Tender process

[runningdiva]

It's been a while since we've had tender ports.  We are Gold status. Does that mean we can just show our card to get on a tender or do we have to get a tender ticket with assigned time?

 

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Priority Tender Tickets are available for Gold and above.

 

I presume that means you use your room card as the priority ticket.

[BirdTravels]

46 minutes ago, runningdiva said:

It's been a while since we've had tender ports.  We are Gold status. Does that mean we can just show our card to get on a tender or do we have to get a tender ticket with assigned time?

 

Check with the CruiseNext desk. 

 

On some ships at some ports, CruiseNext provides an escort around the general line. It is normally a single escort right when tendering starts. 

[JSar]

You can request tender tickets usually the day before. They will do the "priority" groups first, and shore excursions automatically have tender tickets as part of their tour (not really a tender ticket - but your shore excursion ticket lets you board tenders with your tour group), then everyone else who gets a tender ticket is assigned a time in the morning. Then once the morning rush is over - anyone else can board a tender once they do general tendering for everyone....

 

Returning from the port you just need to show your ship card. 

 

I believe "GOLD" status gets you priority boarding and priority tendering. When I do priority tender - I get a tender ticket delivered to the room with shore excursion tickets. 

 

Edited August 25 by JSar

[LatinaInTexas]

We had an odd tendering experience for GSC recently on the Jade. Saw in the daily you could pick up tickets starting at 7:30 up in Spinnaker lounge. Got there a few minutes after and got #2.

No sooner had we walked away that it was announced #1 and #2 could now debark. We went back to our cabin to grab our stuff and and as we were leaving it was announced that anyone who wanted to get off could now head to the gangway 

[Asawi]

It's not the same on all ships so the best thing is to ask at the shore excursion desk after boarding. It will also be in the daily information paper.

You usually do not need to go and get actual tickets if you are Gold or above. 

Some ships you just head down to the exit. On other ships you go somewhere and get escorted down.

But, as I said, check with the shore excursion people once onboard to be extra sure! 

[schmoopie17]

So, the correct answer is..."It depends".

 

Sure would be nice if NCL had a consistent process across the fleet, instead of "it depends which ship you're on."

 

Apparently this confusion is done to align with the NCL motto of, "For your convenience".

[Asawi]

4 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Sure would be nice if NCL had a consistent process across the fleet, instead of "it depends which ship you're on."

To increase confusion (or convenience?) further, it may also depend on the cruise director. I sailed Star twice, about 2 months apart, and routine was not the same both times! Similar, but not quite the same! 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Sure would be nice if NCL had a consistent process across the fleet, instead of "it depends which ship you're on." Apparently this confusion is done to align with the NCL motto of, "For your convenience".

 

Absolutely not. 

 

All tender ports and port calls are not the same. We've sailed to the same tender port twice a few months apart. One time, they had shore tenders servicing the ship. One time, they were using life boats. How you manage disembarkation was totally different when loading a lifeboat than loading a shore tender.

 

I know that it sounds very authoritative to arm-chair-jockey and expound wisdom like "sure would be nice if NCL had a consistent process across the fleet". But, you can't apply a one-size-fits-all tendering approach. That is totally unworkable. You can't afford to invite everyone to the front of the line if you have slow-load, low-capacity lifeboats. 

 

We called in GSC in April 2024. They use very large shore tenders at GSC. They were ready for tendering about 45 minutes before the schedule "arrival time". So, they initially called open tendering allowing anyone ready to join the line, then as they got closer to the planned arrival time, they started using tender groups numbers. 

 

On that same stop at GSC, we were sailing in a balcony room in steerage. But, we had invitations to take advantage of escorted tendering from Latitudes, the Haven, and the General Manager. We chose to accept the offer from the General Manager and were escorted to the first tender,,, riding along with some of the crew going ashore.