Ship Tenders

[curfl]

Want to take my wife on a cruise this fall, she has had a stroke last year & would have difficulty getting on these tenders. Could you recommend a cruise that does not use tenders, would like to go to the Caribbean if possible

[spookwife]

just look at the itineraries. tender ports are clearly indicated.

[paul929207]

It is not the cruise line, it is the ports you visit that determine if tendering is required.

[SuiteTraveler]

Tendering ports are: Cabo San Lucas, Catalina California, Catalina Island Dominican Republic, Cannes France, Belize, Half Moon Cay Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa (Mexico), Kona (Hawaii), Lahaina (Hawaii), Newport Rhode Island, Sitka (Alaska) Moorea (Tahiti), Polynesia, Bora Bora (Tahiti), Polynesia, and Suva, Fiji Islands. Possible Tender: Cozumel Mexico, Ketchikan Alaska, Dubrovnik Croatia, Katakolon Greece

 

So, all you need to do is select a cruise to avoid the above ports or just plan to stay onboard the ship for that day. Most cruises, if they tender at all, it is only at 1 port.

 

BTW, my worst tendering experience was in Cannes France and it was the roughest I've encountered anywhere and I'm fit, but if I had to do it again, I'd stay on the ship that day. It was just too dangerous and uncomfortable and even though I took Bonine it made me a little seasick. I was really glad to get off the tender, that's for darn sure!

 

The mega ships:

 

RCCL Oasis of the Seas

RCCL Allure of the Seas

NCL Epic

NCL Getaway

NCL Breakaway

 

Port in the Caribbean at docks that were specifically built to accommodate these huge ships, so there is no tendering. However, some find these ships too large and overwhelming.

[curfl]

Many thanks for the info, now can begin to plan our trip

[Ashland]

Many thanks for the info, now can begin to plan our trip

Consider an eastern caribbean...very easy ports to do.

[cb at sea]

If she can walk even a few steps, there's no problem with the tenders. If she has trouble walking, rent or bring a scooter for the ship. Lots of walking on a ship! If you NEED a scooter or wheelchair, get an HC cabin, so that the device will fit, and she will be comfortable.

Edited April 24, 2015 by cb at sea

[navybankerteacher]

Most eastern Caribbean ports have piers, so tenders are not involved - especially for all but the very largest ships. One exception is Half Moon Cay - a private island used by HAL and Carnival ships.

 

The comprehensive list posted above is also helpful, but I would add Bar Harbor if on a Canada/New England cruise.

[sail7seas]

If she can walk even a few steps, there's no problem with the tenders. If she has trouble walking, rent or bring a scooter for the ship. Lots of walking on a ship! If you NEED a scooter or wheelchair, get an HC cabin, so that the device will fit, and she will be comfortable.

 

Without knowing the lady's condition, please don't guess what she is able to do. This is too important to blithely state she'll have no problems.

 

It is so unfair when you don't know what ship, don't know how steep their access to tenders, don't know what sea conditions will be, don't know how much help that particular crew will be..... We simply do not have enough info to make such statements.

 

IMO

 

[OCruisers]

You never really know!

We had a big surprise on Ruby Princess in January 2015 in St. Thomas!

Scheduled to dock but ended up TERNDERING!

It was the first time in ages we've had to tender in St. Thomas.

For us it was not a bad thing. The tender dock was right in the middle of town. Easy to get around to anyplace from there. :)

LuLu

[GUT2407]

You never really know!

We had a big surprise on Ruby Princess in January 2015 in St. Thomas!

Scheduled to dock but ended up TERNDERING!

It was the first time in ages we've had to tender in St. Thomas.

For us it was not a bad thing. The tender dock was right in the middle of town. Easy to get around to anyplace from there. :)

LuLu

 

Yep one cruise when we left the ship it was a gangway when we returned it had been replaced by stairs, a big issue for those with difficulties.

[spookwife]

If she can walk even a few steps, there's no problem with the tenders. If she has trouble walking, rent or bring a scooter for the ship. Lots of walking on a ship! If you NEED a scooter or wheelchair, get an HC cabin, so that the device will fit, and she will be comfortable.

 

it is NOT the walking. It's the movement of the tender, or the boarding platform, and the tide level which makes that step impossible for people with bad hips. I literally have to time my steps to when the waves bring the tender up that extra few inches as well s have my husband pretty much haul me up onto the platform. and sometimes that ramp is VERY steep, almost too steep to walk even with the handrails.

[John Bull]

it is NOT the walking. It's the movement of the tender, or the boarding platform, and the tide level which makes that step impossible for people with bad hips. I literally have to time my steps to when the waves bring the tender up that extra few inches as well s have my husband pretty much haul me up onto the platform. and sometimes that ramp is VERY steep, almost too steep to walk even with the handrails.

 

Yes, the swell is the crunch with tendering - the ship sits motionless & the tender bobs up & down. Sometimes a few inches, sometimes several feet. Even in wet weather it's no problem with a calm or even choppy sea, but even on a glorious day if there's a heavy swell its problematic - that's the main reason why tender ports are sometimes cancelled. And the passenger has to be fit enough to step across from ship to tender & vice-versa, but the requirement varies from ship to ship, from captain to captain, from port to port, from disability to disability.

 

The angle of the ramp had never occurred to me as a problem. Sometimes the ship's door is pretty level with the tender, but yes sometimes there's a slope or steps.

 

Best bet for the OP is to choose an itinerary without tender ports - as mentioned earlier in the thread tender ports are noted on advertised. itineraries as "ashore by tender" or similar.

