Cruise Passenger Chases Down Departing Ship, Only to Realize His Mistake

Photo byJordan Flom / TikTok

A cruise passenger found himself in a race against time as his ship began to pull away from the pier in Sitka, Alaska.

The incident, captured on video and shared widely on social media, has sparked amusement and discussions about the potential pitfalls of cruise travel.

On September 9, 2024, as the Princess Cruises ship Crown Princess prepared to depart Sitka, a passenger was seen making a frantic dash along the pier.

Believing his ship was leaving the port without him, the man frantically waved to the ship as it slowly pulled away.

"Oh no, he's missed his ship!" a bystander, Jordan Flom, can be heard saying in the video.

As the crowd watched in disbelief, the man appeared to be left behind, his hopes of continuing his cruise seemingly dashed.

However, things were not as they seemed. A person walked out to meet him, pointing back towards the pier where another ship was still docked.

It turned out that the passenger was actually one of the 4,004 guests aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Bliss, a much larger vessel than the Crown Princess.

The Norwegian Bliss was also scheduled to be in Sitka that day on a 7-night roundtrip Alaskan cruise from Seattle.

Realizing his mistake, the man paused, caught his breath, and joined the crowd in laughter.

He was able to reboard his ship and continue his vacation, which included stops in Juneau, Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria, British Columbia.

The video of the incident quickly went viral, prompting online discussions about the potential heart-stopping moment of missing a ship. Many viewers shared their own near-miss stories and weighed in on the consequences of being left behind.

While the incident may have been a source of embarrassment for the passenger, it also serves as a reminder of the importance of double-checking travel details and staying organized while on vacation.