Is 1 & 1/2 hours early enough to get tender?

[Kermit426]

Booked a private tour with Nativeway to do Stingrays & Island tour. Tour is from 10-2:15 pm and boat sails at 4pm. (No time differences between ship/island in January) If I am back at 2:15 I believe last tender is 3:30? or 3:45 correct? I realize there will probably be lines, but really want to do this tour and it was the only time available. Anyone gotten back to the pier an hour to an hour and a half before sailing and had issues getting on board? Thinking that this is such a short tender ride that we should be ok, but would love first hand input from those who have done tendering in the Caymans recently. Thanks!!

[mrpayroll]

There should be NO problem.....:)

[Kermit426]

Thanks! I was hoping so, we'll keep an eye on the time too. Figured as long as we were at the port in line for the tender at least an hour before last tender, we should be ok.

[cb at sea]

Absolutely no issues......even if you're in line for the LAST tender....they will get you back to the ship! No worries!

[Keith1010]

You will be fine.

 

Have a great time.

 

Keith

[Lionesss]

You maybe in line a little bit with all the people waiting to board at the last minute, but I was grateful that RCI offerred water while waiting to board the tender the last time we sailed the Freedom.

Sea Ya

[Caribbean_Dreamer37]

As many have said, as long as you're in line for the last posted tender time, you'll get back onboard the ship.

[mitsugirly]

So what happens if you are there in line to catch the last tender, but so are a lot of other people and there's not enough room for everyone? Will they still send another tender for the remaining people still in line?

[clackey]

So what happens if you are there in line to catch the last tender, but so are a lot of other people and there's not enough room for everyone? Will they still send another tender for the remaining people still in line?

Yes they will. On our last visit we arrived about 20 or 30 minutes before last tender and there was probably four or five hundred people ahead of us. To make it more fun, there were at least 3 more ships tendering at the same time. It was a madhouse. We were onboard an hour after scheduled departure time.

 

Not a big fan of the Caymans just because of the tendering. Belize was a little better.

[mitsugirly]

Yes they will. On our last visit we arrived about 20 or 30 minutes before last tender and there was probably four or five hundred people ahead of us. To make it more fun, there were at least 3 more ships tendering at the same time. It was a madhouse. We were onboard an hour after scheduled departure time.

 

Not a big fan of the Caymans just because of the tendering. Belize was a little better.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I always wondered what would happen (I have never put myself in that position, but you never know).

[Crew News]

The tendering area has only so much covered space so if you wait until the last minute to return to the ship, plan on standing under some very hot sun just to get into the shaded area.