Time taken to disembark Voyager at Tauranga??

[avalon007]

Hi,

 

Just wanting some feedback from anyone who has been on Voyager of the Seas & disembarked at the port of Tauranga NZ.

 

Wanted to get a feel for how long it takes to get off the ship assuming you get off as soon as allowed. (not getting off 3 hours after docking etc)

 

We need to arrange a private tour pick up time & the ship docks at 8.30am, they are suggesting 9am pick up, but not sure if 30 minutes to get off is realistic, considering the ship has their tour passengers they will want to get off first probably??

 

Voyager of the seas only info please as she carries more passengers than other ships so need information relevant to her set up.

 

Thanks. :)

[rkmw]

Hi,

 

Just wanting some feedback from anyone who has been on Voyager of the Seas & disembarked at the port of Tauranga NZ.

 

Wanted to get a feel for how long it takes to get off the ship assuming you get off as soon as allowed. (not getting off 3 hours after docking etc)

 

We need to arrange a private tour pick up time & the ship docks at 8.30am, they are suggesting 9am pick up, but not sure if 30 minutes to get off is realistic, considering the ship has their tour passengers they will want to get off first probably??

 

Voyager of the seas only info please as she carries more passengers than other ships so need information relevant to her set up.

 

Thanks. :)

 

we have not been on the Voyager but Tauranga is a dock and if the ship docks at 8.30 when you have clearance you can go ashore so 9am should be fine

[avalon007]

we have not been on the Voyager but Tauranga is a dock and if the ship docks at 8.30 when you have clearance you can go ashore so 9am should be fine

 

Thanks, but it's not the time you are allowed off, but actual time it took to disembark if you were wanting to get off at Tauranga as soon as allowed that I am asking about.

 

Voyager carries more people than a lot of other cruise ships so the logistics are different & I have heard it can take some time to get off compared to some other ships.

 

That is why I'm hoping for Voyager specific info. :)

[hotrod36]

Tauranga, New Zealand 09:45 20:45Docked

 

We only arrive at 9.45am so maybe give yourselves about 30min or so, we have a car hired and i told them around 10.30am

 

Thanks Tina

 

Thanks, but it's not the time you are allowed off, but actual time it took to disembark if you were wanting to get off at Tauranga as soon as allowed that I am asking about.

 

Voyager carries more people than a lot of other cruise ships so the logistics are different & I have heard it can take some time to get off compared to some other ships.

 

That is why I'm hoping for Voyager specific info. :)

[avalon007]

Hi Tina,

 

According to the tour operator the Port of Tauranga schedule has us docking at 8.30am now.

 

Carnival Spirit is in port the same day & was originally set to dock at 8.30, she is now docking at 4.00am. Which I assume has been arranged to ensure 5500 people don't try to get of 2 ships all around the same time.

 

I recall reading somewhere on these forums that people who had cruised NZ on Voyager have noted some delays in disembarking at some ports as only 1 gangway was available etc.

 

Hoping someone who actually docked at Tauranga on Voyager will be able to provide some info.

[hotrod36]

Just Spoke to my Sister who was on the Christmas cruise and she said they have no problem getting off took about 30 min so hopefully we will have the same and get off earlier

 

Thanks Tina

Hi Tina,

 

According to the tour operator the Port of Tauranga schedule has us docking at 8.30am now.

 

Carnival Spirit is in port the same day & was originally set to dock at 8.30, she is now docking at 4.00am. Which I assume has been arranged to ensure 5500 people don't try to get of 2 ships all around the same time.

 

I recall reading somewhere on these forums that people who had cruised NZ on Voyager have noted some delays in disembarking at some ports as only 1 gangway was available etc.

 

Hoping someone who actually docked at Tauranga on Voyager will be able to provide some info.

[avalon007]

Just Spoke to my Sister who was on the Christmas cruise and she said they have no problem getting off took about 30 min so hopefully we will have the same and get off earlier

 

Thanks Tina

 

 

Hi Tina,

 

What time did she decide to get off, as soon as they allowed people to or at a later time? Was she doing her own thing do you know or getting off as part of a ship organised tour?

