Tendering in Dubrovnik and Split

[aloha_DC]

Hi, we’re sailing on NCL Trieste to Athens in October. Dubrovnik and Split aren’t marked as tender ports on our itinerary but I just learned that they can be? Is there a way to know in advance or is it just totally dependent on what ships get there first. In Dubrovnik we were just planning to spend the day exploring on our own, there’s no

 crazy Santorini -like  issues with tendering in Dubrovnik? 
 

In Split we’re taking a NCL tour to Krka so I guess only potential issue there is we’ll have less time to explore town on our own after tour if we need to tender back? 

Thanks!

 

ps I have a similar question about Mykonos I posted in the Greece forum if anyone has thoughts on that too

 

 

Edited July 18 by aloha_DC
Added more

[edinburgher]

2 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

we’re sailing on NCL Trieste to Athens in October. Dubrovnik and Split aren’t marked as tender ports on our itinerary but I just learned that they can be?

What was the source of your "just learned that they can be tendering "in Dubrovnik and Split information?

 

Unless there has been a VERY UNLIKELY recent change, ships all dock in Split, Dubrovnik they dock unless they are  small and can tender into the old harbour, but there are  few of these, and as NCL ships are big ships, more likely you will dock at Gruz Port just like everyone else.

 

 

Edited July 18 by edinburgher

[aloha_DC]

47 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

What was the source of your "just learned that they can be tendering "in Dubrovnik and Split information?

 

Unless there has been a VERY UNLIKELY recent change, ships all dock in Split, Dubrovnik they dock unless they are  small and can tender into the old harbour, but there are  few of these, and as NCL ships are big ships, more likely you will dock at Gruz Port just like everyone else

[aloha_DC]

Thanks, it was NCLs site:

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising-tender-ports

 

they’re both listed as could be dock or anchor depending on sailing
 

 is it maybe a capacity warning? Like in Bermuda the third ship in is tendering as there is only space for 2?

 

 

[John Bull]

Several NCL ships accommodate just 2.000 pax., so it's possible.

 

In Split I think that tenders use the same or adjacent pier as berthed cruise ships. That's at the seaward end of the berths, beyond the ferries - about a 15 minute waterside walk to town.

 

In Dubrovnik tendering is a positive bonus - your ship lies off the walled old city and you are tendered into the little local ferry piers the harbour in the heart of the walled city - very much the best way to arrive.

 

In Mykonos, again you are tendered into the harbour.

That too used to be an advantage compared to a hot & dusty walk or bus from the cruise berths - starting a few years ago the cruise berths are now serviced by a water bus. But hey, you save the few euros water-bus fare.

 

Can't remember ever being able to give a positive slant on two tender ports out of three. 🙂  

 

JB 🙂

[edinburgher]

20 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

 

they’re both listed as could be dock or anchor depending on sailing

is it maybe a capacity warning? Like in Bermuda the third ship in is tendering as there is only space for 2?

 

Many factors are taken into account when deciding whether a ship will dock or tender, but the main ones are the overall measurements of the ship, ie  length, height, beam and draught  as it needs to be able to safely access a docking location, (and manoeuvre should there be other ships in that day)and there may be eg a narrow channel, or a bridge which it is too tall to pass under, or  the water depth is too shallow, or indeed any other potential navigational obstacles.

 

And ports have only a certain length of docks available, which could be one long one or more than one shorter ones, and the Port Authorities need to figure which ships would fit which berths, but it is always the PORT AUTHORITIES which make the  decisions, nothing to do with the cruiselines themselves..Some ports such as Monaco have limited berths only suitable for shorter length ships and larger ships are usually located in nearby Villefranche where tendering is required. Edinburgh is an example where there are four possible options, a mix of dock and tender,and the cruiseforth websiste shows which ship will go where and whather it is tender or dock. This is partly to do with an issue with a bridge which some taller ships cannot sail under.

