Getting off ship on first tender

[Bettytrouble]

I am not interested in getting into an argument with you, but I will tell you of two circumstances where, for the people involved, it was important for them to get an early start to their day.

 

One situation involved a woman who was visiting an island where she had made prior arrangement with a village and a minister some distance from where the ship tendered. It was her mother's wishes to have her ashes scattered there. I can understand why this woman's time at this destination was precious wanting enough time for the simple service and some personal time as well. I know this was a difficult process for her.

 

Another situation involves a small group who rather than sight-seeing in a port were planning to spend their time ashore making a large donation and volunteering at a local school/orphanage. Their desire to get off the ship early was not for personal gain but rather so that they could give more of themselves. Believe it or not some people do not advertise their philanthropy, preferring to keep it a personal matter.

 

I am sure if you want you can 'shoot these situations down' but the fact remains there are circumstances beyond a private excursion where someone would want to leave a ship as early as possible. They don't need to discuss their reasons here on Cruise Critic. What they need to do is to speak to the appropriate people once on board the ship. As evidenced here people have asked before and been granted and that is the information needed by the OP. Sorry but your and anyone else from this boards validation and approval is not necessary. Again the OP stated the reason was personal there is no need to goad them to make it public.

 

 

Rochelle

What she said!!!!'

:)

[garycarla]

...As evidenced here people have asked before and been granted and that is the information needed by the OP. ...

 

Sorry, but a valid answer has not been given.

 

Just because some people had a valid reason or a staff member that did not care and said "go ahead" does not answer the OP's question.

 

The question can not be answered. Or at least not with a valid answer.

[rochelle_s]

Sorry, but a valid answer has not been given.

 

Just because some people had a valid reason or a staff member that did not care and said "go ahead" does not answer the OP's question.

 

The question can not be answered. Or at least not with a valid answer.

 

Not sure what you are looking for with a 'valid' answer.

 

The OP asked two questions in their original post;

 

I know that for tender ports, NCL ships start dishing out numbered tender tickets some time before arrival. Apart from getting in the queue first to ensure getting off on the first tender, has anybody ever requested from customer services on board ship to be on the first tender. For personal reasons I need to be in port as soon as possible. Do customer services take any heed of special requests?

 

The first question was; "has anybody ever requested from customer services on board ship to be on first tender"

 

This was answered by at least two different people that yes they had in fact made such a request.

 

The second question "Do customer services take heed of special requests?"

 

According to those same two people once again yes customer service did work with them and their request. I suppose if you want to be technical you could ask them to come back and confirm whether or not they were on the very first tender or not.

 

I believe the OP asked a legitimate question and it was answered. I don't recall them asking for opinions on whether others thought such a request was fair or not. So with at least two people reporting they have made requests and they were honoured and not a single post stating they made a similar request and were denied. The conclusion can be that the OP should make their own request and that given the right circumstances it very well could be granted.

 

 

Rochelle

[garycarla]

Not sure what you are looking for with a 'valid' answer.

 

The OP asked two questions in their original post;

 

I know that for tender ports, NCL ships start dishing out numbered tender tickets some time before arrival. Apart from getting in the queue first to ensure getting off on the first tender, has anybody ever requested from customer services on board ship to be on the first tender. For personal reasons I need to be in port as soon as possible. Do customer services take any heed of special requests?

 

The first question was; "has anybody ever requested from customer services on board ship to be on first tender"

 

This was answered by at least two different people that yes they had in fact made such a request.

 

The second question "Do customer services take heed of special requests?"

...

 

Since we do not know what the other people asked in order to get special treatment, we do not know if it will apply to the OP at all. It might. It might not.

 

According to your logic, every single person on the ship could just walk up to the counter and say they have to get off first. ???

[footballbabe3]

Wow this escalated quickly!!

[ColinIllinois]

Wow this escalated quickly!!

 

 

[rochelle_s]

Since we do not know what the other people asked in order to get special treatment, we do not know if it will apply to the OP at all. It might. It might not.

 

According to your logic, every single person on the ship could just walk up to the counter and say they have to get off first. ???

 

Yes anyone can go to the counter and ask. Whether the request is granted or not is the unknown but they can certainly ask.

 

The OP did not ask " What reason do I need or could I give in order to guarantee to be on the first tender?" They asked if anyone had any experience asking and did customer service take heed of such requests. Again the answer to both questions was YES. It was indeed asked and in those cases it was a positive outcome.

 

If someone has personal reasons for something it means it is personal. Any insistence on here for wanting to know the exact reason is just being nosy.

