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Tender Question

FinallyCruisinIn2014

By FinallyCruisinIn2014,
in First Time Cruisers

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FinallyCruisinIn2014

FinallyCruisinIn2014

Posted
Posted

First cruise in April - I have a thousand questions still but I'll start with this one....

 

How exactly does the tender work? Do they attach it somehow to the ship? Is it "bouncy" (sorry, can't think of a better word) when you get on and off? How long/far of a ride is it from the ship to the Island (in this case, cococay) ?

How long is it in feet? I can visualize it that way comparing it to our boat here at home.

 

If someone wouldn't mind explaining in detail exactly how this whole tender things works I'd be grateful!!

 

Sorry but this is about the only thing that is causing me concern about the cruise. I really, really don't want to fall in the ocean trying to get on and off the tender... that would be bad :eek: ;)

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Talisker92

Talisker92

Posted
Posted

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Unfortunately, you did not say what ship you are going to be on. In general, here is how it works:

The tenders are the big enclosed powered lifeboats mounted by davits on both sides of the ship. They lower them into the water, and use them to transport passengers ashore.

The procedure varies by ship and cruise line, but on some you get a thing called a tender ticket and you are called in sequence. Normally the first people off are the ones that have booked shore excursions through the ship.

You go down by stairs or elevator to deck 4 or 5 and there will be a platform with steps taking you down to a small platform where you will board the tender. The crew will assist you getting on and off the tender.

As far as being "bouncy", since you have a boat, you know it is a function of the sea state at the time. The tender ride is a function of how far you are from the ship to the dock.

Hope this helps

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MermaidWatcher

MermaidWatcher

Posted
Posted (edited)
First cruise in April - I have a thousand questions still but I'll start with this one....

 

How exactly does the tender work? Do they attach it somehow to the ship?

It is moored snugly to the side of the ship with lines. Is it "bouncy" (sorry, can't think of a better word) when you get on and off? How long/far of a ride is it from the ship to the Island (in this case, cococay) ?

How long is it in feet? I can visualize it that way comparing it to our boat here at home.

How bouncy it is depends on the sea condition. Boarding is down an aluminum gangway (ramp) which moves with the tender, generally in a fairly gentle up and down motion, but it is dependent on the sea condition.

Since they are moving lots of people in relatively small groups ,the tender rides are usually kept as short as possible, they do vary depending on the port, but I estimate most of them to be 15 to 25 minutes actual riding time. Once again, a good bit of variation, but most boats range between 45 to 65 feet in length, and carry roughly 140 to 160 passengers. We have been on one cruise where they actually lowered a few of the ship's life boats and tendered with them.

If someone wouldn't mind explaining in detail exactly how this whole tender things works I'd be grateful!!

 

Sorry but this is about the only thing that is causing me concern about the cruise. I really, really don't want to fall in the ocean trying to get on and off the tender... that would be bad :eek: ;)

 

You will not fall into the ocean :p. There is not much more to it than walking up/down a handicap ramp into a building, and there are crew members to help you. The Captain is the final authority on EVERYTHING on board his ship, and if he deems conditions unsafe for tendering, the port call will be skipped.

Edited by MermaidWatcher
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Cuizer2

Cuizer2

Posted
Posted
First cruise in April - I have a thousand questions still but I'll start with this one....

 

How exactly does the tender work? Do they attach it somehow to the ship? Is it "bouncy" (sorry, can't think of a better word) when you get on and off? How long/far of a ride is it from the ship to the Island (in this case, cococay) ?

How long is it in feet? I can visualize it that way comparing it to our boat here at home.

 

If someone wouldn't mind explaining in detail exactly how this whole tender things works I'd be grateful!!

 

Sorry but this is about the only thing that is causing me concern about the cruise. I really, really don't want to fall in the ocean trying to get on and off the tender... that would be bad :eek: ;)

 

I haven't been to Coco Cay, however, I can provide you with some visual information ...

 

The tenders are also the lifeboats. Here is a picture ...

 

Musterdrill.jpg

 

Here is a picture of a tender (in Cabo) taken from another tender ...

 

N-IMG_0896.jpg

 

Here is another tender in action (in Santa Barbara) ...

 

xIMG_2220.jpg

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Steviewonder1

Steviewonder1

Posted
Posted

Every one I have been on has been a Life Boat from the ship. One instance up in Bar Harbor Maine three years ago, Tourist Boats were chartered to lead the tenders to the dock as everything was fogged in and you could not see the far end of the ship from the bow. The Tourist Boats had Radar on them, the life boats do not have Radar.

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cb at sea

cb at sea

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sometimes the tenders are much LARGER than those lifeboats (we have never used lifeboats as tenders, either!).....they generally hold about 150 or so.....they are BIG...not like most folks fishing boats or pleasure craft.

 

It's not like getting into a rowboat by any means! If it does happen to be too rough or windy, you will not stop at Coco Cay.

