Priority Tender Pass... both ways?

[GuyInLA]

This will be my first Elite cruise that I'll be "tendering" on. Here's a question for those of you who've had the priority tender pass. Do you also have the ability to "jump the line" as you're returning to the ship, from land? Or does the pass just help you avoid the "waiting lounge" as the literature states?

[haggis]

We've had these passes since they were introduced and can honestly say we've never used them, it has never been necessary.

However, I believe these passes are one way only from the ship as on each cruise we have been issued with one for each port where the tenders are in use.

The tender passes will be in your cabin when you join the ship as will the free bar setup. Enjoy your chocolate dipped strawberries, they are delicious.

[GuyInLA]

Thanks Haggis... yes, I've never really waited for a tender... but for some reason my voyages are usually "tenderless" (alaska)... or tendering somewhere I don't want to go (Princess Kay)... so I figured there must be some advantage to it. I wonder of I can cut to the front of the line if we're waiting for lifeboats. Hmmm. I guess that isn't considered funny around these parts. Oops.

[spongerob]

If you have a priority ticket, they just send you down to join the line of people waiting to board. You don't get to jump the queue of those already waiting. I've seen people try, and trust me, it ain't pretty! :eek:

 

On the way back to the ship, you just get in line.

[Toto2Kansas]

On our friends first cruise on Princess they were in a PH suite. They received the priority tender passes and he didn't only use them to go ashore, but to get back to the ship also. I asked him how he could do this with a long line of people that had been waiting? He didn't really think much about it, he just went to the front of the line and flashed his priority tender passes and climbed onboard the tender.

Personally, I think they are great for getting off the ship, but I don't think I would have the nerve to use them to re-board with a long line of passengers standing in the hot sun waiting for a tender.

So, I guess it is possible to use them, if you have the courage. LOL

[Druke I]

What's the rush?

 

Stand in line - it won't hurt you!

[Host CJSKIDS]

On our friends first cruise on Princess they were in a PH suite. They received the priority tender passes and he didn't only use them to go ashore, but to get back to the ship also. I asked him how he could do this with a long line of people that had been waiting? He didn't really think much about it, he just went to the front of the line and flashed his priority tender passes and climbed onboard the tender.

Personally, I think they are great for getting off the ship, but I don't think I would have the nerve to use them to re-board with a long line of passengers standing in the hot sun waiting for a tender.

So, I guess it is possible to use them, if you have the courage. LOL

 

They took our priority tender passes as we left the ship so doing this wouldn't have even been an option. I wouldn't have anyway since it's not what you're supposed to do.

 

To answer the OP's question, the passes were great and you can only use them to leave the ship. You just go down to where you disembark the ship that day and get on line with others who are leaving at that moment. You don't cut in line, just get in line with everyone else. It makes it that you don't have to go get the numbered tickets and wait in the lounge for them to call your number. On our cruise in March it worked really well and was a great perk as in Cozumel and Grand Cayman there was a long wait to get off the ship.

[Love Boat Dream]

We tried it a few times (including one where we were in a line in the pouring rain) and we were told it was just for going ashore. I don't know how the person in the suite got ahead (they just got lucky) but elites get the same priority pass as the suites and I was told no a couple of times.

[Toto2Kansas]

cj-Interesting. When we have received them in the past, they have never taken them from us but we have used one set of tender passes for the entire voyage. I think this is another one of those times when it must depend on which ship you are sailing on. ????????

[Love Boat Dream]

Our tour got back late and my DS was in the childrens room way past the appointed time because of it. I felt bad for the person working who may or may not have known where we were (ships tour supposed to be back at 5, instead we returned 6:20 and I knew this was her dinner time and she was back on duty at 7) So I went to the front of the line and explained. They let me jump the line then. BTW, DH and our friends stayed on the line and got back to the ship a half hour behind me.

[Host CJSKIDS]

cj-Interesting. When we have received them in the past, they have never taken them from us but we have used one set of tender passes for the entire voyage. I think this is another one of those times when it must depend on which ship you are sailing on. ????????

 

We were given 2 passes per tender port, they were slips of paper and they took them at every port. Maybe it's different for Elite but this is how they did it on the Star.

You're so true, things seem to be different on different ships so who knows. Another example of inconsistancy on Princess I guess!

[Toto2Kansas]

Well, there are times for Elite we have been given priority tender passes and times we have just been told to show our Elite cards as we leave. So, that depends on which ship we sail.

 

There doesn't seem to be a lot of consistency on some of the things they do from ship to ship.

[Princess Patches]

When sailing with other family members who are not elite status we have also been able to get extra priority tender passes for them so we can get off the ship early as a group. We just go to the Purser's desk and tell them we need more passes and they give them to us.

[luvnorway]

On Sea Princess several weeks ago, a group of about 40 of us who had the Elite Priority Tender passes were made to wait until Shorexes were disembarked

-> the value of the pass does seem to vary depending on the ship.

[Pam in CA]

On Sea Princess several weeks ago, a group of about 40 of us who had the Elite Priority Tender passes were made to wait until Shorexes were disembarked

-> the value of the pass does seem to vary depending on the ship.

My guess is that it was the size of your group. I just got off the Sea Princess a couple of days ago: we were sharing a private tour with a couple of Elite passengers and they got us the passes for tendering in Monte Carlo so we'd be together. We just went down, showed the passes, and walked right onto the tender.

[GuyInLA]

Wow... a whole lot of different experiences with the priority tender pass. Thanks for the info though... and I'll be sure to try and roll with the punches, if need be.

[spongerob]

If you are not with a ship's tour, just plan a little extra time to go ashore. Remember, ship's tours always get first choice for seating on tenders and anyone else in line has to wait for available space. We've had priority passes several times and I don't think it's ever been necessary for us to use them.

[luvnorway]

Pam - we were a "group" of 2 - it was just that we had to wait so long for the shorexes to disembark that, by the time we were allowed on a tender, another 38 or so "Elites" with Priority Tender Passes had accumulated and were waiting along with us.

It has been my previous experience that, although they do, understandably, keep shorex groups together in tenders, if there were a few empty places, they would allow those with Priority Tender passes to fill them rather than sending a tender off that wasn't full - makes good sense when you know "independants" with regular tender tickets were waiting to be called. For some reason, on SP, on this occasion, they would not allow the empty seats to be filled.

[Pam in CA]

Ahhh... sorry. I misunderstood. Thought you were in a group of 40. Interesting that the same ship would do it two different ways within weeks. I saw several people try to cut into the shore excursion groups (not Priority tickets) and get on the tenders that way. They were weeded out and sent back.

[luvnorway]

Interesting that you saw people try to cut into the shorex groups - it seems there are people like that on every cruise who believe they are more important than everyone else. While we were being held at the top of the stairs, waiting to be allowed to use our Priority Tender Passes after the shorexes disembarked, I saw some other passengers who weren't willing to wait, take the elevator down one deck to the level where the tenders are boarded. By the time we got down there, these people were gone, so I guess they just bypassed the crew member who was making us wait. I suspect that whether the Priority Tender Passes have to wait for shorexes or are allowed to fill the empty seats depends to some extent on which crew member is supervising the tender boarding.