Question about KOTOR, MONTENEGRO (Tendering)

[eks123]

Hi all!

First time European cruiser here 🙂

Question about tendering in Kotor, Montenegro. Looks like our Royal ship is only there 9am-5pm, but I've read if you're later in the tendering tickets it takes hours to get off the ship.  I have read people with shore excursions and more expensive rooms get off first. 

What about if I purchase a shore excursion from Royal's website for 3:00pm? Will I be able to get a tender ticket for earlier? This is not an excursion in the morning, but it's later in the day, not requiring us to be off the ship asap. 

I wanted time to eat at a restaurant and hike that mountain hike and potentially do the tour at 3pm as well. 

 

Thank you for explaining :)

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, eks123 said:

Will I be able to get a tender ticket for earlier? This is not an excursion in the morning, but it's later in the day, not requiring us to be off the ship asap. 

The shorex pax who are usually first to tender off are normally on tours which are starting within an hour or so of arrival. I have never known pax with  an afternoon tour being given priority for morning tenders. Why would they if there is no urgent need for them to be off quickly?

 

Having said that, once you are tendered in to Kotor, you are right in the centre of everything so no time is wasted and you can begin exploring almost immediately, and if you intend to hike up to the Fortress, that hike is EXTREMELY steep and best tackled earlier in the day before it gets too hot. Kotor is tiny and super pretty, perfect for strolling, shopping, dining. And be up on deck early for the beautiful sail-in which is not to be missed as it is one of the most scenic anywhere.

 

You might want to cross post on the RCL forum  and ask what their usual routine is for tenders as I do not know how they manage it.  If it is by numbered ticket and they are issued the day or evening before, (ask) be sure to get in line early for the best chance of a low/early  number. 

 

Some previous threads for Kotor, some of which you could read for info

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=kotor&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

 

 

 

Edited March 19 by edinburgher

[MeHeartCruising]

When you are on an excursion, you do not get tender tickets at all.  You are simply led from the excursion's assigned meeting area to a tender boat by a crew member.  So, no, I don't think your 3:00 pm excursion will help you get off the ship earlier that morning.

Edited March 19 by MeHeartCruising

[Hlitner]

Depending on the ship and tour, you may find that some tours are "meet ashore" which means you go ashore earlier and meet your tour at the shore meeting spot (usually not far from the tender pier.  Keep in mind that Kotor can dock a cruise ship but tendering does happen when the pier is already taken by another vessel.

 

Speaking of the tender hassle, the larger the ship the more the hassle.  That is just one more advantage to smaller ship cruising.  As to Kotor (a favorite place of ours) you want to be ondeck or at a good viewing place about 1 1/2 hours before docking.  The views cruising in/out of the port are beautiful.  Also consider that if you are simply going to stay in Kotor, walking around on one's own is quite easy and there are free port maps/books that show the various sites.  No need to pay a tour to just walk around town, enjoy lunch, and walk the walls.

 

Hank

[edinburgher]

21 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

When you are on an excursion, you do not get tender tickets at all.  You are simply led from the excursion's assigned meeting area to a tender boat by a crew member.

Quite right and I absolutely forgot that as I was focusing on the OPs idea of booking a late tour in order to obtain an early tender ticket. The assigned meeting area is often a theatre.

Edited March 20 by edinburgher

[Scottishclover]

We were in Kotor last July and did THAT hike. I echo Edinburgher’s sentiments. We were up early to beat the rush and walked straight onto one of the first tenders  (Celebrity). It took us a bit to find the start of The Ladder of Kotor but we had started by 8:30 am which was our goal. The hike goes way higher than the fortress - it’s probably a quarter of the way up to put it into perspective.
 

While it is steep, the switchbacks help and if you are a regular hiker you would have no problem managing it. In fact we found the ascent fairly easy.The views are amazing - my 20 year old kept using the word “insane”. After around 2 hours uphill we found a plateau which seemed a good turning point. However, we found the way down very difficult as the temperature was getting so high, and I was very grateful to be off the mountain at 12:30. To let you know how hot it was, my top was so soaked with sweat, it was practically transparent. On the way up there was some shade but on the descent the sun was brutal. Saying that, it was one of the best hikes we have done and we’ve hiked all over the world.

We were so glad we did this hike as although Kotor is postcard pretty we found the streets completely overcrowded. Definitely aim to start as early as possible, bring more water than you need ( we were out well before the bottom) and wear sun protection. But do THAT hike!!