What are the reason why a cruise ship would be delayed?
OK – I am a cruise ship captain and this is a common question.
Reasons why a ship would be delayed:
Mechanical failures of some sort- ranging from slow down to total stop. More common on older ships.
Weather – high winds, bad sea state etc.
Port Operations…..for example I can arrive at Piraeus Athens at say 0600 as agreed with vts and then they give priority to Greek ships delaying me by one hour.
But the good news is VERY unlikely you would be delayed by a day AND you can always tell the reception desk you want to disembark today before…yes it is possible. Ships don’t promote the fact but it can be done…you then get a fast ferry or flight to next port beating the ship.
BUT best advice is ALWAYS overnight the day you leave cruise ship. The sea is very unforgiving and if you arrange to fly 3 hours after cruise ship is due to berth you are tempting fate