Does anyone else skip port stops that require tenders?

[Catnap All Day]

I once went got in a tender (life boat?) to Key West. I was kind of scared, even though I ended up loving Key West.

 

Since then I just stay on the ship when tenders are required to go to a port.

 

I am probably missing out somewhat on the port visits, but I am somewhat okay with that. For example, I will be skipping the visit to Eleuthera on the Royal Princess.

 

Is anyone else like me?

[paul929207]

Lots of people stay on board in each port. Yes, you will miss out on that port, but that is your choice.

[Avalon35]

I once went got in a tender (life boat?) to Key West. I was kind of scared, even though I ended up loving Key West.

 

Since then I just stay on the ship when tenders are required to go to a port.

 

I am probably missing out somewhat on the port visits, but I am somewhat okay with that. For example, I will be skipping the visit to Eleuthera on the Royal Princess.

 

Is anyone else like me?

 

I have now learned to check itineraries before I book a cruise to either make sure they have no tender stops or minimal tender stops. My issue isn't that I am frightened by the tenders, but it is much less convenient to get on and off the ship. If there are any problems, i..e weather related, rougher seas, a tender breaks down, you can end up waiting a very long time getting off the ship or back on the ship. If I have been to a port and it is a tender port, I often do not get off the ship either.

[caber]

I love tender ports, especially if I can get a seat on top. :)

[Keith1010]

Some people skip the tender or even if the ship is docked stay on board the ship.

 

In very rough weather there has been times we have skipped the tender.

 

Keith

[A1A]

We use tenders when it is the only way to get to the destination. However, we sometime skip ports that we have been to multiple times like Princess Cays.

[stoneharborlady]

I was nervous anticipating my first tender ride. A bit hot in the Caribbean till you get started, but not anything to worry about. I truly love a day at the beach, and I love Princess Cays, so I would not miss it if possible.

 

Karen

[billco]

The Royal tenders are larger than the tenders on other Princess ships. They seat 250. When we tendered in Medeira I thought it all went pretty quick.

[High C's]

The Royal tenders are larger than the tenders on other Princess ships. They seat 250. When we tendered in Medeira I thought it all went pretty quick.

 

Bill - we docked in Madeira. We tendered at Cannes! :)

[Iamcruzin]

I once went got in a tender (life boat?) to Key West. I was kind of scared, even though I ended up loving Key West.

 

Since then I just stay on the ship when tenders are required to go to a port.

 

I am probably missing out somewhat on the port visits, but I am somewhat okay with that. For example, I will be skipping the visit to Eleuthera on the Royal Princess.

 

Is anyone else like me?

If you have to miss a port that would be the one to miss. Princess Cays was crowded when the grande class ships call there. I can't imagine what it would be like on a ship that carries 1000 more passengers. I hope someone reports back on how long it takes to board a tender. Stay on the ship and enjoy the amenities there. If you are interested in spa treatments they will probably have a reduced rate that day. It is usually less expensive on port days than on sea days. The only problem with not going to Princess Cays is that with this itinerary it will only leave 2 ports of call and add a sea day. I won't book a Princess Caribbean cruise unless Princess Cay one of 4 ports of call.

[billco]

Bill - we docked in Madeira. We tendered at Cannes! :)

 

Oops! The ports tended to run together after a while. Thanks for the correction.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Meggysmum]

I think some of the prettiest ports have need tenders but I do find tenders a pain and tend to avoid cruises with too many tender ports.

 

I prefer it when the ships use tender companies from the port rather than the lifeboats as they are not usually as claustrophobic.

 

If the weather is a bit dodgy we tend to stay on the ship rather than use the tender but the worst experience we ever had was at Santorini when the sea looked calm but the tender seemed to be incredibly bouncy!

[Catnap All Day]

If you have to miss a port that would be the one to miss. Princess Cays was crowded when the grande class ships call there. I can't imagine what it would be like on a ship that carries 1000 more passengers. I hope someone reports back on how long it takes to board a tender. Stay on the ship and enjoy the amenities there. If you are interested in spa treatments they will probably have a reduced rate that day. It is usually less expensive on port days than on sea days. The only problem with not going to Princess Cays is that with this itinerary it will only leave 2 ports of call and add a sea day. I won't book a Princess Caribbean cruise unless Princess Cay one of 4 ports of call.

 

I am pale-skinned, so beach stops don't excite me too much, even though the views are beautiful. We have excursions planned in the two other ports for Nov. 10. There is a small beach stop, and that will be enough sun for hubby and I.

 

Yes, it would be nice to score a discount on massages that day. In addition, though, I would rather stay on the ship and eat on and off all day!

[Catnap All Day]

I think some of the prettiest ports have need tenders but I do find tenders a pain and tend to avoid cruises with too many tender ports.

 

I prefer it when the ships use tender companies from the port rather than the lifeboats as they are not usually as claustrophobic.

 

If the weather is a bit dodgy we tend to stay on the ship rather than use the tender but the worst experience we ever had was at Santorini when the sea looked calm but the tender seemed to be incredibly bouncy!

