Question about tendering to Villefrance from Royal Caribbean

[Choozin Croozin]

Anyone done this lately? I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering. Is it just a wait in line until you manage to get off the ship? Do you line up the day before for a tender ticket for a time? Does it take a long time to get off? ANy information is welcome. Thank you.

[cruiselover04]

I’ve been trying to research this port too and wondering the same. Want to look at tours but it depends how quickly we can get off the ship. 
 

Jenni 

[Dan83]

Same here. Planning for the Odyssey TA next month. I haven’t been to a tender port with royal Caribbean since before Covid. It used to be that shore excursion ticket holders got priority along with suite guests. And there was a lineup for tickets either early morning or the day before. Makes it really difficult to plan your own day in port not knowing what time you can get to shore. Because of this, Villefranche is going to be our “No plans” port. After the lineups are gone we will hop on a tender and go ashore just to walk around and maybe grab some lunch. And then head back to the ship early. There’s probably a way better way to do villefrance on our own but I’m focusing on the other ports for now. 

[Choozin Croozin]

2 hours ago, cruiselover04 said:

I’ve been trying to research this port too and wondering the same. Want to look at tours but it depends how quickly we can get off the ship. 
 

Jenni 

 

49 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

Same here. Planning for the Odyssey TA next month. I haven’t been to a tender port with royal Caribbean since before Covid. It used to be that shore excursion ticket holders got priority along with suite guests. And there was a lineup for tickets either early morning or the day before. Makes it really difficult to plan your own day in port not knowing what time you can get to shore. Because of this, Villefranche is going to be our “No plans” port. After the lineups are gone we will hop on a tender and go ashore just to walk around and maybe grab some lunch. And then head back to the ship early. There’s probably a way better way to do villefrance on our own but I’m focusing on the other ports for now. 

Exactly! I have a tour planned for 8/8:15 and not sure that will work 

[Dan83]

Villefrance is no longer our “do nothing “ port. There are a couple of activities we are interested in. Does anyone have experience with the tendering process in Villefrance or from the Odyssey? With a 7 am arrival is it reasonable to expect to get ashore by 9 am? We won’t have any priority access to the tenders such as suite or key benefits. 

[John Bull]

On 9/29/2023 at 12:45 AM, Choozin Croozin said:

Anyone done this lately? I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering. Is it just a wait in line until you manage to get off the ship? Do you line up the day before for a tender ticket for a time? Does it take a long time to get off? ANy information is welcome. Thank you.

 

Some years back it was broadly how @Dan83 described. You are all told in the daily newssheet where (probably the theatre or a bar or restaurant) and at what time you collect your tender tickets next morning. If you desperately want an early ticket get there at least half-an-hour before the advertised time (only one of a small party need attend, but take everyone's cruise card).

 

But now RCI might have changed to all going along to the venue when you're ready to disembark, collecting your tickets, staying there and when your number is called crocodiling (if that's a word 😏) behind a guide to the tender. Sounds horrendous but works well.

 

Sorry, being impecunious British pensioners we have no idea of priorities for those in suites or on ships' excursions.

But Monte Carlo in one direction and Nice (even Antibes & Cannes) in the other are easy by bus or half-hourly train

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[edinburgher]

On 9/29/2023 at 12:45 AM, Choozin Croozin said:

I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering.

Cruise lines don't always follow the same method of tendering on all their ships. It may depend on the number of passengers and the shoreside tendering facilities available.

 

As your querstion is specific to Royal Caribbean, suggesting that you cross post on the RC forum where others who may have done this in summer this year will possibly see it, or you could ask (Villefranche aside) what their usual schedule of tendering priorities is.

[Choozin Croozin]

On 10/9/2023 at 8:46 AM, Dan83 said:

Villefrance is no longer our “do nothing “ port. There are a couple of activities we are interested in. Does anyone have experience with the tendering process in Villefrance or from the Odyssey? With a 7 am arrival is it reasonable to expect to get ashore by 9 am? We won’t have any priority access to the tenders such as suite or key benefits. 

We were hoping to get off for an 8:15 tour. Now I'm beginning to think that isn't going to happen. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Dan83]

3 minutes ago, Choozin Croozin said:

We were hoping to get off for an 8:15 tour. Now I'm beginning to think that isn't going to happen. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

We’re going to chance it. I booked a 9 am tour from Nice. That means a 15 minute taxi or Uber ride to be factored in as well. And I don’t know the availability of those from the port area. 

[CynBeth6]

We were on Enchantment in July and the night before we were told we would not need to get tender tickets the local area was providing tenders and that the next morning as soon as they gave the all clear to get off we were free to do so. I think that happened around 7:30 am. Outside of the terminal we got a taxi to Monaco. 

