Tendering in St Thomas on the Westerdam??

[Atocha Shipwreck Gal]

Help! I am going with my 86 y/o/ mom on a cruise leaving 11/7/15 on the Westerdam. I have seen some things that indicate the ship is not docking and that it will be tendering in the harbor. I have also read that it can be quite ruff and that if u r disabled or unsteady it can be dangerous. I am now very concerned about this and wondering if we should just stay on the ship as I do not want her to fall bring transferred onto a small lifeboat. Anyone that has done this process - can u tell me how it works? Obviously we will never make St Johns on our own if it tenders.

[1ANGELCAT]

According to the port schedule for St Thomas it looks like you may be docking at Havensight

 

You may want to try calling HAL Ship Services at 800 5411576 during normal business hours. Also it should be indicated on your cruise docs if it is a tender port.

[Atocha Shipwreck Gal]

Hi 1ANGELCAT! Thank you for your reply! I checked cruise documents and no mention of tender there, only Half Moon Cay which is a completely different kind of large tender she can do. It looks like Havensight to me but on a couple of websites (not HAL ones) it now says Inner Anchorage which seems to mean a tender. HAL website still says nothing about a tender....I will call HAL tomorrow!

[kazu]

We have usually docked there. It depends upon the number of ships in port and the Harbour Master

 

Don't sweat the small stuff. If you do have to tender and you think it is not do-able (HAL will not tender if they do not think it is safe) find the silver lining - you can have the ship to yourselves nearly. Most people will get off in St. Thomas.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I did a dummy booking, and the itinerary shown in the booking process does not indicated that St Thomas will be a tender port. If you look at HAL's itineraries, there's a little "TR" to indicate tender required, and for your cruise, tendering is indicated only for Half Moon Cay.

[1ANGELCAT]

Hi 1ANGELCAT! Thank you for your reply! I checked cruise documents and no mention of tender there, only Half Moon Cay which is a completely different kind of large tender she can do. It looks like Havensight to me but on a couple of websites (not HAL ones) it now says Inner Anchorage which seems to mean a tender. HAL website still says nothing about a tender....I will call HAL tomorrow!

 

 

You are welcome. Just one other suggestion, you may want to contact Access and Compliance Dept at HAL. If your mother requires any special needs for the stateroom they will be happy to assist you ( stool for shower, etc.).

 

Take good care of the Westy because I will be getting on her when you get off.

 

Have a great cruise.

[labatsman]

Just got off the Westerdam and we docked at pier at Havensight. You will tender at Half moon cay,

[OCruisers]

It is unlikely you will have to tender in St. Thomas but we did in January (2015). We were on Ruby Princess.

[richwmn]

According to the website for the St Thomas Port Authority the Westerdam is in port on 11/11 and will be at the West Indian Co. Dock (commonly known as Havensite).

Links to that site are not allowed by CC, but can be found at VI Now dot com (without the space)

[serendipity1499]

Help! I am going with my 86 y/o/ mom on a cruise leaving 11/7/15 on the Westerdam. I have seen some things that indicate the ship is not docking and that it will be tendering in the harbor. I have also read that it can be quite ruff and that if u r disabled or unsteady it can be dangerous. I am now very concerned about this and wondering if we should just stay on the ship as I do not want her to fall bring transferred onto a small lifeboat. Anyone that has done this process - can u tell me how it works? Obviously we will never make St Johns on our own if it tenders.

 

As others have said , I doubt that you would be tendering in St. Thomas! We've been there many times on HAL & have never had to tender.. You are scheduled to be at the other end of St. Thomas Port called Havensite ... You will have to take either a taxi or trolly into the main part of town.. At Havensite you might be able to get another boat to take you to St. John's.. Havensite is a very large port & there are many shops there.. If your Mom is unsteady on her feet, you might want to think about renting a collapsible wheelchair for use in port.. Hope you have a great cruise with your Mom..

[broberts]

Every once in a while there is insufficient room to dock in St Thomas and a ship will have to tender. It is rare, but does happen. No point in worrying about it until it happens.

 

Getting on/off tenders can be tricky, even in relatively calm waters. Crew are very good at providing assistance so long as the passenger trusts them and follows directions. There is nothing wrong with deciding not to embark a tender while standing beside it. Happens all the time.

[sail7seas]

It is rare but HAL has, indeed tendered at St. Thomas. Almost always HAL docks at Crown Bay but we were on Noordam when St. Thomas was jammed full with cruise ships. We tendered from inner anchorage. At first we were disappointed we'd have to tender but as it turned out, it was very convenient. Tendering was as fast and easy as we'd ever seen it handled and they dropped us (very short tender ride) at the center of downtown Charlotte Amalie.

