Really....how safe is tendering ??

[Rowsby]

I recently returned from a 17 day Circle Hawaii cruise on the Zaandam. It was a great cruise that I would definitely do again in a heartbeat...!!

 

Loved, loved, loved all the sea days....and always love going back to Hawaii (lived in Waikiki many years ago...and luckily this was my 12th trip back)...

 

I had one problem tho....tendering in Lahaina....

 

The tendering process was backed up due to a passenger having had an accident boarding the tender...

 

I walked down the 15 metal steps to the tender platform...there were swells....and when I started to step over...the tender dropped 2-3 feet...

 

My immediate thought was the 3 other transfers I would need getting onto the pier, off the pier and back on the ship. So I backed out....climbed up the steps and stayed on the ship....

 

I found out later that the tenders had been moved to the other side of the ship where the seas were calmer...

 

I saw 3 walking-wounded passengers....one in an arm sling, one with wide gauze dressings on his hand and upper arm and a lady with a large gash on the back of her calf. I don't know if these were tender related...

 

I still think I made the right decision...plus...I had a great lunch at the Pinnacle Grill, enjoyed the seaview pool....and found an unoccupied deck chair on the promenade deck.....it was a very nice day....:)

 

Thousands of people tender every year....and there are very few accidents ever reported. I wonder now if I will avoid all tenders....and/or if some ports are just more "tender friendly".....???

[Copper10-8]

You would not have had any issues once inside Lahaina harbor and past the breakwater. Lahaina has a protected harbor. Sounds like ZADM was encountering swells at her anchorage and, consequently, at her tender platforms, which can happen anywhere. We had similar conditions on the Amazon River two yrs ago

[pv girl]

I have always felt safe getting on/off the tenders. Staff are always right there with an arm to steady etc. I am grayed and petite but strong, and I think they assume I am fragile and are always right there to help. Short legs mean short steps, so the jump into/off the tender is sometimes hard. That's what I love about HAL crews, their cultures respect the elderly and it shows.

[AZNative2000]

Luckily, I've never had a problem ... even in swells. As others have said, crew is there to assist and you just time the swells and step in quickly and get seated.

 

The fun part is climbing up onto the top of the tender.:D:eek::D

 

Lunch at an uncrowded Pinnacle Grill doesn't sound bad at all.

Edited October 16, 2015 by AZNative2000

[durangoscots]

I think you have to evaluate each tender port at the time. I have changed my mind about going ashore via tender a couple of times when I just thought it might be too rough. It is not only the getting on and off - a number of years I was on a cruise where a woman was tossed from her seat when the bumped the ship on return (she was sitting down). So while most tender trips are without problems, I make each decision based on what I see and forecast. Then again there are also other accidents.... in the course of time I have seen people fall getting on or off buses, step in potholes, and had one friend slip getting out a shower and break a leg... all on cruises. My feeling is if that particular tender makes you uneasy.... don't do it. The crew is great helping but why push my luck.

 

Susan

[sail7seas]

Listen to the instructions of crew when boarding a tender. When there are swells and the tenders are moving up and down, crew at the tender doorway will always tell you when to step and when to wait. There is one outside and one inside and they are there to help us.

 

I have seen someone fall down half the stairs coming down to the tender and thankfully they were not hurt but had they been holding the handrail, that fall may not have happened. I was seated in the doorway, watching him and his very large mother and neither held the railing. Dumb!!!

 

Edited October 16, 2015 by sail7seas

[DaveOKC]

Tendering in rough waters can be a problem. Once in Cabo I almost fell off of the tender platform when getting back onboard. The fact that I had a number of margaritas on the whale watching excursion might have had something to do with it however........

[SilvertoGold]

We've been on several cruises where the Captain has warned that, due to the sea state, those who are mobility-challenged in any way or not steady on their feet should reconsider using the tenders.

 

This is a good fair warning and should be utilized whenever the sea state makes tendering not optimal for all.

[kazu]

The crew try to be very careful when tendering and everyone has to decide if they can attempt it or not.

 

I have seen few accidents, but the memorable one for me that really hit home was:

 

We were on NCL and were to tender back then in the Azores. We had a lot on board that were looking forward to seeing family there (in fact a lot were going to disembark there) and they were in an uproar when the Captain announced we might not be able to tender.

