Typical tendering process time

[Vineyard View]

We haven’t sailed HAL in a long time, and never on pinnacle class. We are looking at a 14 day British Isles cruise in 2025. There are 4 tender ports, including a couple that are key for us. We tend to DIY or private tour. We haven’t experienced the tendering process on this size of ship before (we have on smaller ships). I am wondering  how that all tends to work. Do booked excursions have priority access, but still have allowance for DIY space?  What would be a fair expectation of disembarkation time after clearance if you are DIY? I would assume there is just a general last tender time at the end of the day?
Thank you 

[Haljo1935]

5 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

We haven’t sailed HAL in a long time, and never on pinnacle class. We are looking at a 14 day British Isles cruise in 2025. There are 4 tender ports, including a couple that are key for us. We tend to DIY or private tour. We haven’t experienced the tendering process on this size of ship before (we have on smaller ships). I am wondering  how that all tends to work. Do booked excursions have priority access, but still have allowance for DIY space?  What would be a fair expectation of disembarkation time after clearance if you are DIY? I would assume there is just a general last tender time at the end of the day?
Thank you 

Last month we tendered in Sorrento on NS on a rainy morning; ship was full. We had an independent excursion and needed to be off ship as early as possible. HAL excursions did not require tickets and met in the theater, so we didn't see how many people there were. The rest of us had to get tickets at BB Kings. We were there when they announced ship had been cleared and were in the 2nd group called to board tenders, which got us on land about 30 min after port time.

Every cruise is different subject to capacity, weather, port of call, ship excursions, etc, so hard to predict how quickly you could be off.

Yes, everyone just lines up for last tender.

[CNSJ]

From our experience in Europe, Pacific, and North America....there is no "typical time" as there are many variables.  If you are clearing customs (first UK port or after a stop on the continent or Ireland) you may have delays.  Yes, HAL excursions have priority in just about all ports.  No real way around that.  

 

Tender size (ship or port based) makes a difference, and then there is weather....

 

If you are 4 star or above and or Club Orange that helps get you to the front of the line, but you still need clearance and may go after the HAL tours go. 

 

Give yourself plenty of time for DIY.  DW and DD rescheduled a Bar Harbor DIY tour just days before after finding out about the tender process in Bar Harbor....if they had  not , they would have missed tour, even though it was two hours after "arrival time."

 

Good luck.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you both. We haven’t sailed on this size ship before with tendering. Each line seems to have slightly to very big differences in how it handles tendering - everything to lining up for tickets the day prior, to zero boarding with excursion groups, to allowing early tenders for DIY, to priority based on stateroom category……being as this is Scotland & Ireland, I also know weather/seas can particularly affect this part of our world no matter what size ship you are on. A two hour wait time I would hope is on the longer spectrum of expectations…..and I am hoping an hour would be reasonable but not necessarily guaranteed, but I just don’t know with HAL & 2,600 pax. 

[birder22]

I was on a 14 day British Isles cruise last summer.  The first UK port will require a face to face immigration visit.  This can cause hours of delay as the timing is determined by immigration officials, not the ship.  Lerwick is frequently missed due to high winds (about a 50:50 chance of tendering).  Edinburgh is slow if they are only using the ship's tender, but not bad if they are using local tour boats as well.  The X99 bus can take you into Edinburgh from the cruise pier.   My advice is to be ready to go ashore and at the tender ticket distribution site (usually BB Kings) when they start distributing tickets.   

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It could go very well, our it could go very bad.

[cruisemom42]

Having read past posts of yours, would you be traveling in a suite? I believe suite passengers receive priority for tendering on HAL as well as Club Orange but I'm not 100% sure as I'm not in that demographic. Maybe someone can chip in and clarify whether this is the case and, if so, which suites would be included.

[mawvkysc]

I will never do a diy tour on a tender day again. Either a ship tour or just walk around the port on my own after eventually getting ashore. Bar Harbor did me in!

 

[CNSJ]

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Having read past posts of yours, would you be traveling in a suite? I believe suite passengers receive priority for tendering on HAL as well as Club Orange but I'm not 100% sure as I'm not in that demographic. Maybe someone can chip in and clarify whether this is the case and, if so, which suites would be included.

On Neptune Suiters who have Club Orange by default.  And of course Pinnacle Suiters...

