Cannes-Time to Tender for Norwegian Cruise Ship (EPIC-Mega Ship)

[Travel To Be Free]

I'm sorry if this has been covered.  

 

We will be in Cannes on the Norwegian EPIC, which is around 4,700 passengers.  We'll try to get Tender Tickets to get off asap, but as we won't be on a ship's excursion, what is the realistic time we'll be off the ship?  (Trying to arrange a time for transport to meet us.)

[CruiserBruce]

As you don't tell us what time the ship arrives, hard to answer your question.

 

Keep in mind that when you book a private transport like this, you own that vehicle. They will wait. So, I would schedule them for 90 minutes or so after the scheduled arrival. That way you might have to wait a few minutes, or the driver might have to wait a few minutes...but hopefully you will meet in the middle somewhere.

[Travel To Be Free]

The schedule time says 8:30 AM.   So, I’m trying to figure out if we don’t purchase the cruises shore excursions, but we do try to put in for tender tickets as soon as were able to, when we might be off the ship.  
 

I’m going to try to book us with a vendor to take us to Saint Paul de Vence.   Then schedule a time for them to meet us there and bring us back to the top of Le Suquet.  

[Hlitner]

You might do better by posting this on the NCL blog.  Keep in mind that in Cannes, the ships must use their own tenders (no shore based tenders available) which leaves the entire ball in the court of your specific ship.  As you can imagine, tendering over 4000 folks does take time.  Sea and wind conditions also play a major part.   Using public transit to get to St Paul de Vence is somewhat complicated (and takes a lot of time) since you need to use a train/bus combination.  

 

As to St Paul de Vence (a favorite place of ours) I am assuming you are planning on hiring a car/driver for the day (which is quite expensive).  Personally, I prefer to simply rent a car in Cannes and drive ourselves (there is a convenient indoor parking garage located close to the city's entrance.  The problem with a car/driver is that you are paying a lot of money to simply have a car waiting (for hours).  We have seen a few folks, in St Paul de Vence, with a private guide.  You really have no use for a guide in the town since it is all about walking (there is one main street with a few off shoots).  som

 

When folks have asked us what to pair with a visit to St Paul de Vence, we mention the nearby Maeght Fondation (a decent art museum with some interesting Miro's) and perhaps a visit to Antibes.  I will also warn, that in recent years, there has been an unfortunate trend of replacing some excellent art galleries with touristy boutique shops.  While browsing is still lots of fun, we do miss the "olden days" when the town was full of excellent galleries.  We still love our Frank Turc poster which we bought over thirty years ago during our first visit.   It has a place of honor in our family room and is a constant reminder of our fondness of the town.  During our most recent visit (May 2022) it did not disappoint.

 

Hank

[Travel To Be Free]

Yes.  I’ll try to move to this question to NCL forum.  
 

My husband and I spent the night in St Paul de  Vence about 5 years ago.  Soooo nice.  My sister and BIL have never been so this will be fun.  
 

We’ve never been to Cannes, but not loving the big city feel from my research.  Will do the old city portion though.  
 

Will consider renting a car….  just trying to keep plans as stress free as possible.  
 

We had used Uber from St Paul de Vence prior down to train station in Antibes heading to airport.  But since it’s a hill village, a little worried about getting the same luck.  Are taxis readily available by chance?  

 

[Hlitner]

On 5/21/2023 at 12:22 PM, Travel To Be Free said:

Yes.  I’ll try to move to this question to NCL forum.  
 

My husband and I spent the night in St Paul de  Vence about 5 years ago.  Soooo nice.  My sister and BIL have never been so this will be fun.  
 

We’ve never been to Cannes, but not loving the big city feel from my research.  Will do the old city portion though.  
 

Will consider renting a car….  just trying to keep plans as stress free as possible.  
 

We had used Uber from St Paul de Vence prior down to train station in Antibes heading to airport.  But since it’s a hill village, a little worried about getting the same luck.  Are taxis readily available by chance?  

