Still confused about tendering

[snowbegone]

Sorry for this stupid question. How exactly does tendering work? And... if the ship docks at 7:00 a.m. can we still make an excursion that leaves at 7:30 a.m.? :confused:

[2Cruise4Ever]

Tendering means that either the port is too full of ships for your ship to be able to pull right up to a dock or the port is too shallow for the ship to safely dock. What they do is send a tender which is a smaller boat that will take you from your ship to the pier of the particular port. Tenders vary in size, but most will hold 120 or so.

 

Re: the shore excursion, if you booked it through the cruiseline, then yes you'll make it. You'll receive your tender tickets and voucher for the excursion in your cabin either the day before or when you first arrive. On the voucher it will list what time you're supposed to meet up with others going on the same excursion and where. If you booked your excursion privately, then you may be hard-pressed to get there on time. I suggest getting to where they are giving out tender tickets (which are typically called by color over the PA system) as EARLY as possible so as to be amongst the first off the ship.

 

Happy Sailing!

[snowbegone]

We did book with the cruise line and now I feel much better. I was getting a little nervous when I noticed (after I booked) how short the time was. Is it difficult to get on and off the smaller boats from the main ship?

[Sheffie]

Getting on and off tenders is usually very easy. The crew is there to help you get off the temporary dock on the ship and onto the tender. If the seas are a little rough, it is not as easy, but, again, the crew is great in helping you on and off.

 

The smaller boats hold a LOT of people; maybe 100? They really aren't small. Here is a link to photos of some tenders. I hope that the pictures help you to feel more at ease. http://www.webshots.com/search?query=ship+tender&new=1&source=cohome

 

Have a great cruise!

[snowbegone]

The pictures were great and did help a lot. Thanks. March 12th is getting closer - can't wait.:D

[Big Al B.]

Sometimes they will use the ship's lifeboats as tenders. They are also easy to get in and out of.