 

Yes, I had a bouncy ride to Key West! On my Costa Atlantica cruise to the Western Caribbean, they canceled the Cayman Islands visit that day because they said the waters are unsafe for tenders. It looked kind of calm to me. I guess it's hard to tell sometimes.

 

I hope they have enough lifeboats remaining on board in the case of an emergency. If they are taking lifeboats to the island, it seems like that would risk safety.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I don't mind the tenders that much, but of course prefer to be docked, just because of the time it takes and the inconvenience. We like to be up on top in the open air too.

 

So far, we've never skipped a port because of tendering, but it may happen sometime, if it's a port we've been to multiple times.

[brentlym]

If it's a new port that I've never been to….I'd definitely wait and go (I did Cabo in March). Princess Cays….I'll be there this coming Monday on the Royal. Been there and done that twice before. I'll be enjoying cocktails from the comfort of the ship this time. :D

[gooch47]

The biggest problem we have with tenders are the fumes from the engines ending up inside. We like being up top, too, but often it is already full.

 

But we've endured some really bumpy rides, too, and sometimes it is an adventure getting on or off.

[Pam in CA]

Yes, I had a bouncy ride to Key West! On my Costa Atlantica cruise to the Western Caribbean, they canceled the Cayman Islands visit that day because they said the waters are unsafe for tenders. It looked kind of calm to me. I guess it's hard to tell sometimes.

 

I hope they have enough lifeboats remaining on board in the case of an emergency. If they are taking lifeboats to the island, it seems like that would risk safety.

Tendering is a major operation for the ship and often, predicted weather can affect whether or not the ship stops and tenders or not. If severe storms are forecast for the afternoon, for instance, the ship won't stop. There is nothing worse than tendering ashore on a sunny, clear and calm day and find yourself on a tender when a severe storm hits later in the day with gale force winds and 15-20' seas. Talk about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

 

There are always more than enough tenders/life boats/rafts on every Princess ship. There are racks of survival rafts on both sides of the ship in addition to the tenders and life boats that can be launched. Princess limits the number of berths sold so that the ship never has every berth occupied. Unlike Costa, Princess has had much tighter safety procedures than required by law for years and every Princess ship has to pass rigorous USCG safety inspections.

 

FYI, I skipped going ashore in Cannes. :) I've been there many times (I lived in Grenoble for a year as a teenager) and I needed a rest after three all-day tours in a row and two more to go.

[satxdiver]

We have stayed on the ship at tender ports but not because of the tenders rather we had been to the port before and did not want to go through the hassle of using the tenders for maybe a few hours on shore. We have skipped a shore visit in Caymans, Belize and Princess Cays so far. We have stayed on the ship in ports where we were at a pier such as Jamaica (political reasons).

 

In some ports they use the port tenders like Cabo and in other ports they have to use their boats off the ship. While I usually like to ride on top, if the sun is out and very bright, we have to ride inside due to our fair skin. For the same reason we are not beach people and almost never go to the beach. Tenders certainly move when boarding off the ship so for those who are not all that ambidextrous, it could be quite a challenge.

[janzhitty]

We skip the tender ports now due to age and mobility issues. When I used a cane I still tendered, but not now that I use a walker. There is plenty to do on the ship and a cozy spot to read is also good.

[Thrak]

I would have hated to miss Maui and we had to tender to get there.

[Treven]

I personally have no problems with using the tenders to get ashore. I'm quite certain there have been stops with tenders that I would have missed beautiful/important/impressive, etc., things had I not taken a tender.[/font]

[Gunner22aa]

Tenders don't bother either of us. On one of the cruises that we took not tendering would have meant missing half of the ports we visited.

[Catnap All Day]

There are always more than enough tenders/life boats/rafts on every Princess ship. There are racks of survival rafts on both sides of the ship in addition to the tenders and life boats that can be launched. Princess limits the number of berths sold so that the ship never has every berth occupied. Unlike Costa, Princess has had much tighter safety procedures than required by law for years and every Princess ship has to pass rigorous USCG safety inspections.

 

This is good news about Princess. Costa's safety drill had us getting dressed in life jackets en masse and filling the decks. It looked and felt chaotic. Celebrity's safety drill was more coordinated. I am guessing Princess' will be too.

[Catnap All Day]

We have stayed on the ship in ports where we were at a pier such as Jamaica (political reasons).

 

While I usually like to ride on top, if the sun is out and very bright, we have to ride inside due to our fair skin. For the same reason we are not beach people and almost never go to the beach. Tenders certainly move when boarding off the ship so for those who are not all that ambidextrous, it could be quite a challenge.

 

I would stay on a cruise ship for political reasons if we were going to Aruba. That whole Natalee Holloway thing really upset me. I wouldn't even want to book a cruise going there.

 

On the fair-skinned note, I am always amazed at the amount of people that love baking in the sun for hours. I would think that #1) it would feel oppressive on the skin, and #2)it would cause redness and damage beyond belief.