 

Taxis are always hit/miss in France (outside of Paris).  On one cruise we tendered ashore at Cannes about 8am and noticed there was not a single taxi at the tender port.  We decided to walk through town to the train station and as we neared the Covention Center (about 1/4 mile from the port) we noticed many taxis parked at a cafe/coffee shop.  We decided to stop and grab a coffee and noticed that all the taxi drivers were sitting around a large table enjoying their morning coffee.  I think that tells you a lot about their priorities and what they think of cruise ships.  That being said, most of the time there will be a few taxis at the parking area near the tender pier.  Keep in mind that French taxis are quite expensive, and most drivers speak little or no English.   There is a reason why I prefer to have a rental car in France (outside of Paris).  Taxis are just not reliable and public transit is not a good option for much of rural France.

 

Hank

 

In St Paul de Vence, it is very unlikely you would find taxis just sitting around waiting for fares.  

[Travel To Be Free]

Do you happen to know if Uber still is available in France? 

[Hlitner]

8 minutes ago, Travel To Be Free said:

Do you happen to know if Uber still is available in France? 

Always a good question with the answer changing by the week.  It is available in France, but only in certain cities.  One needs to Google the question around the time of a trip or just see what happens when you try an use the app.  We just returned from Japan where we used Uber a couple of times (in Kyoto) and it was quite interesting.  The app works just like it works here, but the Uber cars were actually from a local/licensed taxi company.  I can see something like that eventually happening in France.

 

Hank

[jsn55]

On 5/22/2023 at 4:26 PM, Hlitner said:

Taxis are always hit/miss in France (outside of Paris).  On one cruise we tendered ashore at Cannes about 8am and noticed there was not a single taxi at the tender port.  We decided to walk through town to the train station and as we neared the Covention Center (about 1/4 mile from the port) we noticed many taxis parked at a cafe/coffee shop.  We decided to stop and grab a coffee and noticed that all the taxi drivers were sitting around a large table enjoying their morning coffee.  I think that tells you a lot about their priorities and what they think of cruise ships.  That being said, most of the time there will be a few taxis at the parking area near the tender pier.  Keep in mind that French taxis are quite expensive, and most drivers speak little or no English.   There is a reason why I prefer to have a rental car in France (outside of Paris).  Taxis are just not reliable and public transit is not a good option for much of rural France.

 

Hank

 

In St Paul de Vence, it is very unlikely you would find taxis just sitting around waiting for fares.  

The taxi drivers having coffee when a monster ship arrives!  SOOOOO French!  I will be smiling about this little story all day.  You wish a taxi, monsieur?  Just wait until I'm done with my coffee.  

[victory2020]

Is the city of Cannes within walking distance to where the tenders drop you off? I don't mind walking a distance if it's safe & not in an industrial port

[ollienbertsmum]

Yes.  
 

i have attached a map of where the Epic tender has dropped us off over the years (red marker).  The walk to the Carlton which I have shown as an example is lovely (and flat).  Lots to see around.  

Edited January 19 by ollienbertsmum
Missed a word

[Hlitner]

On 1/19/2024 at 12:22 PM, victory2020 said:

Is the city of Cannes within walking distance to where the tenders drop you off? I don't mind walking a distance if it's safe & not in an industrial port

Yes,  the tender pier is actually well within the city (near the Marina).  Depending on where you want to walk it is about a 10-15 min stroll into the heart of the touristy part of town.  And yes, the area is very safe (although like anywhere you should always beware of pick pockets).

 

Hank

[bedfordmom]

Other than strolling around the shops, is there anything to see within that area. Also going on a Monday which I understand is another day that shops are closed. 

[jsn55]

6 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

Other than strolling around the shops, is there anything to see within that area. Also going on a Monday which I understand is another day that shops are closed. 

Have a look at the 'Ports' boards here on CC.

[bedfordmom]

13 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Have a look at the 'Ports' boards here on CC.

I did, there is not much; that is why I was asking you.

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, bedfordmom said:

I did, there is not much; that is why I was asking you.

Wow, not much on Cannes?  I'll go look in a little bit.  Would think there's all kinds of info out there.  

[marazul]

Shops are open on Monday. Some will close at lunch time. Lunch is "sacred" in France.  You don't even have to pay for parking between 12 and 2. 

