Grand Cayman tender time w/out priority tickets

[Love PalmTrees]

Hello! How long can we expect to get onto a tender boat in Grand Cayman, if we have no Celebrity-booked excursion or other special status/consideration for expedited tendering? Can we and would it help, if we request tender tickets as soon as we come on board the Reflection on embarkation day? If yes, where are tickets available? Thanks so much! We have an island wedding to attend and it would be nice to have a general time frame in mind.

[chemmo]

Hello! How long can we expect to get onto a tender boat in Grand Cayman, if we have no Celebrity-booked excursion or other special status/consideration for expedited tendering? Can we and would it help, if we request tender tickets as soon as we come on board the Reflection on embarkation day? If yes, where are tickets available? Thanks so much! We have an island wedding to attend and it would be nice to have a general time frame in mind.

 

We have been here a few times. Although we are Elite we have never requested priority tending as we have never been in a rush! We have seen no queues to tender to long lines...

 

I suggest you visit guest relations on boarding, explain you are going to a wedding and see what they can do for you.

[micmacmissy]

Even without priority tickets, you'll have no problem getting on the first tender. It holds a LOT of people!

[Algebralovr]

On Silhouette a couple of weeks ago, they did not even issue tickets. Once the ship was cleared, they announced that tenders were available and no tickets were needed at that time. It seemed that people were not in much of a hurry to get off the ship.

 

If tickets are needed, they will start handing them out fairly early, and likely tell you to get them once you were ready to go.

[Love PalmTrees]

Thanks for all the great info! Can you get off the ship without tender tickets? Other cruises we have been on, no need for tender tickets if you are not in the early rush to get off. Is this the same?

[Algebralovr]

Thanks for all the great info! Can you get off the ship without tender tickets? Other cruises we have been on, no need for tender tickets if you are not in the early rush to get off. Is this the same?

 

You just never know, sometimes you need tickets, other times you do not.

 

If you need to be on the first tender, I recommend that you plan to be up and ready an hour before the ship is supposed to be cleared. There will be a message in the daily the night before about where to get tender tickets and when, have someone in line for them to get them when they open, unless you are elite or staying in a suite and entitled to receive priority tender tickets.

 

Keep in mind, however, that if the sea is too rough, the tenders will not run and the ship will skip the stop.

[Love PalmTrees]

Thanks so much! Good advise - I will be sure to keep eyes open for info in the Daily. Turns out the bride and groom as well as the handful of other wedding guests on the ship too, but they are in suites or have elite status and would have priority tendering to my understanding. Thanks also for the heads up about rough seas. I just read a thread in last couple days mentioning just that. Oh well, at least the bride and groom will be in the same boat. (Sorry, could not restrain myself with the pun! :D )

[Northern Aurora]

Turns out the bride and groom as well as the handful of other wedding guests on the ship too, but they are in suites....

 

Just another quick idea -- if tender tickets are needed one of the wedding guests in a suite can ask their butler or the Michaels' Club concierge for additional tickets.

[Love PalmTrees]

Thanks for all the good ideas! It sounds like I am worrying over nothing, but feel it is good to be prepared.

[pete_coach]

It does not take long to get ashore but, with nothing planned, it may be difficult to fond things as there can be up to 6 ships being tendered at the same time. We had 5 with one of them being Oasis of the Seas and it's 6000 passengers. The town was chocked full. Taxis to the beaches were stuck. in traffic. It was a zoo and we went back aboard by noon.

Check here for the port and dates and you can see how many ships will be in port that day. http://ports.cruisett.com/

[gopro63]

Tickets are not needed, was announced the night before at the theater.

 

the ride from Ship to shore was 7 minutes about. If you miss the 1st tender, the second one was a minutes wait? They run two tenders one for the excursions, one for the guests. never a long wait.

 

We were also on the Silhouette and the only thing I did not like was nothing around Port there

Edited January 17, 2016 by gopro63

[Love PalmTrees]

pete_coach: Good idea! Only one other ship in Grand Cayman that day. My bro-in-law has made transportation arrangements for everyone. I just didn't want to hold up the group. I probably will get tender tickets and have them available just in case. Maybe bro-in-law can ask as well. He is in a suite last I heard.

[gopro63]

Dedicated tenders for the Ships, you must show your Sea pass when heading back enjoy

[Love PalmTrees]

Thanks! :)

[Jade13]

Get off as soon as the ship tenders if you do not like to wait in lines. Most people do not like to leave that early.

 

I hope the ship makes it. We have never had a problem but I thought this was one of the most missed ports.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Jade13

[cb at sea]

It's only about a 5-10 min ride on the tender....so about every 15-20 mins, there will be another tender waiting. You don't need tickets or to stress about getting off the ship. It''s not the lengthy process you are imagining.

[Love PalmTrees]

At this point, I do not yet know the timing details of the van, wedding, etc. Still, a good thing to know about early times being less busy. Thanks!

[stratixman]

Your biggest worry will not be getting on the tenders. It will be whether they can tender at all. It is not uncommon for winds to prevent tendering to the island. Happened several times to us. One time we actually got to tender ashore only to get recalled back to the ship a couple hours later when the winds started getting high and the Captain was concerned about not being to get everyone back aboard. Hope you don't encounter such problems.

[Love PalmTrees]

stratixman - I just read about that on another thread recently. Well at least we will all be in the same boat (once again, pardon the pun), since bride and groom and other guests on same cruise. Do waters tend to be rougher in winter months? We are used to cruising during hurricane season months and know how quickly the seas and skies can change. I better bring along some more motion sickness med's.

[Love PalmTrees]

Also, a BIG THANK YOU to all the great ideas and quick responses! I feel like we all look out for one another here. Thanks! :)

[dkjretired]

Also, a BIG THANK YOU to all the great ideas and quick responses! I feel like we all look out for one another here. Thanks! :)

 

Just to repeat what others have said and adding a little, Cayman islands are probably the most missed port in the Caribbean due to rough seas. It is missed frequently. Hope the Bride and Groom are aware of this.

[hcat]

On our Ref cruise last yr, we stayed on the ship in Gr Cayman for lunch at Bistro on 5..

It was around 12:30 pm or later when we heard the PA announcement for open tenders....it started late and ran very slow!

 

 

Much depends on sea and weather conditions, how many have booked ship's excursions etc.

 

We never missed this port but .one time they loaded some of us on a tender..the sea got rough & they had to take a woman off who badly bumped her head getting hoisted on...our half full tender went to shore...operations ceased while they moved the tendering to other side of ship... meanwhile we waited over an hr on shore for the rest of our excursion group to come ashore! And ironcally, seas were calm when we tendered back ..very unpredictable.

 

Good luck!

Edited January 17, 2016 by hcat

[chemmo]

Also, a BIG THANK YOU to all the great ideas and quick responses! I feel like we all look out for one another here. Thanks! :)

 

if the bride and groom are in suites I am sure that the Michael's Club conceirge will agree to meet with the full wedding party and escort them down to the tenders and ensure they board as a group.

 

Have a great cruise! Best wishes to the bride and groom!

[Algebralovr]

if the bride and groom are in suites I am sure that the Michael's Club conceirge will agree to meet with the full wedding party and escort them down to the tenders and ensure they board as a group.

 

Have a great cruise! Best wishes to the bride and groom!

This is the best idea of all!

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[Charles4515]

Just to repeat what others have said and adding a little, Cayman islands are probably the most missed port in the Caribbean due to rough seas. It is missed frequently. Hope the Bride and Groom are aware of this.

 

I have missed it three times out of nine sailings. And two times of the six that we made it we had to tender at Spotts Bay instead of Georgetown.