Tender in Maui, Lahaina

[1gail1]

I will be on the Golden Nov. 20 tendering into Maui. We arrive at 7 am but does anyone know what the earliest time we would get into the dock, trying to book a snorkeling trip and many of them leave at 8. Maybe someone that has done this trip on the diamond last year that can give me some input.

[Toto2Kansas]

I will be on the Golden Nov. 20 tendering into Maui. We arrive at 7 am but does anyone know what the earliest time we would get into the dock, trying to book a snorkeling trip and many of them leave at 8. Maybe someone that has done this trip on the diamond last year that can give me some input.

Are you Elite or in a full suite? Reason I ask is if you are either, you will get priority tender passes and can be on one of the first tenders over. If not, tours usually have first proiority to go ashore and the time you may arrive will depend on how many others they have to take for tours before they allow the masses to tender in.

[1gail1]

Just in a balcony nothing special, so we would be tendering at the first availble to us simple people, we have friends in a PH maybe they can get us speical tender tickets?

[Toto2Kansas]

Just in a balcony nothing special, so we would be tendering at the first availble to us simple people, we have friends in a PH maybe they can get us speical tender tickets?

 

Well, you might not have a problem then. The suites we have had have always given us extra priority tender passes for friends. So, if they do, you can have them give you the extra and you can all get to shore in a hurry and you should be fine. Enjoy!

[Pam in CA]

Well, you might not have a problem then. The suites we have had have always given us extra priority tender passes for friends. So, if they do, you can have them give you the extra and you can all get to shore in a hurry and you should be fine. Enjoy!

That might be possible but they may have to accompany the friends. The last two cruises I've been on used only the black Elite cruise card for tendering or priority disembarkation; no special tender tickets.

 

As has been said, Princess tours have priority on the tenders. To get on one of the early tenders (without using your Elite friends), you'd have to get to where they are handing out priority tickets VERY early so you're among the first. Tendering at Lahaina takes at least 20 minutes, sometimes longer if you are waiting for the tender to fill so to make an 8am private tour, you'd have to be on either the first or 2nd tender.

[Toto2Kansas]

That might be possible but they may have to accompany the friends. The last two cruises I've been on used only the black Elite cruise card for tendering or priority disembarkation; no special tender tickets.

 

Pam, on the cruises we had a full suite and only needed our black cruise card to board the tender with priority, they gave us different passes in our suite for friends. So, even without the card, the passes were good for anyone we gave them to.

 

When someone isn't Elite, and they book a suite, their cruise cards won't get them on the tender, so they give them these little blue priority tender passes. They had some for us, even though we didn't need them, also extras with a note saying something to the effect of, 'in case you are traveling with friends'.

[Pam in CA]

Pam, on the cruises we had a full suite and only needed our black cruise card to board the tender with priority, they gave us different passes in our suite for friends. So, even without the card, the passes were good for anyone we gave them to.

 

When someone isn't Elite, and they book a suite, their cruise cards won't get them on the tender, so they give them these little blue priority tender passes.

Interesting. I kept on asking again and again about tender tickets and was told there weren't any; they weren't giving any out. This was on the Sapphire. Maybe I just didn't ask the right question.

[1gail1]

Thanks Pam and Toto, So if we do arrive at 7 does the tender leave or start boarding right at 7 or does it often start to board at a later time?

[Toto2Kansas]

Interesting. I kept on asking again and again about tender tickets and was told there weren't any; they weren't giving any out. This was on the Sapphire. Maybe I just didn't ask the right question.

I edited my previous post to explain a little bit more (see below). With black cards you don't need the Priority tender passes, but everyone in a suite isn't a black card holder, so they do have them for those who aren't. Our black card is all we need in a suite or not, but someone without that will need the passes, so they give them to them.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks Pam and Toto, So if we do arrive at 7 does the tender leave or start boarding right at 7 or does it often start to board at a later time?

It takes about 30 minutes for the ship to anchor, get the tenders down, set up the tender platform, send a tender to shore and start setting up the tender dock receiving area on shore. It's quite a production and you should be very, very careful to plan on returning to the tender dock at least 90 minutes before sailing. The last tender leaves an hour before sailing and you should plan on unexpected delays so you're there on time. Missing the ship in HI is very, very costly as you violate the PSVA; it'll be $300/pp plus any transportation costs to get to the next port.

[Pam in CA]

I edited my previous post to explain a little bit more (see below). With black cards you don't need the Priority tender passes, but everyone in a suite isn't a black card holder, so they do have them for those who aren't. Our black card is all we need in a suite or not, but someone without that will need the passes, so they give them to them.

Thanks. It makes sense now. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

Thanks Pam and Toto, So if we do arrive at 7 does the tender leave or start boarding right at 7 or does it often start to board at a later time?

 

If the ships on schedule, there is really no telling whether it will be or not. Many times they arrive before the scheduled time, and are ready to tender by 7, other times they don't arrive until 7 and have to drop the tenders and then begin the process. Hopefully someone that has been there recently can give you a clue on this one as it has been a while since we sailed to Maui.

[1gail1]

Thanks toto, maybe they will give our friends some extra passes and we can get off early, I guess we won't book anything until we get there and maybe we will get lucky and get in at a good time and there will be some spots open on some of the tours. thanks for all the info.

[Putterdude]

The real issue in Lahina is that the quay is used by a multiude of users including ferries, whale watchers, dive boats, fishing charters and a host of others .....so everyone has to wait their turn and it can take some time to actually come along side the quay.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My hubby wanted a snorkeling excursion in Maui, and I had read that the early morning snorkeling excursions were much better than the later ones. So we went with the ship-sponsored ones so we wouldn't be stressing out over tendering. We're glad we did as we were among the first ones off the ship and the trip to the pier was pretty long (compared to other tendering spots I remember).

[flamomo]

It can be as long as 45 minutes or and hour before anyone can get off the ship after docking. My understanding is that part of the delay can be due to paperwork from the ship has to be delivered to the harbormaster for approval before disembarkation can begin.

[Pam in CA]

The real issue in Lahina is that the quay is used by a multiude of users including ferries, whale watchers, dive boats, fishing charters and a host of others .....so everyone has to wait their turn and it can take some time to actually come along side the quay.

I agree with this. Princess doesn't have control over who has priority; the harbormaster does. I've been there when the harbormaster held the tenders off from the dock for over an hour while local boats came in and left, which held up sailing for an hour and a half. Another time I was there a huge storm came up during the day (it was cloudless and gorgeous when we disembarked) just as I was about to tender back to the ship. The tender left the dock but we spent the next hour and a half powering up and over waves, crashing down the other side for the entire time. It was too dangerous to get on the ship so they turned the ship around to protect the tenders as we got off.

 

Lahaina is one of those ports where it's not unusual to have to miss due to weather conditions or forecast weather. Before both of my HI cruises, it had been missed on two or three previous cruises.