tenders? boarding times?

[polkadottedladiebugg]

I will be a first time cruiser this Nov and we'll be going with the SEA princess...but have a stupid question. Places like Grand Cayman who have tenders that take passengers to the port, how much time does it actually take to get all the passengers together, board a boat and travel to the mainland. If for example we are scheduled to arrive at 8am, is it possible to make it to an excursion scheduled with an independent company for 830? What is a good window of time to allow ourselves to get off the ship? Additionally, if a ship departs at say 5pm, but boarding starts at 430, u can still board the ship up to 5pm, right? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[cherylandtk]

Tenders timing will depend on so many factors that you cannot predict. You have to allow at least 30 minutes at any time of the day, minimum, even though it could take less. However, first thing after arriving is the busiest time, and those on Princess excursions get priority boarding of the first tenders. I would not book a private excursion until at least an hour after scheduled arrival, probably later.

 

As for departing, they will give you a last tender time or an all aboard at the dock time. It is 30 minutes prior at the dock, sometimes earlier for tenders. You need to plan on being there no later than that time, not at the actual depart time.

 

In your example, 4:30, they start preparing the ship to leave. Pulling in the gangways, removing the lines, etc. At promptly 5 pm the ship gives a toot and off she goes. Some people manage to be late by a few minutes and arrive at say, 4:35. They usually get aboard just fine. But if you arrive at 4:55 expecting the gangway to be down and waiting, you will most likely be left behind. And if you have missed the last tender, or missed the gangway, you are out of luck. Call the port agent and arrange your own passage to the next port.

[WeBeGone]

If they are starting to tender at 8, and you have an independent excursion at 8:30, I'd say you need to be in line at the tender door by 7. On all my cruises it has not been uncommon to see folks lined up an hour in advance. Sometimes they give out tender tickets. If that is the case on your cruise, you need a number below 200 to be in the first boat.

 

At the end on the day, you need to be on board a half hour before the stated sailing time. People who think they can wait to the last minute are the ones we wave to as they stand on the pier while we sail away.

[Pam in CA]

If the ship is scheduled to arrive at 8AM, you need to allow at least 30 - 45 minutes for the ship to be cleared by the local authorities. The crew needs time to anchor the ship, lower the tenders, set up the tender platform, etc. They also send a tender or two to the port to set up the disembarkation area. Depending on the port, it can take anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes to reach the port dock from the time you enter the tender since it takes 10 - 15 minutes to load and another while to get to the port. So, there isn't a prayer you'd make an 8:30AM tour. Maybe 9:30AM, 10AM to be safe.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that ship's tours have priority on the tenders so if you're not on a ship's tour, you will have a much longer wait to board the tender.

 

If the ship is scheduled to sail at 5PM, you MUST be onboard by 4:30PM since they need to remove the port embarkation staging area, take up the gangways on the ship, raise the tenders and secure the boat before sailing. Usually, the last tender leaves the port an hour before sailing so that you should plan on being ready to board the tender no later than 4PM. Any later, bring your camera to take a picture of the ship sailing away without you.

[polkadottedladiebugg]

In the following list, could you guys tell me which islands have tenders...thanks in advance!

 

Tortola

Antigua

Dominica

Maritinique

Barbados

Grenada

Guamache

Aruba

Grand Cayman

Thanks so much! Everyone is so terrific!!!

[wrp96]

Grand Cayman is definitely a tender port.

[tonyt]

Another thing you need to know is if the ship time is the same as GC time.

On a RCCL cruise there was 1 hour difference. I didn't know it at the time and booked a private tour operator for a specific time. Needless to say we were 1 hour late for it. Fortunately, our tour operator waited for us.

tonyt

[Pam in CA]

Another thing you need to know is if the ship time is the same as GC time.

On a RCCL cruise there was 1 hour difference. I didn't know it at the time and booked a private tour operator for a specific time. Needless to say we were 1 hour late for it. Fortunately, our tour operator waited for us.

All Princess cruises are on local time, particularly in port, so that there's no confusion. A notice of any time change will be in the Patter the night before and a card placed on your pillow so that you know whether to turn your watch forward or back.