Two Cruise Guests Miss Departure at Puerto Princesa Port

Two cruise passengers were left ashore at Puerto Princesa on December 29 after failing to return to their vessel before the official all-aboard time.

The travelers had arranged their own excursion to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, traveling by rented motorcycle, and arrived back at the port later than expected. Norwegian Sun departed at 5 p.m., while the passengers reportedly believed boarding remained open until 5:30 p.m.

CTD supervising tourism operations officer Mich Meneses said the pair had received incorrect information from other passengers and were unaware of the earlier cutoff. She added that similar situations occur fairly often, particularly when guests choose independent activities instead of ship-organized tours.

By the time the passengers reached the pier, the ship had already departed and was positioned roughly five meters from the dock. Port officials explained that safety regulations prevented the vessel from returning.

Despite missing the ship, the two passengers stayed relaxed and in good spirits. They even took photos and videos of the moment, joking that they wanted to “capture the wonderful experience.”

Local authorities provided assistance and presented options for the travelers to rejoin the cruise, including traveling to the ship’s next scheduled stop in Boracay.

Port officials said the passengers flew to Manila on the evening of December 29 before taking a connecting flight to Caticlan. They were expected to reunite with the ship the following day.

Before departing Puerto Princesa, the two Dutch nationals remained positive about the situation, commenting that they at least had a few extra hours to explore the city.