Being a pier runner is nothing less than completely embarrassing — but what happens when there is no pier?
Many popular ports throughout the world are tender ports, meaning that cruise ships have to anchor and get guests ashore by the use of smaller tender boats.
One of these ports just so happens to be in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where TikToker Claire Stoddard (@clairestoddard0) and her friend nearly missed their cruise at the very first stop.
While there are now two videos shared by the creator about the experience, the original one, posted on May 15, 2025, has gone viral, amassing over 321k views in just two days.
This first video is a clip of Stoddard and her friend on a small boat making their way back to a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel.
Over the footage, there was text that said, “POV: You miss your cruise by 30 minutes and start planning your new life at the port. Just as all hope is lost… Port Authority pulls up like: Get in. We’re saving your vacation.”
Viewers were appalled at the rare nature of the situation, many asking for a story time to understand the full scope of what had happened.
Stoddard posted a follow up video on May 16, in which she outlined why she and her friend were late in the first place and just how narrowly they avoided getting left in Croatia.
“We saw 8:30 p.m. on the little printed schedule handout. So we were like: Cool! Be there by 8:30 p.m.,” the TikToker shared.
This happened on the very first full day of the 7-night cruise to Greece, and the pair mistakenly mixed up the final boarding time with the ship’s departure time.
“So yeah… We rolled up at 8:15 like crushing it,” the influencer added, further pointing out the unfortunate timing error.
When Stoddard and her friend arrived at the port, everything was dark and there was absolutely no one there.
Read Also: What Happens If You Miss Your Cruise Ship?
As mentioned above, Dubrovnik in Croatia is a tender port, so the two guests had missed all of the boats that would have taken them back to the ship.
Without a way back aboard, they were completely stuck — that was until the port authority showed up.
The initial individual with the port authority to arrive asked Stoddard and her friend if they were supposed to be on the ship and, in an attempt to help, was able to get someone to bring them their passports.
This left the guests confused as their passports were locked in a safe in their cabin.
While some commentors said that it was a good thing their passports were in a place crew could easily locate, the US Department of State recommends that you keep it on you at all times in case of emergency despite what cruise lines might say.
Just when the two friends had lost hope, another individual from the port authority showed up on a boat and instructed them to get on immediately.
By some miracle, Stoddard and her friend were able to board the crew ship via a small ramp, and after speaking directly with the captain, they were not punished in any way for the delay.
At the end of the video, the creator thanked the Croatian port authority for not letting them get left behind, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line for letting them back on.
A Shocking End to a Common Situation
It seems like every week, there is a new story about pier runners, but it is extremely rare to hear about a situation like Claire Stoddard’s that ended positively.
Viewers were quick to point out just how lucky these guests were, as rejoining a cruise is extremely expensive, considering additional travel costs.
“As a travel agent, I’m disappointed you missed it but impressed that you made it on,” commented one person.
“This is so rare, we need to know more,” added another.
While the exact ship has not been specified, Stoddard was likely on the 2,394-passenger Norwegian Pearl, which does one-way 7-night itineraries from Italy to Greece in the spring each year.
This TikToker should consider herself extremely lucky, and at the very least, she has acknowledged that she will never make the same mistake again.
Lucky Passenger Makes it to the Ship Thanks to Port Authority
