Yes, Cruise Ships Can Leave Without You—Here’s When and Why That Happens

Much like airplanes are allowed to depart without everyone on board, cruise ships are allowed to leave passengers behind if they’re not at the port in time. Many crew members and avid cruisers can tell you about seeing “pier runners” sprinting down the dock only to watch in horror as their ship pulls up its gangway and sails off into the sunset without them. Legally, they don’t have to wait for you. Still, ships leaving passengers behind is not a frequent occurrence. I’ve cruised everywhere from Antarctica to the Arctic, where I was on the first 32-day crossing of the Northwest Passage, and I’ve yet to hear of someone on any of my voyages getting left behind. 

Who commonly gets left behind? 

Very few, if any, pier runners are passengers who booked excursions through the cruise line. This is because the cruise line is liable for having all passengers who book their excursions and tours back to port on time for departure. In fact, a crew member from the ship often accompanies passengers on these ship-sponsored excursions and is in regular communication with the ship. If an excursion or tour is running late, they’ll communicate with the ship, and the captain will wait for them. However, this rarely occurs. Most cruise lines have their excursions and tours planned to the minute and include a generous buffer to account for any unexpected delays. For example, if the ship is scheduled to depart the port at 7 p.m., the last excursion may be scheduled to return by 5 p.m. 

If you book a third-party excursion, the level of risk depends somewhat on the operator. “We’ve operated over five million excursions with a 99.9 percent success rate of getting guests back on time,” Paul Kiritsy, CEO of Shore Excursions Group, tells Travel + Leisure. The company, which operates shore excursions in more than 300 ports, uses a proprietary itinerary search engine that ensures travelers only see tours that are compatible with their ship’s schedule. It also has a worry-free guarantee that reads, “In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 per customer for the inconvenience.” ToursByLocals, which also offers third-party shore excursions, has a similar “No One Left Behind” policy. According to their latest reported data, they’ve only had to implement it once out of the 150,000 tours they’ve sold. 

Most pier runners are travelers who opt to sightsee on their own. In 2024, eight passengers on a Norwegian Cruise Lines voyage off the coast of western Africa found themselves stranded on the tiny island of São Tomé and Príncipe when they didn’t return to the ship on time after venturing out on their own. A spokesperson for the cruise line issued a statement that read:

“When the guests did not return to the vessel at the all aboard time, their passports were delivered to the local port agents to retrieve when they returned to the port, as per the regular protocol. Our team has been working closely with the local authorities to understand the requirements and necessary visas needed for the guests to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call. Given that these guests were on a private tour and did not return to the ship at the communicated all aboard time, they are responsible for any necessary travel arrangements to rejoin the ship at the next available port of call, per our protocol.”

Why don’t cruise ships just wait? 

Like airplanes, cruise ships run on a tight schedule. They have to pre-pay a lot of money to dock in ports for a specified time period, and when they leave, another cruise ship may take their place. Plus, they often have to hire local pilot boats and tenders to take the ship and passengers in and out of port. If a cruise ship were to wait for a few passengers who were running behind, it would create a domino effect that would potentially impact thousands of people and cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

What time do I have to be back on board?

Different cruise lines have different policies pertaining to when you need to be back on board. If they are relying on tender boats to ferry passengers from shore to ship, cruise lines may require passengers to be back on board at least an hour before the ship’s scheduled departure. If the ship is dockside, and passengers can simply walk on, the window of time may be shortened to 30 minutes. Fortunately, cruise lines never leave you guessing. They include the day’s designated cutoff time—it changes depending on the port—in the daily bulletin, which is usually delivered to your stateroom the night before. They also announce it over the intercom and typically have signage posted as you leave the vessel that reminds you what time you need to be back on board. 

What should you do if you get left behind? 

No matter the reason, if your ship leaves without you, all is usually not lost. First, find the local port agent on the ground and explain your situation. They can contact the ship for you and will try to reunite you with your passport. Ideally, you would have a copy of your ID on your person. 

While the ship won’t return for you, they will appreciate knowing you are accounted for and may even help you make arrangements to meet them in the next port of call. However, unless you were part of a ship-sponsored excursion, the cruise line will not pay for your travel or expenses associated with being left behind. If you have travel insurance, contact the company to see if your policy will cover those costs. If yes, make sure you keep receipts so you can submit them for reimbursement. If you want to rejoin the ship, try to get to the next port of call as quickly as possible. 

How can you avoid getting left behind? 

To lower your risk of having to do the sprint of shame, stick with excursions sold by the cruise line, or book with a third-party tour operator that has a guarantee that you’ll be back on time. If you opt to sightsee solo, make sure your phone or watch is set to the local time, so you don’t find yourself an hour ahead or behind. 

Finally, sign up for notifications from the cruise line. If you can, have a data plan so you’re able to receive SMS messages on your phone. In late July, some passengers sailing with Norwegian Cruise Lines were left behind in Hilo when their ship, the Pride of America, had to leave port two hours early because of a tsunami warning issued after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Russia.  A spokesperson for the cruise line says passengers were notified of the ship’s early departure via SMS.