Seabourn Cruise tender

[JoTreacy]

I have booked a cruise that has a tender at three of the ports of call.  Will this be inconvenient?

 

 

[FlyingScotSailors]

1 hour ago, JoTreacy said:

 Will this be inconvenient?

 

No.

 

 

Or maybe yes.!

 

 

Seriously Jo, it depends on what you find to be inconvenient.  It certainly is easier to get off and on the ship whenever you want if it is docked at a pier.  However, the tenders usually run quite frequently, so the waiting time  for a tender is usually quite short.  There is usually no problem getting on and off the tender, and lots of help from the crew if you have any mobility problems.  If the sea conditions are severe enough to make boarding the tender difficult, the ship may either wait to see if conditions improve or may skip that port.

 

If you have other concerns, please let us know and we will try to answer them.

 

[JoTreacy]

Hi, Thanks for the prompt reply.  I am a first-time cruiser so all a bit of a mystery!

[SKP946]

Hi Jo,

As a first time cruiser you are certainly starting at the top with Seabourn, I am sure you will have an amazing time.

If the ship is using tenders it often means you’re going to a smaller place where the big cruise ships don’t go, which is great.

Seabourn use the ships lifeboats, of which their are four, each with a capacity of 150 pax, but generally they only put  a max of 50 to 80 pax when used as a tender.

If the ship is a fair way offshore (10 mins or so travelling) they will quite often use all 4 lifeboats to save any waiting.

Pax  booked on an early tour have preference first thing, we usually wait for an hour or so, then there is no waiting.

The boats are reasonably quick, comfortable, handle any sea well and are enclosed with padded seats with a backrest and as FlyingScotSailors said, the crew are very good at helping you on and off.

There is a loading platform ( Red arrow first photo) either side on deck 3 aft, and generally the ship is swung around so the loading platform is protected from any wind and waves.

Onshore they set up a small marquee with chairs, water and chilled towels.

I’ve hunted through my photos to try and find Seabourn lifeboat photos, but hardly have any unfortunately.

 

I hope these ( below)will give you some idea.

The  first photo shows the loading platform, the second pax disembarking on a pier (Marquee on the right) and the fourth, an inside shot (faces blacked out for privacy)

Any other questions, ask away.

Edited April 4, 2019 by SKP946

[JoTreacy]

Hi

 

Thanks so much for your valuable reply - we are certainly excited to go on our cruise with Seabourn.. I notice that your photos are of the Encore - that's the ship we have booked on.

I have a very clear idea now fo the tendering process and am confident it will not be a hassle.

Thanks so much again for your reply,

 

Jo

 

[SKP946]

Those photos were from our Jul/Aug ‘17  cruise in the Med, unfortunately by wife shattered her hip at Barcelona Airport before we arrived at the ship and couldn’t climb stairs or walk very far.

However she still managed to get on and off the tender! ( “stoic” I think would describe her attitude for that cruise !)

She came home in a wheelchair and had a full hip replacement a few days later.

Any questions you can email me if you wish at my “moniker”  plus at gmail dot com

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I hadn't realized that Seabourn used their lifeboats as tenders!  We've only been tendered once on Seabourn from Quest, so maybe all the ships aren't the same, but I found their tender to be very uncomfortable.  At least down where we were sitting we were cramped and couldn't see out at all. 

 

In general I don't mind tenders, but if the tender distance is long at all, or the weather uncertain, consider taking seasick medication if you're prone to mal de mer.

[dalliowner]

Hi Wendy

 

Yes they were the life boats, it is the same for all ships

 

John

[wdpmd]

Jo,

 

If this is your first time with Seabourn be sure and ask somebody for a referral coupon.  I don't need the credit but if nobody else pops up let me know and I'll get you one.

 

Dave

[NorthernLite]

Is the tender area accessible to a fulltime wheelchair user? And on Qwest are the tenders accessible? I realize the port side area may not be accessible and, of course, weather can cause problems. We are booked on 57 days starting late in February from San Antonio, Chile and ending in Miami. No, I have absolutely no plans to get on any zodiac. Thanks 

[offtoalaska]

Seabourn handles tendering very well.  There is normally a minimal wait for either the departure from the ship or return from the port's pier.  We've sailed on Viking and Crystal and we would have longer wait times as they try to fill up the tender.  We like to sit on the high bench seats to get a better view.  The Seabourn crews are pros at tendering and helping passengers especially those with mobility limitations.

[SLSD]

I don't think I've seen a wheelchair on a tender.  Perhaps I am wrong--and if so, someone will say so, I am sure.  There are usually several steps in involved in getting onto the tender  Sometimes it can be a bit choppy and the tender moves around a bit while you are boarding or disembarking.  There are usually two crew members to give help if needed  They are very good at this.  

