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‘Absolutely savage’ crew member waves with giant foam hand as cruise ship leaves stranded passengers behind

The giant hand had ‘bye’ written on it

Cathy Adams
Thursday 08 August 2019 15:04 BST
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Crew member waves with giant foam hand as cruise ship leaves stranded passengers behind

When a cruise ship leaves port, the typical signal is two prolonged blasts of the horn.

A crew member on a Royal Caribbean ship was instead filmed waving a giant foam hand as the ship pulled out of St Maarten, oblivious to two passengers left behind on the dock.

Footage shared on Twitter shows the Freedom of the Seas liner setting sail from the Caribbean island, while a crew member on deck waves a giant hand to signal the boat’s departure.

To add insult to injury to the stranded passengers, the giant hand had “bye” written across it.

The pair can then be seen walking away from the dock as the floating palace sails away.

“Absolutely savage,” reads the caption on the video.

In February, a couple who turned up 45 minutes late to get back on their cruise ship were left stranded in the Bahamas – and the whole thing was filmed.

The pair were on a Royal Caribbean cruise on 15 February when they literally missed the boat.

The Symphony of the Seas ship was docked at Nassau port, and passengers had been given an all-aboard time of 3.30pm. At 4.15pm, the gangway was removed and doors were closed – the couple arrived five minutes later.

If passengers do miss a cruise, they will usually incur the cost of getting themselves home and any accommodation needed in the interim.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement: “Our crew member was not directing her wave to our guests on the pier. She was waving at our sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, which was also in port and scheduled for departure.

“The gesture was one of respect and nautical camaraderie between crew members. We regret the inconvenience our guests experienced due the late return to the pier.

“Guests are encouraged to be back by all-aboard time. Departure times are routinely announced onboard, posted in shipboard newsletters and at gangways to keep our guests informed at all ports of call.”

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