 

The captain patiently waited in the hopes he could appease people and finally announced we could tender BUT to listen for the three whistles as if the seas changed the tenders would be picking everyone up.

 

The whistles blew and we were at the tenders. The waves were getting rough as we came along side. People were getting off no problem and then there was a swell. An elderly lady fell into the drink despite the crew's best attempts and before she could be retrieved the tender had crashed into her a couple of times. She was very badly bruised, but thankfully not badly hurt.

 

I have never forgotten that scene. The crew were working so hard to keep the tender away and to get her out.

 

It doesn't stop us from tendering but we are quite limber. But what I learned from that cruise many years ago is that each person must decide if they are up to the challenge or not and be prepared to move if the waves change.

[OCruisers]

Tendering is basically safe ... but there are times when it is more challenging than others. ;)

[Fouremco]

At the end of the day, only you can decide whether you feel safe under a certain set of conditions. Dexterity, strength, balance and reaction time all vary from person to person, so what's safe for me may not be safe for my DW. There are lots of "worst case" stories of people who weren't successful getting from ship to tender or vice versa, but when you consider the hundreds of thousands of passengers who are successful, overall the process is pretty safe.

[Lottie Linda]

Life is an adventure.

 

Google "sneaker wave", ain't no crew member gonna help predict one of those.

 

One reason modern cruising is popular is because the ships are so big. Tenders are a step back.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Life is an adventure.

 

Google "sneaker wave", ain't no crew member gonna help predict one of those.

 

One reason modern cruising is popular is because the ships are so big. Tenders are a step back.

 

How are tenders a step back? They've always been necessary in some ports. Granted, the mega-ports like St Thomas and St Maarten have grown as ship sizes grew. But there are a lot of smaller ports that a large ship can't get into. I don't love tendering, but if it's what I have to do in order to see some interesting ports, I'll do it.

 

I'm always impressed with the skill of the tender crews, especially with helping less steady passengers when the water is rough.

[Rowsby]

This is probably just wishful thinking....but what is the tendering like in Bora, Bora.....and Moorea....??

 

I was looking at the 52 day Tales of the South Pacific (26 Sept 2016)....

 

There are 27 ports (two are overnight)....and 15 of the 27 are tender ports...

 

[Dave in NJ]

You'll be tendering inside the relatively protected waters of the lagoon, should be peaceful as a mill pond.

[Daisyloo]

The crew try to be very careful when tendering and everyone has to decide if they can attempt it or not.

 

I have seen few accidents, but the memorable one for me that really hit home was:

 

We were on NCL and were to tender back then in the Azores. We had a lot on board that were looking forward to seeing family there (in fact a lot were going to disembark there) and they were in an uproar when the Captain announced we might not be able to tender.

 

The captain patiently waited in the hopes he could appease people and finally announced we could tender BUT to listen for the three whistles as if the seas changed the tenders would be picking everyone up.

 

The whistles blew and we were at the tenders. The waves were getting rough as we came along side. People were getting off no problem and then there was a swell. An elderly lady fell into the drink despite the crew's best attempts and before she could be retrieved the tender had crashed into her a couple of times. She was very badly bruised, but thankfully not badly hurt.

 

I have never forgotten that scene. The crew were working so hard to keep the tender away and to get her out.

 

It doesn't stop us from tendering but we are quite limber. But what I learned from that cruise many years ago is that each person must decide if they are up to the challenge or not and be prepared to move if the waves change.

 

Wow Kazu, that's scary!! :eek: I'm always careful getting into the tenders, and always take the hand of the crew member who offers it. I will be even more careful now.

[kazu]

This is probably just wishful thinking....but what is the tendering like in Bora, Bora.....and Moorea....??

 

I was looking at the 52 day Tales of the South Pacific (26 Sept 2016)....

 

There are 27 ports (two are overnight)....and 15 of the 27 are tender ports...

 

 

We are doing a shorter version - 33 days in April and the bulk of our ports are all tender ports.

 

We will be doing a live thread at the time if you want first hand experience.

 

But, from everything I have heard, most are easy to do and it is rare that the ships can not tender.

[Typhoon1]

Ig it wasn't completely safe, the cruise lines would have abandoned this method of transit long ago.

[Caribbean Chris]

Wow Kazu, that's scary!! :eek: I'm always careful getting into the tenders, and always take the hand of the crew member who offers it. I will be even more careful now.

