Two cruise passengers were left behind at Puerto Princesa port on December 29, after failing to return to their ship before the official boarding deadline.

The pair had gone on a self-organized trip to the Puerto Princesa Underground River using a rented motorcycle and arrived late at the port. The cruise ship Norwegian Sun departed at 5 p.m., while the passengers reportedly believed boarding was until 5:30 p.m.

CTD supervising tourism operations officer Mich Meneses said the passengers were misinformed by fellow travelers and did not realize the earlier cutoff time. She noted that this type of situation is not uncommon, as many cruise guests choose to explore on their own rather than join ship-organized tours.

When the two arrived at the pier, the ship had already set sail and was about five meters away from the dock. Port officials explained that the vessel could not return due to safety regulations.

Despite being left behind, the passengers remained calm and in good spirits. They even took photos and videos of the moment, joking that they wanted to “capture the wonderful experience.”

Local authorities stepped in to assist the two passengers. They were offered options to rejoin the cruise, including traveling to the ship’s next port of call in Boracay.

According to port officials, the passengers flew to Manila on the night of December 29 and continued on a connecting flight to Caticlan. They were expected to reunite with the cruise ship the following day.

Before leaving Puerto Princesa, the two Dutch nationals remained upbeat about the situation, saying that at least they had a few extra hours to enjoy the city.

Photo credit: Mich Moments