First time at a tender port! Help

[Stefanosthecruiselover]

We will be in Grand Cayman in March. We will have to tender in, since there are no docks. Do we have to wait in a long line to get on the tender boat? Is the ride to the island long? How is it all organized? Thanks for the help.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Tendering is Grand Cayman is normally quite easy since it's a must there so cruise lines have the tender process worked out to make it as easy as possible.

Normally, you'll be told where to go to get a "tender pass" number. When it's called , you will be directed to the tender area. Once all are on the tender, only takes about 10 minutes to get there. :)

LuLu

[Ashland]

Tendering is Grand Cayman is normally quite easy since it's a must there so cruise lines have the tender process worked out to make it as easy as possible.

Normally, you'll be told where to go to get a "tender pass" number. When it's called , you will be directed to the tender area. Once all are on the tender, only takes about 10 minutes to get there. :)

LuLu

"Tender Pass" number...is this something specific to this port ?...We've had to tender at other ports with RCI but never needed a pass.

[paul929207]

While the process is similar, each cruise line had their won wrinkles, so you would do best to post in the section for your line

[Stefanosthecruiselover]

I forgot to mention, we will be on a Carnival ship, with 5 other ships in port.

 

 

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[rkmw]

"Tender Pass" number...is this something specific to this port ?...We've had to tender at other ports with RCI but never needed a pass.

 

i think with every cruise line you would need a tender ticket to go ashore unless you wait for the open tender but that could be lunch time.....they wouldnt like people going to the tender area when it suited them unless you have priority ship to shore disembarking

[Keith1010]

Each cruise line organizes tendering differently.

 

Some give priority going over to the Island to those on a ships tour. Other do not.

 

I would post this on your ships cruise line board.

 

Either way the actual tender take around 10 minutes once the tender boat leaves from the ship to go over to the island. It's very easy.

 

Keith

[bbwex]

Typically, cruise ships use several of their lifeboats as tenders. You will go down to the deck closest to the water, there will be a gangway (large steel door) opened and there will be a platform which will serve as the "dock" alongside the ship. They will likely use a lifeboat that is also designed to be a tender, so the access is a little easier than some for large numbers of people to keep getting on and off. There will be a couple of deckhands helping you on and off at each end, and a couple that will ride with you. Each of the deck officers of the ship is a qualified master, so they are licensed to operate the small passenger boats.

 

Other than that, each line has a slightly unique method of determining who is on which boat, i.e. tickets or other systems to keep the line organized.

[wishIweretravelling]

Typically, cruise ships use several of their lifeboats as tenders. You will go down to the deck closest to the water, there will be a gangway (large steel door) opened and there will be a platform which will serve as the "dock" alongside the ship. They will likely use a lifeboat that is also designed to be a tender, so the access is a little easier than some for large numbers of people to keep getting on and off. There will be a couple of deckhands helping you on and off at each end, and a couple that will ride with you. Each of the deck officers of the ship is a qualified master, so they are licensed to operate the small passenger boats.

 

Other than that, each line has a slightly unique method of determining who is on which boat, i.e. tickets or other systems to keep the line organized.

 

A good description. Let me add--when the deckhands offer you an arm to help you embark or disembark, take their wrist, not their hand. It's a steadier assist that way. I was recently on a cruise where we were tendering in very choppy waters, and these folks were pros. I never once felt endangered.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Each cruise line organizes tendering differently.

 

Some give priority going over to the Island to those on a ships tour. Other do not.

 

I would post this on your ships cruise line board.

 

Either way the actual tender take around 10 minutes once the tender boat leaves from the ship to go over to the island. It's very easy.

 

Keith

 

It's best to inquire on the Carnival board if going on a Carnival cruise. It's been 2002 since I've been on a Carnival cruise that involved a tender port.

 

I know on Princess, if you're on a ship-booked excursion, the time and location to go will be on your ticket. Every member of your party needs to be there by the assigned time. A crew member will escort all on that excursion to the gangway to access the tender.

 

If you're elite on Princess or in a suite, you'll get a letter with instructions on what to do if you want to go early.

 

For every one else, you can do one of two things. You can go to the dining room listed in the Patter and get a tender ticket (again, every one who wants to go with you needs to be there to get a ticket...you can't get a bunch of tickets for your group). Then when your number is called, all those who be escorted to the gangway.

 

Or you can do what many of us do. Have a leisurely breakfast, go back to your cabin and get what you want to take with you, and see if there's still a line or not. At some point (have never seen it at "noon," but much earlier), you can just walk up to the tender without a wait.

 

Of course, the return tenders run all the time so if you want to return to the ship early, that's okay. In fact, you probably won't want to wait til the last minute to catch a tender because you'll be standing in a long line.

[Floridiana]

I saw Carnival use large boats provided by the port in Grand Cayman.

Our smaller ship used its life boats.

[cruisingberger]

We were on Carnival last summer and did the Grand Cayman tendering process. They did it a little different then the other cruise lines. You will need to get a number. They will advertise where and when at several locations the evening before. Don't worry, you won't miss where to get one. Then the next day you will need to be somewhere that you can hear the announcements of the numbers.They will tell you the approximate time in the dailies. The next day sit somewhere you can hear the announcements after they clear the ship. Carnival hires small boats from Grand Cayman. The crew is nice. They will tell you about themselves a little and tell you that they live on tips etc. Be prepared for a long wait on both ends. Carnival just seems to have more lines in general in my experience. :o

[Floridiana]

large boats - small boats :D

The boats Carnival uses are at least three to four times as large as life boats. I think they also arrived and left at a designated area with Carnival signs ashore.

[skrufy]

Many cruisers go and get thier tender pass early in the morning, then.get in line. This line streaches from deck one up to deck two (riviera deck). If you wait for this initial rush to dwindle down you will not need a tender pass. Once the line begins to move, it moves quickly.

