about 30 years ago my husband and I, one of his teenage daughters
abd her best friend were in a med cruise, on a cruise line no longer in existence. We ported in sorrento. Our table mate, a well traveled airline pilot, talked us into taking a train to Pompeii and then back to sorrento. The girls didn’t want to go so stayed on the ship. When we got back to sorrento he then talked us into a hydrofoil to Capri. We spent a couple glorious hours there (never miss Capri if you have a chance). We caught the hydrofoil back to sorrento arriving at least an hour before the ship was leaving. As we came around the bend into the harbor, there was no ship! When we docked and ran over to where the boats had been to take passengers back and forth, there were 3 other passengers waiting including the ship doctor and his girlfriend and a member of the cruise staff. They had been waiting for us. . Apparently because of high waves, the captain decided to leave early and move to Naples. For those of us still not back, the ship arranged a driver and van to take all of us to Naples to get on the ship there. Whije we weren’t late, it was a scary experience. No passport, little money, kids on board without us. Taught me a big lesson. I’m never less than 2 hours and preferably 3 or more hours back on board before final call. My husband still plays it too close. We often separate at the ship so I can get on for my personal well being. He stays around the port to do something else. Drives me nuts. My anxiety doesn’t stop until I see him onboard. He had to run once, I think in Lisbon, because he decided to see one last church and ended up going in the wrong direction until he found himself a couple miles from the ship and had to quickly retrace his steps. The joys of matrimony!