Meredith Williams is a seasoned cruiser, taking about seven or eight each year. But even she has nearly missed her ship on occasion.
The 38-year-old booked an excursion to the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park in the Philippines during a December 2024 cruise through a third-party provider, after it was sold out through the cruise line. The site was a roughly two-hour drive away and crowded with other visitors, resulting in delays.
“And then I started to get really concerned, and I was talking to our guide, and I'm like, 'Hey, are we going to have time to do this?' Because it's a two-hour drive back, and what if there's traffic? What if we get a flat tire?” she recalled in an interview with USA TODAY. "All the worst-case scenarios are going through my head."
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They got stuck in line behind other boats on their way out, and she and about seven other passengers were about 30 minutes late returning to the Norwegian Cruise Line ship. Williams documented the frantic drive and brisk walk back as other guests looked on from balconies in a video on her YouTube channel.
