I had forgot about this. ...

If there were any heads/shoulders sticking out the top, it more than likely was a sailor/crew person. All passengers are required to be seated and remain so until the tender is safely secured at the dock.

 

Must have been a lot of crew members lol

 

 

 

 

Must have been a lot of crew members lol

 

What you probably saw was the tender using its upper deck. In the photo above, you can see the folded down backrests around the four benches on top of the boat, and the smoked gray plexiglass door leading from the lower level of the boat. In good weather, this allows them to load the 125 tender passengers with even less crowding, as about 16-20 passengers can use the upper deck.

 

 

What you probably saw was the tender using its upper deck. In the photo above, you can see the folded down backrests around the four benches on top of the boat, and the smoked gray plexiglass door leading from the lower level of the boat. In good weather, this allows them to load the 125 tender passengers with even less crowding, as about 16-20 passengers can use the upper deck.

 

Hmmm, interesting! I always thought that in an emergency the upper deck was for the passengers from the cheaper cabins. :D

 

Hmmm, interesting! I always thought that in an emergency the upper deck was for the passengers from the cheaper cabins. :D

 

No, in an emergency, those are reserved for the chair hogs, quarantine breakers, non-hand washers (you know who you are, and so does Surveillance:D), and those late to muster drill.:eek:

It will depend on the contracts the cruise lines have with the tender operators in any port as to whether or not ship's boats are used. Sometimes its simply a matter of who gets to port first, as the number of shore based tenders is limited, and the later ships do not want to delay getting the passengers ashore.

That's been my understanding as well.

I don't remember how many tender ports I have been, maybe 4 or 5, but use of the ship life boats, either exclusively or in conjunction with local private tenders, is what I have always experienced. Princess and RCI. It didn't occur to me that the life boats weren't always used. The ships have also lowered additional life boats for crew safety drills but which were not used for tender.

Seems like a great time to practice lifeboat drills with the crew. Load 'real' passengers, drive them to safety, good check of the motor and steering.

Maybe the passengers were really crew taking their shore day, as part of the practice?

It will depend on the contracts the cruise lines have with the tender operators in any port as to whether or not ship's boats are used. Sometimes its simply a matter of who gets to port first, as the number of shore based tenders is limited, and the later ships do not want to delay getting the passengers ashore.

On our Med cruise a couple of years ago the published itinerary clearly stated we would be tendering at Mykonos, Greece. When we arrived I was surprised, and pleased, that we tied up at the only dock available in the port. We left on our excursion and on our way back we spotted an NCL ship anchored offshore with it's ship tenders ferrying passengers back and forth.

Not sure if this was a first come, first served situation, or Celebrity out bid NCL for the right to dock, but it certainly made things much easier for us.

On our Med cruise a couple of years ago the published itinerary clearly stated we would be tendering at Mykonos, Greece. When we arrived I was surprised, and pleased, that we tied up at the only dock available in the port. We left on our excursion and on our way back we spotted an NCL ship anchored offshore with it's ship tenders ferrying passengers back and forth.

 

Not sure if this was a first come, first served situation, or Celebrity out bid NCL for the right to dock, but it certainly made things much easier for us.

Sometimes its a matter of which ship calls at the port more often.

Seems like a great time to practice lifeboat drills with the crew. Load 'real' passengers, drive them to safety, good check of the motor and steering.

 

Maybe the passengers were really crew taking their shore day, as part of the practice?

Exactly. Further, the life boats seemed to me to be more expensive and sophisticated vessels than the private tenders. Engines need to run to be properly maintained. I don't know why they wouldn't always be used for tender.

Exactly. Further, the life boats seemed to me to be more expensive and sophisticated vessels than the private tenders. Engines need to run to be properly maintained. I don't know why they wouldn't always be used for tender.

All the boats are exercised in the water weekly in the crew drill. The more you use a lifeboat/tender as a tender, the more chance there is for damage to a piece of emergency equipment. Should a lifeboat/tender smack a dock a little too hard and either crack the boat or bend a rudder, since the boat is no longer available as a lifeboat, the 150 people assigned to that boat might have to be disembarked, depending on the total passenger count.

I don't know why they wouldn't always be used for tender.

Some ports require ships to use the local tenders to help the economy of that port

Ok I thought maybe the cruise line was just being cheap lol. The boats has the name of the ship.... Something with a C. But they were packed in there, standing up with their heads and shoulders sticking out the top

C for Costa? NCL and Costa are the two cruiselines that we have sailed that used lifeboats as tenders. DH thinks that they all should so they know that they are all in working order.

C for Costa? NCL and Costa are the two cruiselines that we have sailed that used lifeboats as tenders. DH thinks that they all should so they know that they are all in working order.

All boat engines are run weekly, in the air, and exercised in the water at least every other week. The weekly inspection is done by a deck officer and an engine officer, testing all systems. And monthly, the deck officers will remove all emergency supplies from the boats to check for damage or expired rations or water.

Ok so when we were in the Caymans on our cruise the other week, I swear the was a cruise that was tendering their passengers over on what appeared to be the life boats. I can't remember the ship....One I had never heard of but I found it odd when the other folks were coming on the big tenders. Has anyone else seen this?

We were on the ship with you! It was a Princess ship that was using their lifeboats.

All boat engines are run weekly, in the air, and exercised in the water at least every other week. The weekly inspection is done by a deck officer and an engine officer, testing all systems. And monthly, the deck officers will remove all emergency supplies from the boats to check for damage or expired rations or water.

Is it mandatory to bring each lifeboat down and make sure that it is sea worthy every 14 days? That would definitely be reassuring.

Is it mandatory to bring each lifeboat down and make sure that it is sea worthy every 14 days? That would definitely be reassuring.

The boats are to be lowered to the water every month. Since this is done at the dock, only one side can be done at a time, so each side is done every two weeks. Usually the rescue boat on that side is lowered as well, and it acts like a sheepdog guiding the boats into a "duckling circle" for good training of steering and power.

We've rarely been tendered by a boat from shore, although I remember one place where a crew member said that that port insisted on their tenders be used. If it's a tender port I expect to hear the rattles of the chains first thing in the morning....:cool: