'The biggest mistake' cruise ship worker sees passengers make
A cruise worker has revealed the biggest mistake first-timers make on board.
Amber Olivia, who works as a performer, has seen firsthand how the nightmare can unfold. She also knows how to avoid it happening.
"The biggest mistake I've seen is passengers not checking what time the all aboard is after a port day," Amber tells 9Travel.
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Cruise ships won't wait if you're late. Getty
"Remember the ship won't wait for you, so make sure you remember what time you need to be back on board, even take a picture of the time on your phone. It's always written at the gangway."
Amber recalls making friends with a couple of girls on board who learned the hard way just why it's so important to be back on time.
"The ship was about to depart from Santorini, and I had caught wind there were still two passengers missing," she says.
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"Something in my gut told me that this was my two new friends.
"I call them to find out where they are and to my surprise they're still sat drinking cocktails on the opposite side of Santorini to where the ship was about to depart."
The duo got a taxi... but it took them to the wrong port.
Amber Olivia works on cruise ships. Supplied
They ended up at a ferry port instead of the cruise ship one.
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Amber followed their agonising journey to try and catch it.
"The two girls find the driver of the ferry who doesn't speak a word of English and are yelling for him to drive his ferry up to the ship and eventually he does," Amber says.
"Now, it's important to note that not any ship or boat is allowed to be within a certain distance of the cruise ship for security reasons.
"So meanwhile I'm trying to get in touch with the captain to let them know that his two final guests are coming back on board however from an unauthorised ferry."
Amber says the pair eventually got back on board, and unsurprisingly, got a "telling off".
Some cities have multiple ports Getty
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Cruises famously sell their own excursions with the promise if there are delays the ship will wait. But otherwise, passengers are responsible for getting back on time.
As well as sharing the nightmare mistake, Amber also wanted to dispel the myth cruises are for the oldies.
Indeed the cruise industry is booming and a huge shift is happening with young people now the 'most enthusiastic' about cruising, according to a report.
The average age of a cruise traveller is 46.
However, the report revealed a significant portion (36 per cent) of cruise travellers are actually under the age of 40.
"There are so many different cruise lines to choose from and you just have to find the one right for you," Amber says.