Disembarking in Bali (Benoa) - Dawn Princess

[Cruisebugg]

Hi All,

 

Hopefully you can help with a few questions. :confused: Just wondering how long it takes to disembark in Bali (Benoa) and any tips about when/how to secure tender tickets etc. We arrive at 8am and would like to be on shore by at least 9:30am if it is possible. We have a private driver pick up. Where would they be parked or waiting?

 

Many thanks,

 

Cruisebugg :)

[ozziepost]

The system with tender tickets will be notified in the ships daily newsletter and by public announcements. Benoa was our first and last port of call on the 26 night treasures of Asia cruise we did last year.

 

When we stopped at Benoa on the way to Asia we nearly didn't make it ashore. M and I were near the start of the queue waiting to board the tender which was a private tender Princess had hired. We were able to observe the tender rising and falling in the seas by almost 2 metres which rendered it unsafe to board. We were sent back to the lounges and the master had to move the ship three times before a safe anchorage was found and it wasn't until 10.30am that we were able to go ashore. Apparently conditions were that bad that the visit to this port was nearly cancelled as it was we were given a 30% rebate on the tour we had booked simply because there wasn't enough time to complete the tours full itinerary.

 

On the way back conditions were ok and we were able to go ashore at the appointed time.

 

Just be aware because Benoa is a tender port there is no guarantee that you will be able to go ashore as much will depend on the sea conditions when the ship anchors. Its a good idea to take this into account when arranging private tours.

 

I think private drivers would be parked outside the port gate.

[CassCruise]

It's a few years since we there but from memory it didn't take that long to get onto a tender - the advantage being they had organised large cats which sped up the tendering process - when you get to the terminal upon walking outside it is somewhat of a zoo with people pushing and pulling you albeit in the gently Balinese way - just be a little careful we had a very confident man approach our group assuring us he was our guide and began taking us to his bus - the person who had organised our tour suddenly realised the answers to her question wasn't right and despite his gentle persuasion we found our correct tour operator and had an absolutely wonderful day!

[Cruzbear24]

We had Bali (Benoa) as our last stop in May. Pacific Eden 12 nights from Fremantle. We were unable to tender due to the swell. It was a beautiful day and there was no chop, just a rolling swell. They took 30 mins to load one tender which set off to Benoa harbour but it was called back when the Captain decided it was too dangerous. The ships company had hired 2 local boats including the Bali Hai to help the tenders but even they couldn't manage it. We stayed in the bay whilst our passports were stamped (the immigration officers managed to get on & off ok!) and then sailed away. Not a happy ship. A lot of people had saved their shopping for Bali.

[mum and son]

I had a similar experience to many other posters here. We were on Celebrity and my nephew got up early and joined the queue for tender tickets at 6am :eek:. We were in one of the first groups but we were still off the ship several hours later than expected. There were problems with the Indonesian government and all sorts of things... causing long delays. If I remember correctly it was quite a long tender trip.

 

We had a private driver booked for the 2 days we were in Bali and we met him outside the gates to the port area, which is only a 100m walk from the port building. It looked like mayhem at the gates but our driver found us pretty easily and we were on our way.

 

Getting back to the ship was another matter - there was a heavy rain storm and it was rough and the tender floor was filled with about a foot of water. Everyone's shopping (and their clothes) were drenched and there was heaps of whinging. It was hilarious! :D

[cassamanda]

Benoa is neAr Nusa Dua resort area. The current there is very strong causing a sea swell created by bow of the ship. The water is fairly smoothe, just the current causes lots of tendering problems.

Be prepared for delays. Your driver is probably fully aware of the delays.

[icat2000]

I find its not getting off the boat that the problem, its getting back on. Long long long lines. Also the traffic can be a nightmare so plan a lot of extra time. They do run the big cats but on one stop in 2015 we were an hour and half getting back on the ship. On Princess tour though. But a lot of the buses caught caught in very heavy traffic.

[Cruisebugg]

Thanks everyone for your replies! Bit of a worry about the rough waters and difficulties disembarking. Hopefully, our trip will find calmer waters.