 

As for "overcrowding" of actual berths,  some ships will be diverted to nearby ports such as Barcelona to Tarragona, Livorno to la Spezia and others, but these are usually made well in advance and not commonly last minute changes, particularly where a ship is on turnaround and needs more services than a ship on only a port call. would require 

 

One way to find out for your own ship and date, is to go to the OFFICIAL PORT OF (name ) website and look at eg "cruise ship schedule/cruise ship arrivals" or similar (plus the year) as some give actual berth numbers or names, and as the schedule for the full year or season is often  given you can usually check some time ahead. Some have more info than others, but Dubrovnik is usually one which does, likewise Lisbonand a few others. That failing simply internet search "port of (name) cruise ship arrivals (and the year)"

 

I am sure that as my own knowledge is limited, others in the know will correct any mistakes I made or  may have some useful info to add.

 

Whilst NCL is to be commended for trying to give as much advice as possible to those who could have difficulty with the tendering process, they should also show more clearly where the risk of tendering is minimal.

 

 

 

Edited July 19 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

13 hours ago, John Bull said:

In Split I think that tenders use the same or adjacent pier as berthed cruise ships.

JB, we only visited Split 3 times and on those dates didn't see any ship tendering but of course they may do on other days.

 

What we did notice between our first visit  and either the second or third visit, was that our berth appeared to be a little further along than before, as first time we were sure we had been  closer to the ferries  but also the furtherest, if that makes sense,  and the  second or third time we appeared to be further along and another ship was a little further than us.making us think  the berths had perhaps been extended?

Edited July 19 by edinburgher

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

JB, we only visited Split 3 times and on those dates didn't see any ship tendering but of course they may do on other days.

 

What we did notice between our first visit  and either the second or third visit, was that our berth appeared to be a little further along than before, as first time we were sure we had been  closer to the ferries  but also the furtherest, if that makes sense,  and the  second or third time we appeared to be further along and another ship was a little further than us.making us think  the berths had perhaps been extended?

 

 

Interestingly it's the same with my local pub - it's been moving further away every time I go there.

Apparently it's a symptom of old age 😉

 

JB 🙂

 

[aloha_DC]

4 hours ago, edinburgher said:

is it maybe a capacity warning? Like in Bermuda the third ship in is tendering as there is only space for 2?

 

Many factors are taken into account when deciding whether a ship will dock or tender, but the main ones are the overall measurements of the ship, ie  length, height, beam and draught  as it needs to be able to safely access a docking location, (and manoeuvre should there be other ships in that day)and there may be eg a narrow channel, or a bridge which it is too tall to pass under, or  the water depth is too shallow, or indeed any other potential navigational obstacles.

 

And ports have only a certain length of docks available, which could be one long one or more than one shorter ones, and the Port Authorities need to figure which ships would fit which berths, but it is always the PORT AUTHORITIES which make the  decisions, nothing to do with the cruiselines themselves..Some ports such as Monaco have limited berths only suitable for shorter length ships and larger ships are usually located in nearby Villefranche where tendering is required. Edinburgh is an example where there are four possible options, a mix of dock and tender,and the cruiseforth websiste shows which ship will go where and whather it is tender or dock. This is partly to do with an issue with a bridge which some taller ships cannot sail under.

 

As for "overcrowding" of actual berths,  some ships will be diverted to nearby ports such as Barcelona to Tarragona, Livorno to la Spezia and others, but these are usually made well in advance and not commonly last minute changes, particularly where a ship is on turnaround and needs more services than a ship on only a port call. would require 

 

One way to find out for your own ship and date, is to go to the OFFICIAL PORT OF (name ) website and look at eg "cruise ship schedule/cruise ship arrivals" or similar (plus the year) as some give actual berth numbers or names, and as the schedule for the full year or season is often  given you can usually check some time ahead. Some have more info than others, but Dubrovnik is usually one which does, likewise Lisbonand a few others. That failing simply internet search "port of (name) cruise ship arrivals (and the year)"

 

I am sure that as my own knowledge is limited, others in the know will correct any mistakes I made or  may have some useful info to add.

