Belize & Grand Cayman... Tenders :(

[photonut4]

I found the tenders always offered a great photo op. I have never had a longer than 20 minute tender ride in my 3 trips to Belize. Go enjoy.

[Ehpride]

Hey, I thought Grand Cayman was going to build a pier. :D

 

 

Oh wait, I heard that for the first time back in 2006.

[crusinfamof4]

We had a miserable time in Belize with the tender, as such, if we sail to Belize again, we will not get off the ship. We had an excursion so the morning over wasn't bad, it was coming back. They cram you in like sardines, we were exhausted from the excursion, it was hot and we had to stand. Our son got sick and threw up and FINALLY someone let him sit. I have to say I am still pretty upset by the rudeness of the other passengers. Then people were pushing to get off once we got to the ship. I stood firm to make sure my family and I were the first ones back on. I saw we would be standing and I asked to take the next tender, they would not allow us to wait and we had to get on that one.

 

Grand Cayman was NOT as bad and we will happily go back there again. We had to wait once we got back to the ship as we were downstairs, but I just sat until it was time to go.

 

Belize was awful and our boys still talk about it!

[dbd0512]

Tendering in grand cayman is a breeze. Very short ride so I wouldnt worry at all. When I tendered in Belize I would say it was close to a 30 minute ride. I was on one of the cat boats so it was fairly slow compared to the mono hull tenders. The ride was smooth given the weather that day and the crew talked about the country the whole time so it made for an interesting ride. I would do it again.

 

I second the suggestion about booking an excursion in Belize. There is not much to do in the port area and from the looks of it I dont think you want to venture out on your own. My wife and I did the cave tubing and did not care for it to much.

[silvercrikhix]

Poptart: I think it would depend upon the sea movement on your Belize port day. Try contacting the special needs dept at Carnival....perhaps they can help facilitate a smooth ride for your daughter if the seas are calm.

 

OP: we did the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins/River Wallace Excursion thru Carnival.

It was fantastic! Honestly, book this tour. The ruins were sooo interesting, I was so surprised how much I liked it. Very interesting. The bus ride over is narrated, giving you a lot of info on the country with fun interactive gals doing the narrative. Water provided on the ride. The river portion gave us lots of wildlife and river home views. Very cool.

[wantocruisemore]

For Belize we did the Atum Ha/River Wallace carnival excursion. In one of the first tenders off the ship. Just meet where they say and you're given a sticker and then go when called. No problems! We loved Belize!

 

For GC we had a private excursion booked. FunTimes said to go to Victoria lounge at aft of ship on deck 5. I went 30 min early then saw them putting tables in the hall just outside of elevator area in front of lounge. Lined up and ended up in first tender to reach the island. Got called a few minutes and went to the exit they said. Very easy. Got a couple of gorgeous pics of the ship pulling away.

 

Tenders are no big deal and they do allow you to get some great pics of the ship in the water, not just at a dock.

 

Actually thinking about same cruise next year.

[dmarie1623]

We had a miserable time in Belize with the tender, as such, if we sail to Belize again, we will not get off the ship. We had an excursion so the morning over wasn't bad, it was coming back. They cram you in like sardines, we were exhausted from the excursion, it was hot and we had to stand. Our son got sick and threw up and FINALLY someone let him sit. I have to say I am still pretty upset by the rudeness of the other passengers. Then people were pushing to get off once we got to the ship. I stood firm to make sure my family and I were the first ones back on. I saw we would be standing and I asked to take the next tender, they would not allow us to wait and we had to get on that one.

 

Grand Cayman was NOT as bad and we will happily go back there again. We had to wait once we got back to the ship as we were downstairs, but I just sat until it was time to go.

 

Belize was awful and our boys still talk about it!

 

Had an almost similar experience. We refused to get on the tender and stand, we waited for the next one to arrive. The operators were a bit pushy, but we had my MIL and her sister, both of whom are in their 70's, so no way that we could have them stand for the ride back.

[Jenny in TX]

The tender in Grand Cayman takes less than 10 minutes at the most. No big deal and I would definitely not miss going to Grand Cayman!

[soccersharon]

We've never minded needing to tender to port. Just another part of the adventure!

[michelle1836]

have you thought about getting FTTF? or booking a Carnival excursion? you will be on the first tender that way

[Happy0810]

Ate the Belize tenders as rough and fast as they used to be? My hc daughter is going with us and I'm not sure her spine can handle the ride. We're thinking about a spa day on the ship

 

Sent from my SM-T310 using Forums mobile app

 

 

I'm not HC but have had a LOT of spine surgeries (fused from top to bottom). We've been to Belize 4 or 5 times, and we've always tendered over. It's not been a problem for me. Because the tenders are bigger, they don't seem to hit the waves as "hard" as some of the smaller boats. Of course, that's just my experience and my opinion.

