18-year-old abandons parents leaving them marooned on an island when they're late back to their Caribbean cruise: 'They would not head back to the ship when I said it was time to go'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jun 17, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Cruise ships: floating palaces packed with tourists and plague that light up the oceans and terrorize whatever small port they happen to land in. You'd have to consider yourself mighty important indeed to think that one of these floating fortresses would forestall its scheduled course in order to accommodate your unfortunately entitled person... Sure, let's leave 3999 people waiting while the 4000th takes their time making your way back to the dock according to their own time.

Sure, it's a tough lesson to learn being marooned in some foreign port that you actually don't have permission to remain in… but a deserved one should it ever eventuate.

If you've ever worked retail near a port town, you've probably had one of these tourists waving tax exemption forms at you, chagrined that you've refused to accept their paperwork despite its irrelevance for their desired purchase. Though, perhaps this is a specific torment reserved for mine own circle of heck. Yes, these especially entitled vacationing persons will be perfectly content confoundedly beguiling you with their bickering arguments, all while their ship pulls out of port back out to see. It's rather amusing to watch their dawning realization that they're completely and utterly—well, kaputt.

This teen posted on this popular online community to see whether or not they were in the wrong for leaving their parents at a port where their cruise had stopped. They had rushed to make the boat while their parents dawdled behind, earning their parent's rage for "abandoning" them.

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  • 01
    "They would not head back to the ship when I said it was time to go."
    via Adam Gonzales
  • 02
    AITA for abandoning my parents at an island in the Caribbean so I could get back to our cruise in time? Not the 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. We usually stay at all inclusive resorts but I have always wanted to go on a cruise.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 03
    I told my parents it was different and that if we went on excursions we had to follow the schedule no matter what. Well it was a week-long cruise and they would not head back to the ship when I said it was time to go. They were busy shopping and bargaining with the locals. I finally said that I was heading back to the ship. My mom waved me off.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 04
    The missed the departure. By a lot. Like 45 minutes. 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 were not going to inconvenience 3,998 people because two could not understand what a schedule was.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 05
    They ended up having to fly to the next port from there and it was expensive. They are behind. I at me for leaving them I don't know what I was supposed to do. They literally told me that they knew what they were doing. I wish I had never asked for this. They are making me miserable because I left without them.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 06
    OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the as①ole: My parents thought a cruise ship would wait for them. I knew it wouldn't so I went back and made our departure time. My parents did not. I might be the as e for not staying back with my parents and costing them more in flights to the next port. Or for not dragging them back when it was time. I don't know what they expect from me.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 07
    OwlPal9182. NTA they seriously think the ship will delay for 45 minutes, yea no. 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.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 08
    ParsimoniousSalad NTA. Your parents are acting entitled. Tell them you saved them the expense of a third ticket to the next port.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 09
    Aggravating-Pain9249 Your parents are in the wrong. I don't do cruises but I have some experience with them because I travel to a place were cruise ships are common. I also thought passengers were warned that the ship leaves no matter who is on board. You would never have been able to prevent the cruise chip from leaving. They have a schedule and they keep to it. The ship waits for no one. This is ALL on your parents.. They didn't respect the ship schedule. NTA
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 10
    WesternBlueRanger NTA. Cruise ships have a schedule to keep, and there was no way they would wait for just two passengers without knowing where they were. 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.
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753
  • 11
    Silmariel I would 100% ask for help from an official looking employee, and make my parents stand there with their straight faces and have to listen to that employee explain it to them. NTA
    via u/ProfessionalTax7753

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