Edited by cb at sea
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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

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Posted

I believe that RCI actually has several large shore-based boats stationed at Coco Cay that transport large numbers (many more then on a ship-based tender). Once you drop anchor off the cay, the large boats will come out to the ship and soon start the process of transferring passengers. They will sometimes use tender tickets for the earlier transfers (you would be told where to get the tickets) and other times it would just be open tenders (first come first serve). All necessary instructions will be given to you the evening before you get to Coco Cay.

 

Hank

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alcpa1

alcpa1

Posted
Posted

Another greeting to a soon to be addicted cruiser.

Coco Cay is a manufactured beach resort on a sparsely populated island. Because of this the ship will use the life boats as tenders.

You will be assisted and there will be some motion, but your safety is the crew's main concern.

We have tendered on everything from a Caribbean two deck party boat, to a catamaran, to lifeboats.

If you want to get off early to start your wonderful beach day get your ticket early. If you want to avoid the rush then take your time. Many will be off the ship within 30-45 minutes. The biggest advantage of an early ticket is grabbing your prime spot on the beach near the activities that you want to participate in....or not.

Have a wonderful cruise and don't worry about the tender. It's just your initation!

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Fredr

Fredr

Posted
Posted

Hopefully the following will be of help to you...

 

Wear a shoe that covers your feet completely, that is, avoid sandals or other types of skimpy footwear.

The shoes should be slip free, that is, the shoe should protect you from slips.

 

The crew will assist you onto the tenders and off the tenders and pay attention to what these very strong men tell you. The sea can turn high very quickly so don't be surprised if the tender goes out to sea before docking.

 

If your tender has seating on top (and outside) go up there. Essentially you get a specacular view not only of your ship but the port as well. Some of my fondest memories of cruising is when I would ride the tender 2 3 and even 4 times. I never denied someone else a spot but riding the tender in Bora Bora, Airlie Beach, Zijuantejejo (sp) and Punta Del Este was a real treat.

 

Don't be surprised if you get wet...remember a tender will have an open doorway and probably some open windows.

 

To me tendering is one of the fun aspect of a cruise.

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sparky-elpaso

sparky-elpaso

Posted
Posted

This is the platform used for tendering (RCCL's Radiance of the Seas). In this case this is at the end of the day when the crew was getting ready to stow the platform - it folds up into the side of the ship.

 

DSC01773-1.jpg

 

Easy process - go down the stairs and crew members will be there to help you on.

 

DSC01598-1.jpg

 

In some cases they may use boats from the port instead of the ships lifeboats - like this nice catamaran.

 

DSC00764.jpg

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alfaeric

alfaeric

Posted
Posted
Thanks!

 

We will be on Enchantment of the Seas and our only tender port is Cococay.

 

I thought the tenders were docked at the Island and come over when the ship gets there? No?

 

Having been to Coco Cay quite a few times, twice even on the Enchantment- they do NOT use the ship's lifeboats here. There are a fleet of 6 or so boats that can carry quite a few people which stay in the little harbor there at Coco Cay.

 

It's a very easy task when tied up to the ship- they have a ramp that connects the ships together, so there's not even a step that one has to worry about (there are steps on the ferry, but that's to get to the top and bottom). There are also crew around to make sure that you are safe.

 

We've been on an EN cruise where it used the ships life boats- it takes a while, since the larger two are still pretty small. But on Coco Cay, the process goes quickly, and generally there's a ferry waiting while one of them is filling up.

 

Anyway, hope this lightens the worry bead burden you have. Enjoy the cruise!

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Gunner22aa

Gunner22aa

Posted
Posted

As your ship specific questions have been answered I'll just throw in a couple of generic comments.

 

If you are going to miss a port more often than not it will be one you tender at and because of the sea conditions. The big ship doesn't even feel a 3 foot swell but the tender boats do. Normally the ship will tender off of the lea side of the ship to help shelter the tenders from the swells but there are times that sea conditions will prohibit tender use for the safety of the passengers. The Captain makes the call as he is ultimatly responsible for your personal safety.

 

Also I have been to several tender ports where although fit and able to walk passengers were allowed off the ship those with mobility issues or using wheelchairs and alike were not, again due to sea conditions and safety.

 

You may be assigned a specific time to tender. Most cruise lines offer their suite guests and those in the upper most tiers of their loyality program priority tendering. Also those with early departures for ships sponsered tours may get priority.

 

I don't mind tendering a bit and enjoy the sea breeze. I have always been tendered in the ships life boats and the longest ride was probably about 30 minutes.

 

To quote a line from the movie Mama Mia "It's an adventure Harry"

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NMLady

NMLady

Posted
Posted
Never have tendered in a ship's lifeboat.

 

I have tendered almost a dozen times and the majority of those have been in the ship's lifeboats. Although Belize uses their own tenders, all of our other tender ports, in Mexico and Europe, have used the ship lifeboats.

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