[wantocruisemore]

That's strange about the ones who had to stand on the tenders. At both Belize and GC they strictly enforced the no standing. One girl even got called down for standing to take a photo on the top deck.

 

We're they the last tenders heading back when this happened?

[poptart]

Poptart: I think it would depend upon the sea movement on your Belize port day. Try contacting the special needs dept at Carnival....perhaps they can help facilitate a smooth ride for your daughter if the seas are calm.

 

l.

 

 

I just know the 1st couple of times we went there that the tenders were speed boats, they flew and bounced around a lot.

 

The last time we were there in 2010 the tender seemed to go slower but was it was a hot miserable ride. No problems with lines as we got off the ship after the crowds and returned in just about an hour. And totally enjoyed an uncrowded day on the Dream.

 

We have done and enjoyed excursions in Belize. But now we're happy to just stay on the ship. My daughter just wants to say she was there and since it is the 2nd port of our cruise I don't want her to be bedridden for the rest of it after a rough tender ride She is 43 and uses a motorized wheelchair. She can walk short distances.

 

Her husband is going scuba diving in Belize. Her daughter and her friend are doing the zip line and cave tubing.

 

I think I'll keep pushing for that spa day!! :D

[poptart]

The tender in Grand Cayman takes less than 10 minutes at the most. No big deal and I would definitely not miss going to Grand Cayman!

 

Yes the GC tenders are a piece of cake. We are spending the day at Royal Palms on 7 mile beach.

[dmarie1623]

That's strange about the ones who had to stand on the tenders. At both Belize and GC they strictly enforced the no standing. One girl even got called down for standing to take a photo on the top deck.

 

We're they the last tenders heading back when this happened?

 

Tendering over they were adamant that no one could stand, not so on the way back to the ship. We were not close to being the last tender back. We headed to the ship with 1 1/2 hours left to spend in Belize.

 

My hubby, boys and I personally would have no problem standing, but not with MIL and her sister with us.

[tkportersat]

Belize is not 40 minutes and is totally worth it. We had a great day there.

 

Belize not worth it. 40 minute tender ride 1 way and Belize is a hole. Grand Cayman however different story. Very short tender ride and a beautiful island.

[RTlady00]

Thank you all for your input - my son-in-law described it has a large dinghy :eek: and definitely not comfortable with that idea LOL I think we'll skip Belize and enjoy the amenities of the ship for the day and wait for Grand Cayman. So looking forward to January.

[wantocruisemore]

Thank you all for your input - my son-in-law described it has a large dinghy :eek: and definitely not comfortable with that idea LOL I think we'll skip Belize and enjoy the amenities of the ship for the day and wait for Grand Cayman. So looking forward to January.

 

Please check the tenders out at least. I didn't see much difference in the tender so from the mass water transport at Disney World. They're just larger, far from what I call a dingy.

[LALindaJ]

I just returned from a 7 day cruise with a stop at Roatan and Belize. The tender process was horrible - if you didn't buy a shore excursion from Carnival. I went to the service desk two days before the Belize stop to find out what to do and once I said I had not purchased a Carnival excursion you could see she didn't want to talk to me any more. The info she gave me was incorrect.

 

Then another party in the group went to the service desk early the morning of the stop and they sent her to the excursion desk where she had to wait in line again. They told her to go Degas Lounge (front of the boat). There we waited and then they sent us to the back of the boat where we stood and watched as hundreds of people that had purchased Carnival excursions filed by. In the meantime a tender was leaving from the front of the boat where we had just been, not sure who was in that one.

 

The tender ride itself was very pleasant and enjoyable, the staff on the tender did a good job. Coming back was a breeze.

 

Gary, the entertainment director was very rude, not only to me but to a lot of others that were asking questions. It appears that if you had not purchased a Carnival excursion you were not told how to get the "sticker" to get off the boat. There are no passes or tickets, just stickers. The stickers for Carnival excursions were a different color from the ones for those that did not book through Carnival - shame on us. Fortunately our tour guide waited and we had an awesome day.

 

As mentioned previously the cave tubing is great, we were so glad we did it! We also went on the zipline before tubing so we filled up the day. The ride to and from was interesting and definitely eye opening.

 

Before I book another cruise on Carnival that has a tender stop I will do more research as this was not a great experience.

[AZbeachboy]

I just returned from a 7 day cruise with a stop at Roatan and Belize. The tender process was horrible - if you didn't buy a shore excursion from Carnival. I went to the service desk two days before the Belize stop to find out what to do and once I said I had not purchased a Carnival excursion you could see she didn't want to talk to me any more. The info she gave me was incorrect.

 

Then another party in the group went to the service desk early the morning of the stop and they sent her to the excursion desk where she had to wait in line again. They told her to go Degas Lounge (front of the boat). There we waited and then they sent us to the back of the boat where we stood and watched as hundreds of people that had purchased Carnival excursions filed by. In the meantime a tender was leaving from the front of the boat where we had just been, not sure who was in that one.