Edited December 17, 2023 by CNSJ
Missing part

[Vineyard View]

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Having read past posts of yours, would you be traveling in a suite? I believe suite passengers receive priority for tendering on HAL as well as Club Orange but I'm not 100% sure as I'm not in that demographic. Maybe someone can chip in and clarify whether this is the case and, if so, which suites would be included.

We haven’t decided quite yet. We sailed Neptune last time, but this one I am looking at the two suites below that. Not knowing what club orange is, I just looked and it appears that one can pay for that if not in a Neptune. It seems to have quite a few benefits, including tendering priority. It shows $13/day for longer cruises so might be worth it. Thanks for the tip! 

[Vineyard View]

2 hours ago, birder22 said:

I was on a 14 day British Isles cruise last summer.  The first UK port will require a face to face immigration visit.  This can cause hours of delay as the timing is determined by immigration officials, not the ship.  Lerwick is frequently missed due to high winds (about a 50:50 chance of tendering).  Edinburgh is slow if they are only using the ship's tender, but not bad if they are using local tour boats as well.  The X99 bus can take you into Edinburgh from the cruise pier.   My advice is to be ready to go ashore and at the tender ticket distribution site (usually BB Kings) when they start distributing tickets.   

This one starts in Rotterdam,  and first port is Newhaven for Edinburgh, which is tendered. We’ve traveled quite a bit in the world, but British Isles are still boxes unchecked. If that’s the case I am sad to hear about immigration check as it’s a big one for us to see. Ugh. Thanks for the heads up though. This might make club Orange worth it alone. 

[Torquer]

8 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

On Neptune Suiters who have Club Orange by default.  And of course Pinnacle Suiters...

For suite guests there is no need to get a tender ticket...just show your room key.  If in a Pinnacle Suite, you might get special service from the Neptune Lounge concierge.  On our last cruise, she escorted us to the head of the line in the theater for the immigration check at our first port in the UK, which happened not to be a tender port.  But then at South Queensferry UK, she took us down in a crew elevator to get to the front of the line at the ship's tenders.

[Vineyard View]

14 minutes ago, Torquer said:

For suite guests there is no need to get a tender ticket...just show your room key.  If in a Pinnacle Suite, you might get special service from the Neptune Lounge concierge.  On our last cruise, she escorted us to the head of the line in the theater for the immigration check at our first port in the UK, which happened not to be a tender port.  But then at South Queensferry UK, she took us down in a crew elevator to get to the front of the line at the ship's tenders.

I thought that I read it is only Neptune and Pinnacle where tendering is prioritized. If that is the case, then Club Orange may be worth it. 
On our last HAL cruise, when a country required immigration checks prior to, there were times when that occurred the evening before. Not sure how they made that happen, and it could very well be a thing of the past,  or only with specific countries this is allowed. 

[crystalspin]

13 minutes ago, Torquer said:

For suite guests there is no need to get a tender ticket...just show your room key.

OP says they are looking two grades below Neptune, which would be a Vista Suite. VS gets very few perks (supposed to have binoculars for use, didn't see them!) and nothing as far as priority access:

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

26 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

This one starts in Rotterdam,  and first port is Newhaven for Edinburgh, which is tendered. We’ve traveled quite a bit in the world, but British Isles are still boxes unchecked. If that’s the case I am sad to hear about immigration check as it’s a big one for us to see. Ugh. Thanks for the heads up though. This might make club Orange worth it alone. 

Edinburgh is a long, tender ride often subject to high seas and wind.  I was there once at tit took 4 hours to get everyone ashore.  .   Occasionally they will offer opening tendering on the very first tender - maybe 7 am or so - so ask,   Talk to guest services a few days in advance and let them know your situation - they may be able to help.  Maybe not - you lose nothing by asking.  

 

Question for the group - does club orange get the same status as 4/5 stars - or as Neptunes?  Neptunes don't' need a ticket ever - But 4/5 stars usually need a ticket but go to a different location.   If the 4/5 star count is low - they may let you tender without a ticket.   Not sure how club orange works....

Edited December 17, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Edinburgh is a long, tender ride often subject to high seas and wind.  I was there once at tit took 4 hours to get everyone ashore.  .   Occasionally they will offer opening tendering on the very first tender - maybe 7 am or so - so ask,   Talk to guest services a few days in advance and let them know your situation - they may be able to help.  Maybe not - you lose nothing by asking.  

