Tendering Scary?

[dealic]

Hello!

 

I am going on my first cruise with my boyfriend, my parents, and my grandparents. It will be a first time for all of us. My mom is afraid of the water, and doesn't like boats if they are unstable. She is worried about tendering at Belize, but really wants to get to shore to go on an excursion.

 

I was hoping I could get some opinions on how "scary" the tendering process is. IS it hard to get in/out of the boats? How big are they? How stable when on the water? How long does it take?

 

IF it matters, we are going on Carnival Valor on 01/22.

 

Thanks!

 

Dealic

[gail811]

The boat we took was very stable. The ride is about 20 minutes. The boats are easy to get on and off, and there are people on board to give you a hand. If your mom is nervous, have her ask where the life jackets are kept and sit where she is most comfortable. There are several tenders running at the same time , so you never know until you get downstairs what will be waiting. If she is uncomfortable with the one she sees, have her wait. If you are not in a rush to make a tour you can wait until the crowd thins out and she may feel safer with less people on board. Unless there is some weather in the area I think you will find the ride to the pier to be quite nice, Enjoy Belize!

[dealic]

Thank you for your speedy reply!

 

I will pass that on to her.

[jetskier]

The tendering in Belize was no problem as the weather and seas were calm. Cancun for us was another story. For some reason they were trying to tender on the windward side of the ship. When you have 5 foot of up and down movement, it made for a mad dash across the gang plank. You tried to hit it with it being level. After our boat group got on board, they stopped tendering until later in the day. The crew was very helpful in getting people across plus they stopped the security screening so that you would not be backed up. The majority of this could have been prevented by loading on the leeward side as the ship would have blocked the wind and calmed the seas a little bit.

Not to cause you any panic but as long as the seas are calm it is not a problem.

Dave

[ute_fan]

We've been to Belize twice. The second time, it was very calm -- just stepped right off the ship onto the tender with no movements. The first time it was a little bit rocky, and was slightly intimidating (for me) to step onto a gangway that was moving up and down. They station plenty of crew to help you, however, and there will be someone on both sides to help make sure that you feel safe. I would recommend that one of the men from your party go in front of your Mom, and then they will be on the tender in front of her and can assist her if it's rough at all.

 

Each tender we've been on has been a different size, but they're all pretty good sized. I'm a terrible judge of things like that, but I'd imagine that the ones in Belize probably hold around 50 people average. They are fast moving boats, very stable, and the tender ride itself is probably about 10 or 15 minutes. I think they state that its a 30 or 45 minute tender ride, but that includes loading/unloading times.

[pamurchu]

Your mom should do ok with the tender. In Belize we were told that all tenders were covered so that you feel more secure inside the boat. The trips were uneventful and took no longer than 15 minutes. With everyone around you it is not scary at all. I would encourage her to relax and enjoy beautiful Belize!:)

[dealic]

Thank you all very much. I have sent my mom the link to this thread so she will feel reassured.

 

I know she will have a great time, both on the cruise and in port, and that there is nothing to worry about. However, being told that isn't enough, as you still don't know what to expect. This should give her a realistic idea of what to expect, and I think it will ease her worries.

 

This is a very helpful group!

 

Dealic

[rjscott]

Dealic, one more suggestion: have someone in your party stand behind your mother as she is getting on the tender or climbing up/down the stairs on the outside of the ship. That way she won't have anyone breathing down her neck and making her nervous. I am not a swimmer, and so it makes me a bit nervous getting on/off the tenders, so my hubby stands behind me (as there are plenty of crew to help get me on) to prevent someone from pushing into me or trying to get past me.

Have a great cruise!

[taillon]

We were just in Belize last week...tendering was no problem at all. Getting on was smooth and there were many people there to assist you. They ran through a safety lecture and let you know where the life jackets were. The ride was at most 10 minutes for us and very smooth! She will love it!:D

[onegooddoggy]

The tender I was on in Belize was a good-sized boat that held about 100 people, and boy was it FAST!

[popcorngal]

I'm always a little spastic about getting on a tender too. Guess it's because I've had some real hairy experiences in that department. The ride itself was neat though. We sat on the very aft, out in the open and had the salt air and the occasional salt spray in our faces. We went quite fast and it was great!