 

The tender ride itself was very pleasant and enjoyable, the staff on the tender did a good job. Coming back was a breeze.

 

Gary, the entertainment director was very rude, not only to me but to a lot of others that were asking questions. It appears that if you had not purchased a Carnival excursion you were not told how to get the "sticker" to get off the boat. There are no passes or tickets, just stickers. The stickers for Carnival excursions were a different color from the ones for those that did not book through Carnival - shame on us. Fortunately our tour guide waited and we had an awesome day.

 

As mentioned previously the cave tubing is great, we were so glad we did it! We also went on the zipline before tubing so we filled up the day. The ride to and from was interesting and definitely eye opening.

 

Before I book another cruise on Carnival that has a tender stop I will do more research as this was not a great experience.

 

That sound more like a problem with Carnival that the tender process. On some cruises like the partial transit of the canal and the Telum ruins you you cannot get of the boat if you do not have a Carnival excursion booked.

[AZbeachboy]

Thank you all for your input - my son-in-law described it has a large dinghy :eek: and definitely not comfortable with that idea LOL I think we'll skip Belize and enjoy the amenities of the ship for the day and wait for Grand Cayman. So looking forward to January.

 

Even your SIL is entitled to his opinion, but as you can read on this thread, not everyone feels that way. I have been there three times, Twice on cruise and once on a land trip and loved every day of it.

[vacruizer]

Thank you all for your input - my son-in-law described it has a large dinghy :eek: and definitely not comfortable with that idea LOL I think we'll skip Belize and enjoy the amenities of the ship for the day and wait for Grand Cayman. So looking forward to January.

 

If you are worried about the size of the tender - the ones in Belize were actually bigger than the ones being used in Cayman last week.

[wantocruisemore]

I just returned from a 7 day cruise with a stop at Roatan and Belize. The tender process was horrible - if you didn't buy a shore excursion from Carnival. I went to the service desk two days before the Belize stop to find out what to do and once I said I had not purchased a Carnival excursion you could see she didn't want to talk to me any more. The info she gave me was incorrect.

 

Then another party in the group went to the service desk early the morning of the stop and they sent her to the excursion desk where she had to wait in line again. They told her to go Degas Lounge (front of the boat). There we waited and then they sent us to the back of the boat where we stood and watched as hundreds of people that had purchased Carnival excursions filed by. In the meantime a tender was leaving from the front of the boat where we had just been, not sure who was in that one.

 

The tender ride itself was very pleasant and enjoyable, the staff on the tender did a good job. Coming back was a breeze.

 

Gary, the entertainment director was very rude, not only to me but to a lot of others that were asking questions. It appears that if you had not purchased a Carnival excursion you were not told how to get the "sticker" to get off the boat. There are no passes or tickets, just stickers. The stickers for Carnival excursions were a different color from the ones for those that did not book through Carnival - shame on us. Fortunately our tour guide waited and we had an awesome day.

 

As mentioned previously the cave tubing is great, we were so glad we did it! We also went on the zipline before tubing so we filled up the day. The ride to and from was interesting and definitely eye opening.

 

Before I book another cruise on Carnival that has a tender stop I will do more research as this was not a great experience.

 

We also just returned on the Liberty. Tender process was easy!!!!!!! The Fun Times designated where to go to get tickets. First stop had a Carnival excursion but did not in the Caymans. We just lined up at the designated spot to get our tender tickets for Caymans 30 min in advance and were on the 1st tender!!!!

 

You just need to follow the directions and READ them, not just go to customer service where there are long lines.

[LALindaJ]

Unfortunately I have a sight problem and reading, especially the small print they use on the FunTimes, is impossible. Thank goodness for computer screens that you can re-size the font. Actually, I finally did see the section in the FunTimes with the information - after I got home and scanned it into my computer. Didn't do me any good while on the cruise.

 

The first time I asked about getting on the tender was late in the evening two days prior to the stop (and before the info was in the FunTimes) and there was absolutely no line at the desk. I was treated rudely once I mentioned I was not on a Carnival excursion. You mentioned you received tickets, we received stickers.

 

It seems like it was more a problem with the way Carnival Conquest handled the process rather than the standard. It wasn't just the "getting the sticker" that was an issue but the running us back and forth on the ship (as a group no less).

 

Whether you read or didn't read the FunTimes there is NO excuse for rudeness which was shown by the staff on the Carnival Conquest, not only to myself but a lot of others. I am glad to hear that the handling of the tender boarding is handled more efficiently on other Carnival ships.

[wantocruisemore]

It was actually stickers, but we just held ours instead of putting them on. To me they were more like tickets.

 

Sorry you were treated rudely at customer service. We had a great experience. Even when DH went to cancel his internet package because it was too slow to access through his office security. Everyone was polite.