Typical tendering process time

[Vineyard View]

We’ve only sailed once since Covid, and it was on a line we had not previously sailed. I read about the comparisons with pre/post Covid on the several lines that I follow and would consider. 
My goal is to find a great itinerary in the BI for 2025. This HAL option caught me by surprise. It’s pretty awesome from first few glances. I was looking at four other lines, and this itinerary just stood out to me. I am not sure what to expect from the current vs old HAL, but we do know where we want to travel. I’m not quite finished with my research, but how does one weigh it all out…..I don’t quite know. I sure do appreciate all the feedback though. 

[Gallivanter'sGal]

Currently on the Westerdam and we had a big problem at Komodo Island where 4 and 5 state Mariners were not given any priority and HAL ended up not allowing most of the independent tour participants off the ship at all!  It was a disaster. We have a cruise booked on the Oosterdam next September with 4 tender ports with only 6-8 hours in port which I think we will end up canceling.

[VMax1700]

If you have a choice of departure dates and there are alternative ports in Ireland, then look for one porting in Cobh, rather than Ringaskiddy (for Cork).  Ringaskiddy is an industrial/commercial port and there is nothing close by.  Cobh is a much more attractive area, with plenty to see and enjoy in the immediate locality.

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, Gallivanter'sGal said:

Currently on the Westerdam and we had a big problem at Komodo Island where 4 and 5 state Mariners were not given any priority and HAL ended up not allowing most of the independent tour participants off the ship at all!  It was a disaster. We have a cruise booked on the Oosterdam next September with 4 tender ports with only 6-8 hours in port which I think we will end up canceling.

 

Appreciate this update -- not good news but I suspect Komodo Island may be somewhat different than your usual tender port? (I haven't been there so have no real idea...)

 

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

If you have a choice of departure dates and there are alternative ports in Ireland, then look for one porting in Cobh, rather than Ringaskiddy (for Cork).  Ringaskiddy is an industrial/commercial port and there is nothing close by.  Cobh is a much more attractive area, with plenty to see and enjoy in the immediate locality.

Thank you for this information. These tips are priceless. Knowing these types of situations impacts the itinerary so thank you. 

[mawvkysc]

3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

If you have a choice of departure dates and there are alternative ports in Ireland, then look for one porting in Cobh, rather than Ringaskiddy (for Cork).  Ringaskiddy is an industrial/commercial port and there is nothing close by.  Cobh is a much more attractive area, with plenty to see and enjoy in the immediate locality.

[Petronillus]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Appreciate this update -- not good news but I suspect Komodo Island may be somewhat different than your usual tender port? (I haven't been there so have no real idea...)

 

Komodo. . . . Is that where there be dragons?

[OlsSalt]

8 hours ago, Gallivanter'sGal said:

Currently on the Westerdam and we had a big problem at Komodo Island where 4 and 5 state Mariners were not given any priority and HAL ended up not allowing most of the independent tour participants off the ship at all!  It was a disaster. We have a cruise booked on the Oosterdam next September with 4 tender ports with only 6-8 hours in port which I think we will end up canceling.

 

Some missing information here, but thanks for the report. Did the unhappy 4/5 Star Mariners prevent independent passengers from going ashore? Did the weather/waves shift and tender landings became too dangerous to continue. Had a Komodo dragon eaten someone on shore, and they did not want to alarm the remaining passengers?

 

This was a bit of an over-hyped port, but of course is a must visit legendary spot when in the area. I still swear those three dragons we "suddenly"  came across on our interior adventure hike were stage hand extras - fat, lazy, basking in the sun and waiting for their tourist photo ops. But we stayed appropriately frightened of any close contact and comforted by our guide with a long stick. The tale of the missing Swiss tourist from decades prior was adequate warning. 

 

However, there was also a rather tame dragon wandering about the visitor reception area, not appearing to be any threat and also welcoming photos. So one did not need to take the hiking tour to see the dragons ....... that be there.

 

But the tales of dragons smelling human blood five miles a way and warnings about women during their menstrual cycles being prohibited from landing, did cause alarm.

 

Particularly  when we found ourselves behind a woman in the tender line, who had previously fallen and had well-scarped bloody knees. But not a dragon around to pounce and devour her in a flash.  That would have caused some tender-boarding consternation as well. 

[Avery's Gram]

I was on a HAL British Isles last summer.  Our ship arrived in mid afternoon so tours were scheduled late and then we stayed for the next day, leaving in late afternoon.  If Edinburgh is an overnight port, you might consider just spending the night in Edinburgh.  This way, you don’t need to worry about going back to the ship at night and can start your tours very early the next day.

 

Many people on our cruise went to the Edinburgh tattoo, stayed overnight and toured the next day before returning to the ship.  If this is a high point for your trip, it might be a good investment.

 

Barbara M. In NH

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, Avery's Gram said:

I was on a HAL British Isles last summer.  Our ship arrived in mid afternoon so tours were scheduled late and then we stayed for the next day, leaving in late afternoon.  If Edinburgh is an overnight port, you might consider just spending the night in Edinburgh.  This way, you don’t need to worry about going back to the ship at night and can start your tours very early the next day.