 

Cheers,

 

Cruisebugg :)

[lindyloo17]

Anymore updates on this please ?

I'm worried we have booked a private driver.

To take us to the Elephant cave, Tegalalong rice terrace and then to Karsa spa 1pm to 3.30pm

 

Will we be OK as ship leaves at 5pm.

I said to driver need to be bk in port for 4.30pm 😉

[megsie]

You will certainly be very close to the departure time of the ship if you arrive at the terminal at 4.30. It is a tender ride of 20 minutes + on a good day.

Traffic chaos around that time is usually expected as well.

Maybe if you could schedule for an hour earlier for the start of your tour.

But on your cruise they will tell you what time the last tender leaves the terminal for the ship, just keep it in mind and adjust your tour if need be.

Been to Bali 5x by cruiseships and always managed to get ashore but sometimes the swell slows down the tenders.

When you get there most of all enjoy.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Anymore updates on this please ?

I'm worried we have booked a private driver.

To take us to the Elephant cave, Tegalalong rice terrace and then to Karsa spa 1pm to 3.30pm

 

Will we be OK as ship leaves at 5pm.

I said to driver need to be bk in port for 4.30pm 😉

 

The drivers all have mobile phones theses days and are in touch with each other re traffic conditions. We had a tour cut short one time to allow enough time to return .........

and then we had the 1 1/2 hour wait to get on a tender.:eek:

[clairebearinaus]

The sea was like glass when we tendered off Sun Princess this time last year. However the hot and stuffy air inside the boats was enough to leave us feeling squicky.

 

I agree with icat2000 about the appalling traffic getting back to port, and the long long lines, standing in the sun, to get back to the ship. On our cruise there was only one small ferry and one lifeboat making the journey back and forth in 'peak hour' and it's a reasonably long ride.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Forums mobile app

[happysnapper]

Anymore updates on this please ?

I'm worried we have booked a private driver.

To take us to the Elephant cave, Tegalalong rice terrace and then to Karsa spa 1pm to 3.30pm

 

Will we be OK as ship leaves at 5pm.

I said to driver need to be bk in port for 4.30pm 😉

 

Agree with everything above. But I would strongly advise, that if your ship is due to leave at 5pm you arrange for your driver to have you back by around 3pm. The traffic can but just awful. Also be aware many of the private drivers can be unreliable. We booked one on line with good reviews emailed back & forth, confirmed via phone as we were leaving Australia. When we finally got out to the packed car park he was nowhere to be seen (he was to have our name on a sign). Another driver claimed us and I persuaded him to ring our driver. Turns out he took a group of people who arrived before us!

[lindyloo17]

Omg that's terrible 😣

I'm worried about the lack of time in so many port's ( think in future will go bk to Royal caribbean who do some overnights in ports )

 

I'm praying we tender OK... I've heard horror stories of people saying they didn't get tendered 10am... then to try and be back by 3pm.. is so restrictive 😣

 

Thanks for your advice though... I'm going to adjust our timings a little.

 

How long do people spend at the elephant caves and tegalalang rice terrace.

We won't eat; as we can do that on the ship 😀

[lindyloo17]

The sea was like glass when we tendered off Sun Princess this time last year. However the hot and stuffy air inside the boats was enough to leave us feeling squicky.

 

I agree with icat2000 about the appalling traffic getting back to port, and the long long lines, standing in the sun, to get back to the ship. On our cruise there was only one small ferry and one lifeboat making the journey back and forth in 'peak hour' and it's a reasonably long ride.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Forums mobile app

 

Oh no this is the first port 😣😣 for my virgin cruising friend !

 

If we are back in the port and in a queue.. surely the boat won't go without us ?

Does the boat keep our passports? Or do we take them to Bali with us ?

My friend will worry about the ship going without us 😢

[happysnapper]

Oh no this is the first port 😣😣 for my virgin cruising friend !

 

If we are back in the port and in a queue.. surely the boat won't go without us ?