For sightseeing, walk up to Le Suquet and walk La Croissette.  

Here is the Tourist Office website: https://en.cannes-france.com/what-to-do/

I would advice you to make your way to the train station and take one of the very frequent trains to Antibes or Nice (same line, Antibes is closer).  There is a lot more to see in either place.

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

I did, there is not much; that is why I was asking you.

 

 

Maybe you searched in the wrong place?

 

106 results for past threads with the word "Cannes" in them appeared within seconds:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=cannes&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=462

 

Edited January 22 by edinburgher

[bedfordmom]

Yes,  I did but most are about the tendering or old. Sorry for asking; but thought that is what cruise critic is  for. Will look at trip advisor forums for more information. 

[marazul]

26 minutes ago, bedfordmom said:

Yes,  I did but most are about the tendering or old. Sorry for asking; but thought that is what cruise critic is  for. Will look at trip advisor forums for more information. 

Look at my post above. That link will be useful.

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

Yes,  I did but most are about the tendering or old.

 Given that this is January, the most recent you will find on that link are likely to be from last year, 2023, as there are probably very few  cruise ships calls to Cannes in the winter months And the fewer the calls, the fewer the passengers who might be able to answer your question..

 

Re your timing for tendering off.  Most lines have an order they follow, and it is usually, but not always, similar to this:

 

Shorex pax with early tours first

 

Those in the highest loyalty tiers and/or most expensive suites next,

 

Everyone else depending on their tender number, and on a big ship you might have a long wait if your number is a higher one.

 

You didn't initially say if you had a higher NCL status which would help (assuming NCL offers this as a perk as they may or may not), but perhaps you could ask on the NCL forum  what the NCL tender schedule  usually is, as It is where I think you will get that information more easily than you will on Tripadvisor.

Edited January 23 by edinburgher

[bedfordmom]

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ExternalLinkInterstitial?redirectTo=https%3A%2F%2Fen.cannes-france.com%2F
 

from trip advisor, btw I am Sapphire on NCL  ( plus many cruises on other lines) so this is not my first rodeo. Hope this helps others looking for current  Cannes information. 

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ExternalLinkInterstitial?redirectTo=https%3A%2F%2Fen.cannes-france.com%2F
 

from trip advisor, btw I am Sapphire on NCL  ( plus many cruises on other lines) so this is not my first rodeo. Hope this helps others looking for current  Cannes information. 

Not sure what point you were making with the Tripadvisor link, but all i got was a warning that if proceeding, would be transferred to an external website., and that is a risk I would not take.  Perhaps because our ISP is not a US one? I do not know.

 

And had you mentioned that you were Sapphire level on NCL and would that help get you off more quickly, your best responses would still have been found on the NCL forum as CCers who never sailed NCL would not even know where on the NCL  loyalty scheme levels  Sapphire is..

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

Hope this helps others looking for current  Cannes information. 

Not if they get the same warning about being transferred to an external website!  What is that about anyway? have never ever seen such a message on Tripdvisor despite being a member for decades.

[bedfordmom]

Just now, edinburgher said:

Not sure what point you were making with the Tripadvisor link, but all i got was a warning that if proceeding, would be transferred to an external website., and that is a risk I would not take.  Perhaps because our ISP is not a US one? I do not know.

 

And had you mentioned that you were Sapphire level on NCL and would that help get you off more quickly, your best responses would still have been found on the NCL forum as CCers who never sailed NCL would not even know where on the NCL  loyalty scheme levels  Sapphire is..

 

Just now, edinburgher said:

Not sure what point you were making with the Tripadvisor link, but all i got was a warning that if proceeding, would be transferred to an external website., and that is a risk I would not take.  Perhaps because our ISP is not a US one? I do not know.

 

And had you mentioned that you were Sapphire level on NCL and would that help get you off more quickly, your best responses would still have been found on the NCL forum as CCers who never sailed NCL would not even know where on the NCL  loyalty scheme levels  Sapphire is..

https://en.cannes-france.com/  is the actual site. If you know anything about trip advisor, once you reach an external site, it gives that statement as they don't want you to leave their site. No worries. I just put the direct link above.