Tendering Question

[bundtkate]

We have one tender port (Cabo) on our upcoming Joy cruise and I was curious if there is a set frequency for tenders coming and going (e.g. every 15mins). I found a third-party excursion I'd like to book, but it would have us getting back to the tender dock at 1:30pm. Departure is at 3pm which means we're supposed to be on board by 2pm, according to NCL. No big if we can grab a tender right away when we return but maybe cutting it a bit close if the excursion runs late and/or tenders are infrequent. We are in the Haven, which I understand gives us tender priority to shore, but not sure about coming back to the ship. And, of course priority doesn't matter if there is no tender to be had in the first place. Doable? Too risky? What do y'all think?

[julig22]

 For tender ports, you just have to make the last tender, which is normally 1 hr before departure. As long as you are at the tender dock in time you are good, tenders leave when they are full, not necessarily on a timed basis. 

[BirdTravels]

56 minutes ago, bundtkate said:

We have one tender port (Cabo) on our upcoming Joy cruise and I was curious if there is a set frequency for tenders coming and going (e.g. every 15mins). I found a third-party excursion I'd like to book, but it would have us getting back to the tender dock at 1:30pm. Departure is at 3pm 

The tour operators know the ship's schedule and will not take you as a client if you can't make it back on time. 

 

1:30 back at the pier is o.k. There will be a [very] long line of people and you may get priority boarding. But, the ship will not leave if there is still a line waiting for transport back to the ship. 

 

Last time we were in Cabo, there were at least 3 pier runners.... which is hard when there is no pier. As the ship pulled anchor and secured its tender platforms, at least three parties hired water taxis to take them out to the ship and beg the captain for permission to board. Don't know what they paid, but if I were a water taxi operator, that 10 minute ride should have costed at least $500

[Goldconnection]

$500 🤬

[hallux]

I did a non-ship excursion in Cabo, they were VERY conscious of the need to get us back to the tender dock in time, especially as the people they booked on the tour with us (also from the ship) were LATE getting to the meeting place for the excursion, a whole other story related to using the proper tender platform, disability and warnings on the excursion related to mobility.  We ended up a little rushed at some stops, but we got to everything we were promised.

 

We made it back in PLENTY of time.  Keep in mind that this is their livelihood, getting people back to the tender pier late is a bad business move.

[bundtkate]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The tour operators know the ship's schedule and will not take you as a client if you can't make it back on time. 

Normally, I'd totally agree with this, but this particular site seems to be having some glitches. When I select my itinerary, it shows and old itinerary (we had a change about 90 days out), plus it allows me to choose the date (including dates my ship most distinctly won't be there) AND it lets me pick a 2pm departure time, which obviously wouldn't work when that's the time I need to be back on the ship. It's a well-known and popular site so I'm sure it is just a glitch, but all the same it seems the safeguards aren't working.

 

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

As the ship pulled anchor and secured its tender platforms, at least three parties hired water taxis to take them out to the ship and beg the captain for permission to board.

How on earth did they beg the captain for permission? Were they just shouting in the general direction of the bridge and hoping someone heard them?? I am definitely the paranoid type and always headed back to the ship earlier than I need to (unless I am on an excursion and it's out of my hands) so I am never going to understand regardless, but that is truly next level.

 

5 hours ago, hallux said:

Keep in mind that this is their livelihood, getting people back to the tender pier late is a bad business move.

That is definitely an excellent point. I think my main concern was the fact that it seemed like this site would allow me to book things that most definitely would not work for my itinerary, but it makes sense that the tour operators would push back on that. After all, it's them and not the website that's going to catch flack if they miss that mark.

 

I just double-checked and saw that they have another tour leaving at 2pm and that they specifically mention timely arrival being a factor in the next tour leaving on time so it sounds like they just have the one boat and will be pretty strict about getting us back before that 2pm cut-off so it sounds pretty safe. Thanks for the advice, y'all!

[julig22]

27 minutes ago, bundtkate said:

How on earth did they beg the captain for permission? Were they just shouting in the general direction of the bridge and hoping someone heard them?? I am definitely the paranoid type and always headed back to the ship earlier than I need to (unless I am on an excursion and it's out of my hands) so I am never going to understand regardless, but that is truly next level.

At a recent Q&A with the Sr. officers, the subject of pier runners came up.  The Captain said that they obviously don't want to leave anyone behind, so they will do what they can - every port is different.  But the best piece of advice was to CALL and let the ship know your situation and they will advise you.  So very possible that they were told to get a water taxi and meet the ship.