Meredith Williams is a seasoned cruiser, taking about seven or eight each year. But even she has nearly missed her ship on occasion.
The 38-year-old booked an excursion to the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park in the Philippines during a December 2024 cruise through a third-party provider, after it was sold out through the cruise line. The site was a roughly two-hour drive away and crowded with other visitors, resulting in delays.
“And then I started to get really concerned, and I was talking to our guide, and I’m like, ‘Hey, are we going to have time to do this?’ Because it’s a two-hour drive back, and what if there’s traffic? What if we get a flat tire?” she recalled. “All the worst-case scenarios are going through my head.”
They got stuck in line behind other boats on their way out, and she and about seven other passengers were about 30 minutes late returning to the Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Williams documented the frantic drive and brisk walk back as other guests looked on from balconies in a video on her YouTube channel.
Many videos of pier runners – guests rushing to return to a cruise ship before it departs – have gone viral on social media, and gathering on outer decks to watch stragglers has become a kind of pastime. But late returns can have serious implications for both cruise lines and travelers. Here’s what to know.
‘It’s Always Been a Thing’
Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants, said she has seen pier runners since she began taking cruises in the late 1980s.
“You’d always see the last-minute people coming on board,” she said. “And the funny thing is, you’d wait for the announcements. That was the big thing, you know, they’d start announcing people’s names to see if they were on board. So it’s always been a thing.”
Back then, Kuther said, the spectacle was relatively contained to cruise guest circles. “It wasn’t as widespread as it is now because of TikTok and social media,” she noted.
Kuther and Williams both said some of the footage has also appeared to be staged.
What Happens If I Miss My Cruise?
Cruise ships are on tight schedules, and passengers could be left behind if they don’t get back on board by the stated all-aboard time.
“Oftentimes there’s such strict rules, and it’s so expensive to dock,” said Kuther. Other ships could also be coming in.
Before departing, cruise lines collect missing guests’ travel documents, like passports, from their staterooms (if they didn’t bring them ashore) to give to the port authority. That way, the passengers can reach the next port or home, depending on how much time they have left on their sailing.
Passengers are typically responsible for their own travel arrangements in those cases. Travel insurance won’t usually be much help, either.
“Typically, travel delay coverage/missed connection coverage is due to a delay of a common carrier, such as an airline delay or cancellation for a covered reason, which causes you to miss your cruise/tour departure,” Meghan Walch, director of product at InsureMyTrip, told USA TODAY. “An excursion supplier not getting you back to your cruise in time is typically not covered.”
How to Avoid Becoming a Pier Runner
There are some steps travelers can take to avoid running down the pier.
Cruise ships post all-aboard times in daily planners delivered to staterooms and on the cruise line’s app. Kuther recommends guests set a reminder on their phone and keep time zones in mind.
“There’s three times,” Kuther said. “There’s your local time, there’s the local time of the port that you’re in, and then there’s ship time. You always, always have to be on ship time.”
Booking shore excursions through the cruise line may cost more, but is often a safer bet to avoid late returns. The ships not only have a record of where those guests are, but operators ensure they get back on time. That said, third-party vendors may also offer guarantees to get guests back to the ship on time at no added cost.
When booking independently, Williams recommends sticking to reputable operators and using reviews and social media posts from other travelers while doing research.
Williams also always brings a portable phone charger, a photocopy of her passport, and — for water-based excursions — a waterproof pouch to hold her phone, cash, credit card and other belongings. If taking medication she can’t go without for more than 24 hours, she recommends bringing at least two extra days’ worth.
Kuther suggests getting back to the ship half an hour to an hour before the all-aboard time. “Anything can happen,” she said.
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