Some questions about tender rides.

[rpmljm]

We are considering the Western Caribbean 9 day cruise out of Baltimore in June on the Grandeur. I think I have heard somewhere that some people get seasick on the tender rides to and from the ports. Has anyone had this happen? I do tend to get seasick on small boats. I sailed on the Mariner 2 years ago without a problem, but it was the eastern and there were no tender rides.

 

Also, I liked being able to just walk on and off the ship whenever we wanted to while it was docked. Is there a long wait to get a tender back to the ship? How often do they run?

 

Thanks in advance for information.

Laurie

[Coralc]

Welcome to the boards Laurie! Tender rides are sometimes a little rougher than being on the ship. But they are also very short, generally 15 minutes or less, so even if you are prone to seasickness, there is really not enough time to get sick. You might want to try one of the over the counter medications, Bonine or something, if you're not sure how you will feel. :)

[The Big Booper]

At Grand Cayman, there can be a long wait at times, especially if there are many ships in port that day. Even with ships using the bigger covered lifeboats to supplement any island tenders there will be lines.

 

Just part of cruising fun :)

[springtxbill]

The lines for the returning tenders will be very short until the last hour and a half or so as everyone tries to get back to the ship at once.

[cb at sea]

We've never had a roughness problem on any of our cruises. If the seas are too rough, they usually skip that port, especially if its the cruiselines private island. I wouldn't worry too much about it!

[Happy ks]

I can get queasy on tender rides, even short ones. I always tuck my wrist bands into my pocket and wear them on tender boats, no matter how gentle the water seems. I also make sure I get seated close to a window (but not the back one, where there are fumes), or preferrably upstairs in the open air if available. I've even been known to wait for the next tender if the seating is where I know I'll get seasick, DH know this and understands, we just hang back with no words spoken.

 

I take Bonine every night at bedtime and an extra one in the morning if we have a small boat ride planned. I will not allow my motion sickness problem keep me away from having a good time!

 

The wait for tenders can be very long at debarkation, we wait for at least an hour before attempting to get off the ship, unless we have an excursion. We normally get back on more than an hour ahead of sailaway, not really much of a wait then. The tenders run back and forth all day, you can return to the ship whenever you please. We find it lovely to have the ship to ourselves on port days, hence the reason for our early return.

[rubrrick]

We are considering the Western Caribbean 9 day cruise out of Baltimore in June on the Grandeur. I think I have heard somewhere that some people get seasick on the tender rides to and from the ports. Has anyone had this happen? I do tend to get seasick on small boats. I sailed on the Mariner 2 years ago without a problem, but it was the eastern and there were no tender rides.

 

Also, I liked being able to just walk on and off the ship whenever we wanted to while it was docked. Is there a long wait to get a tender back to the ship? How often do they run?

 

Thanks in advance for information.

Laurie

 

Laurie...........A warm welcome to cruise critic.

 

Yes, there is more motion on a tender than on the ship, and the tender rides are of a very short duration. If motion is a concern, try taking an over the counter medicine for the first few times, just to aleviate any concerns. Honestly, the greatest amount of rocking on a tender is when they are next to the ship, being loaded or unloaded. The rest of the trip is quite stable.

 

Rick