 

I think timing will be relevant, looking I guess to find people who got off not as part of the ships tour group/s & as soon as the ship docked to see if this was a busy time & if there were queues etc.

 

So for example it may be best to line up 30 minutes prior to first disembarkiung time for example if you want off at a set time.

 

Thanks.

[joejoe 59]

Hi Tina,

 

According to the tour operator the Port of Tauranga schedule has us docking at 8.30am now.

 

Carnival Spirit is in port the same day & was originally set to dock at 8.30, she is now docking at 4.00am. Which I assume has been arranged to ensure 5500 people don't try to get of 2 ships all around the same time.

 

I recall reading somewhere on these forums that people who had cruised NZ on Voyager have noted some delays in disembarking at some ports as only 1 gangway was available etc.

 

Hoping someone who actually docked at Tauranga on Voyager will be able to provide some info.

I didnt know our times had changed, what time do we leave there now then, has that changed as well ?

[rkmw]

Hi Tina,

 

What time did she decide to get off, as soon as they allowed people to or at a later time? Was she doing her own thing do you know or getting off as part of a ship organised tour?

 

I think timing will be relevant, looking I guess to find people who got off not as part of the ships tour group/s & as soon as the ship docked to see if this was a busy time & if there were queues etc.

 

So for example it may be best to line up 30 minutes prior to first disembarkiung time for example if you want off at a set time.

 

Thanks.

 

Tauranga is a dock and if you want to get off first you have to get down there early ,doesnt matter if you're doing a tour or not,or is the Voyager different to other ships

[dandtgeddes]

Gidday

 

Not sure which stop it was for but on the Christmas/New Year cruise we had one stop where there were two gang planks open, one for RCI tours and the other for us plebs. The pleb line took an hour to get moving!!!

 

Tauranga is often called the Rotorua port as it is quite close to the thermal attractions so it is often quite a big excursion day for many.

 

I suggest the 30 minutes after docking time is reasonable, personally, I would be inclined for a 45 minute window.

 

Takes a 3 to 5 minute walk from the end of the gangway to the wharf entrace, really easy.

 

Tides play a big role for the larger ships in Tauranga so the crew wont be mucking about.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

God bless you:)

 

TraceyG

[avalon007]

I didnt know our times had changed, what time do we leave there now then, has that changed as well ?

 

Yes, according to the port schedule we leave at 8.45pm, which is good as we have time after the Rotorua tour we are doung to look around the town.

[avalon007]

Tauranga is a dock and if you want to get off first you have to get down there early ,doesnt matter if you're doing a tour or not,or is the Voyager different to other ships

 

 

It's because Voyager carries 30%+ more passengers than the other ships & this seems to cause delays disembarking at some ports from threads I recall reading in the past.

 

So if there is only 1 exit from the ship & the ship has tours arranged, the tour passengers can often get priority to disembark so the tour operators can keep to schedule.

 

This can in effect mean non ship's tour passengers could be delayed, & Tauranga being a popular port for the Rotourua tours therefore could mean longer delays in getting off, even if you line up super early.

 

I'm just trying to get a feel for if this could be the case & to tell our private tour operator a realistic time to expect us to disembark.:)

[rkmw]

i know it wont bother you but on the Sea Princess last year we docked at Napier and seeing it was a working port no one could walk thru the dock everyone onboard had to obtain a tender ticket (even elites) and meet in the dining room and when they called your number you could go off and get the shuttle into town....people on tours met in the theatre and went off at a different gangway

[icat2000]

Tauranga stop is much easier to get off than Napier. You just walk off, pass the port security, showing your pass or id. Rotorua is only about an hour or so away from Tauranga.

[GandM-nq]

Lucky I looked at this thread. Small hijack.

