Priority Tendering for Elite members. How do they handle it?

[LovetheSea]

First time cruising as an Elite passenger. I guess we will be tendering in Skagway. How does the cruise staff handle it? Will I get something to show the crew at the tenders? 

[skynight]

You show up at the tender ticket location. You are placed in a priority line. Or, you show up at a special location, wait a little until the staff member says you can proceed to the pontoon. Watch for your procedure in announcements. App announcments. You don't go direct to the pontoon.

[waltd]

Each ship can be different.   One way it could work is you report to the lounge to pickup a tender ticket.   Show them your Elite status and they will automatically direct you down to the tender and you will get at the back of the line waiting to get on the tender.   

If you wait till the crowd is gone you can just walk down to the tender without getting any tender ticket.   That normally happens a couple of hours after they start tendering.   

[Ptroxx]

People showed their elite ticket in Skagway last week and didn’t matter.    
I watched a bunch get sent to the back of the line on discovery.  

[cr8tiv1]

In theory:  You go to a designated location for Elite members to pick up a ticket. You show them. your medallion.  Sometimes you wait in the room.  Sometimes they take you down right away. 

 

In REALITY:  Tickets are only handed out for a few hours.  Excursion people usually are the first ones off the ship.  IF...there are no more tickets, you are shoo'd to the back of the line.  

 

The last time there was a water shuttle port, I waited until 10 AM.  No more tickets.  Made my way down the stairways.  I had my suite tender ticket AND my Elite medallion.  Line was extremely long.  I was told to join the queue.  I went back up to my cabin.  Stopped at the Customer service desk and suggested they send an officer down to the staging area...it was a zoo and totally chaos.  Returned to the tender landing area about 45 minutes later (10:45) and got on the next shuttle.  

 

If you are on a Royal Class ship, be prepared for a long wait.  I hope you don't have a planned independent excursion.  Skagway was not set up to be a tender port.  Princess will have to try to get 4000 passengers off on tenders that hold 300 - 400 passengers (or is it 250?).  

[LovetheSea]

Yes I expect it to be chaotic.  We will be on the Discovery Princess on Aug 14th sailing. I guess the lines getting back on the ship are crazy long

[Ptroxx]

1 minute ago, LovetheSea said:

Yes I expect it to be chaotic.  We will be on the Discovery Princess on Aug 14th sailing. I guess the lines getting back on the ship are crazy long

The lines are very long in Skagway for the last hour hour and a half.  
 

I got to the dock about 215.  And sat on a bench for a while talking to the security guard.    And all of a sudden the train came in.  And a few busses. And the lines were crazy long.   But they moved along.   I finally got in line when it wasn’t too long. And then another train came.    Our all aboard was 430.   But I was still in line at 430. With a long line behind us.   
this was last Thursday.   

[memoak]

1 hour ago, LovetheSea said:

First time cruising as an Elite passenger. I guess we will be tendering in Skagway. How does the cruise staff handle it? Will I get something to show the crew at the tenders? 

At this point no one knows which ships are actually going to Skagway and which will be diverted but any Royal class ship will take forever to tender. We are going to take a pass and stay on the ship

[Ptroxx]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

At this point no one knows which ships are actually going to Skagway and which will be diverted but any Royal class ship will take forever to tender. We are going to take a pass and stay on the ship

Why would you do this?    No wait tendering off ship.    And when I got to the pier at the end of the day at 215. There was no line.   It was my fault for sitting around and chatting with people at pier.    Also the tenders have a roof top area where you can sit and have an awesome view in the fresh air.   
 

here’s a short video from the rooftop. 

[skynight]

Remember, there is no priority tender service from shore to ship, only ship to shore.

[LovetheSea]

Yes I know that

 

[Mike45LC]

As to the procedure for getting ashore, I have seen both of the described methos -- show up at Wheelhouse Bar and get escorted down to the tender, or go into the lounge where the staff separates out the Plat/Elite into a group and takes that group down to the tender.  Either way works.

 

Most of the time, they have ended the ticketing for the tender by the time my wife and I are done with breakfast and are ready to grab a tender.  So we just get into the line on deck 4 and wait our turn.

 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Ptroxx said:

Why would you do this?    No wait tendering off ship.    And when I got to the pier at the end of the day at 215. There was no line.   It was my fault for sitting around and chatting with people at pier.    Also the tenders have a roof top area where you can sit and have an awesome view in the fresh air.   
 

here’s a short video from the rooftop. 

Then why did you post pictures of immense lines   I have stood in those lines and never again. No one knows if the Royal will even port in Skagway. Even short tender trips can be hellacious. We once took over an hour to tender in Santa Barbara due to sailing lessons near the port and once saw people stuck on tenders in Cabo for hours due to winds. They could not tie up safely to the ship or safely get back to shore

[Ptroxx]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Then why did you post pictures of immense lines   I have stood in those lines and never again. No one knows if the Royal will even port in Skagway. Even short tender trips can be hellacious. We once took over an hour to tender in Santa Barbara due to sailing lessons near the port and once saw people stuck on tenders in Cabo for hours due to winds. They could not tie up safely to the ship or safely get back to shore

I guess you didn’t read my post.  Just looked at the video.   Maybe read it and that will tell the story.   
but you do what you want.      
I hate tendering.    And this was the most easies I’ve ever dealt with.   

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, skynight said:

You show up at the tender ticket location. You are placed in a priority line. Or, you show up at a special location, wait a little until the staff member says you can proceed to the pontoon. Watch for your procedure in announcements. App announcments. You don't go direct to the pontoon.