 

Whilst NCL is to be commended for trying to give as much advice as possible to those who could have difficulty with the tendering process, they should also show more clearly where the risk of tendering is minimal.

 

 

 

Thank you for this very thoughtful response! Agree that NCL is trying to be thorough but I think I’ve got my main question answered which is, there’s not a ton of advanced planning I can do / should do for tendering in these ports 

[edinburgher]

17 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

here’s not a ton of advanced planning I can do / should do for tendering in these ports

17 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

Thank you for this very thoughtful response! Agree that NCL is trying to be thorough but I think I’ve got my main question answered

Thanks for acknowledging as many don't.😀

 

You said

There’s not a ton of advanced planning I can do / should do for tendering in these ports

 

It appears that having done your research, you are now quite definite that you will tender in Dubrovnik, Split (AND Mykonos according to your other thread). which is astonishing to say the least. Mykonos was always going to be a sort of 50/50 chance of tendering, but that isn't a big deal in Mykonos and the tender drop off point is actually more convenient than the docking location. Dubrovnik and Split are another matter.

 

Having done as you were advised to do on both threads, and checked the OFFICIAL port websites,( on this thread  for  Dubrovnik and Split) you were able to clearly see that your ship is marked for tendering,  which, in the case of Dubrovnik, means it is marked as "old town"  which means tendering and not docking at Gruz with either a named or a numbered berth. That is actually bizarre as only the smallest ships would usually tender, and NCL ships do not fall into the category of "smallest ships"

 

If you can give the name of your ship and your arrival date in Dubrovnik,I am happy to double check as it takes less than 5 minutes. We have visited Dubrovnik seven times and have some knowledge of the way things usually work there, and an NCL ship tendering into the old town simply doesn't make a lot of sense, but it may be that you misinterpreted the cruise calendar info on the website or things have changed since our most recent visit pre-pandemic.

 

You only need give the ship name and Dubrovnik arrival date and hopefully you will get clarification and can begin to make your plans for the day.

 

Edited July 20 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

21 hours ago, John Bull said:

Apparently it's a symptom of old age 😉

And another "senior moment" from me, as it only occured to me after posting that the reason we could have been further along in Split could have been because there were more ships in on that second or third visit than there were the first time we docked there,explainng the thought that we were further along than previously.  We did notice though, in part as we had taken the public bus from the bus station next to the ferries along to Trogir and that time it was  definitely closer to our docking location

[aloha_DC]

12 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Thanks for acknowledging as many don't.😀

 

You said

There’s not a ton of advanced planning I can do / should do for tendering in these ports

 

It appears that having done your research, you are now quite definite that you will tender in Dubrovnik, Split (AND Mykonos according to your other thread). which is astonishing to say the least. Mykonos was always going to be a sort of 50/50 chance of tendering, but that isn't a big deal in Mykonos and the tender drop off point is actually more convenient than the docking location. Dubrovnik and Split are another matter.

 

Having done as you were advised to do on both threads, and checked the OFFICIAL port websites,( on this thread  for  Dubrovnik and Split) you were able to clearly see that your ship is marked for tendering,  which, in the case of Dubrovnik, means it is marked as "old town"  which means tendering and not docking at Gruz with either a named or a numbered berth. That is actually bizarre as only the smallest ships would usually tender, and NCL ships do not fall into the category of "smallest ships"

 

If you can give the name of your ship and your arrival date in Dubrovnik,I am happy to double check as it takes less than 5 minutes. We have visited Dubrovnik seven times and have some knowledge of the way things usually work there, and an NCL ship tendering into the old town simply doesn't make a lot of sense, but it may be that you misinterpreted the cruise calendar info on the website or things have changed since our most recent visit pre-pandemic.

 

You only need give the ship name and Dubrovnik arrival date and hopefully you will get clarification and can begin to make your plans for the day.

 

Thank you! It’s the NCL Pearl scheduled to be in Dubrovnik on October 19.  And good to know that a Mykonos tender might actually be *better* so seems like nothing to worry about there

[edinburgher]

11 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

It’s the NCL Pearl scheduled to be in Dubrovnik on October 19.

