Freedom class: lifeboats or tenders?

[Canuker]

I'm looking at a picture of Independence of the Seas.
The lifeboats along the side of the ship appear to be like years-gone-by lifeboats: an elongated 'tub' with a rounded cocoon top over it.
Not at all like the lifeboat/tenders I have seen/used on other cruise lines, which are more like large launches.
Are they lifeboats or are they tenders - or both?
Either way, they look like they would bob around quite a bit in the water.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Canuker

[time4u2go]

4 minutes ago, Canuker said:

I'm looking at a picture of Independence of the Seas.
The lifeboats along the side of the ship appear to be like years-gone-by lifeboats: an elongated 'tub' with a rounded cocoon top over it.
Not at all like the lifeboat/tenders I have seen/used on other cruise lines, which are more like large launches.
Are they lifeboats or are they tenders - or both?
Either way, they look like they would bob around quite a bit in the water.

If they are along the side of the ship, I'm thinking they'd have to be lifeboats.  I can't figure out why tenders would be along the side of the ship.

 

They probably would bob around quite a bit, but as long as they stay on top of the water, that's all that matters.

[Clarea]

32 minutes ago, Canuker said:

I'm looking at a picture of Independence of the Seas.
The lifeboats along the side of the ship appear to be like years-gone-by lifeboats: an elongated 'tub' with a rounded cocoon top over it.
Not at all like the lifeboat/tenders I have seen/used on other cruise lines, which are more like large launches.
Are they lifeboats or are they tenders - or both?
Either way, they look like they would bob around quite a bit in the water.

 

Those are lifeboats and I've never seen Royal use those for tendering.  When Freedom has to tender, the port supplies the tender boats.

[A2Mich]

I may be wrong, but the only ship I knew of that carried its own designated tenders was the Norway with the two twin deck tenders at the bow.

[Ashland]

4 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Those are lifeboats and I've never seen Royal use those for tendering.  When Freedom has to tender, the port supplies the tender boats.

Not sure, but I seem to remember that RCI did (has) at times used the lifeboats for tendering.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Not sure, but I seem to remember that RCI did (has) at times used the lifeboats for tendering.

 

They may have, but we've never seen it.  We experienced using lifeboats once on Celebrity Mercury when stopping at Nanaimo, and I remember it being an unpleasent experience.

[fdthird]

Liberty in Grand Cayman recently only used port supplied tenders. 

[Ashland]

5 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

They may have, but we've never seen it.  We experienced using lifeboats once on Celebrity Mercury when stopping at Nanaimo, and I remember it being an unpleasent experience.

Oh dear, I'm dating my self but we did do this many years ago.

[aggieguy93]

Rhapsody in 2004, we used the lifeboats as tenders for Grand Cayman

 

[reallyitsmema]

We have used lifeboat tenders in Bar Harbor while on the Jewel.  We also used them in Monterey also while on the Jewel.

[tomatosauce]

The Voyager and Explorer do use their own boats for tendering in the South Pacific. On those ships at least there is a difference between the ones that they use for tendering (see picture) and the other lifeboats.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

They may have, but we've never seen it.  We experienced using lifeboats once on Celebrity Mercury when stopping at Nanaimo, and I remember it being an unpleasent experience.

Yes been a while but Multiple Royal ship's in 1980-90's would carry Multiple Tenders. Used them get ashore on Grand Caymen and Coco Cay to speed up getting passengers ashore during first hrs, then on Labadee before the Pier as there was on Permanent Tender's stationed there. Sovereign, Majesty, Enchantment, Grandeur had them when I was on them and want say Voyager and Explorer did also when first sailed...

Edited April 18, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, A2Mich said:

I may be wrong, but the only ship I knew of that carried its own designated tenders was the Norway with the two twin deck tenders at the bow.

Agree, Norway had them but multiple Royal ships had 2-3each 20-30+ yrs ago. They were mounted in spot where Lifeboats are now and doubled as Lifeboat/Tenders. They had sliding side and forward doors, were totally enclosed hard side and tops which the regular lifeboats were not at the time.

