What happens if my cruise ship arrives late?

Last Updated: Aug 28, 2026

Bon voyage! You’ve been looking forward to your Alaskan cruise, and now it's finally here. You're ready to settle in and enjoy your vacation when you find out your ship is running late. Maybe it's an hour behind schedule. Maybe it's more.

So what happens to your shore excursion if your cruise ship arrives late?

We've helped a lot of guests through this situation over the years.

Sometimes a late ship arrival is no big deal. The tour operator adjusts the schedule, you make it to the meeting point, and you're on your way. Other times, especially with tours that have limited departures, it's a little more complicated.

Here's what we recommend if your ship is running late.

First, turn on your phone

When you get off the ship, turn on your phone and check your messages. Your local tour operator may be trying to reach you with an update or instructions.

If your ship is running late, call the local tour operator at the phone number listed on your ticket. They can let you know what's happening and, when possible, adjust your tour time.

We may already know your ship is running behind, too. Our team monitors these situations and, when we can, we'll work with the local operator to find a later departure that works for you. Sometimes we're able to start working on a rebooking before you even make the call.

Still, don't wait for us to reach out. A quick call to the local operator is the best way to make sure everyone knows where you are and what your new schedule looks like.

Don't assume you've missed your tour

If your ship is running late, still plan to go to the meeting location listed on your voucher unless you've been given different instructions.

This is something we see guests get understandably nervous about. They know they're an hour late and assume the tour has already left.

That's not necessarily the case.

Many of our local operators know when ships are running behind and will do what they can to adjust departure times or get guests onto a later departure. Our local dock representatives also monitor what's happening at the dock and may be able to help you figure out your options.

Some tours are easier to move than others

This is where things can get a little tricky.

Helicopter glacier tours and glacier dogsledding are two examples where a late ship can create more challenges.

These tours have limited departures, finite resources, and often sell out well in advance. If your ship arrives late, there may simply not be another departure available that day.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask.

Your tour operator may have another departure available, or there may be another option that works with your new schedule. If you booked through us, we'll do our best to help find it.

If there isn't another tour time

Sometimes there just isn't a later departure that works.

If the local operator can't accommodate you on another tour time because your ship arrived too late, we will issue a full refund for your reservation.

That's why it's important to communicate with the operator and with us rather than assuming you've missed your tour and walking away.

The biggest thing? Communicate.

If there's one thing we'd tell you to do, it's this: be proactive.

Turn on your phone. Check your messages. Call the local tour operator using the number on your ticket, and head to your meeting location unless you've been given different instructions.

We've been on the other side of these situations with our guests and local operators, and we've seen how quickly things can change once everyone knows what's going on.

A ship that's an hour late doesn't automatically mean you've missed your Alaska adventure.

The best thing you can do is check in, make the call, and let the local operator and our team work on the options with you.