 

Many people on our cruise went to the Edinburgh tattoo, stayed overnight and toured the next day before returning to the ship.  If this is a high point for your trip, it might be a good investment.

 

Barbara M. In NH

Unfortunately there are no overnights, only a late Belfast stay. I appreciate the recommendation though! 

Since starting this thread, it sounds like at least two of the published ports are not the best choices for having quality time - Ringaskiddy as well as the tendered port advertised as Newhaven for Edinburgh.  That gives me some pause, but I am grateful to know ahead of time. looks like I need to do more homework. 

[VMax1700]

Presuming this is the May 4th Nieuw Statendam 14 day Wild British Isles with Belfast evening stay, then I would say that Douglas IOM and Dun Laoghaire can be long tender journeys.

At Dun Laoghaire the tender does arrive just next to the local train station and you can get the local train (DART) directly into central Dublin.  In Douglas you arrive to the Ferry port which can be quite busy at times.

We did a similar cruise on Nieuw Statendam in August of this year and here is a link to my 'Live from' thread.  You may find some information in it.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2956221-memo-from-the-british-isles-14-days-almost-live-from-nieuw-statendam/#comment-65883213

[birder22]

Our first port in the UK last summer for a British Isles cruise was Liverpool.  The immigration officials were supposed to board the ship in Amsterdam but did not board.  They were late getting to the ship in Liverpool and delayed immigration.  So it is possible to have a delay for the first UK port.

 

The X99 bus makes it easy to get to downtown Edinburgh once you get off.  The ship will offer a shuttle that may get you off earlier but it will be more expensive than the bus.

 

For Dublin,  the tender port is one block from the light rail station.  The DART is 5 euros for a day pass and is a faster trip than the HAL shuttle.  There are three stops in downtown Dublin.  

 

 

[VMax1700]

6 minutes ago, birder22 said:

Our first port in the UK last summer for a British Isles cruise was Liverpool.  The immigration officials were supposed to board the ship in Amsterdam but did not board.  They were late getting to the ship in Liverpool and delayed immigration.  So it is possible to have a delay for the first UK port.

 

The X99 bus makes it easy to get to downtown Edinburgh once you get off.  The ship will offer a shuttle that may get you off earlier but it will be more expensive than the bus.

 

For Dublin,  the tender port is one block from the light rail station.  The DART is 5 euros for a day pass and is a faster trip than the HAL shuttle.  There are three stops in downtown Dublin.  

 

 

X99 is from South Queensferry and not Newhaven.

You can pre purchase the Dart/bus day pass and have it mailed directly to your home address.  Saves lots of time as you can go straight to the train while all the others are flaffing around at ticket machine or kiosk.

[Vineyard View]

This is great information. Yes that is the sailing. Interesting it is also showing the same sailing, same ship on 5/3 with different cabin availability. So I didn’t mention that and I should have stated that up front. A bit confusing. 
We have been contemplating and wanting to visit the BI for several years. 
Newhaven; Lerwick;  Douglas, IOM; Dun Laoghaire are all tenders. Sounds like all four are not ideal to tender from?  Add in Ringaskiddy, and maybe this is enough to give me pause. Then again, maybe this is typical of BI cruises. I am just starting the research for BI. My first pass was the overview itinerary, but with tenders it prompted me to start this thread. 
VMax1700, thanks for the link. I will take a look through that. 
You all have a lot of experience here in this region. Would this itinerary grab you enough to book it for the first (who knows, maybe only) BI cruise? 
thanks so much again. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Vineyard View

[cruisemom42]

41 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

You all have a lot of experience here in this region. Would this itinerary grab you enough to book it for the first (who knows, maybe only) BI cruise? 

 

My concern would be whether early May is too early in the season for this area?  I haven't done a cruise there yet but have also been looking at itineraries for these northern British Isles. Maybe others could address that?

 

British line Fred. Olsen has a number of interesting itineraries for the northern BI. They have mostly older ships though (including two beloved ex-HAL ships). I'm looking at an itinerary next summer on their Balmoral.

 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for the feedback cruisemom42. I originally looked at weather and it showed that April/May can be preferred shoulder months, but there are locals on this thread who could better address that.

We have friends who just returned from a land trip in Scotland in September and it was apparently colder than average. Trying to find that sweet spot when schools are still active and weather cooperates. I am trying to tie this with a special anniversary in May ‘25, but for the right itinerary/line/price can be flexible. 

[fruitmachine]

7 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you for the feedback cruisemom42. I originally looked at weather and it showed that April/May can be preferred shoulder months, but there are locals on this thread who could better address that.

We have friends who just returned from a land trip in Scotland in September and it was apparently colder than average. Trying to find that sweet spot when schools are still active and weather cooperates. I am trying to tie this with a special anniversary in May ‘25, but for the right itinerary/line/price can be flexible. 

May is usually good, but like the weather here at any time of the year can be quite unpredictable!!  As long as you're prepared with layers plus something wind and waterproof, you should be able to cope without issue. Four seasons in one day is not unusual!

