A distraught mother fell to her knees as she watched a cruise ship pull away with her children on board.
The Norwegian Breakaway departed the Bahamian port of Nassau on 21 April at 5.30pm, minutes before the woman arrived.
The cruise ship was on a 14-day tour of the Bahamas and Bermuda, which departed from New York on 17 April.
Cruise passengers are normally advised to be back on the board at least half an hour before it is due to depart.
Molly McIntyre, a specialist cruise consultant with cruise.co.uk said: "Some cruise lines do allow children to stay on board without their parents in the kids clubs if the parents want to go ashore without them.”
"What I don’t understand is why this lady was late back as the departure time is always displayed in the daily schedule and normally there is also a sign as you get off the ship that asks you to be back on board 30 minutes before departure.”
"In the event that you do miss the ship there is normally a port agent who waits around to assist in these situations however repatriation to the ship can be costly and will be at your expense."