 

JB :)

Edited April 24, 2015 by John Bull

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Even though you may book a cruise where it indicates that the ports will not be tendering ports, it can happen once you are on the ship.

We have tendered in St Thomas, St Maarten when we were scheduled to dock.

[newport dave]

Tendering ports are: Cabo San Lucas, Catalina California, Catalina Island Dominican Republic, Cannes France, Belize, Half Moon Cay Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa (Mexico), Kona (Hawaii), Lahaina (Hawaii), Newport Rhode Island, Sitka (Alaska) Moorea (Tahiti), Polynesia, Bora Bora (Tahiti), Polynesia, and Suva, Fiji Islands. Possible Tender: Cozumel Mexico, Ketchikan Alaska, Dubrovnik Croatia, Katakolon Greece

 

So, all you need to do is select a cruise to avoid the above ports or just plan to stay onboard the ship for that day. Most cruises, if they tender at all, it is only at 1 port.

 

BTW, my worst tendering experience was in Cannes France and it was the roughest I've encountered anywhere and I'm fit, but if I had to do it again, I'd stay on the ship that day. It was just too dangerous and uncomfortable and even though I took Bonine it made me a little seasick. I was really glad to get off the tender, that's for darn sure!

 

The mega ships:

 

RCCL Oasis of the Seas

RCCL Allure of the Seas

NCL Epic

NCL Getaway

NCL Breakaway

 

Port in the Caribbean at docks that were specifically built to accommodate these huge ships, so there is no tendering. However, some find these ships too large and overwhelming.

 

Have been to Dom Republic, Dubrovnik & Katakolon and didn't tender into any of them. Docked right in port.

[sail7seas]

We also tendered at St. Thomas from the inner harbor on Noordam, January 2007.

We had been scheduled to dock.

 

We always docked at Charlottetown, PEI but suddenly one year we had to tender as they were doing dock work and no big ships could tie up.

 

You never know when a tender will be required though initially not scheduled.

[zqvol]

Many thanks for the info, now can begin to plan our trip

 

Be careful. You could in theory have to tender in St. Thomas (we've done that), St Martin (done that too), Tortola (that one too).

 

Normally you dock at those ports but it is possible that they are tender ports depending on the number of ships in port on a given day.

[toberman]

The OP specifically stated that they wanted to go to the Caribbean, so any other ports don't matter.

Tendering can get complicated, especially if you have mobility problems. If the seas are calm it's like walking onto an escalator or an elevator.. easy. If the seas are unruly - even people no mobility problems can be subject to compilations. I've seen perfectly agile people have trouble on tenders.

Only suggestion I can make is pick a cruise that indicates they don't have tenders to any port (although that can change) - and then if you do have to tender... make a ship (or sea) day and enjoy not having the masses on board.

Just - note that many ships have private islands that require tendering.

[sail7seas]

The OP specifically stated that they wanted to go to the Caribbean, so any other ports don't matter

Tendering can get complicated, especially if you have mobility problems. If the seas are calm it's like walking onto an escalator or an elevator.. easy. If the seas are unruly - even people no mobility problems can be subject to compilations. I've seen perfectly agile people have trouble on tenders.

Only suggestion I can make is pick a cruise that indicates they don't have tenders to any port (although that can change) - and then if you do have to tender... make a ship (or sea) day and enjoy not having the masses on board.

Just - note that many ships have private islands that require tendering.

 

While you say ports other than Caribbean don't matter in this discussion, they really do as examples of ports that almost always are able to provide docking for ships can change without any notice.

 

While Charlottetown, PEI is not in the Caribbean, all the many times we visited there, we docked and then suddenly with no notice to us, we tendered. If that happens in one port anywhere in the world it can happen in any other port at any time.

 

That makes it relevant information, IMO.

 

Edited April 25, 2015 by sail7seas

[NMLady]

Want to take my wife on a cruise this fall, she has had a stroke last year & would have difficulty getting on these tenders. Could you recommend a cruise that does not use tenders, would like to go to the Caribbean if possible

 

If the Caribbean itinerary you choose has one port that is tendered, you could decide to stay aboard ship and have a relaxing day. We often do that. There are activities to participate in if desired. Or the pool is available and not as crowded. There are other stay-aboard passengers to chat with. The spa has specials.

[curfl]

Thanks to all for the tender information, staying on the ship if it is not at the dock is a good alternative , I would also like to ask about sailing in the Caribbean, it was mentioned that even on the ship there could be a problem with mobility if the weather is not good, does this also apply to the larger ships that are now on the water ?

[OCruisers]

Want to take my wife on a cruise this fall, she has had a stroke last year & would have difficulty getting on these tenders. Could you recommend a cruise that does not use tenders, would like to go to the Caribbean if possible

 

Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure NEVER tender so either would work for a cruise in the Caribbean with no tendering. :)

 

LuLu

[SadieN]

For future reference

 

Carnival is using roll on tenders in Catalina, California. They are the old Catalina ferries.

[sail7seas]

Thanks to all for the tender information, staying on the ship if it is not at the dock is a good alternative , I would also like to ask about sailing in the Caribbean, it was mentioned that even on the ship there could be a problem with mobility if the weather is not good, does this also apply to the larger ships that are now on the water ?

 

The big size of some ships is no indication how well it will ride. Some of the very large ones feel no better than some smaller ships. If there is motion of the ocean, those who are sensitive will feel it but it is hardly extreme the majority of the time. If you worry about mal de mer, speak with your doctor pre-cruise and see what suggestions he/she may have for you to try. For most of us it is not an issue.