 

It is rare for HAL to dock at Havensight though it does happen sometimes.

 

Don't gauge about your DM until the day you are there. If the waters are very calm, which is highly likely at the inner harbor, she might be safe, with help from the crew.

 

[CaveDiving]

Help! I am going with my 86 y/o/ mom on a cruise leaving 11/7/15 on the Westerdam. I have seen some things that indicate the ship is not docking and that it will be tendering in the harbor. I have also read that it can be quite ruff and that if u r disabled or unsteady it can be dangerous. I am now very concerned about this and wondering if we should just stay on the ship as I do not want her to fall bring transferred onto a small lifeboat. Anyone that has done this process - can u tell me how it works? Obviously we will never make St Johns on our own if it tenders.

 

I really think it is unfortunate that so much fear has been spread about tendering.

 

Yes, it is necessary to walk down about a dozen steps (with hand rails on both sides for support.) Then walk across a five foot platform connected to the ship. Then, with strong, young crew members on each side holding your arms, all that is needed is to step onto the tender side and down two or three steps. The crew members have been trained to help folks with motion disabilities and will not let go until you are safely on the tender. The whole process is not frightful.

 

If for some reason the water is choppy and the tender is moving up and down more than a few inches, it may be suggested that you might want to remain on the ship and you can enjoy a leisurely day. The whole process has been done hundreds of thousands of times so it is pretty well practiced.

 

Please, do not fret about tendering. The whole process is really simple and, if you choose at the time, you can decide to not participate. But for now, IMHO, I recommend you plan on participating and see how it goes.

 

Scott & Karen

Edited October 26, 2015 by CaveDiving

[sherilyn70]

Yes, it is necessary to walk down about a dozen steps (with hand rails on both sides for support.) Then walk across a five foot platform connected to the ship. Then, with strong, young crew members on each side holding your arms, all that is needed is to step onto the tender side and down two or three steps. The crew members have been trained to help folks with motion disabilities and will not let go until you are safely on the tender. The whole process is not frightful.

You make that sound like it's such a simple task. For some us with disabilities it is not. That's a lot of work you just described and requires more energy than I often have. That much can wipe me out for an hour.

[chefestelle]

My mother and sister were both quite mobility challenged but what is described here is exactly what it takes to come down my stairs and sit on my sofa, which they could both do with a bit of help - until you get to the boarding the tender part. So for those who are worried about mobility, how much does that tender move for those two or three steps down? Mom won't be cruising but I would like to take my sister on a nice cruise one day!

[broberts]

My mother and sister were both quite mobility challenged but what is described here is exactly what it takes to come down my stairs and sit on my sofa, which they could both do with a bit of help - until you get to the boarding the tender part. So for those who are worried about mobility, how much does that tender move for those two or three steps down? Mom won't be cruising but I would like to take my sister on a nice cruise one day!

 

The amount of motion is variable but even in the calmest of conditions a tender bobs constantly. Someone needing help down a residential stairway would likely have a great deal of difficulty boarding a tender. I would rule it out if a person could not use an escalator unattended.

[jtl513]

I did a dummy booking, and the itinerary shown in the booking process does not indicated that St Thomas will be a tender port. If you look at HAL's itineraries, there's a little "TR" to indicate tender required, and for your cruise, tendering is indicated only for Half Moon Cay.

But sometimes unexpected things happen. Once in St Lucia the pier we were supposed to use was occupied by a ship that didn't leave as planned, so we tendered.

[bishop84]

The list on the West India Company website has the Westerdam as anchored at the Inner Anchorage on 11/11. This is quite sheltered and, if the weather is good, should be calm.

 

This is the website: http://www.wico-vi.com/docs/default-source/ship-schedules/november-2015-ship-schedule.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

If you look there is a small symbol next to her name which indicates the Inner Anchorage. Thinking positively it is a short tender ride to the town and you avoid the crush at WICO/Havensite with 3 ships and 2 (including the Allure of the Seas(!) at Crown Bay!

 

The Westerdam tender platform also has an elevator down if stairs are a problem. I hope the weather is good for you!

[sprockie]

Once on the Westerdam about 15 year ago, we were scheduled to dock in St. Thomas but we tendered instead at the last minute. The all-aboard time was changed to one hour earlier. We missed our ship that day, but that's a whole other story............

[serendipity1499]

The list on the West India Company website has the Westerdam as anchored at the Inner Anchorage on 11/11. This is quite sheltered and, if the weather is good, should be calm.

 

This is the website: http://www.wico-vi.com/docs/default-source/ship-schedules/november-2015-ship-schedule.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

If you look there is a small symbol next to her name which indicates the Inner Anchorage. Thinking positively it is a short tender ride to the town and you avoid the crush at WICO/Havensite with 3 ships and 2 (including the Allure of the Seas(!) at Crown Bay!