Does the boat keep our passports? Or do we take them to Bali with us ?

My friend will worry about the ship going without us 😢

 

Keep your passport locked in the safe in your cabin. You will be advised in the ships daily

"Pattter" the time of the last tender. If you miss the last one you're in trouble. But I'm sure if you are part of a long queue they would not go without you.

[Pushka]

Princess Diamond left without 2 passengers a couple of months ago from nearby Lombok. They came belting up in a speedboat and finally caught up with the ship that slowed to a speed in which they could reboard. The ship will not wait. Bali traffic is horrendous. Our passports were retained by the ship for all Asian ports. Only got them back the last morning.

[happysnapper]

Princess Diamond left without 2 passengers a couple of months ago from nearby Lombok. They came belting up in a speedboat and finally caught up with the ship that slowed to a speed in which they could reboard. The ship will not wait. Bali traffic is horrendous. Our passports were retained by the ship for all Asian ports. Only got them back the last morning.

 

Last two cruises we went on the ship did not keep our passports. This was within the last 2 and 3 yrs. Having said that things change almost overnight.

[clairebearinaus]

Oh no this is the first port 😣😣 for my virgin cruising friend !

 

If we are back in the port and in a queue.. surely the boat won't go without us ?

Does the boat keep our passports? Or do we take them to Bali with us ?

My friend will worry about the ship going without us 😢

 

If you're in the queue to get back on the ship at the required time, they keep sending boats back and forth until everyone's on board, you won't be left behind.

 

You'll need to check the last tender time in your Patters on the day. Most people would advise aiming to be at port an hour before last tender, with Bali traffic and a nervous companion I'd probably stretch that to two hours!

 

I left my passport on the ship, and took a photocopy in my day pack and as extra security had a photo of it saved on my gmail account. Also took the Patters with me, it had local emergency contact numbers in it.

[Pushka]

Last two cruises we went on the ship did not keep our passports. This was within the last 2 and 3 yrs. Having said that things change almost overnight.

 

 

This was last December - Jan 2017 so yes, things change.

[lindyloo17]

Omg getting back 2 hours before you need to really cuts into any excursion time 😣 thanks for the advice though.

Will take onboard all the advice.

My friend wants to use drivers of distinction for the day, so they are experienced guides. Sure they will know the importance of returning to port.

[lyndarra]

We were there (Benoa) last month off Radiance OTS. It pays to get in the tyender ticket queue as early as possible. We got our ticket very early and only had a short wait once tendering for the masses began. Our tender was a very large cat which was comfortable and airconditioned. On return we had a ships' tender. We returned maybe a little less than hour before tender deadline and only had a few minutes to wait.

We had prearranged a driver and his five passenger (could squeeze in seven but it would be a bit cramped) minibus. It was a small Suzuki minibus, very common in Bali, and could zip through the traffic. The driver had been recommended by friends who had used him before and he was excellent. Good English, good driver and a lot of fun. Took us wherever we wanted.

We weren't particularly hungry at lunch time and wanted to make the most of our time but he stopped at a local store and bought us cold beers and tropical fruits. So we had lunch in the bus as he explained each of the fruits as we ate them. Lots of fun. At the end of the day we were sad to leave him. Cost for the day was $60! For four of us. We tipped generously. Terima kasi Ketuk.

[lyndarra]

Forgot to mention. Our passports were held until the day before getting off in Fremantle. We were given photocopies.

[happysnapper]

That's interesting about the passports. As four of us did the circ of Australia including Bali just over 12 months ago on the Diamond Princess and we did not have to surrender our passports. We have done seven international cruises and the only time we had to surrender our passports for the trip was for the Cherry Blossom Cruise. Maybe it's something to do with China. We always carry a photo copy of our passports on our person when OS.

[Pushka]

We didn't go into China but passports retained by ship. I think the issue may be that my cruise was entirely Asia based and nothing to do with Australia. I did see something being done with passports at Guest relations so there were obviously visa processes happening with each country we visited.