 

I learned on a small-ship Society Expeditions Indonesia cruise in 1989 that even safer is to grasp just above the wrists for a stronger hold, and I've notice some of the big-ship crew do this, too. Sometimes they'll grasp your forearm/elbow.

 

On that trip, most were tender ports for small islands, and all the tenders were motorized rubber Zodiacs bobbing around in the water.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Caribbean Chris

[SilvertoGold]

You'll be tendering inside the relatively protected waters of the lagoon, should be peaceful as a mill pond.

 

Generally, yes.

Fanning Island can be rough. Huge waves at the entrance to the lagoon can be a wild ride for the tender boats!

[cruz chic]

I've had a few scary tendering situations. I'm getting more and more scared about tendering. Last November they had a bad situation in grand Cayman. The swells were so big it took hours to unload one tender. It was so upsetting to watch them unload people I finally left my room. It's highly unlikely I'll be going ashore in grand Cayman on my cruise.

[Rowsby]

Appreciate all the good advice.....!!

 

 

We are doing a shorter version - 33 days in April and the bulk of our ports are all tender ports.

 

We will be doing a live thread at the time if you want first hand experience.

 

But, from everything I have heard, most are easy to do and it is rare that the ships can not tender.

 

I will definitely be interested in your live thread....especially the tender ports.....thanks....:)

[joepeka]

I recently returned from a 17 day Circle Hawaii cruise on the Zaandam. It was a great cruise that I would definitely do again in a heartbeat...!!

 

Loved, loved, loved all the sea days....and always love going back to Hawaii (lived in Waikiki many years ago...and luckily this was my 12th trip back)...

 

I had one problem tho....tendering in Lahaina....

 

The tendering process was backed up due to a passenger having had an accident boarding the tender...

 

I walked down the 15 metal steps to the tender platform...there were swells....and when I started to step over...the tender dropped 2-3 feet...

 

My immediate thought was the 3 other transfers I would need getting onto the pier, off the pier and back on the ship. So I backed out....climbed up the steps and stayed on the ship....

 

I found out later that the tenders had been moved to the other side of the ship where the seas were calmer...

 

I saw 3 walking-wounded passengers....one in an arm sling, one with wide gauze dressings on his hand and upper arm and a lady with a large gash on the back of her calf. I don't know if these were tender related...

 

I still think I made the right decision...plus...I had a great lunch at the Pinnacle Grill, enjoyed the seaview pool....and found an unoccupied deck chair on the promenade deck.....it was a very nice day....:)

 

Thousands of people tender every year....and there are very few accidents ever reported. I wonder now if I will avoid all tenders....and/or if some ports are just more "tender friendly".....???

 

We had a incident tendering in Kailua earlier this year. They were using lifeboats for tendering (not at all uncommon) and my wife slipped in a puddle on the floor of the lifeboat at the bottom of the stairs inside the lifeboat. Nothing serious but she did sprain her knee and bruised her elbow - could have been much worse.

[Rowsby]

I've had a few scary tendering situations. I'm getting more and more scared about tendering. Last November they had a bad situation in grand Cayman. The swells were so big it took hours to unload one tender. It was so upsetting to watch them unload people I finally left my room. It's highly unlikely I'll be going ashore in grand Cayman on my cruise.

 

Yikes....!!

 

We never really know for sure....but I guess this is the exact type of information I would like to know in advance....

[Copper10-8]

We had a incident tendering in Kailua earlier this year. They were using lifeboats for tendering (not at all uncommon) and my wife slipped in a puddle on the floor of the lifeboat at the bottom of the stairs inside the lifeboat. Nothing serious but she did sprain her knee and bruised her elbow - could have been much worse.

 

Just a heads up; all ship's tenders are lifeboats ;) It's a different ballgame if you're talking about shore-side tenders like those used in Half Moon Cay, Belize, and Cabo San Lucas, among other places.

 

The lifeboats used for tendering are more powerful (twin engines) and more comfortable (windows) then the lifeboats that remain on the ship when tendering. They are also a completely different model. Good to hear your wife did not seriously hurt herself during her mishap

 

Lifeboat/Tender

 

 

Lifeboat/Lifeboat (used in a Man Over Board exercise)

 

 

Lifeboat/Lifeboat - note no windows except for the helmsman position

Edited October 17, 2015 by Copper10-8