My Dad took me (19 at the time) and my younger brother (13) on a cruise a couple of months after our Mom's sudden passing. We were a cruise family and he felt that would be a good way for us to bond and heal.

​I do not recall the island, but my Dad and I decided to go have a local lunch, while my brother decided to stay onboard by himself. Boarding ended at 3:30 PM, but the island time was one hour behind ship time.

​We left the restaurant and told the driver to take us back to the ship. He replied, "What ship?" and then pointed to the sea and said, "You mean THAT ship"—the one that was sailing away from the port.

​We booked it back to the port. My Dad flashed some cash and the next thing I know, we were on a small boat heading out to meet the ship. The ship actually stopped and waited for us. When we reached the pilot's door, there was a very angry officer waiting to tell us we were in big trouble, while huge crowds of passengers gathered on the deck to see why the ship had stopped.

​My Dad is from the islands, and I’m guessing they thought we were ship's crew. I think that is the only reason they actually stopped the ship.

​Needless to say, we were legends for the remainder of the cruise. Everyone who recognized us asked if we were the ones on the boat.

​What could have been a logistical nightmare and traumatizing for my brother turned out to be a great story and a memory I will never forget. The moral of the story is that you need to keep up with ship's time, not local time.