 

The Westerdam tender platform also has an elevator down if stairs are a problem. I hope the weather is good for you!

 

I have no idea where you are getting that from...Just this minute I checked for Nov. 11 & clicked on the Westerdam it specifically says "dock" on the VI NOW. dot Com. Web site, which Rich posted in Post No. 9....The chart you are pointing to does not seem to indicate where the ships are..

 

Unfortunately you have to go thru the main WEB site VINOW dot com: then go down to Travel/Transport: then Cruise Ship Schedule: then October will show up. click on the green arrow for the next page showing the Nov. schedule: Then go down & hit Westerdam..

 

When I do that it indicates Dock..But as other posters have said if a ship doesn't leave then it could change..

Edited October 26, 2015 by serendipity1499

[sherilyn70]

My mother and sister were both quite mobility challenged but what is described here is exactly what it takes to come down my stairs and sit on my sofa, which they could both do with a bit of help - until you get to the boarding the tender part. So for those who are worried about mobility, how much does that tender move for those two or three steps down? Mom won't be cruising but I would like to take my sister on a nice cruise one day!

Then they are not as mobility challenged as you think. I have a stair lift at home. A flight of stairs is a serious concern for me.

[richwmn]

The list on the West India Company website has the Westerdam as anchored at the Inner Anchorage on 11/11. This is quite sheltered and, if the weather is good, should be calm.

 

This is the website: http://www.wico-vi.com/docs/default-source/ship-schedules/november-2015-ship-schedule.pdf?sfvrsn=2

 

If you look there is a small symbol next to her name which indicates the Inner Anchorage. Thinking positively it is a short tender ride to the town and you avoid the crush at WICO/Havensite with 3 ships and 2 (including the Allure of the Seas(!) at Crown Bay!

 

The Westerdam tender platform also has an elevator down if stairs are a problem. I hope the weather is good for you!

 

 

I have no idea where you are getting that from...Just this minute I checked for Nov. 11 & clicked on the Westerdam it specifically says "dock" on the VI NOW. dot Com. Web site, which Rich posted in Post No. 9....The chart you are pointing to does not seem to indicate where the ships are..

 

Unfortunately you have to go thru the main WEB site VINOW dot com: then go down to Travel/Transport: then Cruise Ship Schedule: then October will show up. click on the green arrow for the next page showing the Nov. schedule: Then go down & hit Westerdam..

 

When I do that it indicates Dock..But as other posters have said if a ship doesn't leave then it could change..

 

VI Now is a general website for St. Thomas. The WICO site is specifically for the West Indian Company that controls the dock. I believe that WICO controls ships at anchor so if that site says inner (or outer) harbour then Westerdam will be tendering.

[serendipity1499]

Correction to my post above..

 

You & I are using two different charts..I went through the main Web site which Rich indicated in Post 9, then worked my way onto a completely different chart which indicates dock..

 

No wonder so many new posters get confused, when two different charts state two different things..The chart I'm looking at states dock...

 

I agree that for someone who is handicapped tendering sometimes is not the easiest.. I use a cane due to a bad back & I've sometimes decide to stay on board.. But it was great eating lunch when not to many were around.. :)

 

P.S. I found the little * that Bishop84 was referring to on the other chart..

Edited October 26, 2015 by serendipity1499

[chefestelle]

Then they are not as mobility challenged as you think. I have a stair lift at home. A flight of stairs is a serious concern for me.

 

 

It's all about degrees but no stairs at all would definitely pose a problem for you and tenders. Neither sister nor mom would have been able to get into a bobbing boat! Not sure they will be able to come up with a solution for you for the tender but one poster says there's an elevator. I suppose you could take it down and then suss out whether the tender is do able - if there will be a tender. Good luck! I hope you will be able to get ashore!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Correction to my post above..

 

You & I are using two different charts..I went through the main Web site which Rich indicated in Post 9, then worked my way onto a completely different chart which indicates dock..

 

No wonder so many new posters get confused, when two different charts state two different things..The chart I'm looking at states dock...

 

I agree that for someone who is handicapped tendering sometimes is not the easiest.. I use a cane due to a bad back & I've sometimes decide to stay on board.. But it was great eating lunch when not to many were around.. :)

 

P.S. I found the little * that Bishop84 was referring to on the other chart..

 

Make that three charts. I was looking at one (from the USVI) that didn't show any HAL ships! Sooo confusing!

 

To the OP, you mentioned going to St John. If tendering is a possibility, that could mess up your plans to catch the public ferry. But HAL may have a tour that goes to St John. Probably more expensive than the ferry, but if tendering causes the port timing to change, you won't be left behind.