Tendering System - NCL

[AuTiger7]

What is the system for getting on a tender in Belize on board the Norwegian Spirit? Do they do a lottery for numbers???

[bakerintn]

They will issue numbered tender tickets that morning...probably about 8 am. You stand in line and they are handed out...one person can get tickets for a whole group. After the NCL excursion, suites and VIPs have left, they will start loading the common folks. In Belise, they use commercial tenders that hold more people and are a lot faster than the ships life boats. It is about a 2-3 mile trip, so that is good news. Things move along pretty fast.

 

You will likely find passengers crowding the stairs and making the elevators hard to use, so get in line earlier than you think you might. You go down to the 5th deck I think and leave from there.

[PnkyandtheBrain]

As mentioned above, if you are not booked on an NCL excursion for Belize, you'll need to pickup a tender ticket in Champagne Charlies. They start handing out, about 7:45-8 am that morning. One person can pickup the tickets for your entire group. They hand out the tickets in groups corresponding to the number of people who will fit on a tender boat.

 

When they have a boat for the group, they will announce that that group number is being accepted for departure, and you can go down to the tender area on deck 3 via the midship stairway. They typically will not allow anyone down these stairs below deck 7 during tendering operations.

 

I do not know how quickly the tender operations go normally, but we had windy conditions and rough seas on our visit (1/31/10 sailing) and they were only able to use the port side tender area, limiting them to only 2 boats at a time, and then they were only able to staff the tender deck to load 1 boat at a time, so things were slow going. We waited for more than 2 hours before our group (tender group #1) was called.

 

I'd encourage anyone who has expericenced these delays to bring them up to NCL in your post cruise surveys, or better yet, on-board with the staff as well. Cruise customers who choose not to book NCL excursions should still have an equal opportunity to get ashore, as there is no way for NCL to give you back the time they take from you by holding you onship.

[Buford T Justiice]

Belize is the number 1 port I would recommend using NCL excursions for solely for the reasons outlined above.

 

Sometimes if you book a private excursion and hussle to get an early tender ticket you still have to wait for others booked on the private excursion to show up.

 

We did a snorkle excursion last time and the boat picked us up and dropped us off right at the cruise ship

[STARFISH*4]

we were booked on an NCL exursion (JEWEL 24 Jan '10) getting off the ship on to tenders was pretty HECTIC-CHAOTIC that day....had to stand in line just like EVERYONE else and wait (meeting on the pier) alot of passengers that day on NCL excursions were late getting off...they should meet in places on the ship and leave as a group.....our tour left late.

[josumello]

If you book an NCL excursion will our tender tickets come with your excursion tickets?

We will be in Santorini from 4:00-11:00PM which will probably be a nightmare. That is why I am booking a ships tour. It should get us off the ship before sunset in early Nov.

 

TIA

 

Sue

[Don Haynes]

The key is not to PANIC when the tendering process runs late. Those independent shore excurison personnel on the pier understand the process and are aware of which tender boats are arriving. If you jump through the hoops onboard the ship and get as early a tender ticket as possible, they will wait for you. On the other hand if you slept in late, got a late tender ticket, they may not wait.

[ShedQueen77]

If you book an NCL excursion will our tender tickets come with your excursion tickets?

We will be in Santorini from 4:00-11:00PM which will probably be a nightmare. That is why I am booking a ships tour. It should get us off the ship before sunset in early Nov.

 

TIA

 

Sue

 

I'm curious about the answer to this question too. The only NCL excursion we booked is on Samana, which is a tender port as well. Do we need to stand in line and wait for our tender tickets?

 

I've only tendered once on Grand Cayman and there was no ticket system that I was aware of and we just did a beach day via taxi ride. We just lined up and off we went.

[Urban trekker]

Unless they have changed things in the last little while if you have a ship's excursions booked you don't need tender tickets - you most likely will meet in the Stardust theater and the excursions will be called and those with tickets on that excursion will be taken by shore staff down to the loading area for the tenders and usually it is a different stairwell than the one that is being clogged by people rushing to get off the ship.

 

Hopes this helps answer your questions

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[ShedQueen77]

It sure does. Thank you for the help! :)

[itzmered]

we were booked on an NCL exursion (JEWEL 24 Jan '10) getting off the ship on to tenders was pretty HECTIC-CHAOTIC that day....had to stand in line just like EVERYONE else and wait (meeting on the pier) alot of passengers that day on NCL excursions were late getting off...they should meet in places on the ship and leave as a group.....our tour left late.

 

We were on an NCL excursion on the Spirit in Belize. Everyone who was on NCL excursions met in the Stardust theater and then they called each excursion individually and you were escorted to the tender in a group. It went very smoothly.

[deckedout]

Question:

 

We are on the Star in March, looking at a non-ship excursion.

Ship is due in at 11, I want to go on a ATV tour that starts at 12. We are in a suite (AE), the excursion company says to get the first tender in order to make sure we get there in time.

 

What are our chances?

I believe we get priority tender tickets?

How do those work, do we still stand in line or order them through the concierge?

 

My DD and DBF are traveling with us in an inside, can we get tickets for them at the same time as us?

 

Thanks, this is our, DH and I, first time in a suite and we really wondered if we should do it! Now I've learned about breakfast and lunch in Cagney's and I am really excited :D

[swedish weave]

Question:

 

We are on the Star in March, looking at a non-ship excursion.

Ship is due in at 11, I want to go on a ATV tour that starts at 12. We are in a suite (AE), the excursion company says to get the first tender in order to make sure we get there in time.

 

What are our chances?

I believe we get priority tender tickets?

How do those work, do we still stand in line or order them through the concierge?

 

My DD and DBF are traveling with us in an inside, can we get tickets for them at the same time as us?

 

Thanks, this is our, DH and I, first time in a suite and we really wondered if we should do it! Now I've learned about breakfast and lunch in Cagney's and I am really excited :D

 

If you have priority tender tickets, you can bypass the line and get on any available tender. You will need to speak with the concierge about tickets for your family.

 

Your tickets will be delivered to your suite before you reach Cabo. If you do not receive them, ask Simone (concierge), and she will get them to you.

[deckedout]

If you have priority tender tickets, you can bypass the line and get on any available tender. You will need to speak with the concierge about tickets for your family.

 

Your tickets will be delivered to your suite before you reach Cabo. If you do not receive them, ask Simone (concierge), and she will get them to you.

 

 

Thanks, with such a short time in port (11- 6), this will be a great perk!