The Fun Times will give you info on when and where to get your tickets.The tender to Grand Caymen takes only a few minutes. We used large Caymen tenders when we were there last Oct.

[paul929207]

OP,

This discussion is getting very confusing as too many people are talking about their experience on different lines. Each cruise line has their way of handling things like this.

 

You would be much better served if you post this in the Carnival section.

[Capt_BJ]

OP,

This discussion is getting very confusing as too many people are talking about their experience on different lines. Each cruise line has their way of handling things like this.

 

You would be much better served if you post this in the Carnival section.

 

agree

 

been to Cayman many times on cruises - NEVER Carnival :rolleyes:

 

never got a ticket for a tender time

 

even arriving on FREEDOM of the SEAS {big boat}, waiting in line for a ride to shore was maybe 10 minutes. They used tender vessels from Cayman that hold a couple of hundred at a time.

 

If you want to be 'first off' ... that can be an issue. Every ship I've been on had tender priority boarding for their excursions . . so if you are in the 'me first club', this might upset you. As I recall on FOS they had two loading positions and the ship tours used one and everyone else the other (different boats) ... what I DO remember is that I got to SUNSET HOUSE an hour b4 the time I'd scheduled dd's discovery dive . . .

[doncoldwater]

All I can say is no matter what ship you cruise be prepared to wait a long while on tenders at the Cayman Islands. It's never been fun on any cruise ship I've been on. We just got off the epic jan

11th over two hour wait in the sun to get back on. Same thing last year with Carnival. Just a suggestion head back early.

 

 

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[nolatravelgirl]

i think with every cruise line you would need a tender ticket to go ashore unless you wait for the open tender but that could be lunch time.....they wouldnt like people going to the tender area when it suited them unless you have priority ship to shore disembarking

Not true. I just completed my 3rd Seabourn cruise with many tender ports and there was no herding, no getting up early to get a ticket and no tickets at all. When we were cleared to go ashore the CD came on the public address system and said "We will be tendering from Deck 3, welcome to XYZ port." After the announcement we made our way to the stated deck and boarded the next boat and headed into to town. Easy peasy.

[cb at sea]

Even on the mainstream spines, you do not need a "ticket".....just plan on waiting about 45 mins. after they say you can go ashore...eat a nice breakfast, then hit the next tender. They run about every 15-20 mins. It's not hard...it's not unpleasant. They are big "people ferries"...very organized.

[NMLady]

Even on the mainstream spines, you do not need a "ticket".....just plan on waiting about 45 mins. after they say you can go ashore...eat a nice breakfast, then hit the next tender. They run about every 15-20 mins. It's not hard...it's not unpleasant. They are big "people ferries"...very organized.

 

NCL and HAL are both mainstream lines and you definitely need a ticket on them unless you have a higher level membership with priority tendering as a perk

After all the ticket numbers are called, then open tendering is called and no tickets are needed then. But until open tendering is called you will definitely need a ticket on those cruise lines. And it is usually a lot more than 45 minutes before open tendering is called.

Edited January 15, 2015 by NMLady

[geoherb]

Not true. I just completed my 3rd Seabourn cruise with many tender ports and there was no herding, no getting up early to get a ticket and no tickets at all.

There's a huge difference between a Seabourn ship with a couple of hundred passengers and a humongous cruise ship with 3,000+ passengers.

 

On our most recent stop at Grand Cayman, we waited until after lunch to go ashore. There was no waiting then. According to some people we talked to, the wait was an hour earlier in the day. They gave out numbered tender tickets and had people wait in one of the dining rooms. Passengers on excursions booked through the cruise line met in another location. The first tenders were taking primarily those passengers.

 

If I were going again on a ship on which I don't have priority for tendering, I wouldn't plan on any independently arranged excursions for at least 90 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. And then I'd want to be in the place for tender tickets a few minutes ahead of arrival time so that we'd get an early number.

[nolatravelgirl]

i think with every cruise line you would need a tender ticket to go ashore unless you wait for the open tender but that could be lunch time.....they wouldnt like people going to the tender area when it suited them unless you have priority ship to shore disembarking

 

There's a huge difference between a Seabourn ship with a couple of hundred passengers and a humongous cruise ship with 3,000+ passengers.

 

On our most recent stop at Grand Cayman, we waited until after lunch to go ashore. There was no waiting then. According to some people we talked to, the wait was an hour earlier in the day. They gave out numbered tender tickets and had people wait in one of the dining rooms. Passengers on excursions booked through the cruise line met in another location. The first tenders were taking primarily those passengers.

 

If I were going again on a ship on which I don't have priority for tendering, I wouldn't plan on any independently arranged excursions for at least 90 minutes after the scheduled arrival time. And then I'd want to be in the place for tender tickets a few minutes ahead of arrival time so that we'd get an early number.

Geoherb, I agree that there is a huge difference between the ships but rkmw made broad brush statements that EVERY cruise does cattle car/line up at the crack of down ticketing.

[doncoldwater]

Hello

[Mary Ellen]

Don't worry. The cruise lines have been dealing with passengers who have never cruised and/or tendered before since well before the Internet. They don't expect you to already know and will clearly explain the procedure they will use. They are pros. No need to get conflicting info for other cruiseline. ;)

[NatalieWood]

I've always done an excursion in GC on Carnival so we have a guaranteed tender time. The boat ride is less than 10 minutes... Most seems to be people getting on and off. To get back, it depends when you go and how many ships are in port-- one time we went back close to the departure time and had a maybe 20 minute wait. We ate ice cream and this passed the time! Last year, we went back earlier, and just walked right onto the tender boat.

 

bTw: you can always get a great picture of the ship on the way in and out!