Do the tenders on the newer ships have more legroom?

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Legroom was an issue for me on the Mariner tenders. Have they improved this on the newer tenders?

 

Those seat backs were hard on the knees...

 

And if you are under 6’4”, please do not comment that the Mariner tenders have plenty of legroom ;p

 

Thanks!

[wcsdkqh]

Short answer.... No.

[Travelcat2]

I second that!

[Portolan]

Unfortunately, tenders (lifeboats) are designed for abandoning ship and not for passenger comfort. Under sufficient duress, you'd be happy to have your knees cramped in along with the 150 (rated, as opposed to tendering where this'll be less than 100) of your fellow passengers. I don't know of any cruise line which has port tenders as distinct from life boat tenders. That said (and I hope no one who reads this is on a tender with me and uses this advice to shut me out), get a seat on the boarding/exit row. These seats are spring-loaded and have to be sat upon to stay down. You won't be allowed to grab one on the boarding side during loading as it will block other passengers as they board. The side opposite, is fair game. I have also been know to delay to be one of the last ones boarding when you can take seats on the boarding side.

 

Note that during rough seas, these entrance/exit row seats can take quite a bit of spray if your are seated right next to the side. Or nice breezes at other times.

 

P.S. Or, as OP's handle suggests, you could just commandeer a tender for your personal use!

[coljack]

I am quite tall and was very uncomfortable on tenders from Mariner and Voyager. I recently sailed on Explorer and didn't give comfort a thought when shuttling on the tenders. I do believe they were a little roomier than the others. I see that some disagree and they may be right, but it seemed better to me.

 

 

 

 

Legroom was an issue for me on the Mariner tenders. Have they improved this on the newer tenders?

 

Those seat backs were hard on the knees...

 

And if you are under 6’4”, please do not comment that the Mariner tenders have plenty of legroom ;p

 

Thanks!

[poss]

Another cruiser who found legroom no better on Explorer tenders. Didn't much bother us though.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Aaarrrrrrr, thanks for the info, maties!

[JMARINER]

Have you tried sitting in either the bow or stern seats? They have much more legroom than the benches. Also, on the Mariner, once in a while they will let you sit on the top.

 

 

J

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Thanks, yes, I tried to grab a seat with extra legroom, when available.

 

This is not a big issue, but might be a tie-breaker when choosing between two cruises.

 

Some other lines we’ve been on have less “life-boaty” tenders that are a bit more comfortable (to me).

[Travelcat2]

Suggest that you look at itineraries with no tender ports - there are many. I don't think that any of us love tenders but we are on them for such a brief time that it is just a momentary nuisance and certainly not worth changing a cruise line over (In my opinion).

[pingpong1]

As Portolan correctly stated, it is what it is. The tenders' primary function is to save lives in case passengers have to abandon ship in case of imminent sinking or fires on board the main vessel. They are not meant or designed to be a luxury cruising vehicle/experience. Obviously, they serve "double-duty" as a means for conveyance into ports where berth-side docking is not possible. There size, shape, and accommodations are primarily designed to meet the first purpose. If they were designed more spaciously and luxuriously to meet the second purpose (and become larger with fewer passenger capacity), they would fail to meet the first primary purpose.

 

Seems a small enough price to pay for a few minutes (riding one from the ship into port) in order to visit ports which would not otherwise be able to accommodate a ship visit. I don't think you would find much difference in the size/design of tenders no matter which cruise line you happened to pick. Regards.

[RachelG]

As ping pong stated, the purpose of the tender is primarily to pack as many people into as little space as possible, as quickly as possible, in case of emergency.

 

Being married to a tall person and the mother of another very tall person, I can say that they try to get the exit row, and are usually successful.