Reliability of Tenders

We will be on the Yaughtsman Caribbean cruise in January. I like to find some of my own excursions rather than always using the cruise lines. The only problem is making it off the ship on time to arrive at the appropriate site of departure. If the itinerary says we are in port from 8 AM until 6PM does the first tender actually leave at 8 AM or are there frequent delays?

Is it difficult to get on the first tender?

If the ship leaves at 6PM. When does the last tender leave to get back to the ship?

Arrival and departure are always subject to authorities clearing the passenger lists, tides, sea conditions, etc. Usually everything runs according to published times but not always. Most tour operators are flexible but if the ship has to change ports you are on the hook unless you have insurance that specifically addresses port change or through the third-party.

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There will be a sign saying "last tender at..." when you disembark. If you want to know earlier, the excursion desk should be able to tell you, but in my experience they aren't the most reliable of the cruise staff.

The excursion staff on the Surf this fall in Europe was superb. Steve was incredibly knowledgeable about every port including all of the history and the tours were excellent. If you remember Kristi (not Kristian the current photographer) the photographer from a few years ago, she is now part of excursions and very well organized. Anyhow, most private excursions work out unless, as I said, something odd comes up. Last year we missed a port in Caribbean because of tender problem, this summer 2 ports in France because of unseasonal winds. We expect the unexpected so we don't freak out and ruin our vacation.

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They usually run tenders up to 30 minutes before scheduled departure. On the Yachtmens cruise , tenders usually run shortly after ships scheduled arrival. Also they run tenders til midnight at Jost Van Dyke (Have a drink at Foxy's). Will be on Star Pride shortly and will be able to judge the reliability of the motor yacht tenders which from other posts have not had very good reviews. This is not the case for the Windsurf. This is a great cruise...have done it twice. Enjoy

They usually run tenders up to 30 minutes before scheduled departure. On the Yachtmens cruise , tenders usually run shortly after ships scheduled arrival. Also they run tenders til midnight at Jost Van Dyke (Have a drink at Foxy's). Will be on Star Pride shortly and will be able to judge the reliability of the motor yacht tenders which from other posts have not had very good reviews. This is not the case for the Windsurf. This is a great cruise...have done it twice. Enjoy

We're just back from Star Pride. The tender service was excellent.

Cands

Were they using the Italian style tenders they store in the sports platform?

We have recently been in the Legend. The tender service and tender crew were also excellent. Very little waiting for tenders. In most ports the service was practically continuous with two tenders constantly running.

Occasionally priority can be given to people on a ships tour if they need to get off first as they have a long day with a tight schedule, but this causes less of a problem than on the larger ships as the number of passengers is so small.

Cands

 

Were they using the Italian style tenders they store in the sports platform?

Yes. More like a motor cruiser. They are very comfortable. I believe these are the only tenders on these ships. I have never seen the lifeboats used as tenders. (we have been on these ships when they were with Seabourn too)

The only time they were not used was in Capri. I believe the locals insist on using their own tenders, which was interesting if not as efficient as the Windstar service.

Greece - Patmos Island 2008 by Chris&Steve (cands), on Flickr"]Greece - Patmos Island 2008 by Chris&Steve (cands), on Flickr[/url]

On our recent cruise we missed Capri because the seas were too choppy, and the captain felt the local tenders would not be safe. We diverted to Amalfi which was beautiful, and enabled us to take a tour to Pompeii.

The ships tenders and crew did a wonderful job of getting everyone ashore safely in very difficult choppy conditions.

The captain later told us because of the problems with the local tenders they had had to miss Capri several times this year, and as a result Windstar will not include this port in it's irineries next year. Amalfi would be a very acceptable alternative, the town and coastline were beautiful, and the excursions interesting.

We stopped at Capri on the Surf in September. The local tenders were used and they were ok. It's such a beautiful place so I'm sorry to hear that it's off the itinerary for next year. The water in the grottos was the most spectacular color I've ever seen.

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