[NorthernLite]

We have been on Crystal Serenity and the tendering area is not accessible by wheelchair. The path to the tenders is an inner walkway that is both narrow and once to the tenders they are the pod type meant to be self righting after immersion. I had no problems with Holland America on the Amsterdam and except for a monsoon in Kotor would have been fine on the Rotterdam as both ships bring the tenders up to the davits on deck five and open the railing for those who must stay in their chair to get around. Then they lower the tender to deck 2 to collect any other passengers ready then. On the return we reversed the process. The doorway into the tenders is just one step down and level enough to easily hold manual wheelchairs. 

I am not exactly planning on heading out in the Horn area but am planning on seeing anything and everything possible going north and into the Amazon. Thought I would ask here before talking to SB about this. We are booked but let's just say that after Crystal and the 2016 Northwest Passage I am leery of being told what I want to hear by the excursions department. I should have known when they said Nome, Bar Harbor and Newport were tenders and that they would not be a problem for a non-walking, non-standing person. There were several "are you sure" as I have seen Bar Harbor and Newport many times from a cruise ship and they are not accessible due to tides or port side issues. How a company that only had 2 ships could get something so wrong is beyond me. So now I want things like pictures, names of excursion staff, etc before final payment for any trip that even vaguely might have problems within the company's ability to control like knowing if tenders are accessible.

[Silver Sweethearts]

The following is from a website about Seabourn tender service:

 

For individuals with limited mobility, the use of a wheelchair will be the primary mobility assistance aid for getting on and off the ship. Certain ship transfer operations (i.e. during tendering and at the gangways) may not be fully accessible to wheelchairs or scooters. When a ship is unable to dock, guests are taken ashore on smaller boats called tenders. Some guests with limited mobility may find it difficult to embark or disembark the ship at certain times while tendering or while docked due to steep gangways and steps, particularly during low or high tide. Also, please note that scooters and wheelchairs which are more than 100 lbs. without the battery are not allowed to be transferred from the ship to tender and/or from tender to shore.

As to tenders, please be advised that adverse weather conditions such as wind, swells, or extreme tide levels may prohibit the ability to provide assistance between the ship and tender to guests with limited mobility. Additionally, some port facilities may not provide accessible transitions between the tender and shore side landing. Situations may occur in which guests with limited mobility may not be able to go ashore at the time they desire or are unable to go ashore at all in certain ports. For the safety of all concerned, the Captain shall make the final determination regarding whether or not it is advisable to provide assistance to guests with mobility impairments, or to carry their mobility assistance device (wheelchair, scooter, walker, etc.), taking into account all appropriate matters including, but not limited to, weather conditions, ship's location, weight of the guest or their mobility device, etc.

 

[SKP946]

10 hours ago, NorthernLite said:

Is the tender area accessible to a fulltime wheelchair user? And on Qwest are the tenders accessible? I realize the port side area may not be accessible and, of course, weather can cause problems. We are booked on 57 days starting late in February from San Antonio, Chile and ending in Miami. No, I have absolutely no plans to get on any zodiac. Thanks 

 

We had 2 full time wheelchair users on our Antarctica cruise on Quest in 2014.

I would chat to one of the ladies in the early morning, as she was up well before me (I would see her wheel tracks in the snow and ice on the exposed decks) she was most impressed how the crew looked after her.

While they couldn't go ashore in Antarctica, they were lifted onto a zodiac in their wheelchairs, (that were then strapped in place) and taken for tours around bays and icebergs to see penguins and seals up close.

 (No wheel tracks in this deck photo)

[NorthernLite]

SKP, I guess that is about as accessible as any small ship can get! I'm not sure I would try the zodiacs unless they were the RIB versions but this is very reassuring for when we talk to SB and start booking flights. 

Silver, thank you for finding the small print. We are just home from an Azamara cruise that went from Barcelona to Greenwich with the highlight being at the D-Day beaches during the 75th anniversary. The downside to debarking in Greenwich was that ship's many tiny steps  gangway combined with rain and low tide to the local tendering platform. That descent was way too steep for me to want to repeat it whether a Captain OK'd it or not. 

But with an itinerary that includes 3 of our big bucket list items on it I just want to know what is truly reasonably doable if weather, tides and the land side are agreeable. 

Thank you both!

[tv24]

Tenders are used on all cruise lines and the issue for us is how they are organized.  Happily for Jo, our experience on Seabourn is the best of all the lines we have sailed,  For days with lots of excursions, folks waiting for excursions are handled efficiently and on-time with little interference with the rest of us who are doing it on our own.  When everyone is heading out on a tender, the waiting times are short and the experience is safe and comfortable.  Believe me, this does not always happen on other lines where tendering cab be chaotic, accompanied with long annoying delays, and sometimes dangerous.  Kudos to Seabourn for handing the tender experience with safety and comfort.

[SKP946]

2 hours ago, NorthernLite said:

SKP, I guess that is about as accessible as any small ship can get! I'm not sure I would try the zodiacs unless they were the RIB versions but this is very reassuring for when we talk to SB and start booking flights. 

 

NorthernLite: I found some of my photos of Quest’s Zodiacs in 2014, they are not RIB’s but the 16 pax centre console units have a 3 piece alloy floor, however I understand they have been upgraded  (perhaps someone might enlighten us on this?)