As expected, according to the official port of Dubrovnik website, your ship is showing as being DOCKED AT BERTH 11 GRUZ. As a bonus, unless any changes, yours will be the only ship in that day.  Quite how you missed that when you yourself checked I do not know.

 

And Split too.  The only ship in that day and with no anchor showing, you should in theory be docked unless there is a change on the day, but it is rare that tenders would be required and even it is a tender port for your ship, you would tender into close to Riva, the main promenade in the heart of the city..

 

You can now make your plans.

Edited July 21 by edinburgher

[aloha_DC]

3 hours ago, edinburgher said:

As expected, according to the official port of Dubrovnik website, your ship is showing as being DOCKED AT BERTH 11 GRUZ. As a bonus, unless any changes, yours will be the only ship in that day.  Quite how you missed that when you yourself checked I do not know.

 

And Split too.  The only ship in that day and with no anchor showing, you should in theory be docked unless there is a change on the day, but it is rare that tenders would be required and even it is a tender port for your ship, you would tender into close to Riva, the main promenade in the heart of the city..

 

You can now make your plans.

Thank you! I definitely was not looking in the right place so I appreciate you checking for me and the advice 

[edinburgher]

23 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

I definitely was not looking in the right place so I appreciate you checking for me and the advice 

Thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does.

 

It is so easy to check that you could do that for all your ports as there are times when it is quite important to know how crowded a port town could be, especially smaller ones which may eg only have a small number of taxis and  should you plan on using onand the more ships in and the bigger they are, the potentially bigger the demand.

As there is ever only ONE OFFICIAL port website, you were either on it or you were not.  If you used the word OFFICIAL in your search it should have appeared near the top of your results, sometimes in the language of that country, other times in english.

If not, you may have been on some of the other websites which show calendars of arrivals.These can be helpful as a guide but are not always accurate, so if using any of them, cross check on others as you may get different results.😀

Edited July 22 by edinburgher

[mskaufman]

We were on NCL last week and docked both in Split and Dubrovnik.  In Dubrovnik you will need some type of transportation from the port to the city wall.  In Split they advertised a 10 minute walk to/from the old town.  Think doubled that.

[cocoaljo]

I am sailing to the same place in October on the Escape

[Catchum]

We're in Split and Dubrovnik last month. Split everyone docked. It is a hectic walk to the old town through the through masses of people rushing to catch the dozens of ferrys leaving the harbour. Take the Buraline ferry to trogir (research time table and location) a wonderful small medieval town with a fabulous market away from the crowds  then snap a few pictures of Diocletian's retirement home on your way back. Dubrovnik- we were on a small ship (650 passengers) and tendered in which was great, with ncl you will almost certainly be docked.

[mskaufman]

I second that going to Trogir is a great choice.

[edinburgher]

On 8/9/2024 at 2:44 AM, mskaufman said:

I second that going to Trogir is a great choice.

 

On 8/8/2024 at 8:04 PM, Catchum said:

a wonderful small medieval town with a fabulous market away from the crowds 

Your Trogir experience was a very different experience from ours.  When we visited Trogir, the narrow streets were so crowded we could barely move through them without almost pushing our way through at times and could see very little. That was a morning and the crowds appeared to be visitors on land trips having come off their coaches.

 

It was so bad we left after a much shorter time than we had planned.

[mskaufman]

We were there in the morning and it was not so crowded.  Too bad for your experience because we found Trogir enchanting.  Santorini... was to wall people

[susiesan]

I will be in Dubrovnik on Sept. 13 from Azamara Pursuit, a small ship. We are the only ship in port that day. We are tendering in. I wish we were docking as all the independent tours or ferries leave from the dock area. I've been to Dubrovnik 3 times and have no interest in the Old Town this time. I plan to take a ferry to Mlini for the day, get away from the city.

