Tendering on HAL Ships - Independent Travelers- What Was Your Experience?

[Juliadlf]

We've not cruised HAL yet and one of many questions we have with cruising on HAL is the tendering for independent travelers.

 

Are there delays for independent travelers to disembark the ship when a port requires tendering? If we make plans to do independent/private touring will we be stuck for hours on the ship waiting to get off while the cruiseline tours disembark?

 

We've tendered on other cruiselines and not had a problem getting off when we needed to for private tours just wondering about how HAL handles this.

 

Feedback is most appreciated.

 

Julia

[leoandhugh]

certainly would not say you would wait for hours, but it is standard procedure for cruise lines, including HAL to tender first those passengers that are signed up for the ship offered shore excursions. Some lines also extend the priviledge to those in suite or other high-end accomodations.

Most lines require that those tendering ashore who are not on the ship's shore excursions to go to a central location like the theater and pick up tender numbers tickets and wait until that number is called. And finally, they will go to "open tendering" where no tickets are required.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is true that those passengers who have booked tours through HAL will be taken care of first when it comes to tendering as HAL has already made arrangements with the vendors at that port.

 

Independent passengers will need to go a lounge and get a tender ticket. As soon as the majority of the tours are off the ship, then the others will be called by their numbers. Depending on how many people have booked tours will determine how soon the independant passengers are called. Sometimes this happens very quickly - other times - it may take a while.

 

SO - if the ship is scheduled to arrive around 8 AM I would advise you not to book an independent tour until at least 9:30 AM as the ship also has to be cleared.

 

Passengers in PS, SA, SB, SC have gold ID cards and are permitted to go ashore any time they want to. All they need to do is go down to the gangway and join the line to get on the tenders.

[Jemima]

If you are in a suite you have priority tendering. These are full suites, the ones with Neptune Lounge privledges etc. Otherwise ship shore excursions have priority. Sometimes also private shore arrangements for a large group may get some priority.

If you aren't in a suite, go to "Book Shore Excursions" on the HAL website. This will give you excursion times for the ship's excursions and an idea of when those on these excursions will be tendering.

I don't recall posts about not being able to get a tender for a private shore excursion. I'd guess many private excursion operators know how tendering works and adjust for this.

[wander]

The issue is how it will go on your ship and its ports. The most I have had to wait for an independent tender ride was about 45 minutes once they begin offloading, IF you are in the ticket line early! They like to keep the ship's tour bus folks on the same tender and once the appropriate bus folks have been loaded they put on independents to fill the tender to a certain capacity. However, one cannot depend on such a prompt departure when trouing independently. Just my experiences.

[kakalina]

I have been able to go up to the staff person giving out the tender tickets explain the situation and get on the first or second tender. HAL staff usually goes out of their way to assist their guests.

[southern jersey girl]

We've not cruised HAL yet and one of many questions we have with cruising on HAL is the tendering for independent travelers.

 

Are there delays for independent travelers to disembark the ship when a port requires tendering? If we make plans to do independent/private touring will we be stuck for hours on the ship waiting to get off while the cruiseline tours disembark?

 

We've tendered on other cruiselines and not had a problem getting off when we needed to for private tours just wondering about how HAL handles this.

 

Feedback is most appreciated.

 

Julia

 

 

I have been on several HAL cruises and tendering was from time to time necessary. I have never encountered a problem. Just be sure your tour guide knows the time you need to be back or you could miss the ship.

 

Southern Jersey Girl ;)

[Juliadlf]

Thank you all for the information.

I had read some of the reviews in the Review section of CC and noticed some people were complaining about the wait times to tender ashore. Thought to ask here on the board and get some feedback without making assumptions but it appears from all your responses that HAL is the same as other cruiselines in how the process works and if you need to get ashore sooner HAL will do what it can(making no promises) to make it happen.

 

Julia

[mountainmare]

This is no guarantee but on both HAL and Celebrity we have found that sometimes if we go to get tender tickets very early and have everything we need ready to go we can get right on one of the first tenders while they are organizing the tours. Doesn't work all the time, but when there is a port where we want an early start we just politely go and see if we can get a spot.

[Jade13]

This is no guarantee but on both HAL and Celebrity we have found that sometimes if we go to get tender tickets very early and have everything we need ready to go we can get right on one of the first tenders while they are organizing the tours. Doesn't work all the time, but when there is a port where we want an early start we just politely go and see if we can get a spot.

 

I was wondering about that. It seems like HAL has a lot of people on their excursions they need to get organized in the Theater.

[michmike]

The other important thing is to show up at the show lounge a good 30-45 min BEFORE the time they announce that they will begin giving out tender passes as it is our experience that they tend to start earlier than they say they will. Just bring a book, have a seat and your chances opf getting off as early as possible are pretty good. But the info about ships excursions and suite passengers having priority is right (and for what they pay for a suite I have no problem with that).

 

To be on the safe side and allow for the ship's clearance by port authorities and the tender delay I would not typically book an independent shore excursion any earlier than 90 min after your scheduled arrival in port.

[MercedMike]

It is not necessarily true that ALL the pax on ship's tours are allowed off before ANY independent pax. Normally the ship's tour departures are staggered a bit so that there are ample opportunities for independents too. And the small number of suite pax using priority does not make any real difference.

 

Normally all the tour operators in any port are well aware of the ship's arrival times and schedules and will make arrangements that will fit for you. But if you book an early independent excursion, you do have to be sure that you get to the lounge and get your tender tickets early early early! You don't really need to worry about the pax on ship's tours getting ahead of you ... it is the other pax with independent excursions that will get off before you do if you are late getting your tix.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!