mocking whistling from passengers.
To make matters worse, they all started shouting ‘goodbye!’ at the pair, who soon got back in caddy and drove back to the island.
The visit was one leg of Royal Caribbean’s seven day Southern Caribbean Cruise, where tickets sell for £1,000 and beyond.
What happens if you miss your cruise ship?
Ending up in a foreign country without any of you belongings is not on anyone’s holiday bucket list.
Cruise ships run on very tight schedules from port to port, but captains will try to keep the gangway open as long as possible if they hear some passengers are late getting back.
But once the ship realises you have not returned, they will often go into your stateroom and take essential items like passports to leave the items with port agents on land.
That’s why Royal Caribbean recommends leaving these items in easy-to-find places, like a safe in case of an emergency.
Other cruise lines will collect passengers’ passport when they get on for this very reason.
From the port, you will then have to liaise with port staff to try get in contact with the boat and find out next steps.
If you want to get your holiday back on track, you will need to book travel to and accommodation at the next port your cruise is stopping at.
The cruise company will often not help cover these costs, unless you are on a company-organised excursion which ran late.
One of your first calls should therefore be to your travel insurance provider, who will have 24-hour assistance, who will be able to explain what coverage and travel help they can offer.
If you decide to just travel home after the ordeal of missing the ship, then the cruise can ship everything to you. But this won’t be cheap.
The journey had taken tourists from San Juan in Puerto Rico to the US Virgin Islands and Netherlands Antilles.
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The Rhapsody of the Seas was next due to arrive at Bridgetown in Barbados before circling back to Puerto Rico two days later.
Rhapsody of the Seas was first launched in 1997 and sails exclusively in the Caribbean.
It houses over 2,400 passengers and over 806 crew.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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