Why Do Cruise Lines Bother with Tender Ports?

I don't get it.

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

Sounds only reasonable right?

When tendering is the only way ships have to allow passengers to get to a port, I'd rather tender than not be able to visit the port. :)

I don't get it.

 

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

 

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

 

Sounds only reasonable right?

Depends on where you are and what you want to see.

Just completed the Society Islands cruise in the South Pacific on the Windstar Spirit. All ports were tendered, except one, because there are NO piers in Bora Bora, Moorea, Taha'a, Huahine. Of course, with only 140 fellow passengers on board this phenomenal ship, tendering was very easy!

It is nowhere near that simple. With larger and larger mega ships the bigger problem is often the depth of the harbor and/or the breadth of the navigable channel approaching it. Could easily cost more than the entire GDP of the island nation to adequately dredge it out.

And as for who invests the money for the facilities: usually it is the cruise line, not the port city. See Falmouth, Labadee, Harvest Caye, Amber Cove etc. And even at home ports if the cruise line wants the facilities upgraded to their specs, directly or indirectly it mostly comes from their pockets: see the renovations of Terminals 4, 19, 21 and 26 at Port Everglades last decade--all funded for the most part by Carnival Corp.

Nope, not reasonable at all. ;p

The better the infrastructure, the more ships & the more crowded the destinations.

Hence complaints by cruisers and locals alike that their island's charms have disappeared under a barrage of cruisers.

Same with better airports, better roads, better trains.

I wonder how the unique wildlife of the Galapagos or the mystery that is Easter Island would have fared if they had cruise terminals. :eek:

Yes, tendering can be a pain. It can also make a destination unreliable due to the reliance on tolerably calm seas.

But I've visited some of the quietest and most atmospheric places, accessible only by tender. Places like Komodo & Devil's Island.

You have the choice of whether to sail itineraries which include a tendered port.

JB :)

I don't get it.

 

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

 

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

 

Sounds only reasonable right?

While I understand that tender ports pose difficulties for some, I usually like them. I like the ride in and out. Watching port details resolve themselves as the boat gets closer. Motoring away for the ship, getting the full impact of its size as more and more of it comes into view. Time on a tender lets me gradually adjust to the destination. A little peace and quiet before the maelstrom of tour group assembly or the stifling wait for an elevator.

I don't get it.

 

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

 

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

 

Sounds only reasonable right?

We wouuld not have been able to enjoy Mykonos ifcruise ships did not tender. that fabulous Greek island only has a dock large enough for tenders. No place for a cruise ship to dock.... Same for St. Barts in the Caribbean ...... It is not snap of a finger for a port to build docks. Yet, there are a great many places world wide that many of us wish to visit on ships and tendering is how that can happen If you are so displeased with tendering,,,,,,,, don't book a cruise that has tender ports. they are indicated on the itinerary. You choice to not book a cruise that requires tendering.. Might be fun to do a little reading ( on line ?) to see the reasons, that a port cannot simply choose to build a large dock even if they wished to. See how many ports you can and how many you cannot visit on an Alaska cruise, if you will not tender.

Tendering can also get you closer to the "city center" in many ports. The huge ships mostly have to dock at the area's commercial port, so you're often miles from the "main area" of the port.

Spend 30+ minutes on a tender or the same time (or more) on a shuttle, a bus, a taxi or a LONG walk.

Tendering is just a part of the entire Adventure of Cruising.

No HMC??? No way!

I do understand if you get seasick easily or are a little uneasy on a tender, but otherwise enjoy the fresh air, a brief chat with a new neighbour and your Tender Pilot's skills.

Think of them as water buses or limo's!

D. Holland

On some cruise line,s, if one is a high number of days repeat cruiser, they may have priority tendering and can get a tender without long wait in line...... or if they book a high price suite, they m may have priority tendering.

Tendering can also get you closer to the "city center" in many ports. The huge ships mostly have to dock at the area's commercial port, so you're often miles from the "main area" of the port.

 

Spend 30+ minutes on a tender or the same time (or more) on a shuttle, a bus, a taxi or a LONG walk.

Good point,,,, especially in Europe.

I don't get it.

 

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

 

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

 

Sounds only reasonable right?

St Peter Port in Guernsey.

Villefrance for Monaco

Mykonos.

Santorini.

Cococay.

Just a small number of tender ports that i would certainly not want to miss.

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If all you want is "another island, another beach" (sung to "another openin', another show") then I understand your displeasure. However, some of the most amazing places in the world that are accessible by cruising are accessible only by tendering. Santorini, St. Helena, Bar Harbor, islands in the South Pacific, Komodo and Devil's Island (mentioned by others), so many more. At this point in our cruising, a beach is a beach is a beach. Be open to the possibilities, and to a world of pure imagination (credit Willy Wonka), and who cares about another beach.

