Late arrival at the ship

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Late arrival at the ship

Arriving late at the port is different from the ship departing late. If a flight, train or car journey delays your arrival at the terminal, this could put your planned embarkation at risk. As soon as it becomes clear that you may miss the embarkation time, contact the cruise line immediately or use the emergency contact listed in your documents. The next steps depend on how the trip was booked and what caused the delay: the cruise and the journey to the port may have been booked together or as separate services.

Understanding delays and departures

EU rules for passengers travelling by ship cover certain cases of cancelled or delayed departures, as well as other passenger rights. Their scope depends, among other things, on the departure and destination ports and the transport operator. An individual traveller’s late arrival is not automatically the same as a ship service being cancelled or delayed by the carrier. In addition, the right to choose between a refund and alternative transport described in those rules in the event of a cancellation or delayed departure does not apply to cruise passengers. Nor does the compensation for late arrival mentioned there apply to cruises. The distinction between a personal delay and a cruise cancellation or change is important when determining which rules apply.

Understanding the booking and contract

If the cruise was booked together with other travel services as a package, the organiser is responsible for the included services under EU rules. Separate contracts may also qualify as a package under certain conditions, for example if several services are selected at a single point of sale before payment or sold for one total price. Separately booked individual services do not automatically come with the same package travel rights. Whether a booking qualifies as a package or consists of separate travel services depends on how it was arranged and on the contracts.

This means that passenger rights relating to the ship service are a separate question from responsibility for a bundled trip. The specific cause of the delay, the type of booking and the agreed travel services all help determine which rules apply. The EU information on passenger rights when travelling by ship describes the rules for ship services.

After the trip

If a travel service is cancelled or missed, keep receipts, records of times and booking documents relating to that service. Whether a refund or another service is available depends on the specific contract and on whether the cruise, the journey to the port or a combined trip was affected. For a cancellation initiated by you or one made by the organiser, see the overview of cruise cancellation contracts and deadlines.