The moment a cruise ship left a hapless couple behind has been caught on video.

The incident occurred on February 15, while the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Symphony of the Seas was calling on Nassau, Bahamas.

It was the sixth day of a seven-day cruise, and the ship's last port before returning to Miami.

According to a person who shot the video from the deck of the nearby Norwegian Bliss, the all-aboard call came at 3.30pm.

At 4.15pm, workers began removing the gangway and closing the hatch.

The couple wave frantically as the Symphony of the Seas leaves them on February 15

Other passengers look on from their balconies as the ship leaves port in Nassau

About five minutes later, the clueless couple showed up, arms laden with shopping bags from their excursion on shore.

At first frantic and waving, the couple quickly sink into dejection as the ship's propellers begin to churn the water.

Other passengers on the Symphony of the Seas can be seen looking on complacently from their balconies as the ship pulls away from the stranded couple.

The couple are seen speaking to several dockworkers as the ship pulls away.

The couple were stranded at the last port of call on the seven-day Caribbean cruise

The forlorn couple watch as the cruise ship pulls out to sea without them

The Symphony of the Seas is the largest passenger ship in the world (file photo)

Forlorn, the couple walk down the pier as the ship pulls away, looking across the water after it.

The passengers' fate depends upon why they were late. If they were late while on a tour booked through the cruise line, Royal Caribbean may have offered them assistance in getting home.

However, if they were late while on a tour booked independently in port, or a self-guided excursion, the passengers would have had to find their own way home.

One-way plane tickets from Nassau to Miami run about $180 apiece.