 

Thank you for these further answers. From  what I have read,  Edinburgh is a non optional tender port. I also notice different “port names” with different lines for Edinburgh. It really is one we would like to explore as long as possible. 
In the past we have booked excursions to get someplace, then asked when and where to meet back at the bus. We tip the tour guide and have found that to be a positive experience that meets what we want to do, and also values the tour guide. Maybe this is a good port to do so 

[fruitmachine]

6 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

This one starts in Rotterdam,  and first port is Newhaven for Edinburgh, which is tendered.

 

4 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you for these further answers. From  what I have read,  Edinburgh is a non optional tender port. I also notice different “port names” with different lines for Edinburgh. It really is one we would like to explore as long as possible. 
In the past we have booked excursions to get someplace, then asked when and where to meet back at the bus. We tip the tour guide and have found that to be a positive experience that meets what we want to do, and also values the tour guide. Maybe this is a good port to do so 

HAL have not recently (perhaps not ever) tendered to Newhaven for Edinburgh, previously using South Queensferry.  Newhaven is less sheltered and often a longer tender (~15 minutes  transit) than South Queensferry, but does benefit from much better and quicker public transport into the city centre.  Plus, The Royal Yacht Britannia and the just-opened Port of Leith Distillery are under a 15 minute walk away.  Although there were several abandoned calls for Newhaven this year and last, I wouldn't over-worry about it, especially as season appears to be no predictor!

 

Whilst skipping the tour part of an excursion may work, if there's a big benefit in its timing of getting you off the ship, you can also consider abandoning it completely (or abandoning it after the first transport leg) and using our great public transport.

 

Regarding immigration clearance, UK Border Force typically board larger ships using one of the local tour boats, so in parallel with the first crew-only tender that leaves the ship in order to set up on land, thus saving a bit of time.  They have the manifest in advance, and so the check is reasonably slick.  I believe that in the past the ship had an option of paying for them to fly to and board in the previous (foreign) port, and so check during the day at sea, but I've no idea whether that's still ever done.

Enjoy your visit to Edinburgh!

[VMax1700]

4 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

I believe that in the past the ship had an option of paying for them to fly to and board in the previous (foreign) port, and so check during the day at sea, but I've no idea whether that's still ever done.

It has not been done on our last two B.I. cruises 2023/2022.  It was a very slow process.

Both times we ported in South Queensferry for Edinburgh and used the large land based tenders.

[CNSJ]

Regret to OP all the doom and gloom involving tendering and immigration.  In some cases/situations such as this, I have found the HAL tour gives peace of mind getting off and back to the ship.

 

Best to you!  

 

 

[Hlitner]

As has been posted, the tendering situation (now often referred to as "water shuttles") really varies depending on the port and sea conditions.  Somebody mentioned Santorini, and that port uses large shore-based shuttles (not the cruise line tenders) for all passengers.  Other ports (such as in Greenland) depend on the ship's own tenders.

 

Our experience on HAL is that the ship excursions get priority along with those in the higher loyalty status categories or large suites.  In many cases the procedure does require folks to go to a public lounge to get "tender tickets."   As to how long it takes, we have tendered ashore in less than a half hour and also had times when the wait (on board) was many hours.  We do think that the process seems to take a little longer on HAL (than many other lines) because HAL tends to attract an older clientele (including me) who moves slower (call it being "cautious") then on lines that have a younger passenger demographic.

 

What cruise line has the best tendering?  Our experience it is the small ship luxury lines where some would argue you do get what you pay for!  On those lines there are generally no tickets, few lines, and very little waiting.  Bottom line is that when you are on a vessel with only 400 or 600 passengers, things move along much faster than when on large ships.

 

Hank

[Vineyard View]

7 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

 

HAL have not recently (perhaps not ever) tendered to Newhaven for Edinburgh, previously using South Queensferry.  Newhaven is less sheltered and often a longer tender (~15 minutes  transit) than South Queensferry, but does benefit from much better and quicker public transport into the city centre.  Plus, The Royal Yacht Britannia and the just-opened Port of Leith Distillery are under a 15 minute walk away.  Although there were several abandoned calls for Newhaven this year and last, I wouldn't over-worry about it, especially as season appears to be no predictor!

 

Whilst skipping the tour part of an excursion may work, if there's a big benefit in its timing of getting you off the ship, you can also consider abandoning it completely (or abandoning it after the first transport leg) and using our great public transport.

