How to Avoid Missing Your Cruise (and What to Do if You Do)

What to do if you do miss your cruise

The Norwegian Bliss leaving the Port of Seattle. Photo: Port of Seattle

First: don’t panic. Many cruise companies allow delayed visitors to meet up with the ship at the first port. In fact, some cruises allow passengers to embark for the first time at the first port of call. For example, if you live closer to the cruise’s first stop, it may make more financial sense to embark at that stop rather than the primary departure destination. When we met up with our cruise ship in Juneau, Alaska, we were two of sixteen people embarking that day.

However, cruisers should not assume they can embark at a different port and should always get permission from the cruise line. This is because there are some limitations regarding which ports can be your embarkation point, particularly for cruises leaving from the US. Foreign-flagged cruise ships (the vast majority of cruise ships) in the US must abide by the Passenger Vessel Services Act, or PVSA. It dictates that cruise ships cannot transport passengers between two US ports without stopping at a foreign port. This is sometimes why you’ll see itineraries with ports that feel like they don’t quite make sense – it may be to satisfy the distant foreign port requirement. In our case, embarking in Juneau was legal because the ship stopped in Canada first.

So, if you miss your ship, cruise lines must confirm your late embarkation is not in violation of PVSA before granting permission. In addition, the cruise line must confirm that the port has appropriate embarkation facilities and ensure customs and immigration laws are followed.

Cruise ships docked in Juneau, Alaska. Photo: Travel Alaska

This information can be difficult to find online, but if you book via a cruise travel agent or cruise company with agents available, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

The best plan if you’ve missed your boat may be to meet up with your cruise ship at its first port of call, but first, you’ll need to figure out if you can make it there in time. You’ll be responsible for the additional costs associated with meeting up with your cruise. For us, this ended up costing us more than $1,500 for two flights to Juneau, plus a night in a hotel.

Once you know it’s feasible on your end, contact the cruise line as soon as possible so the ship knows you’re coming and can confirm your embarkation is possible. Do not plan to show up at the first port without first speaking to the cruise line.

You’ll call your cruise line’s customer service number, so have it handy. When you explain your situation, they’ll connect you with the right people. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to do this via the cruise app, and doing it over the phone will almost certainly be quicker.

What information the cruise ship needs may vary. Norwegian wanted our flight information, so while we stood at Pier 66 in Seattle, Washington, I spoke with Norwegian while my partner booked the flights to Juneau.

How to avoid similar mistakes

Guests waiting to board a cruise. Photo: dkroy/Shutterstock

The obvious advice is to arrive early – but at most ports, you can’t. Cruise lines assign embarkation windows, and if you show up before yours, you’ll be turned away. Staying nearby isn’t always an option, as many newer and more remote cruise terminals don’t have hotels nearby — and there’s the added expense of a hotel the night before, too.

Don’t confuse embarkation time and departure time

Embarkation time (when you’re supposed to arrive to get on board) and departure time (when the ship actually leaves) are not the same thing. Most lines require you to be onboard at least two hours before departure, and some expedition companies like Lindblad or Quark may even require 24 hours.
Once you’re sailing, the same logic applies in every port: the daily All Aboard Time is when you must be back on the ship. Miss it, and the ship leaves without you, unless you’re on an excursion booked through the cruise line.

Save your docs right away

Your e-docs act as your boarding pass for the cruise ship and have all the important embarkation information, so download them as soon as you get them — it’s easier than sorting through dozens of cruise-related emails later. While you can likely access your e-docs through the cruise line app, they can sometimes be faulty, especially with thousands of people on the same Wi-Fi. Screenshot or save your docs as files, and print the important ones to keep in your carry-on.
During this process, you should print your bag tags. That way, you can easily drop your bags at the cruise port and have them delivered to your room, rather than having to carry them through security. Ensure you have everything you’ll want for the first few hours on board, such as a swimsuit and book, in your carry-on bag, as you won’t have access to your room right away (and it takes some time for your luggage to arrive at your stateroom). Not hauling around bags also eliminates one more thing to slow you down at embarkation.

Sync calendars with your fellow cruisers

Once your plans are confirmed, sync everything to your calendar immediately — and be specific. A placeholder like “cruise vacation” is how you end up with the wrong date. Enter the embarkation time, the port address, and your planned departure from home as separate calendar events, each with a reminder.

If you’re traveling from a different time zone or returning from a trip beforehand, double-check your dates against the port’s local time zone. This is what caught us. My partner had just returned from the East Coast and his schedule was completely thrown; we hadn’t updated the original placeholder “cruise” item on our calendars, and the inconsistency slipped past both of us.
So, triple check your embarkation date and time and plan your travel accordingly, especially if you’re traveling from a different time zone. Keep your schedule updated as soon as you get new relevant information – don’t wait until a week before to confirm your timing.

Once you’ve rebooked, relax

The author’s mistake left him with an unexpected free day to explore Seattle. Photo: Meg von Haartman/Shutterstock

Once we had confirmed that we could board in Juneau, had our flights booked, and secured a hotel for the night, my heart finally began to settle. All this happened before noon on a beautiful October day, and our flight wasn’t until the next morning, so we decided to shift into vacation mode despite the stress. Instead of dwelling on the mistake or feeling like we were stuck, we decided to view it as free time to explore the city.

We found a local bar for a drink, which happened to be near a bar hosting a fun drag brunch. While we ate and drank, we planned out the following day. We updated our calendars, set our alarms, and arranged a pickup time for our rideshare to the airport the next morning.

Our flight to Juneau was uneventful, and we even beat our ship to downtown. That gave us time to explore yet another new city, so we visited the local distillery, grabbed lunch at a saloon, and even tried caribou pizza.

When the ship arrived, embarkation was smooth as the staff knew we were coming. Our room keys were ready and security only took a few minutes. It probably took us less than thirty minutes for the whole process, and because most other passengers had disembarked to explore the port, I was able to quickly order a piña colada and settle into an empty hot tub.