Or try sailing on smaller ships. We e done a number of cruises to varied destinations and have only had to use a tender once, in Iceland.

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There are different kinds of cruises and cruisers. While some folks are happy to just do a typical 7 day Caribbean cruise to the typical ports (some of which are now closed) such as St Maarten, St Thomas, etc......many of us are more adventurous and want to also go to ports that are not crowded with 20,000 cruise passengers. While there are hundreds of potential ports around the world, only a minority have docking facilities for cruise ships. So, if one wants to visit Geiranger (at the end of Gerianger Fjord) you will have to tender. Want to go to certain ports in Iceland and Greenland? You must tender.

And here is a shocker. Some ports that could build large piers...have no desire. There are many islands and places that do not want to become major cruise ports. Having thousands of cruise ship visitors can ruin a paradise :(.

So here is a simple piece of advice from a long time (over forty years) cruiser. If you do not want to deal with the hassles of tender ports then do not book cruises that go to tender ports. On the other hand, if you ever want to set foot on a place like Antarctica, then you are going to need a tender....if even a Zodiac.

Hank

While I prefer docking to tendering, many unique ports would be missed if ships only docked.

We did dock in Mykonos, although it was not right in the center of town.

I don't get it.

 

Get to a destination that requires tendering and then you'll spend a good hour or two to and fro only to get precious hours at that port.

 

Just skip the tender ports and get me to a island, city that has invested the money and resources to build a adequate dock, pier for cruise passengers.

 

Sounds only reasonable right?

Doesn't really sound reasonable at all. Some of the best ports are tender ports, and in some cases because of teh conditions that exist on the sea bed building piers is impractical.

A number of good answers given - all so obvious - to a question which makes me wonder why OP cruises at all: New York City, the Jersey Shore and the Paramus Mall are all in one tight area - a bus ride away from each other.

While I understand that tender ports pose difficulties for some, I usually like them. I like the ride in and out. Watching port details resolve themselves as the boat gets closer. Motoring away for the ship, getting the full impact of its size as more and more of it comes into view. Time on a tender lets me gradually adjust to the destination. A little peace and quiet before the maelstrom of tour group assembly or the stifling wait for an elevator.

Agree. Nice to see Anthem out in the sea when coming back from Cococay. Will lose that when the pier is finished. But not having to wait to tender will be nice also.

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A number of good answers given - all so obvious - to a question which makes me wonder why OP cruises at all: New York City, the Jersey Shore and the Paramus Mall are all in one tight area - a bus ride away from each other.

We are cruising next month from Brooklyn (Red Hook) on Regal.

Looking forward to all the stops but just thinking in my head at Bar Harbor. Tender tickets, queuing for for a tender and waiting somewhere like the theatre for our number to be picked. Yikes.

Obviously this itinerary would have been difficult to drive so the ocean is the best way.

Never have I spent an hour or two tendering. Maximum was at Belize, maybe 15 minutes. Rarely spend time in a line waiting, either. When there is a long line at the port, we just sit at the bar and wait until it's shorter. :)

Never have I spent an hour or two tendering. Maximum was at Belize, maybe 15 minutes. Rarely spend time in a line waiting, either. When there is a long line at the port, we just sit at the bar and wait until it's shorter. :)

Likewise for us on RC.

We have waited over an hour on P&O where we had to queue in a long line to get a tender ticket then again for the tender.

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Never have I spent an hour or two tendering. Maximum was at Belize, maybe 15 minutes. Rarely spend time in a line waiting, either. When there is a long line at the port, we just sit at the bar and wait until it's shorter. :)

Very Lucky.

We did X BI cruise and Edinburgh (Newhaven) was easily 20-30 minute tender ride plus loading all the people on the tiny boat and the queue on ship which ended up well over an hour and a half.

It's really pretty simple - if you don't like to tender, then pick itineraries that don't have any tender ports or stay on the ship in those ports. Having the ship almost to yourself if a very enjoyable alternative.

We are cruising next month from Brooklyn (Red Hook) on Regal.

 

Looking forward to all the stops but just thinking in my head at Bar Harbor. Tender tickets, queuing for for a tender and waiting somewhere like the theatre for our number to be picked. Yikes.

 

Obviously this itinerary would have been difficult to drive so the ocean is the best way.

Sometimes "getting there" is a large part of being there. Coming into a small seaside town like Bar Harbor on a small boat pulling alongside a waterfront jetty is a better meld than trooping down a gangway onto a thousand-foot long concrete cruise pier.

It's a bit like flying into Venice -- if you can't come by ship, at least take one of the Alilaguna boats across the lagoon rather than a diesel bus from the airport to Piazza Roma.

If you are going to travel by sea, you shouldn't try to insulate yourself from proximity to salt water.