 

The place to make the request is on the ship. Customer Service will likely ask the guest the reason for the request at which point the guest can explain their situation or circumstance. This then makes it a personal matter between the guest and the customer service personnel. Just because someone asks a question on a public forum does not mean they give up all rights. Since when were people not entitled to their privacy?

 

 

Rochelle

[swedish weave]

All these comments causes me to question why OP doesn't want to get in line early to get a low number tender ticket. If getting off early is that important, what is a few extra minutes in line ?????

[garycarla]

I believe the proper answer to the question is :

 

YES or NO And of course, maybe.

 

Nobody here knows what answer the OP will get because it is not a complete question. Therefore, this whole thread is meaningless. Worthless. Of no value.

 

(I am not saying the OP needs to share their reason here. Just saying that nobody can answer the question, because we do not know enough. Simple)

[rvsullivan]

All these comments causes me to question why OP doesn't want to get in line early to get a low number tender ticket. If getting off early is that important, what is a few extra minutes in line ?????

 

I believe this is one of the best comments/questions of the whole thread. Simply being the first one in line for tender tickets the night before will guarantee the OP will be on the first available tender to shore. Might not get them on the suite/VIP/NCL tender but minutes later.

[rochelle_s]

I believe this is one of the best comments/questions of the whole thread. Simply being the first one in line for tender tickets the night before will guarantee the OP will be on the first available tender to shore. Might not get them on the suite/VIP/NCL tender but minutes later.

 

Depending on the particular port in question it could be much longer than a couple of minutes. There have been threads here on CC where people have had to easily wait an hour or two for the VIP and ship tours to tender first.

 

Tender ports can always be 'iffy' situations, including whether the tendering process even starts. Tender ports are the most often missed. Weather/sea conditions can also slow down or delay the process even if it does start.

 

Rochelle

[Budget Queen]

I am not interested in getting into an argument with you, but I will tell you of two circumstances where, for the people involved, it was important for them to get an early start to their day.

 

One situation involved a woman who was visiting an island where she had made prior arrangement with a village and a minister some distance from where the ship tendered. It was her mother's wishes to have her ashes scattered there. I can understand why this woman's time at this destination was precious wanting enough time for the simple service and some personal time as well. I know this was a difficult process for her.

 

Another situation involves a small group who rather than sight-seeing in a port were planning to spend their time ashore making a large donation and volunteering at a local school/orphanage. Their desire to get off the ship early was not for personal gain but rather so that they could give more of themselves. Believe it or not some people do not advertise their philanthropy, preferring to keep it a personal matter.

 

I am sure if you want you can 'shoot these situations down' but the fact remains there are circumstances beyond a private excursion where someone would want to leave a ship as early as possible. They don't need to discuss their reasons here on Cruise Critic. What they need to do is to speak to the appropriate people once on board the ship. As evidenced here people have asked before and been granted and that is the information needed by the OP. Sorry but your and anyone else from this boards validation and approval is not necessary. Again the OP stated the reason was personal there is no need to goad them to make it public.

 

 

Rochelle

 

 

Sorry, I don't see this as an "exception". This is a cruise ship, many people want off the ship, and these reasons don't put them ahead of other reasons, in my opinion. Get up early, and be in line early ready to go. Simple. And actually, you have now, given, people ideas for "first off", and don't think someone reading this board won't use it. I'm sure there will be someone. over 1900 views.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Budget Queen

[garycarla]

Depending on the particular port in question it could be much longer than a couple of minutes. There have been threads here on CC where people have had to easily wait an hour or two for the VIP and ship tours to tender first.

 

Tender ports can always be 'iffy' situations, including whether the tendering process even starts. Tender ports are the most often missed. Weather/sea conditions can also slow down or delay the process even if it does start.

 

Rochelle

 

Of course, the OP has not even shared which port this is, as the "demand" and "speed" will vary from port to port as well.

[garycarla]

Yes. I have requested it before, and it was honored.

 

I am glad they honored your request.

 

How would anyone know if the request of the OP would also be honored?

[swedish weave]

Depending on the particular port in question it could be much longer than a couple of minutes. There have been threads here on CC where people have had to easily wait an hour or two for the VIP and ship tours to tender first.

 

Tender ports can always be 'iffy' situations, including whether the tendering process even starts. Tender ports are the most often missed. Weather/sea conditions can also slow down or delay the process even if it does start.

 

Rochelle

 

Your second paragraph is interesting. If tendering doesn't start, NOBODY gets off !!!

 

Some of the extensive tendering delays are purely caused by the decision of the captain regarding how many tenders he wants to put into the water. Some captains want everyone off in a short time, and others don't consider that important.

