Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky port - dock or tender?

According to tour operator a new port was opened last year in PK and tender is no longer needed.

Has anyone been to PK recently and can confirm that ships dock there?

In May 2017 the Celebrity Millennium used tenders.

OP- what tour operator are you using in PK? We will be there in October on a HAL cruise. Do we need visas for DIY?

We visited PK last May. No visa is required for visits up to 72 hours. http://www.russiavisa.com/visafreeentry.htm

We used Kamchatintur for sightseeing and were very pleased with their services. Here is my review on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298492-d8858927-Reviews-Kamchatintur_Day_Tour-Petropavlovsk_Kamchatsky_Kamchatka_Krai_Far_Eastern_Distric.html

I would discourage a DIY visit. That is not really a practical option. The pier that the cruise ships use is a good hike from the center of town and anything of real interest. IMO, walking is not an option.

We had a city tour (not much of great interest), lunch in a local Russian restaurant (own expense) with some really excellent seafood and spent the afternoon at the "snow dogs" center where they train sled dogs for long distance races similar to Alaska's Iditarod. We also saw indigenous people perform dances. To and from the "snow dogs" center, we (including our traveling companions from Malaysia) traveled by a snowmobile which towed our open sleigh across the Siberian landscape. What a great experience!

Remember, the city is not the real attraction. The stunning beauty of the surrounding area is. This is why a tour is best.

No visa is needed if you are using a registered tour group. If not it depends, there are currently 18 countries that don't need visas or travel vouchers, and many people report the authorities not asking for the vouchers in any case. But do keep in mind by law they are required, even if they don't ask for them if something happens it is all on you for entering the country illegally.

I suggest getting a visa or using any of the tour companies. We are using red Rivers Kamchatka, but also looked at the one Vic used, they just didn't have anything we wanted to do on that date.

I was also told by Tatyana at Red River that we would be docked at the pier and not tendering.

We are currently on Celebrity Millennium and are scheduled to dock tomorrow, not tender. 

Docked in October 2018, booked a ship's tour.

Docked two weeks ago (18 May 2019) on Azamara Quest.