 

There's a UK-wide bank holiday on the first and last Monday of the month, and that typically makes places busier around those weekends, but nothing that you'll likely want to visit will close.  

[VMax1700]

There is also a holiday in Ireland on 6th May (first Monday), but as you are in Newhaven/Edinburgh that day, you will still experience additional crowds as it is a holiday in Scotland too!.

Certainly mid to late May would be perfect weather wise, but early May can be good too.  I would have no problems with the weather at this time.  As @fruitmachine says "4 seasons in one day!"  We certainly experience the seasons during our August cruise!

[VMax1700]

Is the itinerary interesting enough to interest me, yes probably.

There are a few different ports on this cruise compared to the one we did.  You lose some good ports and gain some nice ports.  We loved Liverpool, which you don't visit, and luckily you do not visit Fishguard, which was meh.  It is one of the main ports for container traffic between Ireland and UK.

I loved Lerwick in Shetland Island and your cruise visiting Stornoway would be, in my mind, a big plus.  Also, you have much longer hours in Greenock (for Glasgow) than we did, so much easier to visit Glasgow.

Douglas IoM is nice, but if you can get out of the town and on towards Laxey or even Ramsey it is worthwhile.  We had a miserable wet day when we were there.

We actually enjoyed Dun Laoghaire as we met friends whom we hadn't seen for quite a while.  I worked in Dun Laoghaire for 30+ years but really enjoyed it.  For visitors Dublin is quite close and accessible.

Regarding Ringaskiddy, I seem to remember on previous posts, cruisers mentioning a shuttle bus provided by the port. (I will try to find the thread).  While Cobh is a lovely little town and there is sufficient in Cobh to stay there the day, I would not rule out the cruise over Ringaskiddy. Providing there is a shuttle, you would still be able to visit Cork City and perhaps Blarney Castle.

Invergordon is mainly the gateway to Scottish highland and Loch Ness, but as the August cruise was our second recent visit, we stayed in the town and visited the local museum as it had been an important Naval base during WW.

 

[Vineyard View]

VMax1700 and fruitmachine-  you both are so incredibly helpful. Thank you very much. I welcome any and all thoughts. DH threw out a land trip, and I think that would be amazing and the best way to experience your beautiful areas, but it would limit us to one country…..so research will continue. That’s part of the fun! 

[gfkcruiser]

21 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Unfortunately there are no overnights, only a late Belfast stay. I appreciate the recommendation though! 

Since starting this thread, it sounds like at least two of the published ports are not the best choices for having quality time - Ringaskiddy as well as the tendered port advertised as Newhaven for Edinburgh.  That gives me some pause, but I am grateful to know ahead of time. looks like I need to do more homework. 

We are on the May 3, 2025 out of Dover for this itinerary.  We docked in Ringaskiddy a few years ago.  Got complimentary shuttle to Cork as our docking was moved from Cobh. (Cork was a change in itinerary) We spent the night and the ship was moved to Cobh during the evening.  Chose this HAL sailing for the itinerary.  First time on HAL.  Never been to most of the scheduled ports.

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, gfkcruiser said:

We are on the May 3, 2025 out of Dover for this itinerary.  We docked in Ringaskiddy a few years ago.  Got complimentary shuttle to Cork as our docking was moved from Cobh. (Cork was a change in itinerary) We spent the night and the ship was moved to Cobh during the evening.  Chose this HAL sailing for the itinerary.  First time on HAL.  Never been to most of the scheduled ports.

I am a little confused. It shows May 3, same itinerary, same ship out of Dover….and May 4, same itinerary, same ship, out of Rotterdam. I’ve not seen this before. Is this something HAL does? 

[VMax1700]

32 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I am a little confused. It shows May 3, same itinerary, same ship out of Dover….and May 4, same itinerary, same ship, out of Rotterdam. I’ve not seen this before. Is this something HAL does? 

It  is new! They are trying it in 2025 for the first time. Probably the reason that the available staterooms are different.

[gfkcruiser]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

It  is new! They are trying it in 2025 for the first time. Probably the reason that the available staterooms are different.

Only guarantee out of Dover.  When I was chatting with HAL rep, said reason is that it is an add on to the May 4. Is Club Orange worth getting it I have a veranda?  

[VMax1700]

31 minutes ago, gfkcruiser said:

Only guarantee out of Dover.  When I was chatting with HAL rep, said reason is that it is an add on to the May 4. Is Club Orange worth getting it I have a veranda?  

Well they seem to be listing a total of 8 cruises out of Dover, all with Rotterdam either the day before or the day after.  I seem to remember a press release about Dover.  I did check a couple and yes, they are gurarantees only, which is strange.  Perhaps they need to get a handle on how to maximise the cabin useage with cruisers embarking and disembarking at consequtive ports.

 

Regarding Club Orange, yes it is good value specially if you have booked a gty obstructed verandah and can get up to a V or VA category verandah.  You can get upgraded immediately to the highest category of available cabin within the meta category.  CO is only a limited quantity per cruise so you need to check if it is available and then have a couple of cabins in mind.

You also get priority tendering!  US$15 per day for 14 day cruises.