Akaroa Tendering Question

[alwalaska]

I saw some pictures where it looks like the cruise ships have to dock quite a long way from town.  Does anyone know about how long it takes to tender, one-way?

 

Also, do the ships use their own boats, or are tenders provided by the town?  Sometimes this seems to affect how quickly people can get to shore.  

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[possum52]

5 hours ago, alwalaska said:

I saw some pictures where it looks like the cruise ships have to dock quite a long way from town.  Does anyone know about how long it takes to tender, one-way?

 

Also, do the ships use their own boats, or are tenders provided by the town?  Sometimes this seems to affect how quickly people can get to shore.  

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

We were last at Akaroa in November 2018 on the Golden Princess. The tenders used were the ship's own and it took around 15-20 minutes into the Akaroa pier if I remember correctly.

[alwalaska]

15 hours ago, possum52 said:

We were last at Akaroa in November 2018 on the Golden Princess. The tenders used were the ship's own and it took around 15-20 minutes into the Akaroa pier if I remember correctly.

Thank you!  

[sleepingcat]

You dont say what you are planning for Akaroa, but honestly the wildlife cruise out to see the tiny dolphins (and lots of other wild stuff) was one of the high points of our entire NZ trip - recommended!

[alwalaska]

On 6/21/2023 at 1:59 PM, sleepingcat said:

You dont say what you are planning for Akaroa, but honestly the wildlife cruise out to see the tiny dolphins (and lots of other wild stuff) was one of the high points of our entire NZ trip - recommended!

Thank you.  I am definitely looking at the different options for doing just that.  What I have found though is that everyone is non-refundable, even if the ship does not make it into town.  My travel insurance doesn't cover missed activities unless the trip is "interrupted" where we have to go home or be hospitalized, etc.   

Do you know if everything is usually sold out, or if we can book when we get there?  NCL doesn't have any excursions out yet, but I find they are usually almost twice the cost of the local tours, which doesn't make financial sense either.

Someone said that there were usually people on the pier selling tours, so unless I can find someone who will offer a refund if the ship doesn't make it, that is what we will likely be doing.

[boeckli]

On 6/24/2023 at 10:25 AM, alwalaska said:

Thank you.  I am definitely looking at the different options for doing just that.  What I have found though is that everyone is non-refundable, even if the ship does not make it into town. 

 

 

Take a look at Akaroa Dolphins (https://www.akaroadolphins.co.nz/)

Their website states "Full refunds will be given in the event of your cruise ship not making it into Akaroa Harbour due to unforeseen circumstances. Please contact us if this is the case."

I took one of their cruises in Dec 2019 and enjoyed it very much. Perfect weather also helped 😉

 

[alwalaska]

19 hours ago, boeckli said:

 

Take a look at Akaroa Dolphins (https://www.akaroadolphins.co.nz/)

Their website states "Full refunds will be given in the event of your cruise ship not making it into Akaroa Harbour due to unforeseen circumstances. Please contact us if this is the case."

I took one of their cruises in Dec 2019 and enjoyed it very much. Perfect weather also helped 😉

 

Thank you very much!  I thought I posted previously to thank you, but it poofed.  I had read their standard and COVID cancelation policies but somehow missed the cruise one farther down. Their cruises sound fantastic and the area sound beautiful.