scared to death to tender

[teegeezfun]

hey, thinking of booking coral panama canal but i understand there are several ports that we tender into and i am frightened to do so. I am not very steady on my feet with arthritis, and i have heard that rough seas make climbing into a tender very tricky.

 

can someone respond about how many ports you tender into and how bad it was for them...

 

thanks

[smeyer418]

hey, thinking of booking coral panama canal but i understand there are several ports that we tender into and i am frightened to do so. I am not very steady on my feet with arthritis, and i have heard that rough seas make climbing into a tender very tricky.

 

can someone respond about how many ports you tender into and how bad it was for them...

 

thanks

 

the Crew will be happy to assist you. If it is too rough you should probably pass on it but most of the time it will be easy and they will help...many people more challenged than you do it all the time. SOme times its like stepping to you car sometimes it like trying to step on a bucking bronco...but if it is that rough it will probably be cancelled.

[barbarah33]

I have taken a Panama Canal cruise but not on that ship so I can’t comment about how many ports you tender in. But if you are afraid that you won’t be able to get in or out of the tenders please tell a member of the staff and they will assist you with both happily. I have seen them get wheelchairs on the tenders as well as assist passengers for whatever reason and all has always worked out just fine.

[pamwinn]

Two crewmembers will take you by the hand and lift you onto the tender.

[JolleyRoger]

hey, thinking of booking coral panama canal but i understand there are several ports that we tender into and i am frightened to do so. I am not very steady on my feet with arthritis, and i have heard that rough seas make climbing into a tender very tricky.

 

can someone respond about how many ports you tender into and how bad it was for them...

 

thanks

 

Do you happen to know which ports are tendered?

 

The Panama Canal (inside the canal) is for sure and I hear Cozumel may be (hurricane damage) but I haven't heard of the others.

[derf5585]

Deleted

[tvaud]

Two crewmembers will take you by the hand and lift you onto the tender.

 

That's the BEST part!!;)

[JKJoannie]

Two crewmembers will take you by the hand and lift you onto the tender.

 

Sometimes even more crew members are there to help you. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Just be sure you tell them you want/need lots of help. They will take good care of you.

[wrp96]

What are the ports?

[Casshew]

You have 3or 4 crewmen assisting you... they don't let go of you - one on each arm assist you on the tender then another crewmember takes your arm and helps you. If you are unsteady they will assist you right to your seat. :)

[bluefintuna]

We have been on 18 cruises and tendered into may ports. I love tendering and listen to other posters, there is nothing to fear and the crew will assist you every step of the way. Please try it and post how you liked it.

[WCAB]

My mom is 81 and is not real steady. She uses a walker if we have to walk any distance. There has always been a couple of staff to help her on and see that she is settled. They even help me and I have not asked.

 

Carol

[Tina G]

In 2002 I burst some blood vessels in my knees from sitting too long on an overseas flight.:eek: Ouch! It was weeks before I could bend my knees easily, and I resorted to a cane, purchased in our first port in Cornwall. I'm a big lady, and I was worried. The crew was wonderful! There were 3 tender ports on that tour, and I went ashore on every one! When I saw four crewmen carrying an elderly lady in a wheelchair onto a tender, I stopped worrying. Her daughter, who was British, was crying tears of joy to see that her mother would be able to do things along with the rest of us. She told me that no other line had ever taken such good care of her mother! Come on - have some fun!:D

[EatonDoolittle]

Regarding ports-

Grand Cayman and St Barts are the only "always" tender that I can think of. Sometimes Key West is, sometimes St Thomas, sometimes St Martin is, sometimes Cozmel is -

 

Depends on the rank of your captain and how many ships are in port.

 

Do some research - some web sites tell you if you are docked or tendering (can't think of which ones right off the top of my head).

 

Don't be scared, tho, as others have said, if it is dangerous, they won't stop.

 

Steep stairs to the lower deck and to the tender are actually what keep my elderly mom from tendering - not to give you one more thing to worry about.

[ssbeagle]

The ship docks in Jamaica and Costa Rica. It tenders in Grand Cayman and the Canal and unless the docks are repaired it may still be tendering in Cozumel. The crew does help you in getting on and off the tender. If it's rough they will recommend you don't go ashore at that time. In fact, if it gets too rough they will cancel all tenders for anyone. These guys are used to working with the tenders and passengers and do a great job. They don't want anyone to fall and injure themselves.

[ArnoldM]

Could you post again your review of this cruise. It did not show on site

 

Arnold M. Brockman

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

If tendering you will access the ship from a lower deck, best to use a whell chair if very unsteady on your feet, also tell ships staff before hand, so that you can get access to a lift as passenger lifts do not normal operate at that level. Like others have said if to rough captain will not tender, you have nothing to worry about, have a great cruise, on my last cruise we had a couple with electric buggies crew went to great lengths to get them off and on ship at every port.

 

yours Shogun

[cusyl]

I travel with a rollator and never have a problem with tendering. The crew is very careful with all the passengers helping them on and off the tender.

[be1498]

In March of 92 on Regal, the seas were too rough for us to tender ashore at Princess Cays.

 

Many of us were very disappointed, but this feeling quickly vanished after the Captain announced "free rum punch!" for the rest of the day! Most passengers enjoyed the sun around the pool, and appeared for the first formal dinner looking like lobsters...

 

Back to the tenders--crew members always assist those who request it or those who appear to be having difficulty of any sort.

[robin6666]

my husband and I were just on the Coral Princess for the Panama Canal cruise. I have a neurological disease....and wear braces on both of my legs..and have a terrible fear of unknown circumstances.....so I understand what you are thinking about. Let me tell you that I had no problem at all using a tender. As all the other posters have stated, the crew is extremely helpful getting you on and off the tender and the ship. IMHO...the worst part of all of this is thinking about it. Just go....have a GREAT time. You will be so happy that you did.

[Pam in CA]

As the others have said, the crew are great about helping people onto tenders. Once, I saw a very elderly couple, probably in their late 80s or even 90s, where she was in a wheelchair and he used the wheelchair as a walker. They were both off the ship and on several of the same tours I was, including going to the Arizona Memorial, which included getting onto a boat to the Memorial. They went everywhere and the crew was fabulous.

[teegeezfun]

the only port we tendered into was semana, caya levatando and as you all assured me, tendering was a breeze. nothing to be afraid of, although the sea was very calm that day. thanks for your support... also, my review got eaten when i first posted it and i rewrote it and reposted. it seems to be fine, now.