Celebrity Solstic - Tender Ashore Charge?

[Gail5863]

My brother and family are on Celeb Solstice at the moment and they have emailed saying they will be charged 20 USD each for tendering ashore. I checked the itinerary and it says only one port Kotor (Montenegro) is tendering, so does anyone know is this right. I have never heard anything so absurd, I thought tenders to shore were included?

 

I wonder if they are looking at some kind of alternative boat trip perhaps, but surely not charged for the boat to shore when anchored? There's 2 adults and 2 kids, so that's 80 USD if that's the case, which would be totally ridiculous. Can someone please clarify?

 

Thank you, Gail

[cruzeluver]

I have never heard of Celebrity or any cruise line charging its guests to be tendered ashore. There must be some misunderstanding.

[TLCOhio]

My brother and family are on Celeb Solstice at the moment and they have emailed saying they will be charged 20 USD each for tendering ashore. I checked the itinerary and it says only one port Kotor (Montenegro) is tendering, so does anyone know is this right. I have never heard anything so absurd, I thought tenders to shore were included? I wonder if they are looking at some kind of alternative boat trip perhaps, but surely not charged for the boat to shore when anchored? There's 2 adults and 2 kids, so that's 80 USD if that's the case, which would be totally ridiculous. Can someone please clarify? Thank you, Gail

 

Was on the Solstice last summer. We had two tendered ports, Villefranche and Kotor. No extra charges. No way. No how. Believe me, I would have remembered. Super loved Kotor. Great port and area.

 

More on wonderful Kotor and nearby, check these postings. Have had over 8,175 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 98,363 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[dancingcruiselady]

my husband were on solsice earlier in the year and we did not have to pay to tender into kotor i hope that this is a mistake, surely we are not going to be charged for this service:)

[Gail5863]

Thanks for your replies - I've never heard of tender ashore charges before either. I have just called Celebrity UK and they said it might relate to a bus transfer after a tender to shore - rather than a tender charge, or indeed a landing tax - so I've emailed my brother on board and asked him to check it out with guest relations. I'll report back with what they say! Strange one but perhaps he has the wrong end of the stick but worth checking on this forum as people on here know everything about cruising!! Greatly appreciated, Gail

[BKFlowerMound]

We were on the Silhouette last week and there were two tender ports: Kotor and Split. There was no tender charge.

 

OP, is the cruise going to Venice? Celebrity offers a water bus servive from the dock area to the St. Mark's area for around $20. You don't need to purchase it to get into the center of Venice as you could (1) take the Vaporetto that stops at the dock; or (2) take the people mover to Piazzale Roma and walk or vaporetto in from there. I'm wondering if that is the source of the confusion. I would be very surprised if Celebrity is actually charging for tendering in any port.

[TLCOhio]

Thanks for your replies - I've never heard of tender ashore charges before either. I have just called Celebrity UK and they said it might relate to a bus transfer after a tender to shore - rather than a tender charge, or indeed a landing tax - so I've emailed my brother on board and asked him to check it out with guest relations. I'll report back with what they say! Strange one but perhaps he has the wrong end of the stick but worth checking on this forum as people on here know everything about cruising!! Greatly appreciated, Gail

 

That makes more sense in a charge for bus transfer after a tender to shore. Generally, we found last year the tour charges in Kotor to be fairly reasonable compared to the other ports in the Med. We went "up country" to see their old Royal Capital, etc. Tell them to get up early to see ALL of the interesting settings during the spectacular sail-in. Below is how the Solstice looks in that wonderful port.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 98,363 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

From high above Kotor, this is the view of the fjord bay with the Solstice in prime position to soak up the spectacular sun on our visiting day there.:

 

[Gail5863]

BKFlowerMound - Yes they are going to Venice and I rather suspect this is where the confusion lies and maybe this is the water bus service charge. THANK YOU for the other options, which I can now email to my brother on board. With 2 adults and 2 children, 20 USD each adds up and so maybe they can find a less expensive way to get into town.

[Lsimon]

BKFlowerMound - Yes they are going to Venice and I rather suspect this is where the confusion lies and maybe this is the water bus service charge. THANK YOU for the other options, which I can now email to my brother on board. With 2 adults and 2 children, 20 USD each adds up and so maybe they can find a less expensive way to get into town.

There are several less expensive ways to get from the port in Venice into the heart of town, but all involve a lot more time and effort. The least expensive would be walking. I believe it is a bit over 2 miles or so and most prefer to save their walking energy until they are already in the heart of town. They can also walk part way (not sure of distance but I think it is less than a mile) to the first plaza near the canal and take the public water bus at a lower rate - some prefer this as you see a lot but it does take much longer. Also, if their children are under 4 their children will be at no charge.

 

You can investigate options on the Cruise Critic port of call forums as this is a frequently discussed topic there. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

[Gail5863]

Thank u very much for all replies these are very helpful indeed. I have forwarded the information already.

 

The cruise also visits Dubrovnik and is docked. They seem to be selling shuttle bus tickets for there too - if anyone knows the best way to get into the city from the dock area, I am not sure how far away it is - but I wd be most grateful for any recommendation. Thank u in advance.

[little britain]

Thank u very much for all replies these are very helpful indeed. I have forwarded the information already.

 

The cruise also visits Dubrovnik and is docked. They seem to be selling shuttle bus tickets for there too - if anyone knows the best way to get into the city from the dock area, I am not sure how far away it is - but I wd be most grateful for any recommendation. Thank u in advance.

 

Taken from my review:

Dubrovnik: for us all this was the highlight of the cruise. We were going to catch a cab to the cable car but the cab driver offered us a tour for €50, and took us to the top where the cable car stops for the sights. Given that the cable car was 87kn pp (around €12pp) this was a good deal. He dropped us at the Pile Gate. We walked the city walls -- tickets are 70kn pp and they only accept Kuna not Euros. This took around 90 minutes, after which we strolled the streets of this simply beautiful town. Add it to your Bucket List if you have not visited! After a lunch of local cheese, hams, calamari and wine we caught the 1B bus back to the port. Tickets were 12kn pp. That is around $2. Busses run from the Pile Gate and the 1A,1B, 3 & 8 will take you to the port. =X= were offering a shuttle for $12pp.

 

 

The bus stop was just outside the port gates if you wanted to catch the bus into town too.

 

 

Venice: And back into Venice. A beautiful sail-in at 10am so we had breakfast on the balcony to watch the views. =X= were offering a shuttle to St Marks Square for $22pp -- we just strolled over to the PeopleMover (you cannot miss it) and bought a ticket to Piazzale Roma for €1pp. Then we walked via Rialto Bridge to St Marks and then on to Accedemia Bridge. There we bought a 24h vaporetto pass for €20pp and spent the rest of the day riding the vaporettos, out to Murano (which is beautiful and peaceful compared to St Marks Square) and up and down the Grand Canal. We caught the PeopleMover back to the ship. The next day we disembarked. Took the PM again to Piazzale Roma, left our luggage (as you exit the PM, turn left and you will see the door right next to the cafe with the green awning-it is easy to miss as it is just a door).€5.50per case for24hours. We rode the vaporetto out to the Lido determined to get full value out of the tickets, had a final lunch and then caught the blue bus to the airport for €5pp.

 

There is no tender charge. They have got very confused.

Perhaps your brother needs to join cruisecritic?:rolleyes:

[TLCOhio]

Thank u very much for all replies these are very helpful indeed. I have forwarded the information already. The cruise also visits Dubrovnik and is docked. They seem to be selling shuttle bus tickets for there too - if anyone knows the best way to get into the city from the dock area, I am not sure how far away it is - but I wd be most grateful for any recommendation. Thank u in advance.

 

Gail5863: Yes to Venice. They are going to Venice and I rather suspect this is where the confusion lies and maybe this is the water bus service charge. THANK YOU for the other options' date=' which I can now email to my brother on board. With 2 adults and 2 children, 20 USD each adds up and so maybe they can find a less expensive way to get into town. [/quote']

 

Here are some more info items and links to give to your family. This will provide lots of pictures, tips and ideas for BOTH Venice and Dubrovnik.

 

The Venice ship link is not cheap, but it does save time and make things "handy" and maybe quicker. What's more important? Their time or your money? Always have those logistic factors to consider!! In Dubrovnik, they can take a cab/taxi connector to the walled city (10 euro for the group, one way) or, they do as we did with a "Panoramic Tour" (50 euro for the group in the car) that gives them a good introduction to the city and goes UP, UP to a great overview, saving time over doing the sky tram, etc. See a visual below.

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 8,600 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

Since Venice is one of their key stops, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting has now had over 13,000 views and I appreciate those who have dropped by and tuned in. Don’t be shy in sharing any questions or comments.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 98,363 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

We started in Dubrovnik with a local cab driver who gave us a “panoramic tour”, including crossing their unique bridge near the main cruise ship docking area. He called this bridge their “Golden Gate” like in San Francisco. It is nine years old. Then we drove up and up through narrow twisting roads to the high point overlooking Dubrovnik and near the cable car high station. From this point, we could also see part of Bosnia and and Montenegro. The “super star” view was down below with this angle of the harbor and walled city. Beautiful!!!:

 

[Gail5863]

Thank u for the response -excellent information and so informative, I will forward this on. My brother is not a very experienced cruiser but he's learning fast!!! Very much appreciate the excellent help on here, Gail

[jcrandle]

As ever experienced cruiser knows, the way for the cruise line to make extra profit is NOT to charge you to go ashore, as some folk would just stay on board to save money. The profit potential is to charge you to RETURN to the ship!:D

[BKFlowerMound]

BKFlowerMound - Yes they are going to Venice and I rather suspect this is where the confusion lies and maybe this is the water bus service charge. THANK YOU for the other options, which I can now email to my brother on board. With 2 adults and 2 children, 20 USD each adds up and so maybe they can find a less expensive way to get into town.

 

Venice is a shockingly expensive city. Your brother is going to have to open his wallet. The Vaporetto is €7 per ride or €18 for a 12 hour pass. Additionally, the Vaporetto station that's right by the cruise dock had a really long line last week when we were there (Carnival Breeze was there too). You could take the PeopleMover (€1 each) to Piazzale Roma and take the Vaporetto from there to St Marks (line 2). It goes down the Grand Canal, which is a must do. Just so it's clear, the Vaporetto is Venice's water bus system.

 

Here's some more information about transportation in Venice.

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-vaporetto-and-bus-fare-tables.htm

[Fixit2010]

Tendered the other day in Gerainger (or something similar) from the Eclipse, no charges.