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One of the cardinal rules of cruising is to always, always, always get back to the ship before its departure time, because they can and will leave you behind. It might be the single most repeated "cruise rule" in existence, and yet tardy tourists still get left behind by their cruises all the time. Sure, some of them just got stranded due to bad luck, but there's a surprising amount of people who simply played fast and loose with the schedule despite knowing the consequences.
Reddit user and recent high school graduate u/ProfessionalTax7753 was almost one of those people- almost. While the following awkward family drama took a lot of the shine off of their vacation, it undeniably made for a wild Reddit story!
Related: Cruise Expert Shares Little-Known 'Rules' First-Time Cruisers Don't Know
Like any good story on r/AmItheA--h-le, the post starts with a compelling title: "AITA for abandoning my parents at an island in the Caribbean so I could get back to our cruise in time?" That sounds like a harsh move on the part of the OP, u/ProfessionalTax7753 , but they soon made it clear that they didn't have much of a choice!
"I graduated from high school back in December. As a gift, my parents got me a cruise. It was also for my 18th birthday. It was also a family vacation ," their post began. "We usually stay at all-inclusive resorts but I have always wanted to go on a cruise. I told my parents it was different and that if we went on excursions, we had to follow the schedule no matter what."
It almost seems like the teen was anticipating trouble from the start, and sure enough, their instincts were right. The family was in a Caribbean port one day when OP realized they were running behind. Unfortunately, the parents were too busy "shopping and bargaining with the locals" to heed their child's warnings. Frustrated, the teen went back to the ship without them as the mother waved them off.
"They missed the departure. By a lot. Like 45 minutes," OP wrote. "They got ahold of me through WhatsApp. They wanted to know why I didn't get the boat to wait for them. I wanted to scream that they're not going to inconvenience 3,998 people because two could not understand what a schedule was."
For what it's worth, OP's parents were fine, but they had to catch an expensive flight to the next port and were angry that their kid had ditched them. Feeling guilty, the teen turned to Reddit to determine whether or not they were really "the AH."
The Internet Jumps to Their Defense
It's always sad (and telling) when a kid shows more responsibility than their parents. Of course, as with all Reddit posts, there's always the chance that this is someone's creative writing exercise, but I've heard too many real-life stories like this not to give it its due. Other Reddit users took OP's story in faith too, and fortunately, were sensitive to their plight.
"NTA [not the a--h-le] they seriously think the ship will delay for 45 minutes, yeah no." decreed u/OwlPal9182. "The docks and ship have a schedule to keep. They are adults and need to be responsible for getting back on time, which is something you have figured out in less than 6 months of being an adult. At least you don't have to go on any more vacations with them after this."
"NTA. Your parents are acting entitled," agreed u/ParsimoniousSalad. "Tell them you saved them the expense of a third ticket to the next port."
" Cruise ships have a schedule to keep, and there was no way they would wait for just two passengers without knowing where they were," reassured u/WesternBlueRanger. "They MIGHT wait if there's a whole bunch of passengers being delayed on an excursion that was organized by the cruise ship company , but that's iffy."
It's always a bummer when family drama ruins a trip, even more so when it could have been so easily avoided. OP's parents don't sound like the learning type, but hopefully someone else learns something from their story. If you don't want to join the legion of unlucky pier runners , don't miss your ship's departure time - and if you do, don't blame it on your kid if they ditch you!
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