Tendering with a stroller?

[RadFamily]

Any problems tendering with a stroller? Can we bring the stroller on open with the child inside if he is sleeing, or should we be prepared to take him out and close the stroller?

 

We will be sailing on Splendour of the Seas in two weeks!!

 

TIA!

 

- Tara

[notentirelynormal]

If you are tendering you can not leave the child in the stroller. Even when in a wheelchair they make you get out for the transfer, at least on Princess. They will fold up the stroller for you and you will have to hold the baby/child (or at least hold on too!) and then they will set the stroller back up when you get to the end of the trip. I guess they don't want you rolling off the tender during the trip... go figure! :)

[Kerry's Girls]

Actually, twice on Princess and once on Carnival I took my twins inside their tandem double stroller on the tenders to Cabo. They just lift the whole thing onto the tender with the girls strapped into it - though this is not for the faint of heart. I knew it would be possible the first time we went, because when my husband was in a wheelchair, they did the same thing, just lifted the chair with him in it onto the tenders (on Princess and on RCCL) - so a couple of toddlers were easy in comparison. If the seas are too choppy, they will say that wheelchairs can't be accomodated, so you'll know that neither can your stroller.

 

On another note, I put my girls in those bathing suits with floaties built in whenever we're going on a tender. In 30 years of cruising, I've never seen a problem with a tender, but it makes me feel better to know that if the unthinkable happened and they got knocked into the water, they won't sink.

 

It may be that it's safer to just wake your child and carry them onto the tender - you can ask the men doing the loading. For me with two of them to corral, the workers and I all felt safer with the girls strapped into their stroller.

 

Best,

Mia

[crusinmama06]

I've never had to fold my stroller up during a tender. I always ask and they always tell me no. Our last cruise was RCCL. :) My 3 year old stayed comfortably in the stroller for the whole tender ride.

 

Now, when we get to excursion boats, I ALWAYS fold my stroller up. I don't trust them as much. ;)

[sailinglisa]

This was posted on another cruise board.....but I think it is very relevant. The poster witnessed this event on an NCL cruise...........but it could happen on any ship at any tender port. I would go one further than she does in her last lines. Make sure YOU are holding your child in YOUR arms or in a sling when making the transfer from tender to ship/shore or vice versa. I have never seen a stroller that has much more than a waist strap and a strap that comes up between the legs (at least one that is not a single baby SUV stroller that just in not practical on a cruise ship. ) As a nurse, I say better safe than sorry!

 

 

Posted: 30 Dec 2005 21:12

 

Fern

Admiral

 

 

Joined: 11 Mar 2004

Posts: 3336

Location: Arkansas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just got home from our cruise and I'm too tired to post much, but this needs to be reported.

 

We were on a tender waiting to go back on the ship. We were about the sixth people in line. The gangway was very short, only about 4 feet from the tender to the ship with two feet or less between the two. It was one person wide. There were handrails, but the area between them and the gangway was open.

 

A father had a baby in a stroller. He took the front end and one of NCL's employee's took the back. About halfway across the stroller tipped to one side and the baby (about 3 or 4 months old) fell out, just inches from the edge of the gangway. If the baby had rolled just a couple of inches it would have fallen into the ocean between the tender and the ship!

 

Thankfully, the NCL employee scooped the baby up while the mother who was behind him was screaming "The baby fell out!"

 

This was one of the most frightening things I've ever seen in my life! I'm sure if the baby had rolled off between the tender and the ship all of the crew members would have gone in after it, but even the smallest crew member probably wouldn't have fit or would have been crushed between the ship and the tender.

 

Please, oh please, if you are taking a tender, either carry your baby or make absolutely sure that it is firmly strapped into the stroller.

 

I would hate to hear of this happening to anyone else.