[John Bull]

14 hours ago, susiesan said:

I will be in Dubrovnik on Sept. 13 from Azamara Pursuit, a small ship. We are the only ship in port that day. We are tendering in. I wish we were docking as all the independent tours or ferries leave from the dock area. I've been to Dubrovnik 3 times and have no interest in the Old Town this time. I plan to take a ferry to Mlini for the day, get away from the city.

 

Plenty of ferries leave from the ferry piers in the walled city. You'll be tendered to one of those piers 🙂

 

We stayed a couple of nights in Mlini, a very pleasant & relaxing hamlet, but quite small -  just a few bars & restaurants. We used the ferry to spend a day in Dubrovnik.

 

JB 🙂

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, John Bull said:

I've been to Dubrovnik 3 times and have no interest in the Old Town this time.

I su8ggest you look at CAVTAT as an alternative to Mlini.  Such a pretty holiday town and super easy to DIY a trip there.  There should be lots of online info to be found, also images.

 

We visited on three of our seven, yes seven, Dubrovnik calls.  Easy easy easy.  Public bus to Cavtat leaves from INSIDE the bus station which you will know is just to the right of the port gate.  Cavtat is the terminus.  Best thing there is the walkway around the peninsula alongside the sea, mostly even ground, some shade and some seating along the way. You pass folks swimming, enjoying water activities etc.You exit almost next to the harbour where you can choose from cafes, bars and restaurants. There used to be superyachts there too, but maybe fewer of these nowadays. When ready to leave you simply turn a corner and you are back at the Dubrovnik bus stance. Buses are operated by Liberas, and you will find current fare and line info on their website.  It is still route #10. There used to only be one an hour but that may have changed.Alternatively take one of the shuttle boats from Cavtat back to Dubrovnik.  These will deliver you to the Old Harbour so you will still need to walk the length of the Old Town back to Pile then your choice of transport back to Gruz.

 

We enjoyed our first visit to Cavtat much more than we had expected to and returned twice more, each time repeating the pretty peninsula walk.

 

There are many past threads which include the word Cavtat, but this thread would be interesting for you to read, especially post #9 Ignore the reference to cable car in the title.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2922456-dubrovnik-cable-car/#comment-64991234

 

Edited August 26 by edinburgher

[John Bull]

16 hours ago, edinburgher said:

I su8ggest you look at CAVTAT as an alternative to Mlini.  Such a pretty holiday town and super easy to DIY a trip there.  There should be lots of online info to be found, also images.

 

We visited on three of our seven, yes seven, Dubrovnik calls.  Easy easy easy.  Public bus to Cavtat leaves from INSIDE the bus station which you will know is just to the right of the port gate.  Cavtat is the terminus.  Best thing there is the walkway around the peninsula alongside the sea, mostly even ground, some shade and some seating along the way. You pass folks swimming, enjoying water activities etc.You exit almost next to the harbour where you can choose from cafes, bars and restaurants. There used to be superyachts there too, but maybe fewer of these nowadays. When ready to leave you simply turn a corner and you are back at the Dubrovnik bus stance. Buses are operated by Liberas, and you will find current fare and line info on their website.  It is still route #10. There used to only be one an hour but that may have changed.Alternatively take one of the shuttle boats from Cavtat back to Dubrovnik.  These will deliver you to the Old Harbour so you will still need to walk the length of the Old Town back to Pile then your choice of transport back to Gruz.

 

We enjoyed our first visit to Cavtat much more than we had expected to and returned twice more, each time repeating the pretty peninsula walk.

 

There are many past threads which include the word Cavtat, but this thread would be interesting for you to read, especially post #9 Ignore the reference to cable car in the title.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2922456-dubrovnik-cable-car/#comment-64991234

 

 

 

That was @susiesan, my tartan friend - not your Sassenach neighbour 😏

 

I've gotta admit that, unlike others, I found Cavtat pretty uninteresting

But the same ferry calls at Mlini before turning round at Cavtat, so @susiesan  will have enough time to visit both, and give each of them marks out of ten 🙂

 

JB 🙂