 

Regarding immigration clearance, UK Border Force typically board larger ships using one of the local tour boats, so in parallel with the first crew-only tender that leaves the ship in order to set up on land, thus saving a bit of time.  They have the manifest in advance, and so the check is reasonably slick.  I believe that in the past the ship had an option of paying for them to fly to and board in the previous (foreign) port, and so check during the day at sea, but I've no idea whether that's still ever done.

Enjoy your visit to Edinburgh!

Thank you for all of this information fruitmachine. I have no idea the logistics of the port for your Beautiful city. I was only looking at the itinerary posted on the website for Newhaven. 
 

It sounds like tendering with HAL, and other larger operations,  is a roll of the dice. I guess the good news is this ship is not the largest. 

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

As has been posted, the tendering situation (now often referred to as "water shuttles") really varies depending on the port and sea conditions.  Somebody mentioned Santorini, and that port uses large shore-based shuttles (not the cruise line tenders) for all passengers.  Other ports (such as in Greenland) depend on the ship's own tenders.

 

Our experience on HAL is that the ship excursions get priority along with those in the higher loyalty status categories or large suites.  In many cases the procedure does require folks to go to a public lounge to get "tender tickets."   As to how long it takes, we have tendered ashore in less than a half hour and also had times when the wait (on board) was many hours.  We do think that the process seems to take a little longer on HAL (than many other lines) because HAL tends to attract an older clientele (including me) who moves slower (call it being "cautious") then on lines that have a younger passenger demographic.

 

What cruise line has the best tendering?  Our experience it is the small ship luxury lines where some would argue you do get what you pay for!  On those lines there are generally no tickets, few lines, and very little waiting.  Bottom line is that when you are on a vessel with only 400 or 600 passengers, things move along much faster than when on large ships.

 

Hank

Thank you Hank. We haven’t sailed on a ship over 1k pax capacity in a long, long while and do understand first hand what you are referring to. This itinerary checks more boxes than any of the others I have researched. Years ago our HAL experience was a good one - it was on the old Rynam so a much smaller vessel.  
 

Maybe the Orange Club is worthwhile based on all these responses. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you Hank. We haven’t sailed on a ship over 1k pax capacity in a long, long while and do understand first hand what you are referring to. This itinerary checks more boxes than any of the others I have researched. Years ago our HAL experience was a good one - it was on the old Rynam so a much smaller vessel.  
 

Maybe the Orange Club is worthwhile based on all these responses. 

Many do like Club Orange, especially on the newer large vessels where they have a better dining option.  Club Orange can also get you a better cabin.  But understand that the HAL of today is but a mere shadow of what HAL was in the past (many will disagree).  It does seem that nearly every line has done cost cutting (while increasing prices) and HAL is no exception.  For us, the challenge is finding the lines that have done a lesser degree of cut-backs.  We have also been somewhat appalled at how many cruisers simply accept cut-backs with barely a whimper.  The reality seems to be that one now must usually pay a lot more money to find anything close to what existed in the past.

 

Hank

[OlsSalt]

47 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

...........  For us, the challenge is finding the lines that have done a lesser degree of cut-backs.  We have also been somewhat appalled at how many cruisers simply accept cut-backs with barely a whimper.  The reality seems to be that one now must usually pay a lot more money to find anything close to what existed in the past.

 

Hank

 

Holding my fire until CCL pays off its $10 billion in "covid" loans, needed to just tread water so it could even come back at all.

 

 "Cut backs" after requiring that level of debt financing during non-revenue producing times is hardly subject to the law of unintended consequences. Of course this is a changed situation onboard many or most cruise lines who needed debt financing. 

 

Cut backs and service disruptions as a result of the arbitrary and sudden shut down of the entire cruise industry worldwide will reverberate for years to come. Including many smaller ports learning they liked the loss of the larger cruise ships negatively impacting their towns after all. 

[Petronillus]

18 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

This one starts in Rotterdam,  and first port is Newhaven for Edinburgh, which is tendered. We’ve traveled quite a bit in the world, but British Isles are still boxes unchecked. If that’s the case I am sad to hear about immigration check as it’s a big one for us to see. Ugh. Thanks for the heads up though. This might make club Orange worth it alone. 

This summer we were on a Norway (Land of the Midnight Sun) cruise, where Lerwick in the Shetland Islands got substituted for one of the Norwegian ports. We did need to queue up to pass customs inspection and receive the magic sticker. The customs agents were Scots and couldn't have been more affable and gracious, and the whole process went smoothly and pleasantly. There was nothing memorable about the ensuing tender ride, whether bad or good.