[Choozin Croozin]

On 10/11/2023 at 5:28 PM, CynBeth6 said:

We were on Enchantment in July and the night before we were told we would not need to get tender tickets the local area was providing tenders and that the next morning as soon as they gave the all clear to get off we were free to do so. I think that happened around 7:30 am. Outside of the terminal we got a taxi to Monaco. 

Thank you!!

[Choozin Croozin]

On 10/10/2023 at 8:39 PM, Dan83 said:

We’re going to chance it. I booked a 9 am tour from Nice. That means a 15 minute taxi or Uber ride to be factored in as well. And I don’t know the availability of those from the port area. 

Yes, I think we'll just have to make sure we are in line early and hope for the best. Hopefully the tour guide is flexible. Ours is picking us up at the port. 

[erby2283]

When I cruise in 2019, we were advised that tender tickets would be passed out an hour before we docked (I think that would have made it 6 am).  But I needed to be on the first tender to make a private excursion, so we were the first ones in line at 5 am and given a ticket close to 6.  Then went back to the room and finished getting ready until they started calling for for Tender Ticket #1! 

[Hlitner]

There are a few issues about Villefranche.  They do not have large shore-based tenders, so all tendering is done by the cruise ship tenders.  The norm on RCI (and most other mass market lines) is to give priority to those booking the ship's excursions and others who qualify for priority tendering.  Everyone else will need to get a tender ticket (read the daily info to find out time/place) and wait your turn.  At that port the tendering distance is relatively normal (no more than 10 min from ship to shore) but how fast you get ashore is dependent on how early you get your tender ticket and other factors (i.e. weather, wind, sea conditions).

 

Hank

[Choozin Croozin]

On 9/28/2023 at 7:45 PM, Choozin Croozin said:

Anyone done this lately? I was just wondering how Royal handles the tendering. Is it just a wait in line until you manage to get off the ship? Do you line up the day before for a tender ticket for a time? Does it take a long time to get off? ANy information is welcome. Thank you.

I thought I would follow up to let you know what happened. It was today lack of communication. We were given different instructions by different people up until we departed the ship. We ended up just being able to walk right off the ship on to a ferry within about 1/2 hr of being cleared and took maybe about 15-20 min of a ferry boat ride. Arrived in plenty of time for our 8:15 tour. No tickets. They supposedly were going to hand out tender tickets after 9am. 

[Travelling2Some]

On 11/6/2023 at 5:58 PM, Hlitner said:

There are a few issues about Villefranche.  They do not have large shore-based tenders, so all tendering is done by the cruise ship tenders.

 

 

This information worries me because I have read several times that the NCL Viva's lifeboats are not certified to be used as tenders.  I would love to know what happened at this port from anyone who was on this itinerary on the Viva last season?  NCL has been less than transparent in the past regarding bogus reasons for skipping ports.  We are particularly interested in Villefranche.

[Hlitner]

9 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

This information worries me because I have read several times that the NCL Viva's lifeboats are not certified to be used as tenders.  I would love to know what happened at this port from anyone who was on this itinerary on the Viva last season?  NCL has been less than transparent in the past regarding bogus reasons for skipping ports.  We are particularly interested in Villefranche.

You should cross post this on the NCL blog.  I must say that in over 50 years of extensive cruising I have never heard of a cruise ship that did not have any tenders.  In fact, in our early years of cruising on some of the old Sitmar and Regency ships, the tenders were just normal lifeboats (and truly awful contractions with large spars making it difficult to enter/exit).  Modern ships always have certain boats designed for multiple use as both tenders and life boasts.

 

Hank

[Travelling2Some]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You should cross post this on the NCL blog.  I must say that in over 50 years of extensive cruising I have never heard of a cruise ship that did not have any tenders.  In fact, in our early years of cruising on some of the old Sitmar and Regency ships, the tenders were just normal lifeboats (and truly awful contractions with large spars making it difficult to enter/exit).  Modern ships always have certain boats designed for multiple use as both tenders and life boasts.

 

Hank

I did also post it to the NCL board and got an answer there from someone with recent experience.  He said that the port of Villefranche does have their own tenders and that they are large and frequent.  So no worries. I was concerned because I know you are very knowledgeable.  The situation with the Viva seems to be unique, yes.  NCL has been doing quite a bit of what many consider "bait and switch" with their itineraries, so I was not inclined to trust them.

[D&N]

The ports don't have tenders.

There is a company operating along the Cote d'Azur called: Trans Côte d’Azur

https://www.trans-cote-azur.co.uk/

 

They provide ferry services to islands and sightseeing services. They also provide services to some cruise lines. They have a large fleet of boats that are generally bigger and faster than cruise ship tenders and have local crews that know the local ports and currents well. They may also supply direct excursions from ships.

Certain cruise lines seem to use them at Cannes and Villefranche.

 

We use them now and again to visit l’île Sainte-Marguerite for a swim and picnic.