Edited April 18, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[UKWLDCruise]

It used to be very common for the ships to carry lifeboats that could switch to tendering and some still do.  They are very useful if the itinerary/situation goes wrong.  last time I was on one was the Celeb Eclipse five/six years ago when they found they had booked a mooring with the wrong depth at St Thomas.  It took them an hour or so but they had a tender set up and people going ashore.

 

[chengkp75]

There are two types of lifeboats, those that are strictly lifeboats, and those that are lifeboat/tenders.  The combo boats typically have a catamaran hull, twin screws, and more comfortable seating.  You will see a "dual capacity" rating, one for tendering and one for lifeboat duty.  Many even have seating on the top of the boat for use when tendering.

 

Lifeboat/tenders are more maneuverable than lifeboats.  Lifeboats appear to be "bobbers" until loaded to capacity, at which time they become basically cinder blocks in the water.

[A2Mich]

15 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

There are two types of lifeboats, those that are strictly lifeboats, and those that are lifeboat/tenders.  The combo boats typically have a catamaran hull, twin screws, and more comfortable seating.  You will see a "dual capacity" rating, one for tendering and one for lifeboat duty.  Many even have seating on the top of the boat for use when tendering.

 

Lifeboat/tenders are more maneuverable than lifeboats.  Lifeboats appear to be "bobbers" until loaded to capacity, at which time they become basically cinder blocks in the water.

 

Thanks Chief....knew you’d be around for the official info.

[A2Mich]

23 hours ago, Ashland said:

Oh dear, I'm dating my self but we did do this many years ago.

 

I remember doing this at Princess Cays about 15 years ago on Ocean Princess. 

[Ashland]

24 minutes ago, A2Mich said:

 

I remember doing this at Princess Cays about 15 years ago on Ocean Princess. 

I think the first time we did it was on RCI Viking Serenade in Cabo in the early 90's.

[Hoopster95]

1st two pics are Brilliance tenders, June 2018, on my British Isles cruise

3rd pic is Radiance in Kona 2015.

I also vividly remember using RCL tender from Enchantment for Rhode island as it was very stormy, we were bobbing up and down and the rain was pouring in onto cruisers through badly sealed upper areas of the tender.

 

Perhaps Voyager Class and higher don't use RCL tenders/lifeboats?

 

 

[tomatosauce]

During it's first 5 yearly update after coming to Australia the Voyager has a tender station added to it so that it could visit more ports, locations actually, in the South Pacific. With all of that, tendering on Voyager class ships does require patience due to the number of passengers onboard.

[ONECRUISER]

Looked at my old cruise pictures, Voyager and Explorer had multiple Tenders in 1999-2001 when were new

[hallux]

6 hours ago, tomatosauce said:

tendering on Voyager class ships does require patience due to the number of passengers onboard.

You haven't tendered on a Quantum class ship then.

 

I find it odd that a Voyager class ship needed the "tendering station" added, I thought all of RCI's ships outside the Oasis class were set up for tendering (I've heard Oasis class can't tender, even with port-supplied tenders).

[Biker19]

7 minutes ago, hallux said:

(I've heard Oasis class can't tender, even with port-supplied tenders).

They could but the logistics of getting 6K+ people on/off the ships in a timely manner just doesn't work.

[Merion_Mom]

23 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

There are two types of lifeboats, those that are strictly lifeboats, and those that are lifeboat/tenders.  The combo boats typically have a catamaran hull, twin screws, and more comfortable seating.  You will see a "dual capacity" rating, one for tendering and one for lifeboat duty.  Many even have seating on the top of the boat for use when tendering.

 

Lifeboat/tenders are more maneuverable than lifeboats.  Lifeboats appear to be "bobbers" until loaded to capacity, at which time they become basically cinder blocks in the water.

 

Yes.  I have tendered on these quite a few times.

[sellwingri]

We used a couple of lifeboats for tendering in Cabo in March on Jewel.  We watched them lower them from the ship, quite a process, and then saw them sail away.