Cruise ship crew member ‘waves goodbye with giant fake hand’ as couple arrive too late to catch the Royal Caribbean vessel leaving port
- Passengers were standing on St Maarten dock as they watched ship sail away
- Footage pans to a crew member standing near top of the boat waving the hand
- Royal Caribbean insists member of staff was waving at crew on another ship
- Did you know more about the incident? Email tim.stickings@mailonline.co.uk
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship crew member was seen waving goodbye with a giant fake hand at the same time a couple on a pier below learned they had missed the boat.
The distraught latecomers were standing on the dock on the Caribbean island of St Maarten as they watched the Freedom of the Seas sail away without them.
Footage posted onto Facebook and filmed from another ship pans up towards the top of the liner to show the staff member gesturing with the giant foam hand, which had ‘bye’ written on it.
A crewmember on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was spotted waving goodbye with a giant foam hand – at the same time a couple was on the dock having missed the ship
The video also shows passengers on both ships noticing the couple, with one person shouting ‘they missed it’. This suggests plenty of people were aware of their situation.
Last night a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said the crew member was waving at staff on another ship – rather than the couple who had arrived late down below on the pier.
‘We regret the inconvenience our guests experienced due the late return to the pier,’ the spokeswoman said, according to the Sun, adding that crew often wave to one another in a ‘display of nautical camaraderie’.
‘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.’
It is not clear whether the timing was intentional, and the crewmember has not given any comment. Pictured are the couple walking away with a member of port staff (top)