 

I will be on the Spirit that day in Tauranga. As stated above the arrival and departure times for the Spirit have been changed from advertised. While the 0400hrs arrival is not an issue, the departure time being brought forward 1 hour is! THAT makes a big difference with private arrangements/tour bookings.

 

Will note this in my cruises fb page.

[avalon007]

Lucky I looked at this thread. Small hijack.

 

I will be on the Spirit that day in Tauranga. As stated above the arrival and departure times for the Spirit have been changed from advertised. While the 0400hrs arrival is not an issue, the departure time being brought forward 1 hour is! THAT makes a big difference with private arrangements/tour bookings.

 

Will note this in my cruises fb page.

 

 

No problem, glad you saw the thread & found it useful.

 

Seems neither cruise line has told passengers about the change in times?

[GandM-nq]

No problem, glad you saw the thread & found it useful.

 

Seems neither cruise line has told passengers about the change in times?

 

They probably think it is a minor scheduling issue and would tell passengers the day before port arrival. I will be looking for the wharf runners!

[TAN066]

We were on Voyager in November last year and our first port was Auckland. Trying to get of the ship was a nightmare!!! Because they only had one walkway off the ship it was confusion plus. If you had a ships tour they let you off before the rest of the passengers. But some passengers just gave up as they were still lined up 2 1/2 hrs later-people on our dinner table took 3 hrs to get off. There was an uproar because a lot of pasengers missed this port altogether. There was an apology and because it was the first time they had been to Auckland it was a big learning kerb for the crew.

We had a tour at 12:30 pm and the line was still up to level 8. There was no staff to say we have a tour and is it alright to go threw! So we had to explain to every second person why we were pushing in....not easy when there was some very cranky passengers.

I heard it got easier as they got to each port. As we had tours in each port we got of pretty quick. I am sure they have worked on these teething problems and have it all sorted now.

Tania

[joejoe 59]

Yes, according to the port schedule we leave at 8.45pm, which is good as we have time after the Rotorua tour we are doung to look around the town.

Thank you :D i wouldnt know whats going on unless i read what you post :)

[robinph]

Thanks, but it's not the time you are allowed off, but actual time it took to disembark if you were wanting to get off at Tauranga as soon as allowed that I am asking about.

 

Voyager carries more people than a lot of other cruise ships so the logistics are different & I have heard it can take some time to get off compared to some other ships.

 

That is why I'm hoping for Voyager specific info. :)

 

We were on Voyager in November on her first cruise out of Sydney, we docked at 9.45 and had a tour booked for pickup outside the port at 10.30, we made sure we were ready to get off as soon as we were allowed, and we were off in plenty of time, plus the tour operator was only taking people from the ship so he waited for everyone. Hope they have sorted out the dissembarkation in Auckland by now, ours was the first time Voyager had been there, and they only had one gangway operating for three and a half thousand passengers, needless to say there were very long delays, and a lot of unhappy passengers, this was the only port we had delays in every other one was great. Enjoy your cruise. Robin:)

[lownslow]

We did the Xmas cruise and only had trouble in picton when there was just one gangway and a short time in port ( as we arrived in the afternoon). That was awful. We had 2 gangways in Tauranga from memory. And there's not so much of a rush to get off early when there's long stays in port. We did a tour here so were off early. Even if you book for half an hour later and end up getting off early, town centre is only one or 2 streets from the boat and there's a lovely beach right where you dock to keep you busy. I loved this little port.

[lownslow]

Here's Tauranga

[lownslow]

Sorry they are small - it's from my phone

[avalon007]

Thanks for all the replies. :)

[Peardy]

We just did a VOS cruise that stopped at Tauranga - this was one of the easiest ports we visited as you could walk through terminal without a shuttle. Disembarkation was extremely easy. We waited 15 minutes or so for the 'eager/ pushy' ones to go who had queued and then walked straight through in 5 minutes or less. Crew directed us to the appropriate gangway after We gotne ok over the PA system. I think 30 minutes will be definitely enough. Very very easy process we experienced at every port and we have two young children to manage!!