Tender in Cabo?

[larsenbiz]

I have never been on a ship that tendered, instead of docked. I'll be on the Oosterdam in December. What is this experience like? Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

Not sure what you want to know, but the ship anchors in the bay. Many ships have 1 or 2 fold-out docks on each side of the ship (only one side is usually used for protection against wind and waves). Several of the ships tenders (lifeboats) are placed in the water, and start shuttling people to a dock inside the main harbor. Total time from stepping off the ship, and touching dry land will be 20 or so minutes.

Priority is given early on in the day to people who have tours booked. As there is also a rush early on, many tenders (6 in our most recent cruise) will be used. Each tender will take 80-100 people early on, less later as people trickle back.

In some locations (HMC for example), shore based tenders are used with or without the ships tenders. I have not seen this at Cabo. Sometimes it can be a little rough for people with mobility issues to get from the ship's dock to the tender, but there is always plenty of crew avaialble to help.

On our recent visit, our tender stopped on the way back to take pics of a sea lion that was very close off the starboard side.

[Copper10-8]

I have never been on a ship that tendered, instead of docked. I'll be on the Oosterdam in December. What is this experience like? Thanks.

It's (can be) actually a very positive experience. Oosterdam will pull up to her anchorage out in the Bay across from Los Arcos (The Arcs). Sailors will lower, usually up to four, tenders (also used as lifeboats but bigger and more powerful) into the water. If you're on a ship's excursion, you'll usually meet in the ship's show lounge (time and place will be on your tour ticket) and the Shorex staff will hand you a colored sticker with a number on it to put on your outer clothing.

They (staff) will wait until they have enough folks on the same or similar tours together (by colored sticker and number) and will then direct you by groups down (stairs or elevator) to, usually A-Deck (could be B-Deck). Out there, the crew will have lowered/pumped-out a tender platform and the tender itself will be tied up happily bopping on the waves. You and the rest of your group will board the tender and, when filled up (or almost filled up), the quartermaster driving the boat will shove off and head for the tender pier inside Cabo's Marina. That trip will take about ten minutes, give or take a couple.

If your on your own (not on a Shorex), you will need to pick up a tender ticket (in the morning at least until most pax are off the ship) and will assemble somewhere (usually the same show lounge but could be somewhere else on the ship) and you'll be again called by your number to go to the tender.

That "shuttle service" will go on as long as Oosterdam is in Cabo. Coming back to the ship will just entail you showing your ship I.D. to the boarding officer on the pier, getting in and enjoying the ride.

Tendering can be a good time to remind you that you're on a sea journey. Yes, swells can sometimes make the ride more "interesting". At times, if the weather or the swells (see Half Moon Cay) are really bad, the captain will cancel the port call but I can't ever remember that happening in Cabo.

Have a great time on Oosterdam!

[Copper10-8]

Sorry Bruce, I was writing a book and you beat me to it!;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

If for any reason the winds are too high and the captain can't get a good anchorage, you may end up with another sea day. This happens very rarely.

And don't take any kind of food ashore with you. On our recent stop at Cabo, the Mexican officials were on shore examing everyone's purses, backpacks, etc to make certain that no one brought anything off the ship; i.e. - apples, bananas, boxes of cereal, etc. There had not been any mention of this in the daily program.

[catl331]

On a recent Amsterdam cruise, we arrived in Cabo and anchored near a Carnival ship. We used our own tenders but the Carnival ship had local tenders. You can imagine the totally different passengers emerging from those tenders!:)