[SissasMomE]

I am glad they honored your request.

 

How would anyone know if the request of the OP would also be honored?

 

They wouldn't. He'd have to ask. I could care less if I'm the first off or the last. At that time, I had a legitimate need, and they (thankfully) accommodated it.

I wasn't trying to imply it would be guaranteed to anyone ....

[biker@sea]

I know that for tender ports, NCL ships start dishing out numbered tender tickets some time before arrival. Apart from getting in the queue first to ensure getting off on the first tender, has anybody ever requested from customer services on board ship to be on the first tender. For personal reasons I need to be in port as soon as possible. Do customer services take any heed of special requests?

 

You could join your roll call .

Attend your Meet & Greet .

Get there early and have a chat with your Group Service Coordinator . They are usually there early and very accommodating to Cruise Critic members . :D

[punkincc]

I believe the proper answer to the question is :

 

YES or NO And of course, maybe.

 

Nobody here knows what answer the OP will get because it is not a complete question. Therefore, this whole thread is meaningless. Worthless. Of no value.

 

(I am not saying the OP needs to share their reason here. Just saying that nobody can answer the question, because we do not know enough. Simple)

 

The OP did not ask for opinions on whether or not his request would be honored. The OP's question was whether a request had ever been made by other CC members, and was it honored? That is a question that CAN be answered, and has been answered by several people. So, it was not meaningless, worthless and of no value to the OP to ask it.

 

It has been pointed out that the fact that some requests were honored is no guarantee of a positive result for the OP. We do not know his reason for asking, and don't need to know. Even if we did know, no one here can tell the OP if the request will be granted. But, he has a right to ask his question, and IMO, it has been answered.

[garycarla]

Let me put it another way.

 

What if the poster asked this:

 

Has anyone asked to get off on the first tender and been told no?

 

And then someone posted an answer - "Yes, we were told we had to get a number like everyone else."

 

Would that be helpful information?

 

Bottom line - the answer is still yes, no, maybe.

[Ewoodspark]

The OP did not ask for opinions on whether or not his request would be honored. The OP's question was whether a request had ever been made by other CC members, and was it honored? That is a question that CAN be answered, and has been answered by several people. So, it was not meaningless, worthless and of no value to the OP to ask it.

 

It has been pointed out that the fact that some requests were honored is no guarantee of a positive result for the OP. We do not know his reason for asking, and don't need to know. Even if we did know, no one here can tell the OP if the request will be granted. But, he has a right to ask his question, and IMO, it has been answered.

 

Thankyou punkincc for your comments. It is disappointing to receive negative comments from certain posters when all you are trying to do is to ask a genuine question. Thanks to those with proper answers.

[gooch47]

I just hope that his personal reason isn't so critical that missing the port altogether isn't catastrophic.

[daffodiliaz]

I just hope that his personal reason isn't so critical that missing the port altogether isn't catastrophic.

 

I was thinking the same thing. If it is then maybe a cruise ship wasn't the best mode of transportation to the port.

[garycarla]

The OP did not ask for opinions on whether or not his request would be honored. The OP's question was whether a request had ever been made by other CC members, and was it honored? That is a question that CAN be answered, and has been answered by several people. ....

 

Of course the answer was yes.

 

How does this help the OP at all?

 

You could easily list all sort of questions that could result in a YES answer, but would have no indication if others would also get a YES answer.

 

Heck, if the question was "Has anyone ever asked for an upgrade for free and gotten it"? - somebody could say YES. Would that be of any value to the poster?

 

About the only valid answer one could ASSUME here is:

 

Yes, we asked and they accommodated us. I also know of others that have asked and been told to get in line. You mileage may vary.

[punkincc]

Of course the answer was yes.

 

How does this help the OP at all?

 

You could easily list all sort of questions that could result in a YES answer, but would have no indication if others would also get a YES answer.

 

Heck, if the question was "Has anyone ever asked for an upgrade for free and gotten it"? - somebody could say YES. Would that be of any value to the poster?

 

About the only valid answer one could ASSUME here is:

 

Yes, we asked and they accommodated us. I also know of others that have asked and been told to get in line. You mileage may vary.

 

Well, heck. The upgrade question is asked and answered here all the time. Everyone answers with their own experience and the OP is always warned that there are no guarantees their experience will be the same. But at least the OP would know that it is possible to ask rather than assume that it is never possible. Does that have any value to the OP? In general, I think it does. There are many questions that can result is a yes, no or maybe response. Doesn't mean the information received is not valuable to someone.