Tendering advice

[Blondilu]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here, looking for a little advice.

 

My mother and I are cruising to Alaska in August :) . My mother is 80 with some minor mobility problems. Mostly she does OK, but is a little timid and uncertain in new and scary situations (like getting in and out of a tender). This makes her slower than most other people, and she feels intimidated by the idea that she is holding up everyone else.

 

I've read on these boards that by getting up real early we can avoid some of the crowds getting on the tenders. But, what about waiting awhile? Say, 9:00 or 10:00am? The ship anchors at 7:00am and will be in the port until 4:00pm, and only need enough time to check out the town, have some lunch and of course, do some shopping.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Paulmj]

The cruise lines have gotten very good at crowd control, especially when boarding or disembarking tenders. Everything is done in an orderly way. There are many people having less mobility who are aided by the crewmen in getting on and off the boat. Inside passage cruising is almost always smooth, and you should never experience the surge that can make tender operations a little more challenging in, say, the Caribbean or elsewhere.

 

Cruise ships have plenty of older folks on board, and my advice is to not be too concerned aboujt this. Certainly the timing shouldn't be a factor in ease of boarding, only in possible delay waiting in the stairwells to get to the boat.

[tangerinebunny]

Why don't you talk to your stateroom stewart about it? Ask what the easiest most practical approach is.

[RetireeWannabee]

I'm also taking my mother, and we may be in the same boat (so to speak). I figure everyone will be spellbound by the scenery and actually wouldn't notice the extra time and effort (one can hope, right?) or, as a PP said, there will be enuf seniors that it's hardly noticed how long any one person takes or the assistance necessary.

 

I also plan to do a little diversionary chit-chat so Mom is in the tender before she has time to become self-conscious.

[paylady]

If you aren't pressed for time, I think waiting until the crowds clear may be desirable especially if your mom is self-conscious. For one, sometimes getting on the tenders from the ship can be a challenge. I didn't notice this so much in Alaska, but I did notice a lot of seniors having a difficult time on our last Canada/New England cruise.

 

My mother would need considerable help were she to cruise and I would want her to be as comfortable as possible. It's so nice you are sharing this vacation time together. You will have a great time.

[Budget Queen]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here, looking for a little advice.

 

My mother and I are cruising to Alaska in August :) . My mother is 80 with some minor mobility problems. Mostly she does OK, but is a little timid and uncertain in new and scary situations (like getting in and out of a tender). This makes her slower than most other people, and she feels intimidated by the idea that she is holding up everyone else.

 

I've read on these boards that by getting up real early we can avoid some of the crowds getting on the tenders. But, what about waiting awhile? Say, 9:00 or 10:00am? The ship anchors at 7:00am and will be in the port until 4:00pm, and only need enough time to check out the town, have some lunch and of course, do some shopping.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

 

Wrong thinking, it will get more and more crowded the longer you wait with 9-10-11am having extremely long waits and lines. The least will be when the tenders first open up around 7am. Otherwise after noon, they will slow down again. So perhaps consider heading out after lunch.