Ques. re: Tendering and Ship excursions in Belize

[vols_159]

Also, the tenders take longer if the seas are a bit rocky...I was on once that took about 30 min.

 

Got to keep that in mind, and yes they do check ticket #'s, at least the times I've been. I've found it's not worth the few dollars and headache in Belize...I book w/ the ship.

 

besides, the other non tender ports you can save money and book elsewhere, but regardless, I hope it works out.

 

 

They didnt check on my cruise maybe because it was mostly older couples on board.. one couple in our group knew the CD from a previous cruise and asked if she could hook them up with vip tender tickets (had gotten them in the past) she said "no need theres never really a line" just go get in line when we start calling tender tickets..

[vols_159]

This is unfortunately the exact reason the Tender process doesn't go smoothly.

 

 

I went and got a tender ticket had #1 but i was just trying to help people out by saying no matter if you get a 2 ticket and the boat is not full by people who had gotten there 1 ticket and decided to eat breakfast or take to long to get ready they will fill the boat to the max before leaving the cruise ship pretty much you snooze you loose... Our ship there were 2 tender boats taking passengers ashore and more waiting in the wings.. and there were 3 ships in belize that day.. 2 ncl 1 carnival.. On different ships you may have a different outcome.. But with a ship of 1900 paxs and prolly 60 65 % where older retired couples this is what happened 1 week ago today..

[rvsullivan]

Always for the Spirit in Belize:

1st off- VIP's (suites)

2nd off- tours booked through NCL

3rd off- tender number 1 then 2, 3 etc.

 

Trying to go to the head of the line is the reason everyone is delayed. Get your tender tickets and then use the number as they call. If you must be off early, get tender #1. Remember, especially with tenders, if your tour is late and is not NCL booked, they will leave you. Every time!!! Belize is not a good place to get stuck. The extra price you might pay with NCL will guaranty you will not be left behind. Watch a few of the videos here on CC if you want to see what it feels like to be left on the dock. You take your chances!:D

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Always for the Spirit in Belize:

1st off- VIP's (suites)

2nd off- tours booked through NCL

3rd off- tender number 1 then 2, 3 etc.

 

Trying to go to the head of the line is the reason everyone is delayed. Get your tender tickets and then use the number as they call. If you must be off early, get tender #1. Remember, especially with tenders, if your tour is late and is not NCL booked, they will leave you. Every time!!! Belize is not a good place to get stuck. The extra price you might pay with NCL will guaranty you will not be left behind. Watch a few of the videos here on CC if you want to see what it feels like to be left on the dock. You take your chances!:D

 

Amen

 

and heaven forbid there's more than one ship there... tendering is gonna take longer as there's only space to let people off in so many docks...

 

I've even heard them tell someone that the line was only for a tour booked through ship that they had to wait...

 

and not in Belize, but in Grand Cayman once I went back on board the ship to get something and it was soo backed up I couldn't get back to island before they cut off tenders due to departure... so, you are taking your chances.

[C Cruise Dude]

I know someone will say "post this in the belize forum" but that forum is so inactive I was hoping this board might have better and more current info.

 

We will be on the spirit in July. I have heard that tendering in Belize is a joke, and takes forever. We really want to go to shark alley but the NCL tour requires kids be at least 12 yrs old and mine are 9.

 

I want to book through a private vendor to go there, but I am concerned about the tendering and getting off in time to make an excursion.

 

Can anyone speak to recent tendering experience off NCL in Belize? how difficult was it getting a tender ticket and what time did you make it to port?

 

Also, has anyone taken the Barrier Reef and Beach beach through NCL in Belize? I have heard that on this tour you don't really see many fish.

 

Thanks!!

 

Tendering in Belize on the Sun, earlier this month, was better than on the Pearl. I had the barrier reef snorkel so my excursion ticket served as my tendering ticket (priority). It took a very short time to get to shore (25 minutes from start including the ride).

 

The boat for the Barrier Reef Snorkel, Belize Rays, picked us up at the pier. It was about a 15 to 20 minute ride to the reef. Snorkeled for a while, I shortened my swim because the water was rough and I was not used to swimming that long a period. They had a swimmer with a pink buoy that you followed on the tour. I was out half way through. Upon return to the boat, rum punch was served, as much as you wanted. We went to a private island for about an hour or so. I had some eats, rather pricey (burger, fries, nachos, coke for $15). No drinking on the island except from the bar there. We returned to the boat, rum punch flowing and we returned to the Sun. Some were disappointed that we did not return to the pier, one person left a deposit for an item. It was likely too late to take a tender back. I enjoyed the snorkel and island.

