A Carnival Vista Cruise passenger went viral on TikTok after uploading footage of what appears to be another passenger strolling their way up to the boat 45 minutes after its scheduled departure time.
Deidra Tillman’s (@designbyd1) video accrued over 7.2 million views and sparked a conversation among users on the platform who appeared to be confused about why the boat didn’t leave the woman behind.
@designsbyd1 #carnivalvista#cruise #missedcruise #entilted #takemytime#travel ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
Tillman wrote in the text overlay of her video: “How do you say entitled without saying it? A lady showing no urgency as the cruise ship waits for her to board 45 after boarding time.” The clip featured a lone woman holding shopping bags at her side as she ambled up the pier to a cruise ship. Other passengers stood on balconies and watched her approach the vessel.
Some commenters expressed their shock that the boat appeared to wait for the passenger to return, with one viewer writing, “Last cruise I was on, they made it extremely clear that if you weren’t back on time they would be GONE.”
“They…… waited?” asked another incredulous user. “This is the first video I’ve seen of a captain waiting for just one person.”
One commenter claimed this would never happen to them, “My anxiety of being late could never lol.”
But one person offered up an explanation as to why this cruise passenger was taking her sweet time returning aboard. They reasoned, “The only way they will wait is if you booked an excursion thru the cruise line you’re with”
Royal Caribbean International confirms this fact on its website, which says that a ship will only wait for a passenger if they book their excursion through the cruise line. It clearly states, “The ship will not wait for any guest faring on their own, as it is their responsibility to be onboard before the ship’s scheduled departure time.”
There have also been numerous reports of cruise ship passengers being left behind on their journeys. In April, a 72-year-old man who spent over $21,000 for a 100-day world voyage got stranded in the Philippines when he visited a doctor on the mainland.
Commenters also suggested that it might not have been the passenger’s fault for being late to return to the cruise ship.
“We don’t know the whole story,” pointed out one person.
“If the ship was waiting it was because it was their fault she was late. They don’t wait otherwise,” another said.
Others said that perhaps there was more to the story than was presented in the short clip.
“She probably already been through hell,” one posited, while another suggested, “Or maybe she was rushing and now she’s exhausted?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Carnival via email and to Tillman via TikTok comment for further information.