 

5 hours ago, waltd said:

Each ship can be different.   One way it could work is you report to the lounge to pickup a tender ticket.   Show them your Elite status and they will automatically direct you down to the tender and you will get at the back of the line waiting to get on the tender.   

If you wait till the crowd is gone you can just walk down to the tender without getting any tender ticket.   That normally happens a couple of hours after they start tendering.   

 

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

In theory:  You go to a designated location for Elite members to pick up a ticket. You show them. your medallion.  Sometimes you wait in the room.  Sometimes they take you down right away. 

 

In REALITY:  Tickets are only handed out for a few hours.  Excursion people usually are the first ones off the ship.  IF...there are no more tickets, you are shoo'd to the back of the line.  

 

The last time there was a water shuttle port, I waited until 10 AM.  No more tickets.  Made my way down the stairways.  I had my suite tender ticket AND my Elite medallion.  Line was extremely long.  I was told to join the queue.  I went back up to my cabin.  Stopped at the Customer service desk and suggested they send an officer down to the staging area...it was a zoo and totally chaos.  Returned to the tender landing area about 45 minutes later (10:45) and got on the next shuttle.  

 

If you are on a Royal Class ship, be prepared for a long wait.  I hope you don't have a planned independent excursion.  Skagway was not set up to be a tender port.  Princess will have to try to get 4000 passengers off on tenders that hold 300 - 400 passengers (or is it 250?).  

 

Nah - you guys got it all wrong.  You just saunter down the stairs to Deck 4 and wave your black Medallion as you elbow up to the front being sure to let everyone in line know you have priority boarding.

[cr8tiv1]

30 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Nah - you guys got it all wrong.  You just saunter down the stairs to Deck 4 and wave your black Medallion as you elbow up to the front being sure to let everyone in line know you have priority boarding.

 

Ha!  I tried that.  With my suite ticket, my medallion, and my entitlement attitude.  The not so nice man in the white uniform set me straight.  Customer service DID send an officer down to prevent a mutiny.  

 

It was amazing how many people were in a rush to go nowhere.  

 

I wouldn't want to even visual what a mess tendering in Skagway is like.

[Ptroxx]

14 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

 

I wouldn't want to even visual what a mess tendering in Skagway is like.

It was actually very smooth.    We had to borrow a few boats from holland because our boats were against the pier. But they helped out and things went rather smooth.  Even with the long lines.      
and it was nice to ride to and from the ship on the top side of the tenders in the fresh air.     And I hate tendering.   

[Thrak]

53 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

 

Nah - you guys got it all wrong.  You just saunter down the stairs to Deck 4 and wave your black Medallion as you elbow up to the front being sure to let everyone in line know you have priority boarding.

 

Sadly this happens. Being Elite doesn't mean you get to go to the head of the line. It means you get to go with the next group that is leaving - if there is room. Those who "flaunt their Elite status" thinking it makes them special and "better than the masses" are an embarrassment. It's unfortunate that they don't realize how pathetic this behavior makes them look.

[Ptroxx]

33 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Sadly this happens. Being Elite doesn't mean you get to go to the head of the line. It means you get to go with the next group that is leaving - if there is room. Those who "flaunt their Elite status" thinking it makes them special and "better than the masses" are an embarrassment. It's unfortunate that they don't realize how pathetic this behavior makes them look.

A guy did this Thursday in Skagway. And the officer just looked at him with his little piece of paper and said sorry back of the line.  Lol. 
was funny as all get out.  His face was priceless lol.   This was the line 

 

but it moved very fast.  

[LovetheSea]

Thrak ... It took many years for me to finally get to the Elite tier. You should not recent people who are just getting the perks from the loyalty program that are offered.

[cr8tiv1]

51 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Sadly this happens. Being Elite doesn't mean you get to go to the head of the line. It means you get to go with the next group that is leaving - if there is room. Those who "flaunt their Elite status" thinking it makes them special and "better than the masses" are an embarrassment. It's unfortunate that they don't realize how pathetic this behavior makes them look.

 

I agree, this is how it "should" work. 

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way.  It has taken me a long time to realize that I am oldER, wisER, and rarely in a rush to get from point A to point B any more.  

 

[caribill]

9 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

People showed their elite ticket in Skagway last week and didn’t matter.    
I watched a bunch get sent to the back of the line on discovery.  

 

Showed the ticket where? In the dining room? At the tender loading area?

 

If at the tender loading area, being elite means you get on the back of the line there.

 

What you have done is be ahead of the non-elite who are still waiting elsewhere to be directed to the tender loading area.

[Esprit]

On Regal two weeks ago we tendered in Santorini, Mykonos and Kotor. Each time we simply went to the restaurant on the 5th floor designated for Elites. No tender tickets required. We were simply ushered down to the tenders mixing with non elites and straight onto the tenders. 

[antsp]

5 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

 

 

Nah - you guys got it all wrong.  You just saunter down the stairs to Deck 4 and wave your black Medallion as you elbow up to the front being sure to let everyone in line know you have priority boarding.

I thought they carried you in a chair, and threw rose pettals in advance 

[Mike45LC]

12 hours ago, LovetheSea said:

Thrak ... It took many years for me to finally get to the Elite tier. You should not recent people who are just getting the perks from the loyalty program that are offered.

The perks of Elite do NOT include any priority whatsoever for tendering from shore to ship.  Only from ship to shore.