 

 

Tender from the Sun

 

Pier in Belize

 

 

 

 

Boat for Snorkel Barrier Reef

 

Private Island

 

Private Island

 

Party back to the Sun

[Lady Patriot]

We were on the Sun in 2007. Hubby saw the Mayan ruins while I took the private island beach break. The boat was small and the water was rough. The boat operators were a couple of maniacs who would turn too hard and too fast in the choppy water. Several of us were experienced boaters, and even we were scared by these two. It was raining hard, and although we know nothing can be done about the weather, visibility was nearly zero, and they never slowed down. Only when someone mentioned it did they toss a couple of life jackets out on the wet deck.

 

We were entitled to one free drink at the private island, and I took mine the second we stepped off the boat.

 

In retrospect I should've complained at the desk, but I didn't think to. I hope something was done about those tour operators. Homicidal maniacs was more like it. I would ask at the excursion desk who's in charge of the private island beach break, and if it's these two (don't remember the name), you might want to pass it up or do some heavy drinking first.

[Carnac767]

We did the the Altun Ha Mayan ruins and Belize River excursion through the ship. Had a great time. The main reason it takes so long to tender in is that Belize City is a very shallow water port and the ships have to anchor out pretty far. You'll notice that as soon as you get there.

[tkportersat]

Yes and I still stick by what I said, suggesting to people to go before they are called is why this process doesn't work smoothly. We were tender ticket 5 and we waited our turn. Many others did not. Didn't realize why until we went down and no one bothered to check our tickets. We were an hour and half late for our excursion. Thankfully Coral Breeze is aware of the problem and said this happens often with the Spirit and thankfully also we were the only family that had booked the tour or we would have probably been SOL.

 

I've learned my lesson...I will either go really early to get my ticket or I will book an over priced ship tour next time I am going to a tender port.

 

I went and got a tender ticket had #1 but i was just trying to help people out by saying no matter if you get a 2 ticket and the boat is not full by people who had gotten there 1 ticket and decided to eat breakfast or take to long to get ready they will fill the boat to the max before leaving the cruise ship pretty much you snooze you loose... Our ship there were 2 tender boats taking passengers ashore and more waiting in the wings.. and there were 3 ships in belize that day.. 2 ncl 1 carnival.. On different ships you may have a different outcome.. But with a ship of 1900 paxs and prolly 60 65 % where older retired couples this is what happened 1 week ago today..

[jakenashleysmom]

thanks all for the great information. having been to Belize once in the past, this thread is bringing back memories and reinforcing my wanting to stay on the ship this go around since we will be travelling with our children. last trip to Belize, we did a snorkel/beach excursion with RCCL and it was a blast!!

 

it is a beautiful place to snorkel and or float around with a rum punch, but you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get to that point, imho. good luck and enjoy!!

[jakenashleysmom]

if it makes you feel any better.....the tendering situation was no better over on RCCL at the port of Belize. It didn't take too horribly long to get to shore, but the tender lines etc were the shame situation as it sounds like it is on NCL. One other advantage to booking with the cruiseline, again imho, is that often the snorkel boat will bring you directly back to the ship instead of to the port to take yet another tender. something to check on before booking a tour.

[tkportersat]

Yeah, we really wanted to do the snorkel trip where the Catamaran came straight to the ship but figured it would be too difficult of an excursion with a 10 month old...maybe next time :)

 

if it makes you feel any better.....the tendering situation was no better over on RCCL at the port of Belize. It didn't take too horribly long to get to shore, but the tender lines etc were the shame situation as it sounds like it is on NCL. One other advantage to booking with the cruiseline, again imho, is that often the snorkel boat will bring you directly back to the ship instead of to the port to take yet another tender. something to check on before booking a tour.

[jtw]

I probably am not the best person to answer this, as I've only been on one cruise in my entire life. However, this is the condensed version of my experience tendering in Belize. . .

 

After having read many reviews on this forum and receiving an email from Cave-tubing.com explaining the importance of getting off the ship in a timely manner, I assigned my DH the task of getting us tender tickets. He set the alarm and was waiting for tickets by 6:30 am. The rest of us joined him at 7:30. At that hour, there were about 13 of us waiting for the ticketing to begin. Around 7:45 a gal from NCL came and arranged her box of tender tickets, looked at all of us sitting there (by then there were probably about 20 of us) and said "There is a tender leaving right now. Head down there and get on.". No ticket, no line, no anything. The tender was 1/2 filled with staff (the pirate, the photographer, etc) and all the "early birds". We were off the ship early enough to get a private tour of downtown before we met up with the group from Cave-Tubing.com

 

I'm sure that's not how it's supposed to work, but that's how it went for us. It will go down as one of my favorite memories! Hope I didn't break any unwritten rule regarding tendering, but like I said - it was my first cruise!

[cmitch9999]

We were on a non NCL tour in Belize last month on the Spirit. Tender tickets were handed out at 8am. At 7:30 am there were about 10 people in line, we grabbed a quick breakfast and got in line just as they started handing them out at 8am. Immediately they called tender ticket #1 and in another 10 min tender ticket #2... after that NCL started filling their tours with the tenders we didnt get called for tender #3 til almost 9am. Our tour was leaving from the pier at 10 am so we had no problems getting on shore in time. My feeling is if you have a tour that is 10 am or later you will be fine getting tickets right as they open up the line at 8. If you need an earlier tender I would plead my case with the customer service desk or get there by 7:30 am. I had also written to the tour operator and they knew we were aware of the tendering issues.

 

Chris Mitchell

[fin]

Boy, I am glad I am not a first timer reading some of these posts.

 

It's enough to put a person right OFF cruising! Talk about scummy behavior!

[RDC1]

If they make me wait because I'm not on a tour that I paid the ship for, it's going to be an ugly scene. Just because I didn't want to pay NCL's inflated prices doesn't mean they should treat me as second priority. I'm gearing up for a fight now.

 

 

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but if you are not on one of their excursions you are second priority. Their first priority is to make sure that those that purchased their excursions through the ship make their excursion times. Same with all of the cruise lines.

[christiecruise]

Hey sr5242,

 

We are in the same boat (or are we?), if by chance you are sailing the Spirit on July 3, head over to the roll call and maybe we can arrange a private tour with you. My family - DH and 20 yo DD and 16 yo DS want to do shark ray alley and another snorkeling spot.

 

I've researched this pretty heavily and we'd like to take the 15 plane ride to Ambergris Caye then a trip with 'lil Alphonse. Looks like he takes groups of 6-8 approx. and I've been emailing with them, but they like to leave at 9. Maybe they'd agree to be a bit flexible on time if we booked the entire boat.

 

Have the same tendering concerns as you do, but I am willing to risk it in the right circumstance. Hope you are leaving on the 3rd! :)

[vols_159]

just go get a ticket head down to deck 3 and boad the tender ncl employees goal is to load the.tenders asap and fill them to 100% b4 releasing them to.go to shore i didnt hear anyproblems last week on the sun we were on the tender b4 we heard the tender 1 ticket being called..

[sr5242]

Hey sr5242,

 

We are in the same boat (or are we?), if by chance you are sailing the Spirit on July 3, head over to the roll call and maybe we can arrange a private tour with you. My family - DH and 20 yo DD and 16 yo DS want to do shark ray alley and another snorkeling spot.

 

I've researched this pretty heavily and we'd like to take the 15 plane ride to Ambergris Caye then a trip with 'lil Alphonse. Looks like he takes groups of 6-8 approx. and I've been emailing with them, but they like to leave at 9. Maybe they'd agree to be a bit flexible on time if we booked the entire boat.

 

Have the same tendering concerns as you do, but I am willing to risk it in the right circumstance. Hope you are leaving on the 3rd! :)

 

Actually we're on the July 10th sailing :( we've booked a private tour with Ivar. We are to meet him @ 930 am but he is understanding of the ncl tendering process. :rolleyes:

[outlaw105w]

first time on the ncl spirit July 3 , looks like i will be booking an ncl excursion just to be safe

 

thxs everyone for the info

[marcyjane]

I may have overlooked a previous answer but NCL tours meet in teh theater first and by tour number are then escorted to a tender. This all happens before any other tender ticket persons are called. Last year.

 

 

I must be overlooking something as well. What you mention above is how on our last two cruises with NCL our tours was handled. Like you said we meet in the theater, time to meet was noted on the tour ticket and we all went in a group to our tour. This process was when we were docked and walked off or had to tender in. We never had to get in line for any tender ticket.

 

HAS THIS CHANGED???

 

Thanks,

Marcy

[glorialagos]

just be early to get the tender tickets, one person can get for the whole group.

 

 

 

Just double checking from anyone who was on the Spirit recently - is this the case? We are a group of 6 and I am always up and about quite early and would love to go get the tender slip for the group. However, if they are going to say the other 5 have to be there, this would change the strategy.

 

Also, I have seen the last tender back is at 5 for the 6 pm departure - still true?

 

Did anyone do the Goff's Caye snorkeling trip through Island Marketing recently?